Cellular flap pits church against residents

A yearlong squabble over a phone company's attempt to install cellular antennae in a Quincy church steeple is heading to court. T-Mobile wants to install the antennae in the steeple of the First Church of Squantum to improve reception. Some residents are opposed. Leaflets have been circulated that warn of cancer from radio-frequency emissions. The Zoning Board of Appeals did not approve the application for the antennae. A spokesman for T-Mobile said the cancer fears have been debunked by scientific research. He told The Patriot Ledger the antennae would be largely hidden in the steeple. In the lawsuit before the US District Court, T-Mobile points to protections in the 1996 Federal Telecommunications Act, which guarantees companies the right to erect antennae. (AP)

Top House and Senate lawmakers are backing a bill to encourage the early identification of mental illness in children. The bill would provide schools and early education settings with tools to help students with mental illness. The bill is also designed to reduce the number of children in institutional settings and improve insurance protections for families. House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and Senate President Therese Murray are supporting the measure and are planning to highlight the bill during a news conference today at the State House. (AP)

Police are investigating as a possible hate crime the vandalism reported at a West Roxbury building owned by the Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts, said police spokesman Eddy Chrispin. Firefighters were called just after 8 a.m. yesterday to Mount Lebanon Cemetery and saw smoke coming through the roof of the document storage building. A fire inside was smoldering and two boards from a nearby vandalized stage were propped against the building in the shape of a cross, police said. The building is in a gated area, which is usually locked from dusk Friday until dawn Sunday, but was unlocked when firefighters arrived, Chrispin said. Firefighters are looking into whether the fire was set. One firefighter suffered minor injuries and was taken to Faulkner Hospital, Chrispin said. The damage was estimated at $50,000.

A seven-story tall pile of scrap metal debris caught fire at a vehicle demolition plant on Rover Street last evening, a fire official said. The pile of shredded car parts, which are sold as scrap, smoldered and caught fire at a junkyard about 7 p.m., said Deputy Fire Chief John Berghello. The fire was extinguished within an hour but crews stayed on the scene until about 10:30 p.m. to ensure that the debris did not reignite. The fire created a thick cloud of smoke but caused minimal damage to the plant, Berghello said.

New Hampshire authorities who set out to rescue one injured hiker ended up helping three others from Massachusetts along the way. Fish and Game Lieutenant Todd Bogardus says a Vermont man used his cellphone to call for help after hurting his leg in a fall on Mount Lafayette's Old Bridle Path Saturday evening. While crews were carrying 44-year-old John Pandolfo of Montpelier down the 2-mile trail, they came across three siblings from Easton, Mass. who had gotten lost while hiking the Falling Waters Trail. Pandolfo was taken to the hospital. The others weren't hurt, but Bogardus said they were unprepared for their hike because they didn't have lights with them. (AP)

New Hampshire lawmakers still only make $100 per year, but at least their mileage reimbursement is going up. House Speaker Terie Norelli recently informed members that when they travel to Concord, they will be reimbursed at 58.5 cents per mile, the same rate the Internal Revenue Service approves for transportation expense deductions. (AP)