By John C. Drake
Globe Staff

The victim of a fatal stabbing at Jamaica Pond said to his assailant, "I'll give you the money tomorrow," before he was pushed up against a van and stabbed in the chest, arm, and back, a prosecutor said at the suspect's arraignment in West Roxbury District Court yesterday.
Thirty-year-old Michael Rosado, of Hyde Park, was ordered held without bail yesterday in the Sept. 26 fatal stabbing of 31-year-old Robert Kelley Jr., also of Hyde Park, which Suffolk County prosecutor Mark Hallal said happened during a drug transaction. He has pleaded not guilty to murder. A probable-cause hearing was scheduled for Jan. 29.
A woman attending the arraignment with Rosado's family, believed to be his girlfriend, shouted as she walked out of the courtroom, "This wouldn't have happened if the dude didn't try to rob him!" Officers ordered her out of the courthouse as she continued an expletive-laden tirade, criticizing prosecutors and the media for portraying Rosado as a killer.
Rosado's mother, and relatives of Kelley who walked out of the courthouse in tears, declined to speak to a reporter. Kelley's mother, two sisters and a brother attended the arraignment.
Hallal told District Court Judge Eleanor Coe Sinnot that witnesses reported seeing Rosado and Kelley meet at benches on the Perkins Street side of Jamaica Pond just after midnight on Sept. 26 where the two soon began arguing and fighting.
After being stabbed, Kelley fled to his pickup truck. The assailant then slashed one of the truck's tires, witnesses told police. Kelley drove to an intersection before stepping out of the truck and collapsing on the sidewalk.
Rosado then went to his girlfriend's home, told her he had been stabbed in the hand, and "said he did what he had to do and was going to get a lawyer," Hallal said.
Police obtained a warrant for Rosado's arrest Sept. 30, and he was arrested without incident on Dec. 6 in Hollywood, Fla. At the time of his arrest, Rosado told officers, "How am I going to have a murder warrant when I'm the victim? I got stabbed."

By John C. Drake
Globe Staff

The victim of a fatal stabbing at Jamaica Pond said to his assailant, "I'll give you the money tomorrow," before he was pushed up against a van and stabbed in the chest, arm, and back, a prosecutor said at the suspect's arraignment in West Roxbury District Court yesterday.
Thirty-year-old Michael Rosado, of Hyde Park, was ordered held without bail yesterday in the Sept. 26 fatal stabbing of 31-year-old Robert Kelley Jr., also of Hyde Park, which Suffolk County prosecutor Mark Hallal said happened during a drug transaction. He has pleaded not guilty to murder. A probable-cause hearing was scheduled for Jan. 29.
A woman attending the arraignment with Rosado's family, believed to be his girlfriend, shouted as she walked out of the courtroom, "This wouldn't have happened if the dude didn't try to rob him!" Officers ordered her out of the courthouse as she continued an expletive-laden tirade, criticizing prosecutors and the media for portraying Rosado as a killer.
Rosado's mother, and relatives of Kelley who walked out of the courthouse in tears, declined to speak to a reporter. Kelley's mother, two sisters and a brother attended the arraignment.
Hallal told District Court Judge Eleanor Coe Sinnot that witnesses reported seeing Rosado and Kelley meet at benches on the Perkins Street side of Jamaica Pond just after midnight on Sept. 26 where the two soon began arguing and fighting.
After being stabbed, Kelley fled to his pickup truck. The assailant then slashed one of the truck's tires, witnesses told police. Kelley drove to an intersection before stepping out of the truck and collapsing on the sidewalk.
Rosado then went to his girlfriend's home, told her he had been stabbed in the hand, and "said he did what he had to do and was going to get a lawyer," Hallal said.
Police obtained a warrant for Rosado's arrest Sept. 30, and he was arrested without incident on Dec. 6 in Hollywood, Fla. At the time of his arrest, Rosado told officers, "How am I going to have a murder warrant when I'm the victim? I got stabbed."

(Zizi family photos)

Rebecca Zizi, 9, and Rooben Zizi, 11, the two children who died in the Dorchester fire early today.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff and Michael Naughton and Daniel Peleschuk,Globe Correspondents

Two children were killed in a two-alarm fire in Dorchester early this morning that firefighters said may have been caused by a space heater used to warm a bedroom.

The fire broke out shortly after midnight in the three-decker on Bellevue Street. Rebecca Zizi, 9, and her brother, Rooben, 11, died in the blaze, Fire Department spokesman Steve MacDonald said this morning at the fire site.

The Zizi family had been celebrated Rebecca's 9th birthday Friday, eating cake and giving her gifts.

"Our prayers and our thoughts go out to this family," Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino said in a telephone interview. " We're there to assist them in any we can in this tragic time in their lives."

Eight adults and eight children escaped the fire. Two firefighters were treated for minor burns and released this morning from the hospital.

(Plympton Fire Department photo)

The remnants of the mobile home that exploded.

By John Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

Residents in Plympton thought they heard a plane crash, or a tree falling, or some kind of explosion on Thursday night, said Fire Chief David Rich.

They were right about that third part.

A mobile home trailer exploded in the driveway of a home on Mayflower Road, sending its occupant flying out through the front door and into the nearby woods. The lucky man was not seriously injured.

"His eyebrows were gone and his hair was singed, but he was OK," Rich said. The occupant, whom Rich did not identify, refused medical treatment.

The exploded trailer was not discovered until a neighbor saw the wreckage the next morning and called 911.

"Apparently [the victim] was fixing the heating system in the trailer and gas began to leak," Rich said," but victim has no sense of smell from a previous injury so he didn't realize it."

By Daniel M. Peleschuk, Globe Correspondent

Two children were killed in a two-alarm fire in Dorchester early this morning that firefighters believe may have been caused by a space heater used to warm a bedroom.

The fire broke out shortly after midnight in the triple-decker structure on Bellevue Street, said Boston Fire Chief Kevin MacCurtain.

MacCurtain said 14 people lived in the building. One boy and one girl died in the blaze.

The investigation of the blaze is continuing, he said. But it appeared that the fire may have been caused by the space heater in a room in the rear of the first-floor unit.

Fire officials said a couple with five children lived on the first floor. Four of them, including the two who died, were sleeping in the room where the fire broke out.

"The message we want to get out is that space heaters in bedrooms are very dangerous. We see this way too often," MacCurtain said.

By Michael Naughton, Globe Staff

A Sandwich man was arrested early today for allegedly trying to break into the car of an off-duty officer and then hitting the officer with a hammer.

Stephen Ebersold, 22, tried to break into the car of an off-duty Sandwich police officer who was inside a restaurant in that town at about 12:07 a.m., police said.

When the officer confronted Ebersold, Ebersold ran away. The officer chased Ebersold, but Ebersold hit him in the head with a hammer and continued running, police said.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

A disciplinary committee at the state Department of Correction had recommended holding Daniel T. Tavares Jr. for an additional two years, but a bureaucratic foul-up allowed the fugitive killer to leave prison early, department administrators said today.

Had prison officials processed the committee’s finding in the allotted 60 days required by state regulations, Tavares would have still been in prison in November, when he allegedly killed Brian and Beverly Mauck in Graham, Wash., said Harold Clarke, commissioner of the correction department.

“We were not quick; we were slow to act,” Clarke said by phone today. “We are very disappointed about the situation with Tavares, but we’re confident that we can turn this around.”

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

GLOUCESTER -- A crew wearing white, full-body protective suits and respirators began the tedious work of loading charred debris by hand into wheelbarrows as the search began today for the remains of a 70-year-old handyman who perished in an eight-alarm blaze on Dec. 14.

State and federal officials were joined by volunteers as they combed through 20-foot-tall mounds of wood, pipe, metal, and other charred debris that was once the Lorraine Apartments and Cape Ann's only synagogue.

"The ultimate goal for today is to recover the remains of Mr. Robert Taylor," said Chief Barry McKay of the Gloucester Fire Department.

By Anna Badkhen, Globe Staff

The man accused of killing a 13-year-old boy in a hit-and-run in Taunton told police he was behind the wheel typing a text message on his cellphone when he lost control of the sport utility vehicle and hit what he thought was a mailbox, a prosecutor said today in court.

Craig P. Bigos, 31, told investigators that he did not realize the SUV had struck the boy on the bicycle until he drove back down Poole Street hours later on his way to work at a restaurant, said Bristol County prosecutor Aaron T. Strojny.

The boy, Earman Machado, was sleeping over at a friend's house Thursday night. The teens had gone out at 12:30 a.m. to meet two girls, Strojny said today in Taunton District Court. Machado was riding a bicycle and his friend was walking on the soft shoulder of the road. Police said the friend, also 13, attempted to call 911, but was unable to get through on his cellphone.

Bigos hung his head in court today and was released on $5,000 bail. He was arraigned on charges that included motor vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death, and driving without a license. He is scheduled to return to court Jan. 23.

His lawyer, Daniel R. Igo, said in court that Bigos has never been convicted of a crime and has four children with his girlfriend of 12 years. He was driving from his mother’s in New Bedford to the home he shares with his girlfriend on Williams Street. Eight of his relatives came today to court.

Police said Bigos's 1995 Ford Explorer was found parked at his home. After driving back by the crash scene, Bigos waited several hours before turning himself in Thursday afternoon, said Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for the Bristol County District Attorney.

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

A former faculty member at Tufts University is suing the college and a prominent professor for allegedly firing her in retaliation after she accused the professor of discriminating against female and minority employees and of singling her out for her sexual orientation.

Susan Lautze, a humanitarian researcher who cofounded the Feinstein International Center at Tufts in 1996, says she was fired in 2005 after she accused her supervisor, Peter Walker, of harboring bias toward women and nonwhites. Before she was fired, she complained to Tufts officials that Walker was trumping up reasons to fire her because of a bias against her as "an openly gay woman and someone who has campaigned for the protection of marginalized populations," according to the suit.

By Globe Staff

A man was charged this afternoon with killing a teenager in a hit-and-run in Taunton after authorities said he swerved off the road in a sport utility vehicle and hit the 13-year-old boy.

Craig P. Bigos, 31, turned himself at 2 p.m. to face charges that include motor vehicle homicide, leaving the scene of an accident-death resulting, operating a motor vehicle to endanger, and driving without a license. He will be arraigned Friday in Taunton District Court.

The New Bedford resident was driving his 1995 Ford Explorer shortly after midnight on Poole Street in Taunton, according to a release from the Bristol District Attorney’s office. The 13-year-old was walking along the side of the street when he was hit by the SUV, which drove off, leaving him to die.

The boy, whose name was not released, was pronounced dead at Morton Hospital an hour later.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The fourth person charged in the fatal shooting of a Revere police officer was accused by prosecutors today of storing the gun in his apartment and later helping the alleged shooter dispose of evidence.

James Heang, 17, pleaded not guilty to being an accessory after the fact of murder in Suffolk Superior Court. He is charged in the Sept. 29 shooting of Revere gang officer Daniel Talbot, who was drinking off-duty with other officers behind Revere High School.

Heang stored the gun used to kill Talbot in his Revere apartment, according to Suffolk Assistant Distinct Attorney Edmond J. Zabin. After the shooting, Heang helped the alleged shooter, Robert Iacoviello Jr., 20, dismantle the weapon and drop pieces into storm drains in Revere, Zabin said.

According to Zabin and court records, Talbot, his fiancée, and other Revere police officers had been out at a restaurant and then went to the high school carrying at least one six pack of beer. When Lodie walked past the group, he and the officers exchanged words, the prosecutor said. Talbot made "derogatory remarks'' about people who join the street gang known as the Bloods, he said.

COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
SUFFOLK, SS. SUPERIOR COURT DEPARTMENT

COMMONWEALTH V. ROBERT IACOVIELLO, DEREK LODIE, JAMES HEANG , GIA NAGY

COMMONWEALTH’S STATEMENT OF THE CASE

Now comes the Commonwealth in the above-captioned matter and, for the purposes of the Court’s edification only, respectfully files the following Statement of the Case:

Shortly after 1:30 AM on September 29, 2007 in a grassy area near the Revere High School baseball field, Robert Iacoviello shot and killed off duty Revere Police Officer Daniel Talbot. The confrontation that lead to the murder of Officer Talbot was precipitated by a verbal confrontation between Talbot and Derek Lodie. During that verbal confrontation Lodie summonsed the armed Iacoviello to the scene by cellular telephone as he lured Talbot towards the parking lot of the high school. As Talbot approached Lodie who was continuing to taunt and In the process draw Talbot towards the parking lot, Iacoviello ambushed him. Iacoviello fired at least two rounds from his semi-automatic firearm striking Officer Talbot in the head. Officer Talbot fell mortally wounded and succumbed to his injuries hours later. The following day, James Heang took Iacoviello’s sweatshirt and the murder weapon and facilitated the destruction of the evidence. Gia Nagy participated in taking the murder weapon apart and depositing pieces of the weapon in storm drains in Revere. State Police homicide investigators recovered the weapon fragments and the subsequently matched the fragments to the ballistics evidence at the murder scene.

By Russell Contreras, Globe Staff

Military records of a newly elected Lawrence School Committee member are littered with "abnormalities" and appear to be forged, Lawrence veterans affair director Francisco Urena said today.

The records submitted by James Stokes contain inconsistencies in font, jumps in rank, and claims of medals won while working in a military warehouse, Urena said. The National Personnel Records Center confirmed that it has no record of military service of a James Stokes with the same birth date and Social Security number, he said.

"I have concluded that there is no doubt [the record] is forged," Urena said.

Stokes, 65, has come under fire after the Globe reported that the military had no record of his service. During the November election for School Committee, Stokes told voters he had served 20 years in the Marines. A spokeswoman with the Marines told the Globe that they have no record of Stokes.

(Getty Images)

Benazir Bhutto, shown above in 1972, graduated the following year from Radcliffe College at Harvard University.

By Anna Badkhen and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Benazir Bhutto came to Harvard University as a freshman in 1969 and, despite being the daughter of the prime minister of Pakistan, was a shy 16-year-old.

"She quickly made the transition from a shy girl, very protected and two years younger than almost everybody else, to being part of the community,” recalled Peter Galbraith, Bhutto's classmate, close friend, and a former US ambassador to Croatia. “She quickly made friends."

Bhutto's signature gesture in college was to bake cakes for her friends' birthdays -- chocolate cakes with chocolate icing, which she often decorated with her favorite American Halloween staple -- candy corn, Galbraith said today by phone.

"I do remember one birthday party, where I met my future wife. That was in April and [the candy corn] had become quite stale," Galbraith said. "It was a wonderful gesture, but it’s good that she went into politics instead. She was not a very good cook, but she was a great friend."

Bhutto, who served twice as Pakistan's prime minister between 1988 and 1996, was killed this morning in a suicide attack at a campaign rally in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, that also killed at least 20 others.

When the phone rang at Abbas Hassan's Leominster home this morning for the seventh time, he sensed that something had happened in his native Pakistan.

By David Rattigan and John R. Ellement, Globe staff

A three-alarm apartment fire in Beverly is under control, but firefighters expect to remain on the scene for hours putting out hotspots.

"It appears to have been going in the cockloft for some time before it was discovered," said Beverly Fire Capt. Peter O'Connor. He said the six-family, three-story building on Cabot Street is a total loss.

The blaze broke out shortly before 1.00 p.m. in the building and quickly went to three alarms.

State Fire Marshal Steve Coan said it appears the blaze started on the upper floors and spread through the roof.

All of the residents were safely evacuated. No injuries were reported.

"This is a tough blaze to fight," said Coan. "Fire is extending through the roof and the cockloft and all the firefighters have been ordered out of the building. There is alot of hidden fire there in the walls and the ceilings."

More than 50 firefighters were called to the scene from surrounding towns.

Fire investigators are on the scene trying to determine a cause.

Two off duty police officers drove by the burning building and raced to help out.

Lt. Mike Sungy and Officer Donald Call saw smoke and pulled over banging on doors on the third floor and helping clear residents out of the building. A cat was rescued.

"

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

State and federal officials have gathered in Gloucester this morning to prepare to search for the remains of Robert L. Taylor, a 70-year-old handyman who perished in an eight-alarm fire earlier this month that destroyed an apartment house and Cape Ann’s only synagogue.

"We are hoping we can put all the pieces together today so that the operation will begin tomorrow as originally planned,'' said Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for State Fire Marshal.

Equipment that will be used to sift through the debris for Taylor's remains is being transported to the site of the fire on Middle Street in downtown Gloucester. Department of Environmental Protection testing shows that wreckage is laden with asbestos, which will require a specially licensed contractor, Mieth said.

By Globe Staff

A gunshot detection system alerted police to a shooting outside a Roxbury bar early this morning that left a 22-year-old man in critical condition.

ShotSpotter detected a single gunshot on the 200 block on Blue Hill Avenue at 1:21 a.m., according to a Boston police spokesman. Officers rushed to the scene and found the man on the ground outside Packy's Pub bleeding from a single bullet wound in his back. He was taken to Boston Medical Center.

Witnesses told police that another man fled the scene. The shooting comes after two people were shot to death Friday in Boston.

By Globe Staff

One eastbound lane inside the Storrow Drive Tunnel will be closed for the next several weeks as construction begins today to repair drains that prevent flooding and ice.

The $400,000 project by the Department of Conservation and Recreation will start at the entrance of the tunnel, with work running from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. While jackhammers will be used, work crews will install a temporary noise barrier to minimize the impact on residents.

"We are trying very hard to be mindful of the neighbor's interests, especially their need for sleep," DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. said in a statement. "When the noise is loudest, we will work during the day. To minimize traffic disruptions, however, we'll move the work to nighttime hours when the crews will be further inside the tunnel and the noise outside will be greatly reduced."

By Megan Woolhouse, GLOBE STAFF

After three weeks of confidential negotiations, Powers Fasteners has reached a $6 million settlement with the family of a Jamaica Plain woman who was killed in last year’s ceiling collapse in a Big Dig tunnel, family representatives and company officials announced Monday night.

"We are grateful that the Powers family company has done the right thing,’’ said Raquel Ibarra Morra, whose mother, Milena Del Valle, 38, died on July 10, 2006, when concrete tiles from the Interstate 90 Connector Tunnel ceiling crushed the car she and her husband were in on the way to Logan International Airport. Morra issued a joint statement Monday with her mother's widower, Angel Del Valle.

"We hope that [Big Dig project manager Bechtel/Parsons Brinckerhoff] and the other companies now show the same strength of character."

Suspect being sought in robbery

By Caitlin Castello, Globe Correspondent

A $50,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the capture and conviction of the person who kidnaped and robbed a United States Postal Service employee last week in the Roxbury section of Boston.

The robbery occurred about 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 20, when the employee was forced into the truck and forced to drive from the post office to Zeigler Street, officials said. The suspect then bound the driver to the steering wheel with a plastic tie and proceeded to take mail from the back of the truck. Officials could not confirm what was taken.

"At this point [we have] no leads, but the investigation is active," Ken Walker a postal inspector in Boston, said in a phone interview.

Today, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service released surveillance pictures of the suspect, who was described as a black male, six feet tall and about 220 pounds and wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

"I wish we had something more to get out there to help us, beyond the description and the photos," said Walker. "Hopefully, people will make a call that will be helpful with any information."

The suspect could face up to a life in prison for hijacking and kidnaping, the postal service said in a news release. To submit information, call 1-877-876-2455 (or 1-877-USMAIL5).

By Globe Staff

Several people suffered non-life-threatening injuries after a collision this afternoon involving an MBTA bus and two cars, MBTA officials said.

One car rammed the bus, which was picking up passengers at American Legion Highway and Mount Hope Road in Boston. The second car hit the first car.

MBTA spokeswoman Lydia Rivera said three passengers on the No. 14 bus complained of back and neck ailments.

By Globe Staff

A section of roof at a building in downtown Gardner collapsed Sunday afternoon under the weight of recent snows. No one was injured, but five people were displaced after the building commissioner deemed the structure unsafe for occupancy.

The problems with the flat roof at the Parker Street building were reported at about 3 p.m., said Lieutenant Chuck Boris of the Gardner Fire Department. He said the building once included a movie theater, stores, and apartments. But the movie theater had been closed for years and the rest of the building was mostly empty. The Red Cross was assisting the residents who had been displaced, he said.

While officials had warned of the possibility of more roof collapses caused by Sunday night's rains soaking into the snow already piled on roofs, they said today that no major problems had been reported.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

About 300 people gathered at St. Theresa of Avila Parish in West Roxbury this morning to say goodbye to a Boston political legend.

Dozens of current and former politicians joined family and friends at a funeral Mass for former city councilor Albert Leo "Dapper" O'Neil, who died last week at the age of 87.

"There are a lot of politicians here who could be doing something else on Christmas Eve," said Robert Travaglini who served with O'Neil on the city council and went on to become senate president before entering the private sector. "They understand. It's the final count. It's the end. There are no more like him."

By Globe Staff

The American Red Cross urgently needs people across New England to give blood because donations are down due to the holiday season and the recent bad weather, the organization said today.

“We’re hoping the word will get out that the need for blood never takes a holiday,” said Red Cross New England spokeswoman Carol Dembeck.

Dembeck said the holiday season, when many people travel or get caught up in the whirl of celebrations, is always a challenge for the organization.

This year, the usual lull in blood donations was worsened by the snowy weather. Some blood drives had to be cancelled and others, which were held, saw fewer participants, she said.

By Globe Staff

The head of the Boston archdiocese is urging Roman Catholics in his Christmas message to share their faith with others.

Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley says Catholics should follow the example of the shepherds who spread the word after Christ’s birth.

"Following the example of those present for the first Christmas, we must share our faith with our families, friends and communities," he wrote.

"We must work together to help each other to live the call to holiness and realize our potential as members of God's family," he wrote. "We must let the light of Christ that is present in each one of us shine forth."

By Globe Staff

The Pine Street Inn homeless shelter is gearing up this morning for a Christmas Eve lunch that's intended to warm the stomachs -- and hearts -- of those who are out on the streets during this holiday season.

The shelter will serve 400 meals today on tables set with linens and china. The menu includes tomato rice soup, beef stew, buttered noodles, and green beans. Another 1,350 people will partake in another lunch tomorrow.

More than 150 volunteers will help decorate the dining room and prepare and serve the meals over the course of two days, shelter officials said.

"This is a very difficult time of year for the guests that we serve," said Nancy Sandman, development director at the shelter. The holiday season meals are "an opportunity to celebrate, bring them together, do something that's extra special. ... It's a very unique way to say that the community cares."

By Adam Sell, Globe Correspondent

A 15-year-old girl was taken by helicopter to a hospital after being injured behind a middle school in Franklin when her sled went over a jump and landed awkwardly.

Captain James Hagerty of the Franklin Fire Department said the accident happened on the popular sledding hill at the Horace Mann Middle School. The girl, whose name was not released, hit the back of her head on the jump.

(Coast Guard photo)

Commander William Kelly (left) talks with Collin after his rescue.

By Globe Staff

Tossed on the waves 350 miles southeast of Boston, the sailor alone in the 29-foot boat made a desperate call for help. The Coast Guard raced to his rescue.

Early this morning, Canadian Jean Raymon Collin stepped aboard the cutter Tahoma and was swathed in blankets, safe at last.

The Tahoma made visual and radio contact Friday morning with Collin. But the weather was too rough for the crew to launch a small boat.

The cutter remained on the scene overnight, positioning itself to block the winds from the disabled vessel. The Tahoma was able to launch its boat this morning and rescued Collin, bringing him aboard at about 7 a.m.

By Michael Naughton, Globe Correspondent

For many people, there was a special glow about Friday. It was the threshold of the holiday season, a time to celebrate with friends, family, or co-workers. Or do some last-minute shopping.

But the day turned deadly for two men, one fatally shot in Dorchester and the other in Roxbury.

The first shooting happened outside the Geneva Grocery at 385 Geneva Ave. in Dorchester at about 5:24 p.m. About four hours later another man was found shot near 68 Cedar St. in Roxbury in the vicinity of the Fort Hill housing complex.

Police would not release details today, including a suspected motive or number of times each person was shot in yesterday's murders. Nor would they identify the men, saying only that they were black males in their 20s.

The rash of violence drove Boston's homicide count for the year to 66 and broke the city's 27-day stretch without a homicide.

By Beth Daley, Globe Staff

A North Shore railroad bridge reopened this afternoon after crews successfully repaired damage from a barge that rammed into it Friday morning, an MBTA spokesman said.

The bridge between Beverly and Salem was shut after the accident, disrupting commuter service for thousands on the Newburyport and Rockport lines. The barge broke a signal light and damaged a mechanism that helps stabilize the bridge.

Coast Guard officials said today they are still investigating the crash, the third by the barge in the same stretch of water during the last month.

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Staff

The Red Line was shut down briefly at the Charles/MGH station in both directions after a fire on the tracks.

Boston Fire Department spokesman Stephen McDonald says that some trash landed on the power lines at the MBTA station and sparked a fire at around 7:45 p.m.

Officials evacuated the station, shut the line down in both directions and had to cut power to the tracks to get the fire out, he said.

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

Firefighters from four towns battled a two-alarm blaze on Nobscot Road in Sudbury early this morning. The 911 call came in at about 4 a.m., and firefighters who responded found a frozen fire hydrant nearby, preventing them from immediately attacking the fire.

Units from nearby Wayland, Maynard, and Framingham quickly arrived in response to a mutual aid call with additional water and resources, said Sudbury Fire Captain Bill Miles.

By Marc Robins, Globe Staff

Boston police are investigating the fatal shooting of a man late this afternoon on a Dorchester street.

The man, who was in his twenties, was shot at about 5:24 p.m. in front of the Fernandez Market at 385 Geneva Ave.

The man was taken to Boston Medical Center where he was pronounced dead.

Police said they had not yet made any arrests in the case. No further information was immediately available.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Engineers made a temporary repair that allowed a railroad bridge in Beverly to reopen this afternoon after it was hit by a barge, restoring service on the Newburyport/Rockport commuter rail line in time for the evening commute.

Thousands of commuters had to find another way to work this morning after the barge filled with dredge hit the bridge that spans the mouth of the Danvers River, connecting Beverly and Salem. The barge, which was being pushed by a 35-foot tug boat owned by construction firm Jay Cashman Inc., struck the bridge at about 4:45 a.m., according to the Coast Guard.

"The bridge is open," said Daniel A. Grabauskas, general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

By Globe Staff

Boston Police charged a man and a woman today with two counts of murder for a double slaying in Roxbury in August that killed the son of an antiviolence street worker.

Alexander Bolling, 24, and Taneika Britt, 31, were arrested this morning by the Boston Police Fugitive Unit. They are accused of killing Jessie Calhoun, 28, and, Robert F. Turner, the 20-year-old son of veteran Boston street worker Lorna Pleas. The men were gunned down at 2 a.m. Aug. 2 in a shooting on Williams Street that also wounded a third man whose name has not been released.

Bolling and Britt are expected to be arraigned today in Roxbury District Court on two counts of murder, armed assault with intent to murder, and unlawful possession of a firearm.

"Today my thoughts are with the family of Jesse Calhoun and Robert Turner," Boston Police Commissioner Davis Edward F. Davis said in a statement.

By Globe Staff

A high school student has been charged with stabbing another student Thursday morning at the Forest Hills T stop, according to a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Alexis Flores, 17, will be arraigned today in West Roxbury District Court. The Brighton High School student is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

By Globe Staff

A man was killed early this morning when he lost control of his car on northbound Interstate 93 in Andover and rear-ended a truck spreading sand, according to State Police.

The crash occurred at 2:50 a.m. near Exit 45 when a Chevrolet Cavalier hit the back of a Mack truck that was actively spreading sand. The Cavalier spun out of control and was hit by a Chevrolet van.

Police did not release the name of the man driving the Cavalier. He died at the scene.

By Globe Staff

A Suffolk County grand jury has indicted an attorney for allegedly stealing thousands from a bank account he shared with two other partners in a Boston law firm.

Philip Giordano, 49, of Westwood faces four counts of larceny over $250, three counts of larceny over $250 by scheme, and four counts of making false entries into corporate books, the Suffolk district attorney’s office said today in a statement.

Prosecutors said investigators developed evidence that Giordano stole at least $150,000 from the firm between January 2002 and September 2004.

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

The scene of the apparent murder suicide today on Russell Street.

By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

EVERETT -- A scorned lover burst into the apartment of his former girlfriend with a shotgun early this morning and opened fire in an apparent murder-suicide that left two dead and one man wounded, according to prosecutors and neighbors.

The gunman, identified by authorities as Edward H. Pettengill, 44, walked up the back stairs of a second-floor apartment on Russell Street at about 12:30 a.m. and blasted his way through the door, according to prosecutors and neighbors. The victim's 11-year-old daughter was inside the home when the shooting began, but she escaped before her mother, Altijana "Tina" Moric, was killed, according to Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.

Moric, 36, struggled with Pettengill and screamed for her daughter to run.

“Tina fought for herself and fought for her 11-year-old daughter,” Leone said at a press conference this afternoon at the Everett Police Department.

Neighbors described a harrowing scene, recounting how they heard the struggle and the blasts of the shotgun.

"It was awful. It was really, really terrible," said Ruth Giannasoli, who lives in the apartment downstairs. "At least nothing happened to the little girl."

By Globe Staff

A fourth person is now facing charges in the slaying of a Revere police officer behind the city's high school in late September, Suffolk County prosecutors said.

James Heang, 17, of Revere is facing charges of being an accessory after the fact to murder and unlawfully carrying a firearm.

Three other Revere residents have already pleaded not guilty to charges in the Sept. 29 death of Officer Daniel Talbot.

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

A US Airways jet lumbered on the tarmac this morning as Logan International Airport was blanketed by snow.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff, and Emily Canal, Globe Correspondent

Dozens of inbound and outbound flights were canceled at Logan International Airport as of this afternoon due to the snowy weather, an airport official said.

Sixty-four inbound flights and the same number of outbound flights were canceled; 186 flights were delayed as of 2 p.m., said Matthew Brelis, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Port Authority, which runs the airport.

At one point this morning, the airport was experiencing more air traffic control delays than any other airport in the country.

Boston-bound planes from other cities had been holding up to an hour during much of the morning on orders from the Federal Aviation Administration. Logan officials said the deicing of outbound planes had caused a bottleneck.

It could get messier for travelers today as holiday traffic builds and delays cascade, said Brelis. He suggested travelers check with their airlines.

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

On M Street beach in South Boston, Perry DiNatale trudged past a snowman.

By Globe Staff

A light snowfall has largely given way to flurries as drivers embark on what will likely be a sluggish evening commute. Most major roadways have been well treated and are clear of snow, but slush has still gummed up traffic.

"It's pretty slow," said Jeff Larson, general manager of the Smart Route Systems, which monitors local traffic. "We are not dealing with huge amounts of accumulation, but it's messy."

About 3 inches of snow fell in Boston. Snow totals topped out at 6 to 8 inches north and west of the city in western Essex County, the Merrimack Valley, and southern New Hampshire. Parts of northern New England were forecast to get up to 2 feet of snow. In Boston, however, the snow was more akin to heavy flurries than serious squalls.

By Globe Staff

MBTA officials say the Mattapan Trolley Line, which connects the Ashmont and Mattapan stations, will reopen Saturday after being closed almost 18 months ago.

The line was closed -- and buses were provided as an alternative -- because of work at the Ashmont and Mattapan stations. The six stations between Ashmont and Mattapan have also been getting an upgrade. Riders will see some of the new features on Saturday; others will be added as work on the project continues through the spring.

By Globe Staff

It's the season for charitable giving. It's also the season to beware of scam artists who prey on people's generosity. So the attorney general's office is advising people to give wisely over the holidays.

Here are some suggestions from the office on how to ensure that your contributions make a difference for the truly needy, rather than line the pockets of scam artists.

-- Verify the name, address, and telephone number of the charity.
-- Ask how the charitable funds will be used.
-- Keep records and canceled checks, in case you have a complaint later.
-- Research whether the charity is registered to operate in the state by calling the attorney general's office at 617-727-2200, ext 1701.
-- Call the local police department (some require charities to register before soliciting).
-- Call the beneficiaries of the charitable funds to see if they have authorized the solicitation.
-- If a fund-raiser comes to your door, ask for identification.
-- Pay by check to the charity, not the fund-raiser; never give your credit card number to a fund-raiser over the phone.

By Brian Ballou, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick announced today that $5.1 million in antiviolence grants will be distributed to organizations throughout the state working to curb crime and violence.

Patrick made the announcement at the Samuel Adams Elementary School in East Boston as students performed in a concert to celebrate the school's involvement in a program aimed at building social skills to help children avert potentially violent situations and helping them heal from trauma.

By Globe Staff

A proposal to make major changes to a controversial state law intended to promote affordable housing has failed to garner enough signatures to make it onto the November 2008 ballot.

But the secretary of state's office says that proposals to repeal the state income tax, ban greyhound racing, and decriminalize the use of marijuana are still on track.

Proponents of the measures had until Nov. 21 to gather at least 66,593 certified signatures on petitions. After certification by local officials, the petitions had to be submitted to the secretary of state's office by Dec. 5 for another review.

The secretary of state's office has found that the proposal to change the Chapter 40B affordable housing law had fallen far short of its goal, garnering only about 30,000 signatures, said secretary of state's spokesman Brian McNiff.

By Globe Staff

An 18-year-old West Roxbury high school student was stabbed twice in the back this morning at Forest Hills T stop, according to a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

The teen was rushed by ambulance to Brigham and Women's Hospital just after 7 a.m. with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries, said spokeswoman Lydia Rivera. The victim, whose name was not released, is a student at the Brook Farm Business and Service Career Academy in the West Roxbury Education Complex.

Transit police say the stabbing was not a random act. No arrests have been reported.

It was not immediately clear where the stabbing took place. The victim was sitting alone on a bench when at the station when a T employee approached him because he was bleeding. The victim has shared very little information with investigators about what happened, said spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

By Globe Staff

State police are investigating after someone threw a hammer through the window of a van driving south on Interstate 93 in Canton this afternoon.

Police said a dark gray Nissan pickup truck carrying two men pulled alongside the van and one of them threw the hammer, which crashed through the driver's side rear window of the van. The hammer missed the van's driver, who was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

(Lisa Poole for The Boston Globe)

Gloucester Mayor John Bell at the scene of the fire on Monday.

By Globe Staff

More than four days after a fire killed a 70-year-old man in a Gloucester apartment building, authorities say they are still searching for the his body.

The search for the remains of Robert L. Taylor, who was killed in a fire that broke out Friday night in a four-story apartment building on Middle Street has been conducted by local police and firefighters, the state fire marshal’s office, and state police assigned to the Essex County district attorney’s office.

Searchers have used cadaver dogs, heavy equipment, and hand tools to comb painstakingly through the rubble, the district attorney’s office said in a statement.

The investigation of the fire at the Lorraine Apartments has been hampered by the weather. Fire Marshal Stephen Coan said researchers would benefit from a break in the freezing cold.

A fence will be erected around the site to secure it while investigators determine their next steps, the district attorney’s office said.

By Globe Staff

A 44-year-old Quincy man was sentenced today to life in prison without parole after being convicted of first-degree murder in the stabbing death two years ago of a 65-year-old woman in an apartment near Symphony Hall.

Stevie Walker entered Galina Kotik's Symphony Towers apartment on Nov. 4., 2005 intending to commit a robbery to keep his crack cocaine binge going, prosecutors said.

Neighbors who heard loud noises called a building manager who used a master key to open the door to the apartment and saw Walker in the bathroom with blood on his clothes.

Walker forced his way past the woman and fled, prosecutors said. Kotik, a retired doctor who was a native of Belarus and who had recently moved to Boston from Rhode Island, was found with a fatal stab wound in her neck.

By Globe Staff

A mix of rain and snow may slow the evening commute, but the precipitation is expected to be light. The heaviest snowfall is forecast in the Merrimack Valley, western Essex County, and southwestern New Hampshire, where a few inches of accumulation are possible.

"The folks north and northwest of the city should have the worst commute," said Alan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

The dusting of snow and sprinkling of rain is expected to be followed Thursday by a blast of cold air and -- gulp -- more snow.

By Globe Staff

A pollster at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell who moonlighted as a political consultant violated conflict of interest law when he conducted a private poll for gubernatorial candidate Christy Mihos, the State Ethics Commission announced today.

As punishment, the commission made a letter public that outlined the case against Louis DiNatale, director of the Center for Economic and Civic Opinion at UMass-Lowell. DiNatale will not be fined or face other sanctions.

"The point the commission wants to emphasize is that it is essential that public employees’ objectivity, both in fact and in appearance, be maintained so that public confidence in their official actions can be assured," the commission said in the letter.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Massachusetts Turnpike Authority officials say that, with finances tight, they are temporarily halting funding of sound barriers that are intended to ensure peace and quiet for residents who live along the road.

"I am as frustrated as anyone is, because I would like to do more," said Bernard Cohen, chairman of the turnpike board and state transportation secretary, noting that it is the "most contentious issue" he faces in his job.

Alan LeBovidge, newly appointed executive director of the turnpike, said the authority cannot afford the popular program this year.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will increase service on Silver Line buses between South Station and Logan International Airport on Thursday and Friday to accommodate holiday travelers.

Between 10 a.m. and 10 p.m., buses will come every 8 minutes. Normally, the buses arrive every 10 minutes.

MBTA officials will monitor weekend traffic and may adjust those schedules depending on demand, said spokesman Joe Pesaturo.

(Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office)

By Globe Staff

The former owner of a South Boston hardware store has been indicted on 46 charges for allegedly using the store to gather customer credit card numbers and make fraudulent charges.

And there's more trouble ahead for Erik Joseph, 51, the Suffolk district attorney's office said today.

The prosecutors said that the grand jury that indicted Joseph yesterday only had time to consider his American Express transactions. His transactions on Visa, MasterCard, and debit cards will be considered by another grand jury.

"The scope of these offenses is monumental," Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement.

Joseph allegedly scammed customers at Seaport Hardware on Congress Street, funneling the money to fake businesses and then from there to dozens of accounts at various Boston banks.

By Globe Staff

A Charlestown man will spend 32 months in prison for a drunken assault on several park rangers after his car had been pulled over near the Bunker Hill Monument because his tail lights were out, federal prosecutors announced today.

John Crilley pleaded guilty in September to charges of assaulting federal agents. US District Judge Patti Saris sentenced him yesterday, noting the danger to the rangers. One of the rangers suffered a lasting injury, prosecutors said.

(Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

Baehr answered questions at a news conference last year.

By Globe Staff

The superintendent of schools in Lowell is one of three finalists in the running to be the next state education commissioner.

Karla Brooks Baehr joins Mitchell Dan Chester, an education official from Ohio, and Richard Laine, director of education programs for a national foundation. The finalists were selected from a pool of 16 people.

Board of Education Chairman Paul Reville said the finalists were "outstanding," with "substantial experience in education leadership."

"The board will have the difficult but enviable task of choosing from among these three exceptional but quite different leaders," he said in a statement.

Baehr has been superintendent in Lowell, the state's fourth largest city, since 2000.

By Walter V. Robinson, Globe Staff

Wednesday,June 15, 1977

One of the men told Lisa Zankman she looked nice, and moments later advised her: "Get mad. I like to see a woman get mad."

Elizabeth Cook was "honey" to another man.

Claudia Delmonaco was assured that she has a "pretty smile, a nice smile" and was addressed as honey three times, as in: "Your explanation, honey, was not satisfactory."

The three women were not entrants in a beauty contest. Rather, they are City of Boston department heads who arrived in the City Council chambers yesterday thinking that their budget requests, not their physical attributes, would be surveyed.

And the two men were not contest judges, but budget judges: councilmen Frederick C. Langone and Albert L. O'Neil, who, as one colleague described it privately, "performed" at the Ways and Means Committee hearing.

(Globe file photo/1997)

By Tom Long, Globe Correspondent, and Donovan Slack and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Albert L. "Dapper" O'Neil, the irascible politician who charmed and offended for 28 years on the Boston City Council, died early this morning at a nursing home in West Roxbury. He was 87.

After a political career that spanned 50 years, O'Neil was one of the last links to an era of colorful, personalized politics that defined Boston in the first half of the 20th century. He served on the Boston Licensing Board and was a political operative for legendary Mayor James Michael Curley.

“It’s the end of an era in Boston politics with the passing of Dapper O’Neil,” Mayor Thomas M. Menino said this morning. “He was the greatest storyteller there ever was. The real question is whether all those stories are true.”

His friend and former driver, Councilor Stephen Murphy, said that O’Neil died in his sleep after years of deteriorating health.

"The great irony of Dapper was his kindness and generosity to so many people,” Murphy said this morning. “At the same time, he fearlessly and deliberately violated the rules of political correctness. He'd say, ‘Watch me get them going.’ "

Flamboyantly conservative, Mr. O'Neil was defined more by the enemies he made than his political views. At various times, he railed against feminists, gays, and immigrants. He made a career out of his opposition to school desegregation, affirmative action, and other government initiatives he considered social engineering.

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

Former House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran fought to retain his right to practice law in a hearing today before a Board of Bar Overseers panel.

The Mattapan Democrat's license to practice law was suspended when he pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston earlier this year to one count of obstruction of justice that grew out of a lawsuit by minority activists over a redistricting plan that diluted the political power of minority voters.

Finneran, 57, told the panel today that some of his actions were taken at the direction of his House attorney and that he was consumed by budget battles, not redistricting, at the time he was questioned under oath about the redistricting plan.

"We had much more severe issues to deal with," he said of the first year of the Romney administration when the state budget was $3 billion short. "It was in the rear view mirror."

By Russell Contreras, Globe Staff

Forty full-time and temporary Lawrence city employees were handed pink slips today in an effort to close a $2.3 million deficit, the city of Lawrence announced.

Twenty more layoffs are planned for Friday, said Frank Bonet, the city's director of personnel.

"I feel for these employees. This is the most depressing time of the year for this to happen," said Bonet. "But we have no choice."

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff

Volunteers are expected to fan out across the city of Boston tonight in cars and on foot to try to count the city's homeless population. In past years, those counting have included the mayor, homeless service providers, housing advocates, local faith-based organizations, and neighborhood groups.

Last year's homeless census identified 6,636 men, women and children on the streets, a four percent increase from the previous year.

The count comes just hours after the discovery of the body of a homeless man who apparently froze to death on parkland next to The Boston Globe's offices in Dorchester.

Someone found the man lying on a blanket inside the snow-covered park this afternoon and contacted the newspaper, Boston Police Sergeant Michael Locke said. Employees at the newspaper contacted police around 4:30 p.m.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

I spent my morning pecking away at ice with a plastic shovel, trying to free my puny Toyota from a dense cocoon. As I threw down the shovel and went to raise my weary arms to hail a cab, I contemplated why I moved to Boston from Miami three months ago.

Two storms' worth of ice had been compressed into a solid wall and crammed against my defenseless Toyota Prius. I could only open the car doors a crack, forcing me to squeeze into the driver's seat. I never wanted a gas-guzzling SUV so much in my life.

There were many errors that led me to this debacle, all of them predictable.

First was the initial parking job. I should have left the car in a garage Saturday night when I knew snow was predicted for the second time in three days. But my hubris and cheapness made me parallel-park on my street.

Second was my delay in shoveling. I had to drive to work Sunday (to cover the snow and ice storm for the Globe. Irony!), so I took my wife’s car because it has snow tires and was better positioned for an easy getaway. I did not dig out my own car even though I knew temperatures were expected to dip below 20 degrees that night and harden every bit of liquid in the city.

By Globe Staff

Bills for typical water and sewer service customers rose an average of 6.2 percent this year in the 61 communities served by the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, according to a recently released report. It was the fourth time in five years that the rate increases have exceeded 6 percent.

Joseph Favaloro, executive director of the MWRA Advisory Board, which released the Water and Sewer Retail Rate Survey, said the increase underlined the need for the state to budget money to help control the increases.

"The state is a critical piece in rates management," said Favaloro, whose organization represents the cities and towns that are members of the MWRA. "We're cognizant of all the existing priorities with the state budget, but we're hoping to get at least what we got last year and hopefully more."

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Governor Patrick outlines his casino proposal before a packed State House auditorium.

By Matt Viser and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick testified at a State House hearing today that gambling was intertwined with the history of Massachusetts, arguing that casinos would not change the character of the state.

"For a very long time now, gaming has been in practice in Massachusetts and gaming revenues have been used to support public projects," Patrick said, according to prepared remarks provided by his staff. "In 1762 John Hancock raised lottery money to rebuild Faneuil Hall after a fire. Lottery funds were used to finance the Revolution."

The dorm at Harvard College where Patrick lived during his freshman year was built in the 1800s entirely with lottery funds, the Governor said.

The six-hour hearing has created a circus-like atmosphere at the State House. Union activists in matching red T-shirts and business leaders in pinstriped power suits and derby hats packed Gardner Auditorium, where it was standing-room-only.

The proceeding before the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets, is expected to be the highest-profile hearing on expanded gambling since the governor in September unveiled his proposal to license three casinos. Patrick's testimony could begin to change the perception on Beacon Hill that he has not aggressively pushed his proposal.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino emphasized the possible benefits of a possible casino at the Suffolk Downs site in East Boston. He argued that construction of such a facility would create 2,400 construction jobs for three years and over 7,800 full-time jobs in the region once it is built

"This is a proposition the state cannot pass up," Menino said in prepared remarks. "With the number of good, long-term jobs at stake, we must pursue every option to make this work."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The manslaughter case will continue against the New York epoxy company that allegedly played a role in the Big Dig ceiling collapse that killed a woman last year.

A Superior Court judge, in a decision filed today, rejected a bid by Powers Fasteners Inc. to get the charges dismissed.

Powers is facing the only criminal charges brought in the accident that killed 38-year-old Milena Del Valle. The company had argued that Attorney General Martha Coakley should not have gotten involved in the prosecution because her office had previously launched a civil case seeking millions in damages for the ceiling cave-in from Powers and other companies.

But Suffolk Superior Court Judge Patrick F. Brady said the attorney general's office was acting properly and was "authorized to conduct the civil and criminal cases at the same time."

"Powers has not shown that there is any conflict or other reason to disqualify the office. ... When the attorney general represents the Commonwealth in parallel criminal and civil cases, she represents the same public interest in both, without the dangers that come with the concurrent representation of a private party," the judge wrote in the eight-page decision.

(CBS Television)

On the CBS "Early Show" today, Denise Martin (right) faced her boss, Douglas Schools Superintendent Nancy T. Lane.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Denise Martin, the former lunch lady who claimed she had been demoted to janitor after appearing on “Survivor: China,” acknowledged today that the hard-luck story she told in the reality show finale was not true.

Martin, who works in an elementary school in Douglas, Mass., appeared on the CBS "Early Show'' in a split screen with Schools Superintendent Nancy T. Lane in a segment dubbed "Survivor Scandal." As her voice cracked, Martin confirmed what Lane told the Globe on Monday -- that she had been promoted to a janitorial position before trying out for the show, a job that came with a $10-an-hour pay raise.

"It was not my intention to be misleading," Martin said from studio in Los Angeles. "Nancy has been outstanding to me. She has done everything possible. She has given me the leave of absences to be on the show."

"I'm sorry," Martin continued, sounding as though she was near tears. "And I apologize to everybody. Believe me, I wish none of this had happened. I couldn't say I’m sorry enough."

By Globe Staff

Service on the Green Line was temporarily suspended this morning after an MBTA employee was hit by a trolley.

The employee was struck at about 10:20 a.m. about 350 feet west of Reservoir Station, near the border between Brookline and Boston. The employee was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with an injury to his left arm, said Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Pesaturo said the injured man was 46-year-old supervisor who was looking into a report of treecutting activity along the right of way when he was struck by an outbound trolley.

Service on the D branch between the Reservoir and Newton Highlands stations was temporarily suspended. Shortly before noon, the MBTA announced that service had been restored.

By Globe Staff

State Police are searching today for the driver of a tractor-trailer who fled the scene of an accident overnight on Route 2 in Lancaster where an 18-year-old was killed and a 15-year-old was left injured in an overturned Jeep.

Ashley Foley was driving a 1994 Jeep Cherokee at 10:40 p.m. when the front passenger's side was struck by the back of the tractor-trailer, State Police said in a press release. The Jeep, which had been heading west, rolled over. The tractor-trailer kept on moving.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Students whining about a heavy course load, doctors who are just too busy, and people feigning prejudice can now go online to file their best excuses to try to get out of jury duty.

Massachusetts became the first state in the nation to allow prospective jurors to respond to a summons on the Internet via the court system's new interactive website, www.MassJury.com. With a few clicks of a mouse, people can confirm or postpone their jury service, request a hardship transfer, or give their best excuse in the hopes of being disqualified.

"They now have a new avenue for trying to persuade us that they don't have to show up for jury duty," said Jury Commissioner Pamela J. Wood.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Leaks in Big Dig tunnel have been reduced from a few thousand to 650, according to a study presented today at the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board meeting.

The remaining leaks should be plugged by next summer, said Robert R. Rooney, deputy secretary for public works, who headed a review of the tunnels initiated after a fatal ceiling collapse in July 2006.

"It's an ongoing, evolutionary thing, where you just keep peeling down the onion," Rooney said.

New leaks may emerge or be detected over time, but the number is expected to be in the dozens, not the hundreds, said Andrew E.N. Osborn, an engineer with Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc., the Illinois-based engineering and architectural firm that conducted the leak study.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A 17-year-old woman was charged today with helping hide a handgun allegedly used to kill a Revere police officer and offering a bogus alibi for her boyfriend, who faces one count of first-degree murder for the slaying.

Gia M. Nagy pleaded not guilty to a single charge of accessory after murder, slouching as she stood through the 10-minute proceeding in Chelsea District Court.

"My daughter didn’t have anything to do with this," said her mother, Alison Nagy, outside court. "She's only a 17-year-old kid. She didn’t have anything to do with this."

Nagy is accused of "offering comfort" to her boyfriend, Robert Iacoviello Jr., 20, after he allegedly shot and killed Revere police Officer Daniel Talbot, said Assistant Suffolk District Attorney John Lacey. She also allegedly helped break the 9mm handgun used to shoot Talbot and hid the pieces in a storm drain.

By Emily A. Canal, Globe Correspondent

A person found unconscious this morning in a closet in a burning apartment house in Cambridge was rushed to a hospital, a fire official said.

The person, who was not identified, was discovered by firefighters during a rescue search of a three-story, wood-frame building on Putnam Avenue, said John Gelinas, chief of operations for the Cambridge Fire Department. The person was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where his or her condition was not immediately available.

By Globe Staff

More than 680 students at Boston public schools were stranded this morning after 70 bus drivers skipped work. Backups replaced 60 of the drivers, but 12 bus routes still had to be canceled, leaving students without a ride, according to a press release from school officials.

An automated telephone calling system notified families on the affected routes. Any student who is unable to attend school today because of a canceled bus route will not be penalized, school officials said.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A howling northeast wind whipping up to 45 miles per hour pushed wind chill temperatures down near zero this morning, freezing once-slushy sidewalks into solid sheets of ice.

The wind helped keep roadways dry and free of ice, and no major accidents were reported, according to State Police. Sidewalks did not fare quite so well, as 3- and 4-foot-high snow banks blocked wind and allowed water to linger and freeze. Temperatures are expected to top out near 25 degrees, which means pedestrians will continue to slip and slide.

"All that slush and stuff that froze solid ain’t gonna melt today," said Allan Dunham, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

By Globe Staff

A man trying to avoid a skidding Suburban on the Massachusetts Turnpike jumped over the railing of a bridge in Palmer and fell 50 to 60 feet to his death, State Police said.

Paul M. Oliver, 29, had gotten out of his 2005 Honda Pilot after the car spun out Sunday night and was facing the wrong direction in the westbound lanes of the turnpike on a bridge over the Quaboag River. When Oliver was out of his car, a 1995 GMC Suburban driven by Herb Albertson, 38, of Quincy, began sliding on the snow-covered road, State Police said in a press release.

(Erik Jacobs for The Boston Globe)

James Stokes (center) celebrated his victory in the District F school committee race after voting in Lawrence on Nov. 6.

By Russell Contreras, Globe Staff

A newly elected Lawrence school committeeman, who has said he served 20 years in the US Marines, does not show up in military records, a spokeswoman for the Marines told the Globe today.

James Stokes, who defeated an incumbent last month, may lose his seat if an investigation finds he falsified election documents that said he was a veteran, city officials said. He submitted a signed affidavit to election officials stating that he served in the military, said Rafael Tejeda, the Lawrence election bilingual coordinator. Stokes told voters at forums that he served 20 years in the US Marines.

In a telephone interview with the Globe this week, Stokes said he served for six years. When asked to provide his years of service, Stokes said, "I don't want to talk anymore. My head hurts."

He could not be reached today for comment.

Francisco Urena, Lawrence’s veteran affair director, said the city is scrutinizing documents Stokes submitted to document his military service. Captain B. E. Binstock, spokeswoman for the Marines, said today she was unable to locate a James Stokes with either of the two birth dates Stokes had used on documents. The dates of birth would make him either 62 or 64 years old.

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

A Norfolk Superior Court judge ruled today that Cohasset public schools can continue providing special education services to an eighth-grader against the wishes of his parents, who want him out of the program.

Judge Patrick F. Brady issued the ruling today from the bench, according to the family and an attorney for the school district. It came after a day and half of testimony from teachers and administrators who have worked with the 13-year-old over the last two years at Cohasset Middle/High School. Brady has not yet filed the decision in writing.

Cohasset schools Superintendent Denise M. Walsh praised the ruling.

"It reinforces to our professional staff that they never lost the focus on putting that child first and at the center of all decisions," Walsh said. "They believe every child is a winner and every child can be successful. I'm very proud of them."

Peggy Lewis, the boy's mother, said the ruling was a setback for parental rights.

(Globe file photo)
Schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson, shown above in a file photo, said today in an interview that they did not anticipate the gridlock caused by Thursday's snowstorm.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The last two of the 56,000 students in Boston public schools finally got home Thursday at 11:30 p.m., after waiting some eight hours while their parents were trapped on clogged roads.

The district’s 600 buses dropped off its last few students at about the same time, ending an epic day in which hundreds of elementary and middle schoolers were stuck in classrooms well into the evening.

"I don't think any of us in the city anticipated the gridlock," Schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said today in an interview. "Unfortunately, that first group of buses had a very difficult time getting through the traffic."

Unlike many other districts across the state, Boston did not dismiss class early, although parents were encouraged to pick up their children before school ended. Officials are still tabulating the exact number of pupils that spent an extended amount of time waiting to go home.

(Globe file photo)

Alexander Pring-Wilson will be allowed to return to his home state of Colorado, a judge ruled today after declaring a mistrial.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

CAMBRIDGE -- A judge granted a mistrial this afternoon in the second trial of a former Harvard graduate student accused of manslaughter in the killing of a teenager after a jury deliberated 10 days without reaching a verdict.

The jury came back in a Middlesex Superior Court this afternoon and told the judge they were hopelessly deadlocked in the case of Alexander Pring-Wilson, 29. He was accused of manslaughter in the stabbing death of Michael Colono, 18, during a drunken, late-night fight on a Cambridge street on April 12, 2003.

The jury gave a note to Judge Christopher Muse that said they were "still deadlocked and do not believe we can come to a unanimous decision."

Pring-Wilson was convicted of manslaughter in 2004, but he won a new trial when the state Supreme Judicial Court ruled that jurors should have learned about Colono's criminal history, which included an alleged propensity for violence. Pring-Wilson has long maintained that he pulled a knife from his back pocket and stabbed Colono in self-defense.

The encounter brought together young men from two different worlds: Colono was a hotel cook and father, while Pring-Wilson, who is from Colorado Springs, Colo., was studying for his master's in Russian and Eurasian studies.

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

A car sat still blanketed in snow today at the Newton Service Plaza on Interstate 95 where it was left during Thursday’s storm.

By Andrew Ryan, John R. Ellement, Matt Viser, and Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

As almost a foot of snow begins to melt, city and state officials are meeting this morning to try to determine why metropolitan Boston was plunged into chaos by fleeing commuters.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who accused the state of being ill prepared for the storm, met with city department heads to talk about what went wrong.

"Yesterday was an aberration, I think," Menino said. "We have to do better. It has to be coordinated better than it was."

The mayor met with executives from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce to urge businesses to stagger the times they release their workers during snow storms. "It seemed like everybody decided yesterday at 1 p.m. to release their employees," Menino said.

State officials defended their response today to what they described as a "uniquely intense storm." Governor Deval Patrick said commuters did not heed warnings to go home before the snow hit.

"People were asked to leave early, and they didn't," Patrick said at a press conference. “The decisions made, particularly by private employers, was to not release as soon as we would have liked. It's not to lay the fault at private employers, but it's very hard in a practical manner to plow the roads when everybody is on them."

Bernard Cohen, the secretary of transportation, disputed Menino's contention that the state was not prepared without mentioning the mayor by name.

"This was by the numbers as far as I'm concerned," Cohen said "We were ready, we were prepared, we were doing all the things we would do in a storm like this. I also want to point out that, with all the attention that's been paid to the state roadway system in the Boston area, we are the state of Massachusetts, and if you look at the rest of the state we did a pretty good job."

The record-setting storm dumped 10 inches of snow in Boston. Up to 14 inches fell in other parts or the state. Over eight hours, 728 vehicles were towed off highways and interstates, according to State Police. One person was killed when a man driving a snowmobile the wrong way in the center lane of Interstate 84 in Sturbridge collided with a tractor trailer at 1 a.m.

Sunny skies are expected to push temperatures over 40 degrees today, melting some of the mounds of snow along sidewalks and streets. After dark, that water is expected to refreeze when the mercury drops to the lower 20s and upper teens.

"Temperatures are going to take a tumble pretty quickly," said Charlie Foley, a meteorologist in at the National Weather Service in Taunton. "Anything that does melt is going to freeze and cause problems."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Using ladders to scale railings and walls, Brockton firefighters rescued about six people this morning who had fled onto balconies after smoke filled their apartment building, a fire official said.

"Numerous people were on their balconies, and they could not get out of their apartment because of the heavy smoke in the hallway," said Chief Ken Galligan of the Brockton Fire Department.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Traffic stood still this afternoon on Storrow Drive.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Stay where you are.

A blinding storm has paralyzed streets, highways, and interstates with snow falling at a rate of 1 1/2 inches an hour as Boston gets slammed with its first blast of winter.

"There is no place to drive," said Jeff Larson, general manager of the Smart Route Systems, which monitors local traffic. "Every road is basically jammed. I don't know what else to say. It's terrible out there."

There is more bad news.

"It’s probably going to get worse before it gets better," said Eleanor Vallier-Talbot, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton. "And it's about as bad as it gets right now."

No major accidents have been reported, but dozens of spinouts have helped bring traffic to a halt.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

The committee charged with overhauling the Boston Fire Department is falling apart because of a massive rift between union and fire officials over committee appointments.

Local 718 President Edward Kelly resigned from the 13-member committee on Tuesday, just two days after the city announced formation of the panel, and four other firefighters have now followed his lead.

The panel was convened by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to oversee the adoption of recommendations of an independent audit spurred by reports that two firefighters killed battling a West Roxbury restaurant fire were allegedly impaired. One of the audit's recommendations, which were issued Nov. 30, was the implementation of mandatory, random drug and alcohol testing of city firefighters.

"I'm very, very disappointed that the union president has withdrawn from the committee and forced others to withdraw," Fire Commissioner Roderick Fraser said in an interview today. "I guess this shows that the union leadership is really not committed to change."

In a scathing letter to Fraser on Tuesday, Kelly complained that the commissioner appointed four rank-and-file firefighters to the committee without input from union officials. He said Fraser's action "exhibits an underlying disrespect for the membership of Local 718, which spawns doubt in my confidence of your ability to lead this department."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Moonie Moses paced in front of the jury today as he began his own defense in a trial on a string of kidnapping and rape charges. He referred to himself in the third person during his opening statement in Suffolk Superior Court.

"This man did not commit these offenses," Moses said, pointing to his empty chair at the defendant’s table. "He was someplace else."

Moses, 35, is accused of kidnapping two teenagers and a 32-year-old woman in Dorchester between July and September of 2002 and sexually assaulting them in his car. He was arrested after the woman fled and memorized his license plate number, prosecutors said.

The State Police today issued winter driving tips, urging motorists to heed the weather forecast, prepare their vehicles for the winter, drive slowly, and leave extra space between cars.

The tips are:

• Take note of local forecasts and plan accordingly for adverse weather conditions. Motorists are reminded that they can dial 511 on their cellphones for current traffic and road conditions on Massachusetts Highways.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino declared a snow emergency today that will include a parking ban that goes into effect at 2 p.m.

The city issued the following guidelines:

•The city encourages businesses to release employees early. Rush hour is expected to see the storm’s heaviest snowfall. Everyone is encouraged to use public transportation.

•All City of Boston afternoon and evening activities will be canceled.

•Move cars from main arterials during snow emergencies. A listing of main arterials can be found here.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By George Rizer and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Nine people were taken to the hospital complaining of back and neck pain after two Green Line trolleys collided this morning at a platform at the Boylston Street station, according to Boston EMS and a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

The collision just after 8 a.m. on the inbound Green Line tracks was described by MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo as a "minor accident." One trolley rear-ended another trolley that was stopped at the platform, he said.

Nine people, including the two trolley drivers and another T employee, were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, said Tim Holland, deputy superintendent of Boston Emergency Medical Services.

“There was nothing that was very serious," Holland said of the injuries. Most of the people “claimed they had no injuries and basically left the station.”

Two to three of the injured were carried out of the station on stretchers. Holland said the low speed of the collision kept the number of injured down.

By Russell Contreras, GLOBE STAFF

LAWRENCE — A newly elected Lawrence School Committee member might not take his seat next month after a criminal background check revealed he was arrested and convicted of larceny and forgery more than 40 years ago.

James Stokes, 64, acknowledged Wednesday that he had served three months in jail and said this would not influence his performance as a School Committee member. "My past is my past," Stokes said in a telephone interview. "I will resign if it will affect my family."

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

Jerry P. McDermott, a conservative who often found himself on the losing end of debates in the Boston City Council, joked in his farewell speech today that the hardest part of leaving office was giving up his prime parking spot in Government Center.

"We mixed it up pretty good, and I had a lot of fun," McDermott said. "We got to be like a big dysfunctional family."

McDermott was first elected in 2002 to represent Allston-Brighton. He did not seek reelection because he is becoming executive director of the South Shore Habitat for Humanity.

The council, meeting in its final session this year, also bid farewell to Felix D. Arroyo, its first and only Hispanic member who had held an at-large seat since 2003. Arroyo, who vowed today to remain a voice in the city, lost reelection in November.

By Globe Staff

A Cape Cod teenager has been charged with child abuse after a 1-year-old boy was found with bruises, a bite mark, and cigarette burns on his ears and the sole of one foot, according to a release from the Dennis Police Department.

Anthony A. Delman, 19, is scheduled to be arraigned today in Orleans District Court on six counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a child resulting in serious injury. Delman is not related to the alleged victim, who is expected to recover fully from his injuries.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A 25-year-old woman was followed off a Green Line trolley in Brookline early this morning and attacked by a man who tried to rape her, police said.

The woman had been followed from the Government Center station to the stop at Brookline Hills. She fought the man off and ran to safety in a home on Cypress Street, said Captain John O'Leary of the Brookline Police Department.

Police are searching for the suspect, who was described by the woman as a Hispanic man, possibly of Mexican descent, who is about 5 feet 2 inches tall and has a medium build. The man, in his early 20s, was clean shaven and kept his hair shorter than crew cut, O’Leary said. He was wearing boots, a navy blue hooded sweatshirt, and blue jeans.

By Jillian Jorgensen and Daniel M. Peleschuk, Globe Correspondents

Five adults and five children were taken to Massachusetts General Hospital Tuesday night with symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning after the Boston Fire Department evacuated a building in a public housing development in South Boston, fire officials said.

The conditions of the victims, some of whom were given oxygen in ambulances, were not immediately known. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include nausea and light-headedness, and headaches.

About 9:30 p.m., carbon monoxide detectors sounded in a first-floor apartment at 16 O'Callaghan Way, prompting residents to call 911, Boston Fire Department spokesman Stephen MacDonald said.

"I can't emphasize enough, carbon monoxide detectors save lives," Boston Fire Department Captain Edward Callahan said at the scene.

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff

LOWELL -- A truck driver suspected in a string of violent assaults against women along the East Coast pleaded guilty today to breaking into a home in Chelmsford and attacking a 15-year-old with a knife as she slept.

Adam Leroy Lane, 42, stood in an orange jumpsuit in Lowell Superior Court and said little as prosecutors described how the North Carolina resident dressed in black clothes, black gloves, and a black mask and broke into the bedroom of Shea McDonough. Lane carried three knives, choke wire, and a throwing star as he attacked the teen on July 30, holding a blade to her throat, prosecutors said.

Jean and Kevin McDonough heard their daughter’s cries and rushed into her bedroom. Kevin McDonough, a man with slight build, told reporters today that he pulled the burly trucker off his daughter and pinned him down with a chokehold.

"I'm a pretty strong guy but I felt like Hercules that night," McDonough said, speaking to reporters outside court.

(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

By Joanne Rathe and Peter J. Howe, Globe Staff

GROTON -- A neighborhood was showered with splintered wood and rubble this afternoon when a home exploded as utility workers were investigating the smell of natural gas, according to the State Fire Marshal and a spokesman for National Grid.

No one was hurt in the blast at about 1:30 p.m. that was so powerful a staircase was the only section of the house left standing. Windows were broken in nearby homes and at least one other house was damaged by fire.

Utility crews had been working in the area before the blast, said David Graves, a spokesman for National Grid, which recently acquired KeySpan. "We do know that one of our employees was checking for the smell of gas near the structure on Willowdale Street when there was an ignition," Graves said.

It was not immediately clear whether gas caused the explosion, which devastated the home.

"It's totally destroyed,” said Massachusetts state Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan, who was at the scene this afternoon helping Groton firefighters investigate the blast. "We're just now initiating the investigation.''

Timothy J. Shevlin, executive director of the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, which regulates gas utilities, said two DPU pipeline safety engineers were en route to Groton to begin an investigation. Shevlin said one key question investigators will need to resolve is whether the source of any leak and explosion was inside the house or on "the other side of the meter" on the KeySpan gas utility network. The destruction caused by the explosion normally makes it difficult or impossible to determine the answer in such a case.

By Globe Staff

The 60-foot blue spruce won't be the only green feature at the Christmas tree lighting ceremony this evening on the State House lawn.

When Governor Deval Patrick throws the ceremonial switch, the tree will be illuminated by 5,000 super-efficient light-emitting diodes instead of traditional incandescent bulbs. The LEDs will save the state hundreds of dollars over the next 30 days, slashing the energy needed to light the tree to 85 kilowatts from 5,140 kilowatts, according to the Patrick administration.

The low-energy Christmas tree is part of the governor’s effort to implement higher efficiency standards in state government. The Bureau of State Office Buildings estimated that the LEDs will keep 4,700 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere -- equal to the amount absorbed by 440 trees. The LEDs are also much more durable than the old lights, and unlike many incandsescent bulbs, do not have to be replaced each year, according to the administration.

Hingham firefighters are battling a four-alarm fire in a large, two-and-a-half story building on Crooked Meadow Lane.

The blaze broke out shortly before 11 a.m. and shot flames into the air that could be seen for miles. Firefighters from surrounding towns have been called to help.

Firefighters were ordered out of the building when the heat became too intense. No injuries have been reported.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

By Emily A. Canal, Globe Correspondent

A student at Everett High School was arrested this morning after school officials said that police found a BB gun.

The school was locked down after the principal received a report at 8:45 a.m. that a student had a weapon on campus, a school official said. The principal called police, who searched the school and found the BB gun.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Commuters will probably dodge winter weather this afternoon, with temperatures in the upper 30s expected to ensure that any precipitation will be rain. Spotty, light showers now are not predicted to reach the Boston area until 6 or 7 p.m.

"The evening commute might be OK," said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton. "When [precipitation] does arrive, later than we thought, it should be rain."

Meteorologists had originally predicted a quarter-inch of sleet and freezing rain would begin falling during the evening rush. However, the most current forecast indicates that there will be much less precipitation, and it won't reach the Boston area until later in the evening.

The rain will return Wednesday morning, with temperatures in the upper 40s. Clouds should dissipate by the afternoon and skies remain clear until Thursday, when winter is expected dump the first significant snowfall of the season in Boston.

By David Abel
GLOBE STAFF

CAMBRIDGE – A Middlesex jury told a judge this afternoon that they are deadlocked in the manslaughter case against a former Harvard graduate student.

Jurors started deliberating last Monday in the trial of 29-year-old Alexander Pring-Wilson, who is facing his second trial in the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Michael Colono during a Cambridge street fight in April 2003.

Pring-Wilson, of Colorado, said Colono and his cousin Samuel Rodriguez attacked him after Colono badgered him as he was walking home from a night of drinking. He said he acted in self-defense. Prosecutors have argued Pring-Wilson stabbed Colono in the chest and abdomen, after Colono made fun of him for stumbling down the road.

In 2004, the first jury convicted him of manslaughter, but a judge ordered a new trial after the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in another case that jurors should be allowed to consider a victim's violent history, if it sheds light on a self-defense claim.

Today, Judge Christopher Muse said he would issue new instructions to the jury tomorrow morning, in an effort to prod jurors to come to a verdict.

"I ask you to leave here with an open mind, and to listen to my instructions and follow it as well as you can," Muse told the jurors.

Corey Welford, a spokesman for the Middlesex district attorney's office, declined to comment.

Attorneys representing Pring-Wilson also declined to comment.

If the jurors remain deadlocked in the coming days, the judge will be forced to declare a mistrial, likely sparking a third trial.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The company that runs Boston’s commuter rail service will get another three years to transport 72,000 suburbanites to their jobs every day, despite a recent spate of delays that has caused uproar among passengers.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority board voted this afternoon to extend the contract of the private consortium known as Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Co. The five-year, $1.07 billion contract was set to expire in July 2008.

The commuter company had its worst service to date in October and November; 3 in 10 trains were at least five minutes late. The company faced another crisis in summer 2006, when canceled trains and non-airconditioned coaches left passengers steamed.

The rail company has vowed to improve service and officials have said that many problems were beyond its control -- including delays on a set of tracks dispatched by another railroad company.

By Linda K. Wertheimer, Globe staff

Middle- and higher-income families, including those making $180,000, will get significantly more financial aid from Harvard University next school year under a new initiative unveiled today.

Harvard President Drew Faust’s announcement puts more focus on financial aid for wealthier families after several years of efforts aimed at the students from the lowest family income levels. Faust’s predecessor, Lawrence Summers, sparked many other schools to follow suit when he announced in 2004 that the university would foot the entire cost for families making under $40,000. In 2006, the university extended the same benefit to families making under $60,000.

By Globe Staff

A 60-year-old Newton man accused of groping high school girls on the MBTA’s Green Line pleaded not guilty today to indecent assault and battery and gross lewdness.

Jeffrey N. Berman was arrested Friday. He surrendered after police publicized a cellphone photograph taken by a Boston Latin School junior who said that she was molested by a man on the subway.

By Globe Staff

A 21-year-old man was struck and killed by an inbound commuter train this morning in Hanson, according to a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo described the man who was killed as a railroad trespasser who broke the law by walking on the tracks. "Unauthorized personnel are prohibited from being on railroad rights of way," Pesaturo said in an e-mail.

The man was on the tracks at 7:45 a.m. in a wooded area among cranberry bogs, a good distance from a private grade crossing, Pesaturo said. He was struck by a train on the Kingston commuter rail line.

Hanson police said the person was hit near Monponsett Street. The man's name was not released.

None of the more than 200 passengers on the train was hurt, Pesaturo said. They were transferred to another train. Hanson is about 30 miles south of Boston.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Traffic moved with relative ease this morning despite a coating of ice on roads that caused pockets of minor accidents. For most commuters, slick sidewalks and icy windshields were more of a problem than slippery highways.

"I think walking to your car was the hardest thing today," said Jeff Larson, general manager of the Smart Route Systems, which monitors local traffic.

No major crashes were reported despite the slick conditions, according to State Police.

"Once you are out of your driveway and spend 15 minutes scraping your windshield, you are in good shape," said Sergeant Michael Rafferty.

By Globe Staff

Boston police are searching for two men who used a gun and a knife to carjack a gray Toyota Camry this morning in Dorchester and briefly kidnap a woman and her teenage son. The two men were last seen in the gray car, which has a license plate of 483 9ST.

Witnesses told police that the men approached the Toyota on Lyndhurst Street at 6:52 a.m. One suspect pulled a gun from his coat pocket, pointed it at the driver, and forced her from behind the wheel onto the passenger seat. Holding a knife, the other suspect forced the woman’s 14-year-old son into the back seat, police said.

By Globe Staff

A man has been charged with the July slaying of a North Carolina teenager in Hyannis who had come to Cape Cod to work for the summer.

Anthony A. Russ, 19, will be arraigned today in Barnstable District Court on a murder charge for the shooting death of Jacques Sellers, 18. Police and prosecutors did not release any details about Russ's arrest, but they have scheduled a press conference.

On July 18, Sellers was sitting in the living room on General Patton Drive when bullets ripped through the shingles of the classic Cape Cod house where he had been living. Sellers was sitting with his back to the street and was shot several times. He was rushed to Cape Cod Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

At the time, Seller’s uncle, Phillip L. Spencer, said that his nephew was not the intended victim.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

SOMERVILLE -- A mother and her adult son were hospitalized after they were rescued overnight from a four-alarm fire at a five-unit apartment house, according to a fire official and a family member.

“We haven’t seen such a fully involved fire like this in Somerville in years,” Somerville Fire Chief Kevin Kelleher said.

Police officers and firefighters rushed into the home on Harvard Place at about 11 p.m. and pulled the mother and son from the flames. They were rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital.

Tracy Hughes said her mother and brother are recovering and lucky to be alive.

“Everyone’s doing much better,” she said in front of the charred remains of their five-unit, 19th-century Greek revival home, which her family has owned for generations.

By Gary Witherspoon, Globe Staff

Cornered by rising smoke and heat, at least three people jumped from a burning apartment building near downtown Haverhill overnight, residents said.

Fire officials at the scene did not know how many people were injured, but residents said two of the jumpers were taken to the hospital, and one of them had been cut in a leap from the fourth and top floor.

"He was bleeding pretty bad," said Masum Bhatti, 27, of San Jose, Calif., who also was slightly injured when he broke a window and jumped from the third floor to a landing above the front door. He said felt he had no choice. "I couldn't breath."

(Photo courtesy The Trust for Public Land)

Land in Rutland that will be protected by the grant program.

By Globe Staff

More than 390 acres of land near public drinking water supplies will be protected from development as a result of $2.76 million in grants, state environmental officials said today.

The nine state grants will help municipalities shield the land, covering up to half of the total project costs.

"Conserving key parcels of land is vital to ensuring that we will always have an abundant suply of clean water -- our most precious resource," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said in a statement.

By Globe Staff

A 62-year-old Brockton man was convicted today of murder for ramming another man's car two times after a traffic dispute, then shooting him in the head as he removed his 9-month-old daughter from her car seat.

Walter Bishop was sentenced to life in prison without parole for killing Sandro Andrade, 27, the Plymouth district attorney's office said in a statement.

By Globe Staff

Two more men have been arrested in the slaying of a young man who was found dead in the street in Foxborough in October.

Ariel Morales, 32, of Central Falls, R.I., and Jose Perez, 29, of Pawtucket, R.I., were arrested at their homes early today for their alleged involvement in the slaying of Carlos Gomez, 29, of Central Falls.

Luis Lopez, 24, of Central Falls is already facing a murder charge in the case.

Morales and Perez are to be arraigned tomorrow on murder charges in Wrentham District Court, the Norfolk district attorney's office said in a statement.

By Globe Staff

The state’s highest court has ruled that a woman convicted of animal cruelty can keep a dead dog and cat, as long as she complies with health codes.

Heidi Erickson, 47, was sentenced in May 2005 to 30 days in jail for cruelty to five cats and 90 days for cruelty to a dog. Both sentences were suspended for three years.

While her case was pending, a judge ordered that the six animals should be returned to her. At the time of the order, four cats were living, while one cat and the dog were dead. The city of Boston challenged the ruling. After Erickson was convicted, the city dropped its challenge to the return of the living animals and continued to challenge the return of the dead animals.

A single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court ruled in June 2005 that she could keep the dead animals if she demonstrated to a judge that she had arranged for the “prompt and proper disposal” of them "in compliance with health codes."

Erickson appealed that ruling, arguing that she should not be required to discard or destroy the animals.

The SJC ruling today said the single justice's ruling meant “not that she must discard or destroy the animals, but that whatever she does with them, including keeping them, she must comply with all applicable health codes.”

By Globe Staff

People who need food stamps to help with their grocery bills can now apply for them online, the state announced today.

No longer will people need to apply in person at a state office, said Alison Goodwin, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

Now they can apply from their own homes, from a computer in a library, or even from a computer at their child’s school, Goodwin said. At the same time, they will also have the option of applying the old way.

"By utilizing technology to make food stamp applications available online, we are providing more individuals and families the opportunity to have access to essential nutritional benefits, while vastly improving our customer service," Department of Transitional Assistance Commissioner Julia Kehoe said in a statement.

By Globe Staff

Employers will spend an estimated $175 million more a year for health insurance under the state’s healthcare reform law, according to a report released today by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.

The increase in costs will include $150 million as more employees accept coverage and $24 million for new prescription drug benefits, according to the report, “An Analysis of the Essential Role of Employers in Massachusetts Health Care Reform.”

The report estimates that an additional 50,000 employees and their dependents will take advantage of their employer health plans because of the new law's requirement that everyone have health insurance.

(MBTA)

Transit police are searching for this man, who is accused of four sexual assaults on the Green Line between Brigham Circle and Government Center. This photograph is being distributed by police, who said it was taken in the last two weeks with a cellphone by a person who witnessed one of the alleged assaults.

By Globe Staff

Transit police are searching for a middle-aged man accused of groping high school students on the Green Line and exposing himself to teens on the trolleys.

There have been at least four sexual assaults reported over several months and the investigation is not over, according to police for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

The suspect is described as a white male in his 50s. He is about 5 feet 6 inches tall with a thin build and white hair. He has been seen wearing a long beige coat, beige dress shirt, beige pants or blue jeans, and sneakers. In each alleged assault, the man was also wearing sunglasses and carrying a newspaper or briefcase.

The alleged sexual assaults took place on the Green Line between Brigham Circle and Government Center. Anyone with information about the man is asked to call Detective Paul Petrucelli at 617-222-1064 or the Transit Police Criminal Investigations Unit at 617-222-1050.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

An excavator knocked down one of the two triple-decker apartment houses damaged in Wednesday's fire.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Traffic clogged Sweetser Circle in Everett during the morning rush, a welcome sign in a city paralyzed a day earlier by a gasoline tanker truck that crashed and sparked a massive fire that forced some 145 people to evacuate and destroyed two apartment houses.

Crews from the Department of Conservation and Recreation worked into the early morning repaving 200 feet of the traffic circle which had been charred and melted. The road reopened at about 1:30 a.m., almost exactly 24 hours after the fiery crash.

"They're done. It's amazing,” Everett Mayor John F. Hanlon said after visiting Sweetser Circle. "There was traffic running on it this morning. It was tied up, but it was tied up like a regular morning."

No major traffic issues or delays were reported after the traffic circle reopened, according to Jeff Larson, general manager of the Smart Route Systems, which monitors local traffic.

A tanker truck was speeding through the traffic circle Wednesday morning and rolled over, spilling 9,400 gallons of gasoline that ignited like a river of fire. The flames torched 21 cars and set ablaze a pair of three-deckers that were home to 49 people in 13 families.

By Globe Staff

The American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay has been helping victims of the Everett fire today by serving meals and handing out blankets. For the children who were forced to leave their homes in the middle of the freezing night, there were also comforting teddy bears, said Amelia Aubourg, a Red Cross spokeswoman.

The city's mayor and Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray have also pledged to work with the Red Cross to help the dozen families displaced from their homes.

Aubourg said this evening that the organization would help nine families with temporary lodging for the next couple of nights.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

An aerial view of the fire's aftermath.

By Megan Woolhouse and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

EVERETT -- It was an amazing fire: 9,400 gallons of gasoline turning into a wall of flame as it flowed from an overturned truck down a densely populated street. Dozens of people fleeing from their homes.

Even more amazing was the number of injuries: zero.

"The most miraculous thing is that none of those people were hurt," said Everett Mayor John F. Hanlon. "No one got hurt, not a scratch. The truck driver hurt his thumb, I understand."

State Police Major Kevin Kelly said a witness saw the truck driving at an excessive rate of speed through Sweetser traffic circle at 1 a.m. The operator lost control and the tanker slid on its side, puncturing its hull.

Chad LaFrance, 30, of Dover, N.H., who drives for P.S. Marston Associates LLC of North Hampton, N.H., was cited for speeding and for not having a federal medical certificate with him, which would certify him as fit to drive, said Trooper Eric Benson, a State Police spokesman.

LaFrance left the scene with a company safety officer. He was to receive a mandatory urine test as required under federal law.

Officials at P.S. Marston, which bills itself as a leader in "service and safety," didn't immediately return messages seeking comment.

The flames demolished two buildings, destroyed or damaged 21 vehicles, and sent people running for their lives.

“It looked like a war zone,” Everett Fire Chief David Butler said. “They had heavy fire conditions. Two buildings fully involved in fire. ... They had a pretty serious situation.”

About 130 people had to be evacuated from their homes, including residents of an elderly housing complex, as firefighters battled to prevent the flames from spreading there.

"They did a tremendous job keeping the fire out of that apartment building," Butler said. "It could have been much worse."

In all, firefighters from 15 communities, including Boston, responded. All that remained of the tanker truck was a debris field of charred metal.

Groups of displaced residents huddled along the sidewalks early this morning, many in sleepwear.

"We were lucky we got out," Sandra Howley, 28, said as tears rolled down her cheek. "I saw the flames hit the cars, and they exploded one after the other."

By Globe Staff

Three people were in serious condition after being pulled out of a burning building in Brockton by several police officers, fire officials said.

A state trooper and three Brockton police officers went into a two-story building on Moraine Street about 1:30 p.m. and brought out two men and a woman as smoke and flames consumed a bedroom on the first floor, said Brockton Fire Captain Robert McGrann.

When firefighters arrived, the victims were outside the home and rushed to Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton. The officers were taken to Brockton Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation and are expected to be released.

McGrann described the injuries to the three residents as life-threatening. He said fire investigators are looking into the cause of the one-alarm blaze, which was confined to a bedroom and was extinguished within a half-hour.

(Josh Reynolds for The Boston Globe)

Stephen was led into the courtroom in handcuffs today.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

A foster mother was sentenced today in Suffolk Superior Court to eight years in prison for causing the death of a 4-year-old child in her care.

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of 18 to 20 years for Corinne Stephen, 26, of Boston, who was convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter in the death of Dontel Jeffers. Defense attorney John Palmer had asked for house arrest "for a lengthy period of time."

In handing down the sentence, Judge Margaret Hinkle noted that the recommendations were "as disparate as any in the 15 years I have been a judge." She said she believed that eight years was a "fair and good sentence."

Stephen, who prosecutors said failed to immediately seek attention for Jeffers after he was severely beaten, will get credit for the 26 months she has already spent in prison.

By Globe Staff

State officials today announced a pilot energy efficiency program for water and sewage treatment plants, saying that if communities cut energy use at their plants, they could save big money on their electric bills and help the environment at the same time.

Cities and towns statewide spend about $150 million per year for electricity in treating 662 billion gallons of wastewater and drinking water. Running the plants accounts for about 30 percent of municipal energy use, state officials said.

"This pilot project will help a first round of municipalities reduce their energy use and save money for their customers -- and lead the way for others to do the same," Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles said in a statement.

The goal is to cut 20 percent off that $150 million bill, said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles, saving $30 million.

He said energy saving techniques could include installing new variable-speed pumps. The conservation measures could also include steps like those people might take in their own homes, such as installing new compact flourescent light bulbs.

The energy audits will also look into whether the plants could take advantage of renewable energy, such as wind, solar, or geothermal power, he said..

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Christopher Baro's car, which he tried to save from the flames. He says he'll save the $20 bill from the wallet that survived the flames

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Christopher Baro and his girlfriend ran out of his house to try to save his car from the flames. They were lucky, he said, to save themselves.

"If we stayed in the car maybe 10 seconds more, me and my girlfriend would be dead," he said.

Baro, his girlfriend, his parents, and his younger brother were awakened by the sound of an explosion early this morning. He said he looked out and saw a fire in the rotary. He ran out to try to move 1997 Chevy Lumina, which was parked in front of one of the buildings that would eventually be destroyed in the blaze.

He said he saw a wall of flames 10 feet high coming toward them when they hopped in the car.

"It looked like lava coming down Main Street," he said. "I had to drive right through the flames. ... The fire wrapped around us."

Baro and his girlfriend, Laura Houlihan, both 23, had to abandon the car when it caught fire. But neither of them was injured.

By Globe Staff

State Police are urging people to take alternate routes into Boston this morning because streets remain closed in Everett, where a massive fire was caused by a gasoline tanker truck overturning at a traffic circle.

Jeff Larson of SmartRoute Systems, which keeps an eye on local traffic, said that Broadway and Main Street in Everett are closed and, for a time, so was Revere Beach Parkway.

Larson said people are primarily using Route 1, which is running slow through Saugus and is jammed through Revere and to the Tobin Bridge.

He said some people are trying to swing over to Route 1A as an alternative. He also said Interstate 93 southbound is very heavy heading from the north into the city, because people are using it as an alternative.

By Globe Staff

The tanker truck explosion early this morning in Everett forced the closure of two nearby schools.

The Whittier School, which has students in kindergarten through eighth grade, is one block from Sweetser Circle, where the truck exploded. Officials decided to keep Whitter closed after it was used as a temporary shelter for residents who were evacuated.

Officials also closed Pope John XXIII High School, which is on Broadway about 2 miles from the scene of the explosion. The principal, William Fitzgerald, said students come to the school from a distance and that traffic would have been too much because of the explosion.

The Romney campaign released the following letter, which was sent to the owner of the landscaping company that used illegal immigrants to work at Romney's home.

Mr. Ricardo Saenz
Community Lawn Service
174 Shurtleff St.
Chelsea, MA 02150

Dear Mr. Saenz:

Today I learned that employees of your company, who were assigned to work
on my property, are not permitted to work in the United States. Given your
company's disregard for the clear instructions provided on this issue last
year, I am forced to terminate my contract with your company, effective
immediately. My family will no longer utilize your services and all
scheduled visits are cancelled as of today.

I am disappointed that our relationship must end on this note, but we
simply cannot tolerate your inability to ensure that your employees are
legally permitted to work in the United States. Thank you for your
assistance.

Sincerely,

Mitt Romney

(Globe Photo)

Ricardo Saenz, owner of the company that employed illegal immigrants, worked on Romney's lawn recently.

By Maria Cramer and Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff; and Connie Paige, Globe Correspondent

Standing on stage at a Republican debate on the Gulf Coast of Florida last week, Mitt Romney repeatedly lashed out at rival Rudy Giuliani for providing sanctuary to illegal immigrants in New York City.

Yet, the very next morning, on Thursday, at least two illegal immigrants stepped out of a hulking maroon pickup truck in the driveway of Romney's Belmont house, then proceeded to spend several hours raking leaves, clearing debris from Romney's tennis court, and loading the refuse back on to the truck.

In fact, their work was part of a regular pattern. Despite a Globe story in Dec. 2006 that highlighted Romney's use of illegal immigrants to tend to his lawn, Romney continued to employ the same landscaping company -- until today. The landscaping company, in turn, continued to employ illegal immigrants.

Two of the workers confirmed in separate interviews with Globe reporters last week that they were in the country without documents. One said he had paid $7,000 to a smuggler to escort him across the desert into Arizona; the other said he had come to the country with a student visa that was now expired. Both were seen on the lawn by either Globe reporters or photographers over the last two months.

Questioned this afternoon during two campaign stops in New Hampshire about the use of illegal immigrants on his property, Romney declined to answer. An aide said he would issue a statement, and Romney, emerging from a Concord restaurant, said, "Did you hear him? We'll give you a statement."

Later, the campaign issued a statement saying Romney had just learned -- apparently from Globe reporters -- of the company's continued practice of employing illegal immigrants, and immediately fired it.

(Essdras M Suarez/ Globe staff)

Andy Jimenez (left), father of a missing soldier, and activist Jim Wareing removed a tribute earlier today from a bridge over Route 213 in Methuen. The Highway Department says it will suspend removal of such displays, while a task force looks to develop "appropriate and safe" ones.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

METHUEN -- A plan by the state highway department to remove dozens of flags, banners and other signs hanging over highways statewide in honor of veterans was halted today by Governor Deval Patrick, just hours after the father of a missing soldier tearfully watched two flags being removed from a bridge in Methuen.

The Massachusetts Highway Department said this afternooon it will not complete the removal of the displays until a task force identifies an "appropriate and safe" way to honor the veterans on state property.

It was the second time the state had backed down from removing the displays. A year ago, under pressure from military families and their advocates, highway officials agreed that the signs could be allowed if placed behind fences. But more recently, they said even those must go, citing concerns that the items could fall on cars.

Patrick, who is currently in China on a trade mission, directed Tom Kelley, Secretary of Veterans' Services, and Luisa Paiewonsky, the state highway commissioner, to convene a group of veterans' representatives and highway safety officials to develop the plan.

The announcement was viewed as a victory for some families of veterans. But James Wareing, a retired director at Malden Mills who said he has spent at least $10,000 in the last six years creating and hanging flags and banners throughout New England in tribute to troops and their families, said it was a stopgap measure "to prevent a public relations nightmare.''

By Globe Staff

Air traffic controllers had to switch to backup radio frequencies to contact planes approaching Logan International Airport for two hours today, after a technician cut the wrong communication cable, a Federal Aviation spokesman said.

The FAA delayed some planes as a precaution, but no one was in danger at any point, said Jim Peters, a spokesman for FAA in New England.

Air traffic controllers in the Merrimack, N.H. control center, where planes are guided on their final approach to Boston, had to switch to the backup frequencies from about 11 a.m. to about 1 p.m., until the cable was fixed, he said.

Technicians were working on the 19th floor of the air traffic control tower at Logan when someone inadvertently cut the cable, Peters said. He said the Merrimack center was affected by the mishap in Boston because "everything is on a network."

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

An amateur historian from Ayer has discovered the identity of the namesake of Lyndell's Bakery, a Somerville landmark that celebrated 120 years in business this week.

Birger C. Lyndell, born in Sweden in 1866, moved to the United States in 1880, seven years before the founding of Lyndell's Bakery, according to local census records and phone directories. He lived in Newton until 1901, when he moved to Somerville, and had an address a block away from the original location of Lyndell's Bakery. His occupation is listed as baker, according to the documents unearthed by Bob Hallett, a genealogy buff who learn about the bakery in today's Globe.

"When I read the article, it had research written all over it," Hallett said in an e-mail.

(MBTA)

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The CharlieCard -- that spry plastic pass that whisks subway riders from Wonderland to Riverside and all stops between -- celebrated its first birthday today with a green and white frosted cake topped by a single candle.

Since CharlieCards were introduced by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority on Dec. 4, 2006, the little subway pass has grown and matured. More than 2.5 million CharlieCards have been distributed in the last 12 months, and usage has surged from 9.8 million rides in January to 13.2 million rides in October, the most recent statistics available.

Some 241,000 riders used CharlieCards as monthly passes in September, and the gizmos can now be bought in 286 locations. The public's embrace of the card has raised an additional $13.5 million in fare revenues in fiscal year 2007, according to the MBTA, a figure that has transit officials swelling with pride on the CharlieCard's first birthday.

"I guess you'd have to say that Charlie is a precocious child," said Daniel Grabauskas, the general manager of the MBTA.

By Globe Staff

The state's highest court has rejected an appeal from the leader of an Attleboro religious sect who was convicted of first-degree murder in the April 1999 starvation death of his son.

Jacques Robidoux, who said he deprived his 10-month-old son, Samuel, of solid food to follow a prophecy from God, was convicted in June 2002.

He asserted in his appeal, among other things, that his lawyer had been ineffective because he failed to pursue an insanity defense.

(Robert E. Klein for The Boston Globe)

The accident site in Taunton.

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

TAUNTON -- Six people were injured this morning when the roof of a building partially collapsed at a construction site, according to the city's fire chief.

The collapse occurred at about 9:50 a.m. at the Liberty and Union Industrial Park on O'Connell Way, where a new building is under construction, Chief Leman Padelford said.

Padelford said all of the injured were "conscious and alert" when rescuers arrived. Four were taken to Morton Hospital in Taunton, one to Rhode Island Hospital, and one to Charlton Memorial Hospital in Fall River. He had no further information on their condition.

(Braintree Police Department)

By Globe Staff

Braintree police are searching for a man wearing a New England Patriots shirt who robbed the Eastern Bank branch in Weymouth Landing on Saturday afternoon.

The man told a teller that he had a gun and would shoot her if she did not give him $5,000, police said in a statement released today. The bank is on Commercial Street on the Braintree side of Weymouth Landing.

The suspect was described as a heavy-set white man in his 30s who is about 5 feet 6 inches tall and had a gap between his front teeth. He was carrying a bicycle-type helmet and was wearing a long-sleeve shirt underneath his Patriots shirt, grey sweatpants, and black sneakers. He had a beige bandanna on his head and wore black sunglasses.

The man fled with the money and got in a red or maroon Buick Century-type vehicle that was driven by another white man in his late 40s to early 50s with light-brown hair and a mustache. A witness told police that the car’s license plate was green and contained the number 3 in it and the letters “BPH.”

Anyone with any information about either man is asked to call police at 781-794-8762.

(AP Photo/Pool, Foster's Daily Democrat, Mike Ross)

By James Pindell and Andrew Ryan, Globe Correspondent and Globe Staff

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- The man accused of holding six people hostage at a Hillary Clinton campaign office was convicted of rape in Worcester in 1985, escaped from prison a year later, and raped again, a prosecutor said today at a bail hearing.

Leeland Eisenberg, 46, appeared in court via video wearing a tan prison gown and said nothing as Strafford County Attorney Janice Rundles outlined his criminal history, which began in Massachusetts in 1978 when he was fined for possession of a knife. Eisenberg’s convictions include assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, burglary, larceny, stalking, and failing to register as a sex offender, Rundles said as she argued for high bail in Rochester District Court.

"What we have here in the state’s view is a man who has left a trail of victims" who was now trying to hide behind a "phantom mental health issue," Rundles said.

Judge Daniel Cappiello granted the prosecutor's request and ordered Eisenberg held on $500,000 bail. He is scheduled to undergo a mental health evaluation Tuesday.

Eisenberg's attorney, Randy Hawkes, did not argue against high bail. He said his client wanted to extend his "profound apologies" for trauma he caused when he taped road flares to his chest and bust into Clinton’s campaign office Friday afternoon. Hawkes described it as an "act of a desperate man who was seeking help not for his own situation but for the plight of people everywhere who seek and cannot find answers to their psychological problems."

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A mucky mix of snow, rain, and ice slowed the morning commute as more than 2 inches of snow fell in Boston and spinouts and black ice tripped up traffic across the state.

North of the city, Lawrence received more than 4 inches of snow and a 28-year-old Lawrence man who wasn’t wearing a seat belt was killed in a crash on Interstate 495 in Haverhill. In New Bedford and Dartmouth, minor crashes gummed up traffic. As a precaution, State Police dropped the speed limit on the Massachusetts Turnpike to 40 miles per hour.

But there is good news.

"The snow is over in Greater Boston within Route 128," said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

That brings even better news.

"I don’t foresee any big traffic problems this afternoon," said Jeff Larson, general manager of Smart Route Systems, which monitors local traffic.

By Courtney Brooks, Globe Correspondent

Two firefighters were injured and a cat was killed in a fire that significantly damaged a two-family home in Danvers on Sunday night, authorities said.

One firefighter went to North Shore Medical Center for smoke inhalation, and the second fell down a flight of stairs but did not require treatment, officials said. None of the eight residents were injured.

The two-alarm fire, which started in a second-floor bedroom about 5:50 p.m. destroyed the second floor at 11 Park St., firefighters said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

By Courtney Brooks, Globe Correspondent

Police are investigating the stabbing of an off-duty firefighter in East Boston early Sunday.

At 2:43 a.m., officers responded to a call about a stabbing at a fire station on Saratoga Street. The victim, already in an ambulance, told them he had gone to Chivas Restaurant, at Prescott and Bennington streets, where a group of what he thought were Hispanic men told him to leave, police said.

The victim, whose name was not released, said he drove to the fire station, and the group followed. The victim exited his car and was assaulted and stabbed in the chest, police said. The victim was treated by firefighters at the station and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

No suspects were found. Police asked anyone with information on the incident to call the Crime Stoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS (8477) or text ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

By Courtney Brooks, Globe Correspondent

A Quincy woman is scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday in Boston Municipal Court on charges of operating a vehicle under the influence and a marked lane violation, after she allegedly drove into a state police cruiser early Sunday, seriously injuring a trooper.

The trooper, whose name was not released, was clearing a crash on northbound Interstate 93 in Boston near exit 23 when Candace Player, 27, allegedly rear-ended his car with her 2005 Mazda Tribute, shortly after 3 a.m., police said.

The trooper, whose name was not released, was taken to New England Medical Center with various injuries that were not considered life-threatening, police said.

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

Bostonians will see a nasty Monday morning commute, with cold rain following on the heels of snow and sleet the night before, according to the National Weather Service.

A storm system is crossing the Great Plains and will swoop across the Great Lakes and hit New England late Sunday and early Monday morning. Another storm will also develop off Cape Cod and hit around the same time, forecasters said.

"That's going to mean for Boston, a chance of light snow by this time tomorrow," said Bill Simpson, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service office in Taunton. "We will see a changeover overnight as the ocean is still relatively warm. It will change from snow to sleet and gradually to rain Monday."

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

An Andover lawyer was acquitted yesterday of a charge of motor vehicle homicide in the death of a Methuen man who was changing a flat tire on Interstate 93 in Tewksbury in July 2006.

Ki Yong O, 35, was under the influence of the prescription sleeping pill Ambien when he struck 43-year-old Anthony Raucci.

"Anthony Raucci tragically lost his life when the car driven by the defendant crashed into him while he was changing his tire on the side of the road," Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said in a statement.

(Rochester, N.H. Police photo)

Leeland Eisenberg's mug shot.

By James Pindell, Globe Correspondent

ROCHESTER, N.H. -- The man who claimed to have a bomb and took hostages inside one of Hillary Clinton's small presidential campaign field offices yesterday will be formally charged on six criminal counts carrying with them a maximum penalty of 42 years in jail, the Rochester police said today.

Leeland Eisenberg, 46, of Somersworth, N.H., will be arraigned Monday afternoon at Rochester District Court, said Captain Paul Callaghan, a police spokesman. Eisenberg is currently being held without bail at Strafford County Jail in nearby Dover.

Sometime around noon Friday Eisenberg claimed to have a bomb strapped around his torso with duct tape. For 5 1/2 hours he held off police and demanded to speak to Clinton because he wanted her to help him get access to mental healthcare. When he surrendered, authorities discovered the devices that looked like explosives were actually road flares.

The standoff created a media firestorm. The cable news networks and the local New Hampshire ABC affiliate, WMUR-TV, devoted live wall-to-wall coverage all afternoon. Clinton, who was in the Washington area at the time, canceled all other campaign events for the day.

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

A Cape Cod man with Alzheimer's disease who went missing Friday afternoon was found dead today in his submerged car in the water off Dennis.

Edward Donovan, 78, was found in Sesuit Harbor, a statement from the Dennis Police Department said.

Authorities had been looking for Donovan, who, despite being in the early stages of Alzheimer's, was still an active certified public accountant. He was on his way from his home in Dennis to meet a client in nearby Brewster but never arrived for the appointment.

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

Eight people were hospitalized this morning after a three-car accident on the Massachusetts Turnpike eastbound in Framingham.

Witnesses described a black BMW sedan speeding and quickly changing lanes shortly before 8:30, said State Police Lieutenant Barry O'Brien.

When a frightened driver swerved to avoid the BMW, she set off a collision that included her car and two others.