Drive-by shooting injures 3

August 25, 2008

Three men were injured in a drive-by shooting in Brockton last night, police said. The victims, including one shot in the face, were taken to area hospitals, and one was flown to a Boston emergency room, but all were expected to survive, said Lieutenant Robert DiBari of the Brockton police. The shooting occurred just after 9 p.m. outside 28 Lexington St. Police said there was no word on a possible motive or suspect last night.

A group hoping to restore a large mural in downtown Portsmouth is having a whale of a time getting the project going. The committee has 20 dedicated members, a website, and an artist willing to repair the mural, which depicts humpback whales near the Isles of Shoals. What it doesn't have is permission from the building's owner. The mural was painted by artist Robert Wyland in 1993 as part of a project to paint 100 murals of undersea scenes throughout the world. It covers the side of Cabot House Furniture, where a manager says the building's owner is not interested in fixing the wall. (AP)

Two people were seriously injured late Saturday in a single-vehicle rollover on Interstate 495 north in Marlborough, State Police said. The rollover occurred at about 10:40 p.m. after the 2006 Chevrolet Cobalt sedan crashed into the median just south of Route 20. Jessica A. Jackman, 22, of Sutton, was flown to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston after being ejected from the vehicle. Shayne Safford, 26, of Worcester, was flown to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. Both were in critical condition, police said. Jackman was not wearing a seat belt, and speed was a factor, State Police said. The crash forced the closure of northbound I-495 for more than 90 minutes. Other details of the crash were unavailable.

Colleges in Maine hope to increase alcohol awareness among students. The substance abuse prevention coordinator at the University of Southern Maine is conducting training this week for dorm administrators from 17 public and private campuses. The series is offered by Maine's Higher Education Alcohol Prevention Partnership. Participants include St. Joseph's College in Standish, the Maine College of Art in Portland, the University of New England in Portland and Biddeford, and most of the state university system campuses and state community colleges that have dormitories. The University of Maine in Orono, Colby, Bowdoin College in Brunswick, and Bates College in Lewiston are conducting their own training sessions. (AP)

The state is asking for federal help to hasten the cleanup of Lake Champlain's St. Albans Bay. The state is considering treating part of the bay floor with the chemical alum to bind the nutrients that feed algae blooms and weed growth. Alternatively, the state is considering dredging the fertilizer-rich sediment from the wetland and disposing of it on land. The state has applied for assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers, said Julie Moore, director of Vermont's Clean and Clear Lake Champlain cleanup program. The goal is to design a program by the end of 2009, with in-the-bay work to begin as soon as 2010, Moore said. Moore spoke Friday at the annual meeting of the St. Albans Area Watershed Association, a group that is pushing for a cleaner bay. (AP)