US to appeal award in false imprisonment

The federal government notified the court yesterday that it will appeal a landmark ruling awarding $101.7 million to four men who spent decades in prison for a murder they did not commit. In July, US District Judge Nancy Gertner found the government was liable because the Federal Bureau of Investigation withheld evidence that Joseph Salvati, Peter J. Limone, Louis Greco, and Henry Tameleo were not guilty of the 1965 killing of small-time criminal Edward "Teddy" Deegan in a Chelsea alley. The discovery of secret FBI files that had not been turned over during their 1968 state trial led a judge to overturn the convictions of Limone and Salvati in 2001. Salvati's sentence had been commuted in 1997, and Limone was freed immediately. Tameleo and Greco died in prison, but their convictions were set aside posthumously. Since the judgment was formally entered in December, the award has been accruing $100,000 a week in interest that the government will have to pay if it loses the appeal. The US Justice Department had until Tuesday to appeal.

A near collision Thursday night of two planes on a runway at Logan International Airport is being investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration, the agency said yesterday. JetBlue Flight 489, an Airbus 320 that was headed to Long Beach, Calif., aborted takeoff after an executive jet crossed its path, the FAA said. The Cessna Citation 560 crossed the runway without authorization of air traffic control, the FAA said.

One of the state's most wanted sex offenders was arrested yesterday in San Diego, concluding a two-year investigation, authorities said. Acting on an investigative lead from Massachusetts State Police, San Diego police arrested Mark LaPerle, 50, in the Clairmont section of the city, said Massachusetts State Trooper Eric Benson. The Level 3 sex offender was on the state's Top 10 Most Wanted Sex Offender List for failing to register in Fitchburg. LaPerle was convicted in 1992 on four counts of rape of a child under age 16 and in 1991 for indecent assault and battery, according to the state's Sex Offender Registry.

The family of a teenager who was the victim of hazing at a summer football camp is seeking $1 million in damages from the town of Fairhaven. Lawyers for the Marujo family say they will file a civil complaint if their demand is not met within six months. Four Fairhaven High School students were accused in connection with the hazing, in July 2006 at Camp Wishbone in Bourne. Two were charged as adults and later pleaded guilty to assault and hazing. Lawyers for the family said in a letter to town officials that Fairhaven had a long-standing history of hazing and intimidation. They also said the victim and his family were "treated as criminals for reporting the crimes." School Superintendent Robert Baldwin confirmed to the Standard-Times of New Bedford that he had received the letter, but he would not comment on its contents. (AP)

Selectmen voted Thursday to put a land deal with the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe before a special Town Meeting. The Board of Selectmen voted 3 to 0, with one abstaining, to hold the special Town Meeting on April 7. Selectman Don Meyers said that lawyers are finalizing the document and that the board expects to vote on the deal Feb. 25. The tribe has approved the deal to place 140 acres into trust through the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs. It includes a promise that the tribe would not try to build a casino, or make further claims to land owned by the town or private citizens in Mashpee. Tribal council chairman Shawn Hendricks said its members look forward to a "continued partnership" the town.

Relatives of the 100 people killed by The Station nightclub fire will mark the fifth anniversary of the blaze with a memorial service tomorrow afternoon at the former site of the West Warwick club. Details of a permanent memorial planned for the site are expected to be released then. The Feb. 20, 2003, fire began when pyrotechnics used by the 1980s rock band Great White ignited flammable soundproofing foam on the walls and ceiling. Besides the 100 people killed, more than 200 others were injured. Survivors and victims' relatives have marked each anniversary of the fire with a memorial service at the roadside site. (AP)