Girl hurt as van hits Dorchester house

A van crashed into a Dorchester residence yesterday morning, causing minor injuries and minor structural damage to the house, police said. A van being driven by Harry Johnson, 44, of Boston, struck the Milton Avenue residence around 7 a.m. after Johnson's gas pedal became stuck, causing him to lose control, he told police. His daughter, whom he was driving to school, was not wearing a seat belt and was treated at the scene for bumps and bruises, police said. Johnson was cited for driving with a child not secured with a seat belt.

A 13-year-old boy was taken to the hospital yesterday evening with serious hand injuries sustained while building "an improvised explosive device," police said. The boy was found after authorities responded to a 911 call reporting an explosion. Police were called to the same area Saturday for an explosion that was loud enough to set off nearby car alarms. They said they have yet to determine if Saturday's explosion is directly linked to the same boy. The boy's condition was not known last night, but his injuries were not considered life-threatening, police said.

A construction worker fell 35 feet yesterday into a hole on a bridge that was under repair, said Deputy Fire Chief Edward O'Brien. The man, whose name was not released, was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, said State Police Sergeant Robert Bousquet. O'Brien said construction workers had taken apart a section of the Woods Bridge sidewalk on Route 16 West near Wellington Circle to make repairs. Firefighters from Medford and Malden and State Police responded to the scene at about 8:50 p.m., O'Brien said.

Police are investigating the death of a 28-year-old Lowell man, who was found shot in his Lowell home Wednesday. Authorities say Lowell police responded to reports of a shooting at 7:25 p.m. and found Denis Osorio suffering from at least one gunshot wound, in his Dutton Street home, just east of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell campus. He was pronounced dead at Boston Medical Center at 5 a.m. yesterday. Lowell and State Police are investigating the shooting, a statement said.

Two students in the Fitchburg school system have been diagnosed with infections from methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, the school superintendent said. Superintendent Andre Ravenelle said he confirmed yesterday that the students had the antibiotic-resistant staph infection. He said he had sent a letter home to parents, informing them of the situation, along with information on MRSA and precautions to take. Ravenelle said the local Board of Health and the state Department of Public Health would be monitoring the situation.

A medical group criticized for its guidelines for diagnosing and treating Lyme disease will reassess its findings, after an investigation by the state attorney general. The Infectious Diseases Society of America came under fire for its 2006 guidelines because they suggest that chronic Lyme disease does not exist and that antibiotics are ineffective. Patient advocates disputed those claims. Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said yesterday his investigation found flaws in the guideline process, including a failure to consider evidence about chronic Lyme disease. The medical group says it stands by the guidelines, but is willing to take another look at the policy to end the investigation. (AP)

Rose Griffin is not dead, so the call from someone trying to arrange her funeral was a bit of a shock. The Methuen woman got the call late Friday night from someone looking for her son, who was not there. When Griffin used caller ID to call back, the man informed her that he was a funeral director trying to make arrangements for her son's dead mother. The 75-year-old Griffin told him: "You're talking to the dead person." Joe Cataudella, co-owner of Cataudella Funeral Home, said someone had played a "cruel prank." (AP)