Patrick targets business park for growth

Governor Deval Patrick has designated the Chicopee River Business Park as a "growth district," meaning the state sees it as a prime spot for development. The state will now expedite the permitting process in hopes of drawing commercial and residential development. All permits in "growth districts" are guaranteed to be completed within 75 days. The park, which crosses into Springfield, is located at the intersections of the Massachusetts Turnpike and Interstates 91 and 291. When finished, the state expects the park to have 190,000 square feet of office space and 192,000 feet for light industrial use. Patrick plans to designate 16 "growth districts" as part of a plan to boost the state's economy. Districts in Haverhill and Worcester have been named. (AP)

Metropolitan Transportation Authority police are investigating the death of a pedestrian who was struck by an Amtrak train in Stratford. Dan Brucker, Metro-North Railroad spokesman, said the train hit the person just after 4:30 p.m. yesterday near the Stratford station. The victim's name has not been released. Amtrak uses Metro-North's tracks. Brucker said the 230 passengers remained on the train as authorities investigated. The train was headed from Boston to New York City. (AP)

A 26-year-old Methuen man was killed and two other people were injured early yesterday in a two-vehicle accident on Interstate 495 North in Andover, police said. Eliseo Echevarria was killed when the 2008 Mitsubishi Eclipse coupe he was riding in went off the roadway, hitting several trees and a rock ledge in the highway median. The car came to a stop in the right lane, where it was struck by a sport utility vehicle. Police said the driver of the SUV, Mary Crossman, 42, of Fitchburg, and another man in the Mitsubishi, Anthony Echevarria, 25, of Richmond, were taken to Lawrence General Hospital with minor injuries. Police said they were still not sure yesterday which man was driving the Mitsubishi, or the two men's relationship. All lanes of I-495 North were closed near the scene for about 2 1/2 hours while police investigated.

A former Lawrence schools groundskeeper has been sentenced to 22 months in prison for destroying evidence following an FBI raid on his home. Prosecutors say it could have been worse for Nathan Littlefield, 33, the target of a federal child pornography probe. Prosecutors say Littlefield fled his home and smashed his laptop with a cinder block after the June 2006 raid. They say that stopped an investigation that could have led to child pornography-distribution charges. Littlefield said he used his laptop's peer-to-peer software only for sharing music files. (AP)

Police say a Massachusetts man fled from a routine traffic stop in Hudson and led them on a chase that ended at his mother's house. Police say 20-year-old Derek Daprato of Cambridge led police on a chase through Hudson, into Londonderry, striking a parked car before running into his mother's house early yesterday. Daprato's mother did not immediately turn her son over to police, prompting officers to get a warrant and arrest mother and son. Police said the pair were taken into custody without incident. Daprato was turned over to Hudson police. He is charged with felony reckless conduct, felony criminal threatening, and several misdemeanors. Daprato is being held on $30,000 bail. (AP)

A Waltham youth coach has pleaded not guilty to charges of possessing and distributing child pornography. Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said 46-year-old James Aucoin was arrested Friday after investigators found child pornography on his computer. Leone said the investigation began in March when a Keene, N.H., police officer conducting an online sting and posing as a 14-year-old male told Waltham police he had online conversations with Aucoin and received child pornography from him. A judge set $2,000 cash bail. (AP)

Two Massachusetts men are accused of stealing a pool from a Granby backyard. Timothy Morin, 37, and David Hawley, 18, both of Westfield, were charged Friday with trespassing, larceny, conspiracy, and possession of burglary tools. Granby police say they found parts from the disassembled above-ground pool in the men's car, about a mile from the yard where the pool had stood. The men said they took the pool for scrap metal and felt they were doing the owners a favor by getting rid of it for them. (AP)