Man to be arraigned on coverup charge

A Quincy man is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in Taunton District Court on an obstruction of justice charge for allegedly lying to police to cover up his brother's role in the hit-and-run death of a Brockton man last week. Daniel Faria was arrested late Friday afternoon by State Police in Boston, where he was working as a security guard, said Gregg Miliote, spokesman for Bristol District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter. "He allegedly gave misleading, false information to police," Miliote said last night. Faria allegedly covered up for his brother, Michael Faria, 33, of Stoughton, who was arrested and charged in the July 12 hit-and-run death of 58-year-old John McCarthy in Easton. Daniel Faria is being held on $100,000 bail at the Bristol County House of Correction, Miliote said.

Three 12-year-old boys are facing charges after allegedly vandalizing gravestones in the Central Massachusetts town of Spencer, police said yesterday. Police began investigating reports of vandalized gravestones in the North Street Cemetery near the intersection of North and Power streets on July 8 after reports from neighbors, said Spencer police Sergeant John Agnew. A second wave of vandalism, which included additional damage to gravestones and damage to a vault door, was reported July 11. Agnew said police estimated that the three damaged about 40 gravestones. Charged with wanton injury to real property, willful injuring of gravestones, and trespassing, the boys will face a hearing in Worcester Juvenile Court. Agnew didn't know when the boys will appear in court.

A 77-year-old man died Friday after having trouble while swimming at a Cape Cod beach. Rescue units responded to a 911 call from Cold Storage Beach at 4:45 p.m. for a reported drowning, said Truro police Sergeant David Costa. Officers arrived to find the victim out of the water and applied cardiopulmonary resuscitation. After efforts to revive the man failed, he was pronounced dead at the scene. Police withheld the identity of the man until his family members could be notified.

A dispute over who owns a computer model used to help design a multibillion cleanup of coastal waters is in mediation. The state Department of Environmental Protection runs the Massachusetts Estuaries Project, intended to stem pollution of coastal beaches. The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth's School of Marine Science and Technology has an annual contract to crunch data provided by towns using its own computer model. Last summer UMass declined to renew the contract saying it believed the state was infringing on intellectual property rights by asking for the computer model. The Cape Cod Times reported that the dispute has delayed data for at least eight towns needed to figure out where best to place sewers. (AP)

It may not be Harvard, but Lobster College has made its return to Maine after a five-year hiatus. Registrations are now being accepted for the "college," which is organized by the Lobster Institute, an education and research organization at the University of Maine. The school is an extended weekend at a bed and breakfast in Boothbay where students learn all there is to know about Maine's famous crustacean. (AP)

Authorities have identified the man and woman killed when struck by lightning outside their home in Standish. The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office says the victims were Anthony Clarke, 22, and Krysta Bearor, 28. Investigators said Clarke and Bearor had gone outside to retrieve a pair of eyeglasses the family dog had taken. (AP)

Blueberry lovers, rejoice: New Hampshire has a great crop for you this year. A state Agriculture Department official says there are few disease problems and the plants are growing "lushly." Many stands allow customers to pick their own berries for as little as $2 a pint. The New Hampshire blueberry industry produces about $4 million annually. (AP)