Archdiocese calls magazine ad degrading

An advertisement appearing in Boston magazine this month that depicts a group of nuns sketching a naked male model is drawing flak from the Roman Catholic Church. Terrence C. Donilon, spokesman for the Archdiocese of Boston, called the Equinox Fitness Club ad "disrespectful and degrading" to women who have committed themselves to serving the church and their communities. "I hope they make the decision not to run it again and perhaps offer an apology to the religious community," Donilon said. A spokesman for the magazine didn't respond to a message seeking comment last night. Equinox spokeswoman Joanna R. Roffo said in a written statement that "the ads capture the energy and artistry of the well-conditioned body in a thought-provoking fashion, blending fantasy and impact."

Four teenagers have pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and armed robbery in the killing of a Lowell man earlier this month. Prosecutors say Timothy Stairs, 43, was stabbed to death and robbed on the evening of Jan. 11 on Fisher Street in Lowell. The four Lowell teenagers were arrested yesterday, each on charges of murder and armed robbery. Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. identified them as Alexis Garcia, 14; Matthew Cancel, 15; Pablo Roman, 16; and Jose Pedraza, 17. They were ordered held without bail. A pretrial conference is set for Feb. 25. (AP)

Two New Bedford men were killed when a car rolled over in Bourne early yesterday, State Police said. The 1997 Honda Civic was heading south on Route 28 when the driver lost control at 7:18 a.m. and went off the road into the median. The crash remains under investigation. State Police said their preliminary investigation indicated that Eliseu Fernandes, 23, was driving south in the left travel lane when the vehicle exited the roadway to the left and rolled over in the median. Fernandes, who was was wearing a seat belt, was pronounced dead at the scene. Front seat passenger Antonio Silva, 45, was not wearing a seat belt and died later at Falmouth Hospital, police said. The crash closed several lanes of Route 28 for about three hours.

Daniel Snay, a truck driver from Uxbridge, won $10 million in a scratch-off game in the Massachusetts lottery, which means he will receive an annual check for $500,000 for the next 20 years. But the windfall is not going to stop the 57-year-old from doing what he loves: hauling boats up and down the East Coast. "I'm going to keep driving," Snay said in a press release issued by the lottery. He plans to invest his winnings and help his children pay for their education, including his oldest, who is about to start law school. Snay is the fourth person to win $10 million in Billion Dollar Blockbuster game. The odds of winning one of the 10 top prizes is one in 6.5 million, according to the lottery.

Governor Deval Patrick chose one of a handful of schools experimenting with a longer school day to discuss his education priorities. Patrick visited the Jacob Hiatt Magnet School in Worcester yesterday to talk to administrators, teachers, and students about his budget. The proposal increases education spending by $368 million in the next fiscal year. He will visit schools in Pittsfield and Chicopee today. Patrick's spending plan calls for doubling the money spent on extended-day school programs, to $26 million. It also includes $15 million for prekindergarten programs and $8 million to help 440 half-day kindergarten classrooms expand to a full day. Patrick also stopped at his new Springfield branch office, then headed to American International College for an event supporting Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama. (AP)

A Canadian woman who pleaded guilty to defrauding elderly Americans in an international telemarketing scheme has been sentenced in federal court in New Hampshire. Rita Kajoya, 28, of Montreal was sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to repay $900,000. She was one of 15 Canadians indicted in 2002 after an investigation indicated that the group defrauded about 80 victims by telling them they had won large lottery prizes but had to prepay Canadian taxes and fees to get the cash. Eight others already have been sentenced. (AP)