Deep-water wind farm plans in the offing

A developer is planning a deep-water wind farm 23 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The project by Blue H USA could avoid some of the concerns about aesthetics and possible interference with maritime business expressed about the controversial Cape Wind project. That project is proposed for much closer to shore in Nantucket Sound. The Blue H project has a long way to go to receive the proper permits, however. Blue H plans to detail the project tomorrow, the same day a public hearing starts on Cape Wind's proposal to build 130 wind turbines in the sound. Cape Wind opponents say the Blue H project sounds promising; however, a Cape Wind spokesman said his company's site makes the most economic sense and would have the least environmental impact. (AP)

A North Andover man was killed Friday night in a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 93 in Wilmington, police said. Sergeant Robert Bousquet, a State Police spokesman, said 27-year-old Nicholas Guliano was driving his 2007 GMC Sierra pickup alone on I-93 north when he lost control of the vehicle, struck a guardrail, and then a bridge support pillar just before midnight. Guliano was taken to Lahey Clinic in Burlington, where he was later pronounced dead. Two travel lanes on I-93 north were closed for about three hours while police investigated. Although the cause of the accident was not clear yesterday, the weather might have been a factor, Bousquet said. It is not known whether Guliano was wearing a seatbelt, Bousquet said.

A 49-year-old Billerica man was arrested on kidnapping and assault charges yesterday after allegedly holding his girlfriend hostage with a knife and barricading himself in his bedroom, police said. Responding to a report of a domestic disturbance, officers arrived at a residence on Kenrick Avenue at 10:30 a.m. and found the suspect outside his home holding a knife, said Sergeant Patrick McNulty, a Billerica police spokesman. When the man, later identified by police as Daniel Millette, saw the officers, he barricaded himself in his bedroom, McNulty said. The officers and a negotiator from the North Andover Police Department talked the man into opening the door, and later placed him under arrest. Millette suffered minor self-inflicted wounds to the arm and was taken to Saints Medical Center in Lowell, McNulty said. He was charged with kidnapping, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, and threatening to commit a crime.

An explosion heavily damaged a six-unit condominium complex near the Sunday River ski area, but no serious injuries were reported. Bethel police said one man was pulled from a burning unit and four other people were hurt by flying glass. The explosion occurred about 9 p.m. Friday about 1 mile from Bethel Village on Route 35. Firefighters sprayed water on adjacent units to contain the fire. (AP)

The New Hampshire Supreme Court says an Epping man can be tried for murder in the death of his former girlfriend, who lingered in a vegetative state for 15 years after he beat and strangled her. Walter Hutchinson, 51, has served more than 15 years in prison for the attempted murder of Kimberly Ernest in 1991 and would have been eligible for parole last year. But prosecutors charged him with murder after Ernest died in 2005. Hutchinson argued that prosecuting him for murder would amount to being tried twice for the same crime, but the state Supreme Court rejected that argument Friday and sent the case back to Rockingham County Superior Court. The court said there are well-established exceptions to double jeopardy laws in cases such as Hutchinson's. (AP)

A Warner man who accused an emergency room surgeon of malpractice has been awarded $1.75 million. Randolph Hinz, 42, sued Dr. Eric Leefmans and two other physicians in 2006, three years after crashing his car on Interstate 89. Hinz was thrown about 150 feet from the vehicle and suffered multiple broken bones and a collapsed lung. According to his lawsuit, Leefmans performed emergency surgery at Concord Hospital to repair Hinz's broken leg, but did not give him blood to stabilize his condition, causing him to go blind because of the blood loss. A Merrimack County Superior Court jury last week awarded Hinz $1.75 million plus about $200,000 in interest. It found that Leefmans, who is affiliated with Dartmouth-Hitchcock Clinic in Concord, was 100 percent responsible for Hinz's condition and that two other doctors Hinz also sued were not at fault. (AP)