Turnpike toll increases take effect today

Toll increases approved in the fall for the Massachusetts Turnpike begin today, the first of the year. Tolls at Allston-Brighton and Route 128 increase from $1 to $1.25 for cash-paying drivers. Tolls at the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels increase from $3 to $3.50. Fast Lane users will continue to receive a discount of 25 cents at the tolls and 50 cents at the tunnels, but they face the same increases. Commercial drivers pay more, depending on the size of their vehicles.

Contrary to what some weather watchers predicted, Boston did not break the record for the snowiest December on record. Snow accumulation yesterday totaled 0.8 inches - shy of the 1.1 inches needed to surpass the record set in 1970, when 27.9 inches of snow fell in December, said Walter Drag, a spokesman for the National Weather Service in Taunton. More precipitation is headed Boston's way, but it isn't expected to hit until today, so the record will stand, Drag said. The weather service issued a heavy snow warning for portions of Franklin, Berkshire, Hampshire, and Worcester counties, where residents can expect about 6 inches of accumulation today. Boston will probably see a mix of rain and snow, while Cape Cod will receive mostly rain.

A former home of famous poet Robert Frost has been vandalized, with intruders destroying dozens of items and setting fire to furniture in what police say was an underage drinking party. The Homer Noble Farm, a former Frost residence that's now a historic landmark, was ransacked late Friday night during a party attended by up to 50 people, police said. The intruders broke a window to get into the two-story wood frame building and destroyed tables and chairs, pictures, windows, light fixtures, and dishes. Wicker furniture and dressers were smashed and thrown into a fireplace, apparently to provide heat in the unheated building. The vandals vomited in the living room and discharged two fire extinguishers inside the building. Frost, a celebrated poet known for such verse as "The Road Not Taken," died in 1963. He summered at the farm from 1939 to 1963. (AP)

A 3-year-old boy sliding down a snowbank was run over by a neighbor's pickup truck about noon yesterday, police said. The child was playing on George Road with two other children when he slid beneath the rear left wheel of a 1994 Chevrolet S-10 driven by Paul Fogarty, 64, said Kingston police Chief Donald Briggs. Fogarty told police he had to back the truck off the child. The boy, who was not identified, was taken to Exeter Hospital and then airlifted to Children's Hospital Boston, Briggs said. Kingston police did not say whether Fogarty will face charges.

A Spencer man working on a tire on a crane was killed in an industrial accident yesterday in Worcester. Police Sergeant Gary Quitadamo identified the victim as 59-year-old Paul Harding. According to the Telegram & Gazette of Worcester, Harding was servicing a tire on the crane at Intransit Container about 9:45 a.m. when the tire blew off, sending him several feet into the air. He died at UMass Memorial Hospital. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating. (AP)

Police in Holyoke say the driver of a stolen car who led them on a chase before crashing into a snowbank turned out to be a 12-year-old boy. The boy was charged with resisting arrest, disorderly conduct, receiving a stolen vehicle, and several motor vehicle charges. Holyoke police said an officer tried to pull over the car about 4 a.m. Sunday because its headlights were off. The car crashed into a snowbank. Police said they caught the boy after a short foot chase. (AP)

An elite Maine National Guard unit is going to Afghanistan to live and fight alongside Afghan national soldiers as the unit teaches them techniques to use against the Taliban, insurgents, and criminal gangs. Members of the Embedded Training Team are scheduled to ship out this month to Kansas for more training, and then go to Afghanistan. . (AP)