Four hurt in crash on I-93 in Randolph

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

RANDOLPH -- Four people were injured early this morning in a chain reaction accident on Interstate 93 south involving five vehicles, police said.

The southbound lanes of I-93 between Routes 28 and 24 were closed for more than an hour after the 2:20 a.m. crash, said Trooper Eric Benson, a State Police spokesman.

Four people were taken to area hospitals, including one who had been thrown out a car, but the injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Benson said.

The accident happened after a vehicle merging from Route 28 onto the highway struck another vehicle in the middle lane, Benson said. Both spun into the left lane and were hit by a third vehicle. As the occupants of the third vehicle were getting out of their car, it was struck by a fourth, throwing a passenger from the third car into the road.

The fourth vehicle then spun into the middle lane and hit a fifth vehicle, Benson said.

The southbound lanes of the highway were reopened at around 3:30 a.m.

Boston Police say 911 address glitch has been corrected

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Boston police and a phone company said today they had corrected 911 problems that sent officers to the wrong neighborhood to investigate a homicide.

Appearing before a Boston City Council committee, Superindent in Chief Robert Dunford and David Green, an official from Comcast, both said the software glitch had been fixed.

On March 9, a woman called 911 to report a slaying and gave police the address of 698 Washington St. Police went to that address in Downtown Crossing first before arriving at the proper address in Dorchester 14 minutes after being called.

Green said the incident highlighted a software glitch that has since been corrected. Some Comcast phone customers were listed only as living in "Boston" when the database should have listed the names of specific neighborhoods.

"We have taken steps'' to update the software, he said.

City Councilor Charles Yancey, while saying public safety officials generally perform their tasks well, called the handling of the call "abysmal.''

Lynn school locked down after gunshots reported in area

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A report of shots being fired forced a lockdown of Lynn Classical High School, Lynn Police said today.

At 2:45 p.m., police responded to O’Callahan Way and Holyoke Street, about a block away from the school, to investigate the incident.

There was no report of anyone being shot, police said in a statement. The suspect fled the area in a red SUV. Police did not release further information on the suspect or the vehicle.

The lockdown at the school ended at 4:30 p.m. and students were dismissed from school.

Patriots player charged with drug possession ordered to perform community service

By Globe Staff

New England Patriots player Willie Andrews, who was allegedly found with a half pound of marijuana and more than $6,800 in cash during a traffic stop in Lowell in February, has been ordered by a judge to perform community service and complete a substance abuse treatment program.

Lowell District Court Judge Neil Walker ordered Andrews's case continued without a finding for a year, which means that if he complies with conditions set by the judge for that period the charges will be dropped, the Middlesex district attorney's office said today.

Andrews, 24, who was charged with possession of a Class D substance, will have to perform 100 hours of community service by speaking to Lowell student-athletes about the dangers of narcotics, pay a $1,000 fine, and complete an NFL substance abuse treatment program. If Andrews leaves the league, he must report to probation and submit to drug testing, prosecutors said in a statement.

The hard-hitting special teams player was arrested Feb. 5 on Duren Avenue in Lowell after officers pulled over a vehicle and smelled what they believed was a strong odor of marijuana.

Truck driver charged after Allston crashes

By Globe Staff

Police today charged the driver of a delivery truck with driving to endanger and other violations after he allegedly smashed into eight parked motor vehicles Thursday in Allston before bursting into flames.

Timothy Newton, 38, of Revere, had twice had his driver's license suspended for excessive traffic citations, according to state Registry of Motor Vehicles records and police. But his license was reinstated in July 2007 after he completed a mandatory safe driver course.

Newton and two other people were treated for minor injuries after the trail of crashes on Commonwealth Avenue, which snarled morning rush-hour traffic and forced the MBTA to use shuttle buses while one branch of the Green Line was halted for about four hours.

Suffolk DA: Lover's quarrel preceded fatal South Boston fire

By Donovan Slack and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The girlfriend of the mother of two young sisters killed in a South Boston fire was arrested today on murder and arson charges.

Sophia, 3, and Acia Johnson, 14

The sisters died of smoke inhalation and burns when a fire swept through their West Sixth Street home on April 6. Investigators have determined that the fire was started near the front door and quickly spread through the single-family rowhouse. The sisters huddled in a third-floor closet and were trapped under debris.

After a bitter lover’s quarrel, Chuminski “deliberately and maliciously” set her girlfriend’s house on fire, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said at a news conference this afternoon. “That fire spread rapidly, soon engulfing the entire building,” he said.

Conley declined to provide details about the argument or any other events that led up to the fire. He said investigators were able to match an accelerant found at the fire scene with residue on Chuminski’s clothes after the fire.

Students warned to be vigilant after attack in Harvard Yard

By Globe Staff

Police at Harvard University are warning students to be careful when they walk through campus and surrounding areas, both day and night, after a female student was attacked early Tuesday in Harvard Yard by a man who put a wire around her neck.

Police said in an e-mail crime alert to students this week that the victim had reported an "assault and battery" at about 1:40 a.m. in the Yard -- the college quad just off Harvard Square -- near Houghton Library by the stairs going down toward Pusey Library.

In a log entry posted on the university police website, police wrote that the unidentified student was "approached from behind by an unknown individual who then placed a wire around their neck. The reporting party stated that they pulled the wire away and kicked the individual.''

In the e-mail to students, police recommended that students take appropriate precautions, such as walking in groups and using the university shuttle bus, van service, and walking escort program.

Police also warned students not to become oblivious of their surroundings by talking on cellphones or listening to music.

"If you suspect you are being followed, stay away from dimly lit areas and head for a store or building that you know to be open. Trust your instincts. If you feel uncomfortable about someone near you, head for a populated area and call the Harvard University Police Department," police said.

No bail for defendants in Luis Gerena slaying

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Two teenagers were ordered held without bail today after being arraigned in Roxbury District Court on murder charges in the January 2007 slaying of 13-year-old Luis Gerena.

A Suffolk County prosecutor said that Nurudeen Alabi, 19, and Darrell Rodrigues, 17, both of Roxbury, were gang members who encountered Gerena as he left the Jackson Square MBTA station on Jan. 12, 2007.

Alabi and Rodrigues asked Gerena, who lived in Jamaica Plain, if he belonged to a rival gang and then demanded his cellphone, telling him to “Hurry up, dog,” said prosecutor Mark Hallal.

Corrections commissioner opposes sex-change surgery for inmate

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

The new commissioner of the state's prison system says he strongly opposes allowing a convicted killer to have a state-funded sex-change operation, saying it would create "insurmountable" safety and security problems.

A month after telling reporters that he would reexamine the federal lawsuit by Michelle Kosilek seeking the operation, Harold Clarke, director of the Department of Correction, has adopted a position similar to that of his predecessor, Kathleen Dennehy.

In papers filed in federal court Wednesday, Clarke said Kosilek would pose an escape risk if the inmate underwent surgery out of state. He also said the inmate could not be placed, after surgery, at MCI-Framingham, the state's prison for women, because Kosilek would likely threaten female inmates and be assaulted by them.

"I do not question the sincerity of Michelle Kosilek's belief that sex reassignment surgery may reduce any anxiety caused by a gender identity disorder," Clarke wrote in a three-page memorandum. "However, based on my review of the designated trial testimony and my many years of experience as a corrections professional, I believe that the safety and security concerns presented by the prospect of undertaking sex reassignment surgery for Michelle Kosilek are insurmountable."

Friend of DiMasi registers as lobbyist

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

A close friend of House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi who helped the state's ticket brokers push favorable legislation through the House last year has registered as a lobbyist with the secretary of state's office.

Richard D. Vitale

Vitale did not register for 2007, when the ticket brokers won House approval of a bill that deregulated the ticket resale business by allowing ticket brokers to sell tickets for whatever price the market would bear.

"This is a significant development," said Galvin, whose office has also requested that the Massachusetts Association of Ticket Brokers, led by ACE Ticket Worldwide, also register as an employer of Vitale. So far that group has not filed, the secretary of state's office said.

Student video wins prize for warning of prom driving danger

By Globe Staff

It's prom night, and the teenagers sway and shake to a driving beat. They drink beer, smoke a joint, and get into a car. The screen goes black -- and you hear the sound of a crash. Then come images of the aftermath and the faces of shocked and grieving friends.

That's the outline of the winning video submitted by Jamie Cloutier, a student at Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School, in the state's "Dance. Don't Chance" contest, which was intended to highlight for teens the perils of dangerous driving. The video beat out 22 other submissions from schools statewide.

The award was announced yesterday at Bay Path in Charlton, where three students have died this year, including two in car crashes.

Sheila Burgess, director of highway safety for the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, said she believed that Bay Path students were moved to work on the project partly because of the deaths.

No environmental damage in Lawrence train yard chemical spill

By Globe Staff

The Department of Environmental Protection said today there is no lasting environmental damage from Thursday evening's derailment of a freight car that spilled sodium chlorate along the tracks in a Lawrence train yard owned by Pan Am Railways.

The DEP was among the state and city agencies responding to the spill that led to the evacuation of several homes near the Andover Street yard for about five hours Thursday night.

"There is no environmental impact of significance,'' from the spill, the DEP said today.

A spokeswoman for Pan Am Railways, Cynthia Scarano, said the accident was caused by a faulty switch plate on the track that is now under repair. The hopper car derailed and was struck by another car on another track, opening up an 8-by-10-foot hole. A trail of the chemical, some 2,300 feet long, was left in its wake.

An environmental cleanup crew hired by Pan Am Railways is expected to complete its work by noon, Scarano said. Sodium chlorate is used to make paper and fertilizer.

Driver in Allston crashes had lost license -- twice

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By George Rizer, John R. Ellement, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff, and Kate Augusto, Globe Correspondent

The driver of a delivery truck that careened down an Allston thoroughfare and smashed into eight vehicles before bursting into flames this morning has twice had his driver's license suspended for an excessive number of traffic citations, according to Registry of Motor Vehicles records.

The driver was identified by a law enforcement source familiar with the investigation as 38-year-old Timothy Newton of Revere. Registry records show that Newton, who got his license in the late 1980s, lost his license for 60 days in 1997 after a total of seven violations or accidents. He lost his license again in 2005 after five other incidents. He got his license back in July 2007 after completing a mandatory safe driver course for the second time.

The crashes on Commonwealth Avenue injured three people, snarled rush hour traffic through the busy Allston area, and forced the temporary shutdown of the B branch of the MBTA's Green Line for about four hours. A portion of nearby Brighton Avenue was still down to one lane late this afternoon so crews could clean up the fire scene.

Walter Moura was pressing pants at Kwik Time Cleaners on Commonwealth Avenue when he heard a loud bang and looked outside. He said he saw the delivery truck smash into a parked car and keep going, ramming into a Range Rover that was forced off the street and into a building. The truck kept going and burst into flames.

"There was smoke all over the place,” Moura said. “In just five seconds, it was all in flames. We wondered how the driver got out of it. It was so freaky. It was an ugly scene."

The flames were followed by four explosions that Moura said he assumed were from the tires and gas tank.

Revere mayor fires police sergeant who fled scene of officer's slaying

By Katheleen Conti, Globe Staff

REVERE -- A police sergeant who fled the scene after the fatal shooting of an officer last year, and then allegedly diverted an officer responding to the scene so he could get a ride home, was fired today by Mayor Thomas G. Ambrosino.

Siding with a recommendation for dismissal from Police Chief Terence K. Reardon, Ambrosino terminated Sergeant Evan Franklin, 37, stating that his actions the night Officer Daniel Talbot was slain were a "breach of the most fundamental of police responsibilities."

"I have little doubt, as confirmed by Chief Reardon's testimony, that some police officers in our department would have difficulty working with, and under the leadership of, a superior officer who fled the scene, as Sergeant Franklin chose to do," Ambrosino wrote in his decision.

Ambrosino said it was Franklin's "conduct upon confronting the first responding unit, which justifies dismissal."

Franklin, who has been suspended with pay since the Sept. 29 shooting, will appeal the decision, said his Boston attorney Neil Rossman.

Freight train derailment raises hazmat concerns in Lawrence

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

A freight train derailed in a Lawrence rail yard today, causing hazardous material to leak and an evacuation of the area.

At about 4:45 p.m., a train with 49 freight cars was departing from a rail yard off Andover Street, near a residential neighborhood, when a broken switch point caused the derailment of the last two cars -- an empty box car and a hopper car filled with sodium chlorate, said Cynthia Scarano, a spokeswoman for Pan Am Railways, which owns the yard.

The runaway hopper car, which carries bulk materials, struck a freight car on another track, creating an 8-by-10-foot hole in the hopper car. The hopper car continued moving, leaving behind an approximately 2,300-foot trail of sodium chlorate, a white grainy substance used to make paper and fertilizer.

No one was injured, although several homes were evacuated.

Hazardous waste specialists cleaned up the material throughout the night. The material can become flammable after it is mixed with water and then dries, Scarano said, but clean up crews were not anticipating any problems. The state Department of Environmental Protection sent an emergency response person to the scene.

The accident caused a disruption in commuter rail service on the Haverhill line, forcing passengers to take a bus for a portion of the trip. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials are trying to determine whether the accident will effect the morning train schedule.

Fancy felines, 51 of them, turned over to shelter

(MSPCA Photo)

This ailing Himalayan was one of those turned over to the shelter yesterday.

By Globe Staff

It was raining cats and dogs yesterday at the MSPCA animal adoption facility in Methuen. Actually, mostly cats.

MSPCA officials say a Merrimack Valley woman brought in 51 exotic cats and kittens, including breeds like the Rag Doll, Sphynx, Devon Rex, Himalayan, and Munchkin.

MSPCA spokesman Brian Adams said the woman had been breeding cats and “got in over her head.” She turned them over yesterday.

A number of the animals have an upper respiratory infection and they are all being evaluated for any other illnesses, Adams said.

“We’re going to do everything we can to help these cats along,” he said.

Two teens face charges in 13-year-old's murder

By Globe Staff

Two Boston teenagers are facing charges in the January 2007 slaying of a 13-year-old boy in the city's Jamaica Plain section, Boston Police said today.

Nurudeen Alabi, 19, and Darrell Rodrigues, 17, both of the city's Roxbury section, face murder and weapons charges in the slaying of Luis Gerena, one of the city's youngest homicide victims in recent years.

The two defendants, already in custody on other charges, will be arraigned Friday in Roxbury District Court.

Boston detectives, working closely with Suffolk County prosecutors, solved the case after an exhaustive investigation with extensive cooperation from the community, police said.

"While our work is not yet done, we look forward to speaking in court for a child lost senselessly to violence," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement.

Police Commissioner Ed Davis said his thoughts were with Gerena's family and loved ones. "I hope this news brings some small sense of peace as they continue to cope with their sad loss," he said.

Boston fire contract battle moves a step closer to arbitration

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

A state labor panel ruled today that the contentious contract dispute between the city of Boston and its firefighters has gone on long enough, and must be resolved or sent to binding arbitration.

The Joint Labor Management Committee's vote to authorize arbitration had been opposed by firefighters.

But Judge Sam Zoll, chairman of the committee, said, "This has to be resolved."

The next step, while the sides continue in mediation, will be for the committee to meet again and decide whether the thorny issue of random drug and alcohol testing, a late addition to the city's list of demands, would be included in the arbitration. There was no timeline set for when arbitration could begin.

City officials hailed the decision as a positive sign for taxpayers, while union representatives said the committee was caving in to pressure from City Hall and had compromised its neutrality.

Scientists to launch attack on winter moths in Wellesley

(Robert D. Childs/University of Massachusetts)

Scientists hope Cyzenis albicans will attack the winter moths -- and save the trees.

By Globe Staff

A team of scientists will release 1,000 parasitic flies tomorrow in Wellesley, in the latest counterattack against the invasion of winter moths, the voracious insects that are stripping trees of foliage in parts of eastern Massachusetts.

It's the fourth and largest release of the flies. The flies were previously released in Hingham, Falmouth, and Wenham, said Joseph Elkinton, the professor of entomology at UMass-Amherst who is leading the effort.

Clouds of the moths have been seen in recent years fluttering around people's porch lights from Thanksgiving into early January. But they're more than just a nuisance: In their caterpillar stage in the spring they can defoliate trees, said Elkinton.

"These are a serious problem because it's been going on in a number of places for almost a decade. ... This can really kill trees," he said, noting that the moths have also damaged blueberry crops.

Man shot at 8 a.m. in Roxbury

By Globe Staff

A man was shot several times this morning on a street near Uphams Corner in Roxbury, police said.

Officers responded to Humphreys Street just after 8 a.m. and found a man with several gunshot wounds. He was rushed to Boston Medical Center, where his condition was not available.

Police are on scene looking for witnesses. No arrests have been reported.

Most popular

MOST E-MAILED STORIES

1. Tiny cards make a big business impression
2. The politics of commencement
3. Seed money
4. It's not all in your head
5. Mugabe's UMass honor criticized
6. 8 reasons why this is the dumbest generation
7. Measure for Measure

 rising    falling  | Full list | About

See full list

HOT SEARCHES

• – Mother's Day Brunch
• – Weekend Picks
• – Tina Cervasio
• – Birth of Right Whale
• – Twitter
• – Italian Restaurants
• – Chocolates

• About this list

More in search