Toxic material forces home evacuations

A package containing a toxic material was found next to railroad tracks in Walpole last night, a Fire Department official said. The official said that a passerby was affected by titanium tetrachloride, a liquid metal that was inside the package. He was taken to a local hospital and released shortly after. Four HazMat units responded to the scene on Coolidge Road, where they contained and removed the package. Three to six houses in the immediate vicinity were evacuated, fire officials said. They said the displaced residents should return to their homes by midnight or 1 a.m. today.

A four-alarm blaze broke out at a condominium building yesterday afternoon in Lexington, displacing at least 25 people from the converted school building, fire officials said. No injuries were reported in the Forest Street fire that burned for more than six hours, said Lori Manning, assistant to the fire chief. The fire began at about 2 p.m. when workers were fixing a gutter, Police Lieutenant Bob Simmons said. Fire engines from at least four neighboring towns, including Waltham, Cambridge, Wilmington, and Lincoln, aided Lexington firefighters, Manning said.

When voters head to the polls on Election Day, they can make a difference in more than one way. At every polling station in the city, boxes will be present so that voters can donate packaged food for the needy. The campaign on Tuesday is part of the larger Can Share Food Drive, which is in its 22d year. The initiative involves Mayor Thomas M. Menino, the Greater Boston Food Bank, the United Way, Project Bread, and Federal Express.

Massachusetts teamed up on Thursday with New Hampshire and Utah in a major overhaul of American public education to better prepare students for a global economy. The states will be working with the New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce in Washington, D.C., which will provide funding to the states on various initiatives that aim to produce graduates with more sophisticated skills. For Massachusetts, that could mean money for teacher training and recruitment, universal preschool, and the governor's proposed "readiness schools," which would be autonomous schools within a school district that foster innovation.

Rhode Island is getting an infusion of federal cash to help property owners prepare for winter weather. The $1.29 million comes from a federal Energy Department program and is intended to help low-income residents pay for home improvements aimed at conserving energy and lowering heat costs. Senators Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse announced the funding yesterday. Suggested steps include repairing outdated heating systems and sealing drafty doors and windows. The federal Weatherization Assistance Program has helped more than 33,000 Rhode Island homes prep for winter since it started in 1975. (AP)

West Warwick faces massive budget deficits and is headed toward insolvency as its expenses, including a legal settlement over a deadly nightclub fire, outstrip its income. Town Manager James Thomas said it is the first time in his 25-year career that he's worked for a municipality seriously considering bankruptcy. The town faces a projected $7 million deficit over the next 18 months. In August, West Warwick agreed to pay $10 million to settle lawsuits filed by survivors of a deadly nightclub fire in 2003 and relatives of the 100 victims who perished. A town fire inspector was blamed for failing to cite the club for fire safety violations before the blaze. Town authorities said they need to borrow $6.5 million to fund the settlement. An insurance policy is expected to cover the rest. (AP)