Fire at dwelling forces out three families

Three families were displaced from a three-decker on Lincoln Parkway early yesterday after a fire broke out on the deck of the third floor and destroyed the apartment, fire officials said. Deputy Fire Chief Jim Lucia called the third floor a "total loss" and said the first and second floors sustained heavy water damage. He estimated the damages at $50,000. No one was injured, but six people were displaced. The state fire marshal's office joined Somerville officials in the investigation, but Lucia said the three-alarm blaze appeared accidental.

The family of a fisherman who drowned when his boat sank off the coast of Maine is disputing the Coast Guard's report about the accident. The bodies of 24-year-old Sean Cone of North Andover and a crewman, Dan Miller, were never found after the Lady Luck sank off Portland on Feb. 1, 2007. The Coast Guard said in a report released this month that the Newburyport-based boat probably capsized rapidly because of water on the decks or flooding in a storage hatch. Cone's father, Patrick Cone, disputes several parts of the report, including one of its major contentions: that his son moved the boat's original net reel, altering the boat's stability. He said his son never moved the reel. Coast Guard Captain Jim Rendon said the agency will amend the report. (AP)

A 21-year-old Harmony man who recently attempted suicide was shot and killed by police along a rural road early yesterday after he pointed a shotgun in their direction, authorities said. Two Somerset County sheriff's deputies and a state trooper responded to a call from Daniel McDowell, who asserted that he had killed a person and kidnapped two others, said Stephen McCausland, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety. The officers who arrived at the South Road at about 1:30 a.m. found McDowell armed with a shotgun while standing near his vehicle, McCausland said. He said that when he pointed the gun toward the officers, all three of them fired their weapons. No other victims were found. McCausland quoted Somerset County officials as saying they had been called to McDowell's home earlier this year in response to a suicide attempt by means of a drug overdose. (AP)

Greenwich officials are investigating whether someone has been counterfeiting and distributing copies of the town's highly coveted beach access passes, parking stickers, and marina permits. Joseph Siciliano, the town's parks director, said someone sent a binder to his office two weeks ago with copies of the supposed knockoffs and information about the alleged counterfeiter. (AP)

At least one student has been suspended from Trinity High School and others were banned from attending a basketball game for taunting a rival parochial school team with the chant "Your priests touch you." Trinity Principal Denis Mailloux said the taunting took place Feb. 8 when Trinity was playing Bishop Guertin High School in Nashua. Bishop Guertin, run by the Rhode Island-based Brothers of the Sacred Heart, has settled lawsuits accusing a former teacher of fondling students. (AP)

The historic Claremont Opera house has been shut down after failing its annual fire system inspection. The Fire Department also has restricted access to the cell block of the city's Police Department, which is in the same building. Fire Chief Peter Chase said the inspection was conducted by an independent company in September but the report just arrived recently. The opera house was built in 1897, restored in the 1970s, and later placed on the National Historic Register. Officials said the system's control panel, pull boxes, and various heat and smoke detectors failed to work during the recent inspection. (AP)

The Rhode Island State Police and six other state law enforcement agencies will be consolidated this year under a single department intended to improve training and provide more consistent policies. The new state Department of Public Safety will be created under legislation approved by the General Assembly. The superintendent of the state police will be in charge of the state police as well as the Sheriffs Department and Capitol Police and the fire marshal's office. Other agencies that will be part of the consolidated department include the Rhode Island Airport Corporation police, the municipal training academy, the Rhode Island Justice Commission, and the E-911 emergency telephone system. (AP)