Commuter rail to receive more than $43M in improvements

By Globe Staff

More than $43 million in federal stimulus money will flow into the state for commuter rail improvements, including projects to improve service on the Haverhill and Fitchburg commuter lines, the governor's office said today.

“We are committed to improving the quality and reliability of commuter rail service throughout the Commonwealth,” Governor Deval Patrick said in a statement. “These recovery investments will help create jobs, improve our infrastructure and strengthen our long-term economy.”

Elderly driver indicted in Stoughton crash

By Abbie Ruzicka, Globe Correspondent

An 88-year-old Canton woman was indicted today on a charge of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation in the mid-June death of a 4-year-old girl in Stoughton.

Ilse Horn of Canton was charged by a grand jury in the death of Diya Patel, the Norfolk district attorney's office said this afternoon.

Patel was on a walk with her grandfather and two siblings on June 13 when Horn's car hit her while her group was crossing the street, according to Stoughton police.

Horn could face up to 2 ˝ years in jail, the maximum sentence for a misdemeanor, Norfolk district attorney's spokesman David Traub said.

Paul Blart, mall cop, to report to Franklin Park Zoo

(Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

By Meghan Irons, Globe Staff

Making the trek from Birds' World to Serengeti Crossing recently became a little more arduous at the Franklin Park Zoo.

Kevin James as Paul Blart

There, on a portion of the unused outdoor gorilla exhibit near the zoo's rear entrance, crews have been laying the groundwork to begin filming the MGM comedy “The Zookeeper,” starring Kevin James.

The set is forcing patrons in the back of the zoo to make their way to the other exhibits by walking through the tropical forest, which features Little Joe and the other gorillas, or on another side trail.

“It’s a little inconvenient,’’ said Mary Ward, a Cambridge nanny, with her young charge in tow.

John Linehan, president of Zoo New England, said zoo officials have created alternate routes that lead patrons around the set site. No exhibits have been shut down because of the movie’s presence, he said, and National Night Out celebrations, hosted by the Dorchester zoo each year along with the police, will go on as planned in August. Filming is scheduled to begin July 20 and end in October.

Linehan said the zoo has received no complaints since workers began building the movie set more than two months ago.

“I’ve heard people who are sort of blown away by the fact,’’ he said. “They’ve been quite taken aback by seeing how elaborate the set construction is.”

Federal appeals court upholds Mass. abortion clinic buffer zone law

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A Massachusetts law that bans protesters from a 35-foot buffer zone around abortion clinic entrances has been upheld by a federal appeals court.

The First US Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston ruled Wednesday that the law did not infringe on the free speech rights of protesters. It said the law, passed in 2007, responded to "repeated incidents involving violence and other unduly aggressive behaviors in the vicinity of reproductive health care facilities."

The law, the court said, "represents a permissible response by the Massachusetts Legislature to what it reasonably perceived as a significant threat to public safety."

Thousands take in splendor of Tall Ships

(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Under bright sunlight, with the aroma of hot dogs and fried dough wafting through the air, thousands of people, from babies in arms to the elderly in wheelchairs, flocked to the Charlestown Navy Yard today to the Sail Boston 2009 Tall Ships festival.

Catherine Casey, 8, of West Bridgewater grabbed the helm today of the Amistad, a 129-foot schooner docked at Charlestown Navy Yard. (Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

"It's a beautiful day. One of the few nice days we've had all summer long. That's why we were like, 'Let's go,' " he said.

Westborough woman charged with stealing to fund lavish lifestyle

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A Westborough accountant was arrested Wednesday on charges that she stole more than $750,000 from an environmental engineering company in Boston's Brighton section, splurging the money on a lavish lifestyle, the Suffolk district attorney's office said.

Cynthia Goldberg

Goldberg pleaded not guilty Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court. Clerk Magistrate Gary D. Wilson set her bail at $25,000 and ordered Goldberg to surrender her passport and wear a GPS monitoring bracelet until the case is resolved. Her attorneys did not immediately respond to a call for comment.

"As galling as the theft itself is the nature of what she purchased," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley in a statement. "This was not someone of modest means who stole to make rent. This was someone who fraudulently billed extravagant expenses to a local business."

Four to face charges in Cambridge jail disturbance, flooding

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

Four inmates at the Middlesex County jail in Cambridge may spend even more time in custody because of their role in a disturbance at the jail that caused at least $400,000 in damage, officials said.

Sheriff James DiPaola said the four face charges of malicious destruction of property for destroying several water sprinkler heads, which led to flooding Sunday in the Cambridge facility that sent waves of water cascading through the building.

Damage, he said, was "about $400,000 and the calculator is still running." The inmates apparently removed a wooden plank bench seat, then used the plank to swat the sprinkler heads on the C side of the jail, he said.. The jail occupies the top floors of the East Cambridge building.

The men may also face assault charges for scuffling with corrections officers, DiPaola said at a news conference today.

Truck driver delivering puppies accused of animal cruelty

(Photo courtesy of Animal Rescue League of Boston)
Animal Rescue League agents Hilary Graham (left) and Jill Henessey with puppies picked up in Webster.

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

A Missouri truck driver is facing a charge of animal cruelty in Webster after his truck was discovered carrying puppies in deplorable conditions.

Webster police say 44-year-old John Clayton of Bolivar, Mo., had 51 puppies in the back of his box truck in small cages and was delivering the puppies to local pet stores.

Bulger jealous Flemmi 'didn't spend enough time with him'

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi testified today that as he spent more time with his beautiful girlfriend, fellow gangster James "Whitey" Bulger grew jealous.

Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi (file photo)

"He would contact me and I wouldn't respond," Flemmi said, noting that he shut off his pager when he got home because "I didn't want to be bothered … [Bulger] was very upset about it."

That anger turned deadly when Bulger learned that Flemmi had told Davis about their relationship with the FBI.

"He wanted to kill her," Flemmi said. "He wanted me to bring her down and set her up so he could kill her."

Law-enforcement sweep nets hundreds of fugitives

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

US marshals working with state and local law enforcement officials arrested more than 550 fugitives in Massachusetts, many who are violent criminals and sex offenders, during a sweep in June.

"Usually, we adopt cases from the state and local agencies, and we work with those agencies to apprehend those suspects," said Jeff Bohn, a senior inspector who oversaw Operation Falcon in Massachusetts. "We did that same thing with Operation Falcon, but on a much larger level."

Handicapped man charged with robbing blind man

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A West Roxbury man today described how he was choked into unconsciousness by a thief who stole cash he had just taken out of an ATM machine in June.

"All of a sudden he grabs my left shoulder and says, 'This is a stick,' '' Donald Dawes said in an interview today. "He started choking me and all of a sudden, I feel like I'm falling through air.''

Dawes alleged attacker appeared in West Roxbury Municipal Court yesteday where he was described as a mentally handicapped person who has been living in a state-financed group home for 15 years.

With his sister and legal guardian looking on, Jerome Tate, 47, was arraigned in West Roxbury Municipal Court this morning on charges of armed robbery and assault and battery on a disabled person. Not guilty pleas were entered on his behalf.

Tate, a barrel chested man, showed no obvious emotion during the brief proceeding. His attorney, Davis C. Bruce, however, pleaded with Judge Ernest L Sarason Jr. to send Tate to a supervised group home, not to jail.

"I don't think he will do too well'' at the Nashua Street Jail, Bruce told the judge. "He appears to be severely mentally retarded.''

Wanted sex offender arrested in Brighton hotel

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

A man whose name was added yesterday to the list of the state's Most Wanted Sex Offenders was arrested this morning in Brighton, State Police said.

William Velez Jr., 27, was hiding under a bed in a room at the Days Inn in Brighton and taken into custody by State Police at 1 a.m. Thursday morning. Velez was in the room with a girlfriend.

Bello's Morning Blotter

Woman with stab wounds dropped off at Mass Gen.

By Globe Staff

A woman with stab wounds was dropped off this morning at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she remains in critical condition, police said.

Police did not release the name of the woman, who was dropped off at 8:01 a.m. by a woman driving a black Lincoln.

Initial reports indicated that the woman had been assaulted in Charlestown at 81 Walford Way. Police received a call from that address at 8:17 a.m. A weapon and blood were found at the scene, police said.

Police did not report making any arrests.

For GOP's Baker, a long resume at a relatively young age

(Jonathan Wiggs/The Boston Globe/File 1996)

In 1996, Baker, secretary of administration and finance, listented intently during an afternoon briefing.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

Not yet 50, Charles D. Baker Jr. had built a considerable resume when he first ran for public office in 2004 — the Harvard basketball player who became a think-tank dynamo, served as trusted adviser to two Republican governors, and orchestrated the turnaround of a struggling health plan.

Although Republican operatives envisioned Baker on Beacon Hill, he set his sights closer to home: the Board of Selectmen in Swampscott, population 14,000.

Some colleagues from the Weld and Cellucci administrations tried to discourage him, worried that a loss would dash a future political career. ‘‘He took it all in and heard me out,’’ said Virginia B. Buckingham, a chief of staff to both governors who tried to dissuade Baker. ‘‘Then he said, ‘I’m doing it because I care about my town, and I think I can help my town.’’’

Baker won in a landslide and proceeded to dig into the budget in his North Shore suburb, where his three kids were enrolled in the schools.

It was, friends say, classic Charlie Baker, at once high-achieving and grounded. They describe the newly announced Republican gubernatorial candidate as an exacting policy wonk with charisma; a towering, energized man who pauses to listen patiently; a high-powered executive who showed up for his first Memorial Day ceremony as selectman in T-shirt and shorts, then had to scurry home for a suit.

‘‘Charlie is bigger than life, but exactly the opposite at the same time,’’ said Mindy d’Arbeloff, a Boston marketing executive who has been friends with Baker since childhood.

Despite budget boost, MBTA still plans to raise fares

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The MBTA is recommending a package of fare hikes that includes a 50-cent increase in the price of a Charlie ticket and 30-cent increase for those who pay for the subway electronically, the authority announced in a document this afternoon.

The Boston area’s public transit authority promised that if the fare hikes take effect in the next few months, the agency will resist another increase for at least two years.

The Legislature agreed last month to help the T with its financial problems by dedicating $160 million from a sales tax increase to plug most of the agency’s deficit for the current budget year, which began this month. But transportation officials have said that will not be enough, given rising debt payments due mostly to expansion projects.

Thunderstorm pummels towns west and south of Boston

Meghan Miller surveyed the damage to her home on Edge Hill Road in Hopkinton with her grandfather, Richard Martin, after a possible tornado hit areas in Hopkinton this afternoon. (Barry Chin/Globe Photo)

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff, and John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

HOPKINTON -- A supercell, the highest category of thunderstorm, tore apart tree limbs and blew debris along the Interstate 495 corridor this afternoon in communities from Hopkinton to Taunton.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning for the Hopkinton area and then a severe thunderstorm warning for the Taunton area. Rebecca Gould, a meteorologist for the service, said a team would be sent to Hopkinton to determine if a tornado had hit. Still, the high winds and large hail in the area seemed to do enough.

The hail collected on grass as if it were snow. Trees snapped and blocked streets, and debris was strewn about in what seemed like a line that ran in parallel to Interstate 495.

“The rain was bouncing off the ground,” said Dan DeCristofaro, an 18-year-old from Hopkinton who was out playing basketball and was forced to sprint to seek shelter in a nearby pizza shop from the storm.

Harvard Pilgrim CEO Charles Baker announces bid for governor

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Baker smiled -- and the cameras rolled -- as he entered a Babson College conference room.

By Matt Viser and Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care chief executive Charles D. Baker announced today that he will leave his job and seek the Republican nomination for governor in the 2010 election.

"I'm in," Baker said at a press conference this afternoon at Babson College in Wellesley. "I'm very well suited for this task. And I would regret it -- for quite a while -- if under such difficult circumstances I chose to sit idly by and not participate."

Baker said he would run in the mold of former Governor William Weld, who was a fiscal conservative but held more liberal stances on social issues. He deflected several questions about Democratic Governor Deval Patrick, but said he would focus on jobs and the economy and retaining young workers.

"It's a pretty dark picture," he said of the economy. "And I don't think we're doing the things we need to do to make that picture better."

"My crystal ball isn't telling me what the election in 2010 is fundamentally and ultimately going to be about. But I can tell you right now, it ought to be about jobs and the economy and the business climate because a state that can't grow jobs and can't keep its young people is in deep, deep, serious long-term trouble. That's what I see when I look at Massachusetts right now," he said.

Republicans seemed downright giddy about Baker’s decision to get into the race, comparing him to Weld running in 1990 after 16 years of Democrats in the corner office.

"I think a lot of people just breathed a big sigh of relief," said Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei, a Republican from Wakefield. "This means there is going to be a debate in this election as to whether or not the last 2 1/2 years the state has been on the right path -- or should we change directions. I think Charlie is the perfect person to explain why we need to change directions."

Patrick welcomed Baker's entry into the race, saying, "I think competition is good. I don't think we have enough."

W. Roxbury man allegedly robbed blind man at ATM

(Boston Police)

This surveillance photo allegedly shows Jerome Tate attacking his victim.

By Abbie Ruzicka, Globe Correspondent

Boston police arrested a West Roxbury man today for allegedly robbing a blind man at an ATM last month.

Jerome Tate, 47, robbed a 59-year-old blind man while he was using the ATM at the Sovereign Bank in West Roxbury on June 20, police said.

Tate allegedly put the man in a headlock and said, “Give me the money or I will stick you.” Tate then took the man’s wallet and ran out of the bank, according to police.

When police arrived on the scene, the man told officers he thought he was alone in the bank. He was not able to give a description of the suspect because he was blind.

Sex offender caught just hours after joining 'most wanted' list

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Just hours after adding five new names to its Most Wanted Sex Offenders list, State Police announced today that one of the five men had been captured in Georgia and another turned out to be already in custody.

Marcus Nelson,47, was arrested in Powder Springs, GA., based on information from State police. He is currently being held by Cobb County authorities while Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett seeks to bring him back to face charges of failing to register as a sex offender. Nelson was convicted of aggravated rape in 1987 and sentenced to state prison.

John M. King, who was wanted by Worcester Police for a probation violation, failure to register as a sex offender, and breaking and entering in the daytime, was determined to be already in custody on another charge. King, 35, was convicted of rape in 1999 and sentenced to six years in state prison.

The three other additions to the list maintained by State Police and the Sex Offender Registry Board were:

Carlos I. Beltran who is wanted by Haverhill police for indecent assault and battery on a person over 14 and failure to register as a sex offender. The 43-year-old is also being sought by Newton Police for violation of an abuse prevention order.