By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

Boston Police arrested a Randolph man today and charged him with murder, alleging that he fatally shot 25-year-old Anthony Lewis early Thanksgiving morning.

Officers from the department’s fugitive apprehension and homicide units arrested 31-year-old Damien Smith at about 9 a.m. in Randolph, said Officer James Kenneally, a spokesman for the Boston Police Department.

Smith will be arraigned Monday morning at Dorchester District Court, said Jake Wark, a spokesman for Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. Police said Smith shot Lewis inside a Talbot Avenue apartment at 1:44 a.m. on Thursday. Lewis was taken to Boston Medical Center, where he died of his injuries.

Neither Wark nor Kenneally would speak about Smith’s motive in the alleged murder.

Today, a shrine of candles, flowers, and empty liquor bottles had been erected in Lewis’ memory outside the apartment where he was shot. Speaking through the front door intercom this afternoon, a woman said that no one inside wanted to speak to a reporter.

Campus insider

Harvard passed her over. Now six months later, Christina Romer is headed to the White House.
President Obama tapped the University of California Berkeley economist to head his Council of Economic Advisers last week. Some observers saw the appointment as a victory for Romer over those at Harvard – specifically President Drew Faust – who apparently had deemed her unworthy.

In a rare move, Faust denied Romer’s bid for a tenured position last May despite approval from the economics department. Faust has declined to comment on the move, but the blogosphere is still buzzing about the mysterious, inexplicable rejection.

“Harvard’s first female president rejects female economist for department which has reputation for being anti-female,'' Richard Bradley, cq adjunct professor of journalism at Columbia, writes on his blog, “Shots in the Dark.” "Economist is then chosen for important White House job, making Harvard look silly at best.”

Faust’s decision also cost the university another hotshot economist: Romer’s husband, David Romer, who was offered a tenured position at the Kennedy School but declined the offer after his wife's bid was rejected.

Road closings for the week of Nov. 30

Two-to-three lanes of Interstate 93 south will be closed at night approaching and through downtown Monday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Storrow Drive on-ramp to I-93 south will be closed at night Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning and early morning (Thursday and Friday nights) Friday and Saturday from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The exit ramp from I-93 south to Government Center and the Callahan Tunnel (Exit 24 A and Exit 24 B) will be closed at night Tuesday and Wednesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning and early morning (Thursday and Friday nights) Friday and Saturday from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The Essex Street on-ramp to I-93 south will be closed at night Monday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. the following morning.

(Globe photo/Zara Tzanev)
The remains of a four-story willow tree in Somerville.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff, and Danielle Dreilinger, Globe Correspondent

SOMERVILLE – They serenaded the big willow with a harp and a high school choir. They offered to pay $1,500 for its upkeep. They held handmade signs that read “Tree Butcher” and “Save Our Tree." They even went to court today, seeking a last-minute restraining order to prevent it from being chopped down.

But their efforts came crashing down today in a blast of sawdust and woodchips.

A work crew, guarded by three police officers and a police cruiser with flashings lights, converged upon the four-story willow with a crane and chainsaw, bringing it down piece by piece to its raw, pale stump. Neighbors, who had mounted an aggressive campaign to save the tree, stood morosely in a driving rain, watching as the crew lowered segments of the trunk onto the sidewalk like surgeons severing the leg of a grey colossus.

“There’s an enormous sense of sadness and loss,” said Kerri Lorigan, who, with her husband, Greg Nadeau, was instrumental in organizing the campaign to save the tree on the corner of Thorndike and Howard streets. "We live in the city, and we just want a little bit of balance and want to preserve, wherever it is, such a particular beauty.”

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

Several local towns will officially kick off the holiday season with parades this weekend.

Brockton will hold its 24th annual Holiday Parade on Saturday. The parade begins at 1 p.m. on Main Street and White Avenue. It runs downtown, where there will be a Christmas tree lighting. In addition to a marching band, the parade will include floats made by volunteers.

John Merian, president of the Downtown Brockton Association, which sponsors the parade., sid the parade will feature a “Christmas in Space” theme, designed around the parade’s grand marshal, actor Mark Goddard. Goddard appeared on the 1960s television hit “Lost in Space” as Major Don West and taught in the Brockton school system in the 1980s.

Merian said the day will also honor James Edgar, who the city believes is the world's first department store Santa. Edgar fist appeared as Santa in the late 1800s in his Brockton store, Edgar’s Department Store.

“The community’s into it, that’s the main thing,” Merian said.

Meanwhile, Gloucester, Quincy, and Andover are among the local cities to hold parades Sunday. Each parade has its own special touch.

At the end of the Gloucester Christmas Parade, the town will light up a tree that came from Nova Scotia, according to the city’s website. The parade starts at the State Fish Pier on Parker Street at 3:00 p.m., goes to Stacy Boulevard, and then to Kent Circle.

The Quincy Christmas Parade features a “The Wonder of Christmas Memories” theme, according to the city website. It starts at 12:30 p.m. at the intersection of Elm, School and Hancock streets, goes down Hancock, and ends at North Quincy High School.

In Andover, the parade starts at 1 p.m. at Doherty Middle School on Bartlett Street, goes over to Elm Street, to Main Street, then ends back at the Doherty Middle School.

(Globe photo/Mark Wilson)
Their daughters greet Willy and Gerrie Stadelmann today at Logan Airport after they returned from India.

By Keith O'Brien, Globe Staff

Two days after gunmen stormed their hotel in Mumbai, killing dozens of people, including one member of their tour group, a Brockton couple arrived back home in Massachusetts today and fell into the arms of their children awaiting them at the airport.

“You’re so brave,” daughter Kristin Stadelmann kept telling her parents Willy, 66, and Gerrie, 65, as she kissed and hugged them in the American Airlines terminal at Logan this morning.

“It was horrific,” Gerrie confided a few moments later.

“You did it, though,” Kristin replied. “You did it.”

The reunion ended a scary chapter in the Stadelmanns’ lives. Back home, they began to recount the harrowing details of the past few days: how terrorists stormed the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower in Mumbai; how they waited out the siege in the dark and the smoke, holed up in their third-floor hotel room; and how they ultimately escaped almost 14 hours later.

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

A 29-year-old man was rescued this morning after he fell out of his kayak in choppy waters in Falmouth's Waquoit Bay.

The man, who was visiting family for Thanksgiving, was rescued about 10 a.m. after treading in the chilly water for 30 minutes, said Lieutenant Bruce Girouard of the Falmouth Fire Department. The department received a phone call from the man’s friend, who was rowing in a separate kayak.

The man, whose name was not released, was treated for hypothermia at Falmouth Hospital, Girouard said.

After falling out of the kayak, the man was unable to get back in because of weather and wind conditions, he said. There was about 1.5 to 2 feet of chop on the water, and the water temperature was 48 degrees, he said.

“[These] conditions were not ideal for a kayak,” Girouard said.

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

A Swansea woman and her son who were reported missing after they left a Thanksgiving celebration and never made it home have been found, authorities said today.

Joana Gracia, 78, and her son, Stephen Gracia, 51, left East Providence, R.I., at 4:45 p.m. Thursday and were headed back to their home in Swansea. Police put out a missing-person report and asked for the public's help in locating them.

They were found this morning in Westerly, R.I., according to police. A motorist who spotted their brown 2003 Toyota Camry reported the sighting to Westerly Police.

Both are fine, and police are investigating why they didn’t make it home.

(Globe photo/George Rizer)

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

An early morning fire caused $350,000 in damage to Cafe Belo in Allston, officials said.

The two-alarm fire at 181 Brighton Ave. started around 4 a.m. in the kitchen ceiling, Boston Fire Department spokesperson Steve MacDonald said. It took firefighters about 4 hours to put out the blaze at the one-story building.

MacDonald said there were no injuries, and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

Firefighters responded to another incident later this morning that left City Hall temporarily without power. They cut power to an electrical vault at 28 State St. after smoldering cables set off an alarm around 5 a.m., MacDonald said.

The building is adjacent to City Hall, and they share a garage. The garage sustained smoke damage, MacDonald said, but the fire has been extinguished and power has been restored to City Hall.

(Globe photo/Mark Wilson)

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

An oceanfront cottage on Plum Island is in imminent danger of collapsing into the surf and will probably be taken down by public safety officials tonight, the Newbury police chief said.

“We’ve decided that it needs to come down and were just trying to figure out the best way to do and the most prudent,” said Michael Reilly, police chief and the emergency management director for the North Shore town.

A storm coming off the Atlantic earlier this week caused severe erosion, forcing Geraldine Buzzotta, a 79-year-old widow and grandmother of eight, to flee her cottage late Tuesday night.

Buzzotta was in the home with her 27-year-old grandson when they heard crackling sounds underfoot. She left with only her 2-year-old Chihuahua, leaving behind 43 years of accumulated memories, photographs, and personal effects, including her wedding ring.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD - A jury found Haleigh Poutre's stepfather guilty today of child abuse three years after the case drew national attention when the state almost took the comatose, then 11-year-old girl off life support.

Jason Strickland

Strickland, who testified last week that he did nothing to harm the girl, remained stoic and displayed no reaction when the jury announced its verdict after the three-week trial in Hampden County Superior Court.

Strickland was immediately taken into custody as Judge Judd Carhart revoked his bail. For a few months prior to the start of the trial, he was allowed to live and work in North Carolina, where his parents reside.

As Strickland was led away in handcuffs, he looked back at his parents in the audience. His father wept, while his mother showed little visible reaction. Later, when she left the courtroom, she sobbed uncontrollably in the arms of one of the defense counsel's aides. Strickland is expected to be held at the Hampden County Correctional Center in Ludlow until sentencing.

By convicting Strickland, the jury showed that it did not believe his four hours of testimony last Friday in which he depicted himself as a hard-working breadwinner with a detached, but kindly, role in domestic life. He had said that in the five years he lived in the Westfield home, he noticed bruises and burn marks on Haleigh, but accepted the explanation of Haleigh's adoptive mother, Holli Strickland, that the girl had a psychological disorder causing her to hurt herself. The stepfather's defense focused on showing that if anyone was harming Haleigh in the home it was his wife, and that she kept her cruel acts hidden from her husband.

By Casey Ramsdell. Globe Correspondent

Travelers with a sea of rolling suitcases and backpacks in tow jammed highways and train stations today, but Logan Airport was decidedly quieter than usual on the busiest travel day of the year

As the day wore on, local highways filled up.

At 2 p.m., state authorities reported heavy traffic on the Mass. Pike near the Sturbridge exit, delays on Route 128 at the Weston and Newton exits, and on Route 495 at Westborough. On I-93, heavy volume was reported in the O'Neill Tunnel around Southampton St. and on Storrow Drive across the Zakim Bridge.

But at Logan, there were no major problems and no delays today, said Phil Orlandella, director of media relations. He said because of the economy the number of people flying has gone down.

“The numbers are down quite a bit, eight to ten percent,” he said.

In addition to the usual hassles, the economic downturn also weighed heavily on minds at South Station.

Jane Marie Ingram, a 51-year-old Franklin resident, opted against driving to Maine because of gas prices. But her bus connections make the trip somewhat of an ordeal: She left at 8:30 this morning and will not reach her destination of Madawaska, Maine until 11:45 p.m.

Ingram, who was surrounded by suitcases and who used her computer as she waited, said her $95 round-trip ticket cost a lot less than she would have spent if she had driven and that the longer commute is worth it.

“I don’t have to drive. I can watch a movie, I can sleep,” she said. “There are a lot of positive things.”

By John R. Ellement and Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

WRENTHAM -- The elaborate disguise included sunglasses, a wig, fingernail polish, makeup, what a prosecutor described as "latex skin," and a full correction officer's uniform, complete with badges and the proper insignia.

The clothes and accessories were allegedly found in the locker of a nurse who works at the super-maximum unit of a prison in Walpole. It was supposed to be the final touch in what was described by Assistant Norfolk District Attorney Jennifer Rowe today as an intricate plan to break one of the state's most dangerous inmates out of prison this coming Friday.

The nurse, Deborah Girouard, 44, had developed a "relationship" with the inmate, Che Blake Sosa, the prosecutor said today during her arraignment in Wrentham District Court. Girouard had allegedly smuggled a cellphone into MCI Cedar-Junction so she and Sosa could chat, and she gave him a pair of her underwear, Rowe said.

Prosecutors allege that Girouard had agreed to get Sosa a knife and some dental floss that would help him cut the Plexiglas in his cell. She had allegedly smuggled to him three saw blades, a handcuff key, and a steel clip. Girouard drew the line and said no, however, when Sosa asked for a gun, Rowe said. That made Sosa angry, prosecutors said, and he allegedly threatened her in a cellphone call. That call prompted Girouard to go to the Department of Correction on Tuesday, Rowe said.

Girouard's attorney, Thomas Iovieno, questioned the credibility of anything involving Sosa, who is serving life in prison for a series of rapes and awaiting trial for allegedly stabbing his own lawyer.

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner said today that the federal bribery case against him had been undermined this week by statements from the federal government’s cooperating witness.

In his second public rally in three days following his Friday arrest, Turner seized on an interview Roxbury businessman Ron Wilburn gave to the Globe this week.

Wilburn said in the story yesterday that the FBI had come to him – not the other way around – and said that all of the federal government’s affidavit was true except for suggestions that Wilburn knew of previous offers of bribes to State Senator Dianne Wilkerson from businessmen.

Turner attacked the media for not probing the alleged inconsistencies further.

“Is it not hard news that Ron Wilburn who was wearing his wire is tearing his case apart?” Turner said to about 75 supporters gathered outside his Roxbury district office this morning.

(David L. Ryan/Globe file photo)

Five questions for Dawn Gates-Allen, a fourth-generation cranberry grower from Middleborough and communications manager for the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association. Interviewed by Roy Greene of the Globe staff.

Q. What is the short version of the history of cranberries in our region?

A. Cranberries grew wild on Cape Cod. The Native Americans incorporated cranberries into their diet, by making pemmican (concentrated, ready-to-eat food) out of the ground cranberries. They used this for preserving meats and for medicinal purposes. The native people had an ample supply, so they were able to feed off the wild vines.

In the early 1800s, Captain Henry Hall of Dennis noticed that sand blowing across cranberries actually helped rejuvenate new growth of the cranberry vines. Later, Hall was the first American to commercially cultivate them. Cranberries were brought on ships for export to Europe and placed in wooden barrels with water, and the sailors drank the cranberry water to prevent scurvy. This indicated that cranberries had special health benefits.

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

A woman was stabbed in the back this morning off Blue Hill Avenue and rushed to the hospital with what police described as non-life-threatening injuries.

The woman was stabbed near the intersection of Quincy and Howard streets at about 8:30 a.m., according to a spokesman for the Boston Police Department.

A man has been arrested, but has not yet been booked. Police did not release his name or any other details about the attack.

The woman is being treated at Boston Medical Center.

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

The dean of Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences has called for an immediate freeze on staff hiring and strongly encouraged department heads to consider canceling faculty searches.

In an e-mail to department heads Monday, Michael Smith, dean of the largest Harvard faculty, outlined immediate steps in response to the worsening economic climate.

“Given our heavy reliance on endowment income, these losses will have a major and long-lasting impact – one that will require significant reductions in our annual expenses,” Smith wrote.

Smith's message comes two weeks after Harvard's president, Drew Faust, told the Harvard community that the university is looking for ways to reduce spending across the campus, raising the specter of cuts to programs and compensation, as Harvard's endowment plummets. It is also assessing all aspects of its sweeping plan to expand across the Charles River in Allston, she said.

Harvard's endowment before the economic crisis was $36.9 billion. It's unclear how far it has fallen, but Faust recently referenced a Moody's projection of a 30 percent decline in the value of college and university endowments this fiscal year.

The freeze on staff hiring applies to all current and proposed postings, unless it is deemed critical, Smith said. Tasks associated with unfilled positions either will not be pursued or will be handled by existing staff.

“We all need to resist turning to the use of consultants and temporary staff as substitutes for unfilled positions,” he said.

While faculty searches are not frozen, Smith urged department heads to carefully weigh whether the positions are critical to Harvard’s academic program.

He reassured the department heads that Harvard remains committed to the tenure-track system and that promotion reviews will continue on schedule and will be based strictly on merit.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- The jury in the child-abuse trial of Haleigh Poutre's stepfather recessed today at about 3:30 p.m. without reaching a verdict.

The judge received a note from the panel saying one of the jurors was "not feeling well" and wanted to stop deliberations for the day. Hampden County Superior Court Judge Judd Carhart read the note aloud in the courtroom without giving the name of the juror who felt sick.

The judge immediately excused all jurors and asked them to return Wednesday at 9 a.m. The 12-member jury has one alternate.

The panel in the trial of Jason Strickland began deliberations on Monday afternoon, when they met for about an hour before recessing at 4 p.m. Today, they discussed the case for about six hours.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A correction officer has been accused of rape and having sexual relations with a female inmate at the Suffolk House of Correction in Roxbury.

Lieutenant Thomas A. Healy Boston Police Department photo

"We deny the charges,'' Pfaff said in a telephone interview. "He is looking forward to his day in court.''

Pfaff said Healy has been married since 1995, is the father of three children and has an "impeccable record'' during his years working for the sheriff's department.

According to prosecutors, Healy allegedly approached the female prisoner in her cell on Nov. 12, groped her and then raped her.

"The abuse of power and authority here is just repugnant," Conley said in a statement.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Andrew Ryan and John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Winds gusting near 40 miles per hour fanned a fire in an apartment house in Cambridge early this morning that grew into a five-alarm blaze, engulfing two triple deckers.

Firefighters and police rescued an elderly couple in their 80s from the thick smoke and flames. The husband was plucked out of a third floor window and carried down a ladder while his wife was carried down three flights of stairs by firefighters, officials said.

The couple was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital, where relatives instructed the hospital not to release any information about their conditions, according to Frank Pasquarello, public information officer for the Cambridge Police Department and an MGH spokeswoman.

Fire officials this afternoon said investigators have ruled out arson as the cause of the devastating fire that left about 30 people from three buildings driven from their homes. A Red Cross spokesman said the charity has provided debit cards to the victims, but said all of the victims have found housing with relatives or friends.

(Photo courtesy of Chris Walsh)

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

The meat is back.

For the sixth week in a row, fresh-cut slabs of raw red meat were discovered in a pile beneath a tree in the Framingham Town Centre Common, deepening a mystery that has unnerved authorities and residents.

“There were some sort of cubed chunks of something or other, and a knee joint, or joint of some sort,” said Chris Walsh, who spied the meat this morning, on his way to work. “It just didn’t look very appetizing.”

Walsh said he called police, who came to inspect the meat, and then shipped it off to the state public health lab in Boston for testing. Hours later, town officials released a statement titled "Press Release Mystery Meat 11-25-08."

“Another placement of meat has been discovered on Framingham Town Centre Common,” read the statement, signed by the police chief, the town manager, and the town public health director. "It apparently occurred overnight.”

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

A storm that churned into New England early today brought strong winds and lashing rain, and dumped about a foot of snow in northern regions.

Along the Massachusetts coast this afternoon, winds buffeted the towns of Newburyport and Gloucester, where there were reports of downed trees and power lines. Gusts reached 45 to 50 miles per hour around midday, according to Hayden Frank, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton.

As of 1 p.m., Boston had received more than an inch of rain, and the total could possibly reach more than 2 inches today, he said. A flood watch was in effect, mostly over concerns about urban flooding.

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

A jackknifed tractor trailer was cleared this afternoon from the northbound O'Neill Tunnel and all lanes are back open to traffic, according to a transportation official.

The truck apparently hit the wall of the Interstate 93 tunnel at 11:15 a.m. and came to a stop blocking two lanes of traffic. The driver reported some injuries and was treated at the scene, according to Mac Daniel, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

One of the truck's diesel tanks ruptured, spilling fuel onto the roadway. Crews isolated and contained the fuel, Daniel said.

The crash occurred near where traffic from the Interstate 90 connector tunnel joins the O'Neill Tunnel. It took almost two hours to clear the wreck and reopen the road.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Preschooler Javier Molina tried to grab Santa's attention on Friday as Old St. Nick was handing out candy canes on Boston Common.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

By Globe Staff

An 18-year-old was killed in an early morning shooting in Roslindale, police said.
The teenager was shot to death on Fawndale Road at 1 a.m. Another man was wounded in the attack, police said.

Police did not report making any arrests. Investigators were on scene early this morning looking for evidence.

It was the 54th homicide this year in Boston. Last year at this time, there were 64 homicides, police said.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

2 hurt in 5-alarm Cambridge fire

Teen killed in Roslindale shooting

Buzz:

Huge bill could soon come due for Turnpike

FBI informant in bribe cases says more suspects are likely to surface

Officer allegedly saw killing, fled scene

Outreach renews a call to stem violence

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

They're moving on.

Even some of Lawrence Summers' harshest critics during his stormy five-year tenure as Harvard University's president applauded today's announcement that Summers would become a chief economic adviser to President Obama.

"It's time to put the past behind us and support Summers in a really critical position," said Kay Kaufman Shelemay, a professor of music and of African and African American studies who had criticized Summers' leadership. "I will sleep better at night knowing that he is watching out for my 401(k)."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A Cambridge real estate development company is buying the Atlantic Food Mart and plans to build a four-story residential development that will have space for a smaller food store on its first floor, a spokeswoman for the developer said today.

Company officials are planning to meet informally with Reading town officials in the coming days to outline a broad plan for the site, said Gwendolen Noyes of Oaktree Development.

Oaktree is buying the property from Arnold Rubin, whose family has operated a store at the site since 1922. Rubin has told a Reading newspaper his business has been hurt by the opening of a Market Basket and Stop and Shop supermarkets in another part of town.

This surveillance video shows Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner as he was led out of City Hall Friday morning in handcuffs after his arrest. Turner allegedly accepted a $1,000 bribe from a nightclub operator and lied about it to federal investigators. Click play below to watch.

By John C. Drake, Andrew Ryan, and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Shaking his fist and yelling into a microphone outside City Hall, Chuck Turner this afternoon lashed out at the City Council president and blasted the news media for convicting him of bribery without a trial.

Council president Maureen E. Feeney (Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

"I am not being judged by a jury of my peers, I am being judged by the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, Fox News, Channel 5 …" Turner said. "News outlets that would not cover my work as a city councilor are now knocking at my door every hour."

Turner continued: "Their behavior has been so obtrusive, so offensive, that my wife and I yesterday had to call the police department to give us protection from the press." Adding that one television truck had returned to his house after being told to leave, he shouted, "They are criminals! Why aren't they being arrested?"

The rally came hours after Turner had successfully convinced the City Council to indefinitely postpone a meeting that had been scheduled this afternoon to consider his ouster. Council president Maureen E. Feeney announced that the meeting had been put off because she did not want to provide a stage for "political theater." Feeney downplayed any suggestion that the council had acquiesced to Turner, who demanded in a letter that the special meeting be canceled because it was "premature, unjust, and unfair."

"We are not easily intimidated, I can assure you of that," Feeney said at the news conference, where she defended her decision to strip Turner of his committee assignments and chairmanships.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

State Senate president Therese Murray today ordered former state senator Dianne Wilkerson's office to be locked up after Wilkerson made a surprise appearance there even though she resigned her position last week.

Wilkerson's five-member staff -- which remains on the payroll -- will be moved into the basement of the State House to work temporarily on any district issues until the new senator assumes office.

"We understood from her attorney that she would give advance notice to finish going through her files and do so on weekends, so as not to be disruptive," said Murray's spokesman, David Falcone. "No one was aware that she was coming to the State House today."

The office was to be locked by the end of the day, and her staff was moved to a basement office. Wilkerson was ordered to remove as many things as possible and turn in all of her keys. If she still needs to access the office, her lawyer will have to arrange a time with the Senate president's office for Wilkerson to come in.

(Matthew J. Lee/Globe staff)
A military honor team at the funeral today for Army Specialist Corey Shea, 21. Shea was killed last week in Iraq.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

MANSFIELD -- Hundreds of people today came to mourn the loss of this town's first soldier to die in the Iraq war.

Army Specialist Corey Shea, 21, was killed Wednesday near the city of Mosul when he and other soldiers were shot by an Iraqi soldier.

The service at St. Mary's Church included Governor Patrick, Senator John Kerry, US Representative Barney Frank, and officials from the Army, State Police and local police departments.

The casket arrived at the church on a horse-drawn carriage, escorted by motorcycle riders from the Patriot Guard organization along roads lined with flags.

"He was a very good soldier," said Captain John Elliot, with Shea's Third Army cavalry regiment out of Fort Hood, Texas. "Corey was fighting for all of us. … He helped those who couldn't help themselves. "

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Frederick W. Clark Jr. has announced his resignation as chairman of the state's Board of Higher Education after a 15-month stint.

Clark, an executive at an Easton real estate development firm, cited "serious and sudden economic conditions" in the real estate industry as the reason for leaving the post. He will resign next week following a special board meeting to recommend former Northeastern University president Richard Freeland as the next commissioner of the state higher education department.

In a letter sent last week to Governor Deval Patrick, who appointed Clark as the head of the 13-member board last August, Clark wrote that he departed "with complete confidence that the Board is in a stronger, more relevant, position to positively impact opportunities for the higher education advancement of our students."

By Michael Levenson and Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Governor’s Councilor Kelly A. Timilty’s campaign committee agreed today to pay an $8,000 fine to settle charges that she illegally copied Governor Deval Patrick's signature on election fliers and claimed his endorsement without permission.

The civil penalty is eight times the maximum fine that could have been imposed if the Dedham Democrat had been criminally convicted of falsely claiming the governor’s endorsement, Attorney General Martha Coakley said.

In addition, Timilty and her campaign committee agreed that in all campaign documents or advertisements for the next four years, including material posted online, Timilty's committee must first obtain an endorser’s express consent in writing.

In September, Timilty acknowledged sending a flier in the waning days of the primary campaign that featured a photo of Timilty and Patrick smiling together and a phony letter from Patrick, emblazoned with a copy of his signature, urging voters to "Please join me in supporting Kelly Timilty for Governor's Council."

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD - Twelve jurors began deliberations this afternoon in the child abuse case of Haleigh Poutre's stepfather, Jason Strickland, but recessed after about an hour without reaching a verdict.

They will resume tomorrow deciding whether they believe the 34-year-old auto mechanic who told them under oath last week that he never hurt Haleigh and had assumed her many bruises, cuts and burns were from accidents or her own doing.

Strickland is accused of causing a near-fatal brain injury that put Haleigh into a coma in September 2005, and, at one time, in the middle of an end-of-life controversy.

A verdict is not expected today because the jury did not start deliberating until aroumd 3:30 p.m. and they have nearly three weeks of testimony to review, as well as dozens of photographs, exhibits and forensic reports.

Strickland faces six counts of assaulting Haleigh, the most serious of which carries a maximum 15-year prison term if he is convicted. He could also be convicted of a lesser charge, which is knowing about others abusing Haleigh but failing to protect her.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

Manhole fires zap power in Theatre District, Back Bay

Buzz:

Gay-marriage debate roils, unites Mormons

Learning more than history at Plimoth

City councilor reveals roots of his family, once illegal immigrants

Council to discuss options on Turner

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Several manhole fires in downtown Boston sparked a five-hour power outage early this morning that stretched from the Theatre District to the Back Bay.

The outage knocked out electricity to hundreds of business and tied up traffic in knots before power was restored just before 11 a.m., officials said.

Two schools were also affected -- Josiah Quincy School and Boston Renaissance Charter Public School. No injuries were reported.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino has ordered an investigation to determine the cause of the fires.

"The good news is that we were able to get it all back up,'' said Caroline Allen, an NSTAR spokeswoman. "They have to replace the damaged cable, but it won’t affect the power.''

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

Eight young women and men with ties to New England were chosen to be Rhodes Scholars for next year.

Harvard University boasted the most recipients among New England-based colleges: three.

By Ben Paulin, Globe correspondent

Police are searching for two suspects who allegedly shot two people outside of Slade’s Bar and Grill, on Tremont Street in the South End, early this morning.

Officers responded to a call shortly after 2 a.m. to find two victims who had suffered multiple gunshot wounds. One of the victims was taken to Boston Medical Center, the other to Brigham and Woman’s Hospital and both were treated for non-life threatening injuries, said police spokesman Officer James Kenneally. The suspects are believed to be two males in their early twenties, according to police.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

NEWTON - After swastikas were discovered outside two separate religious buildings over the course of the same week, Newton community and religious leaders will host a gathering tomorrow to condemn an apparent outbreak of hate crimes.

Last Saturday, congregants assembling for weekly services at Temple Shalom saw a large swastika spray painted onto an outdoor sign. Rabbi Eric Gurvis condemned the graffiti from the pulpit and called the incident a hate crime.

On Wednesday night, a police officer discovered a swastika scrawled onto the curb outside of Eliot Church. Though the drawing was just four inches in diameter and appeared to be faded, Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker, a spokesman for the Newton Police Department, said police were thoroughly investigating the apparent hate crime.

“We'll give 110 percent, the same as we would something that was 100 feet tall,” he said.

By Ron Fletcher

Q: As a senior in high school who reads for pleasure, I find that many of the books assigned by teachers and the way they teach them take the joy out of reading. We’re presented with characters and authors of questionable relevance in works that seem dated and deliberately difficult. So, what are teachers thinking? Why don’t teachers integrate books from more contemporary and interesting authors in the genres of memoir or pop culture analysis? Why not add a little David Sedaris as a break from picking apart the writings of Sophocles, Chaucer, or Melville?

J.P.
Milton, MA

Road closures and other advisories for the week of Nov. 23

Motorists are urged to plan accordingly to avoid peak travel times on Thanksgiving and pay close attention to conditions at Exit 9 in Sturbridge, which connects with I-84 to Connecticut and New York. For those traveling on Wednesday, the best time to leave is early morning or after 8 p.m. Otherwise, drivers should expect traffic to be moving at slow speeds and back-ups at key toll plazas. Similar traffic conditions are likely on Sunday.

To promote safe driving and to give traveling motorists an excuse to rest, McDonald’s and Gulf will provide free coffee at Turnpike service plazas on Thursday from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. Friday morning.

Two to three lanes of I-93 south will be closed approaching and through downtown Monday and Tuesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Carl Cruz of New Bedford is a descendant of America's first black Medal of Honor winner, Sgt. William Carney.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

As the generals talked, the soldiers marched, the band played, and the governor spoke, Carl Cruz sat quietly today in Nurses Hall at the State House, holding a framed piece of family and Massachusetts history.

Cruz's great-uncle was a Civil War hero, one of the African-Americans from Massachusetts who were formed into the 54th Colored Infantry Regiment, the first regiment in American history to allow men of color to fight for their country.

The 54th, which was featured in recent years in the award-winning movie "Glory," was officially reborn today as the honor guard for the Massachusetts National Guard.

"It's very, very humbling,'' Cruz, a New Bedford resident, said after the ceremony. "It's a very proud day.”

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

The University of Massachusetts has laid off 17 employees and will vacate a floor at its central office in Boston's financial district in a cost-cutting measure following last month's $24.6 million reduction in state subsidies.

The employees worked in the university's president's office and central administrative department, which manages a range of services across the five-campus system.

The university also plans to move staff from Boston to university offices in Shrewsbury so it can sublet the vacant space on the 12th floor of the former State Street Bank building.

The moves will save the university just over $2 million, a spokesman said.

By Shelley Murphy, Jonathan Saltzman, John C. Drake, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner has been charged with accepting a $1,000 bribe and then lying about taking the money in a widening federal corruption inquiry.

Chuck Turner

Turner was arrested by the FBI in his City Hall office at 7 a.m. today on charges stemming from the undercover investigation, which led to the Oct. 28 arrest of state Senator Dianne Wilkerson on allegations that she accepted eight bribes totaling $23,500. The day of Wilkerson's arrest, two FBI agents visited Turner at his City Hall office and he "repeatedly denied ever being offered the money," according to the affidavit. During the interview, however, Turner rued the pervasiveness of corruption.

"If you took out all the corrupt politicians, you take out 90 percent and be left with us 10 percent," Turner said, according to the affidavit.

The five-term city councilor made his initial appearance this afternoon in US District Court in Worcester before Magistrate Judge Timothy Hillman, who is also handling Wilkerson's case. Turner faces charges of attempted extortion under color of official right -- essentially, using his office to obtain an illegal payment -- and lying to a government agent. Wearing a long-sleeve white dress shirt and brown pants, Turner was led into court with his hands cuffed behind his back. He told almost 30 supporters who attended the hearing that he needed to borrow a winter coat because the FBI pulled him out of City Hall without his jacket.

(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

Turner gestured to supporters to quiet down so he could talk to the media outside the courthouse.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

WORCESTER -- Surrounded by supporters and a crush of media as he left the federal courthouse in Worcester today, City Councilor Chuck Turner proclaimed his innocence and vowed to return to work Monday.

“I am absolutely positive that a jury of my peers will come to the conclusion that I am innocent. ... I know I am innocent,” Turner said.

Turner said the City Council plans to hold a meeting Monday to determine whether he can continue to serve. But the council has “no voice in the matter of whether I serve,” he said.

“The only people who can make the decision whether I serve is my constituents," he said, noting that he was reelected with 82 percent of the vote. “I believe my district is firmly committed to having me serve as their city councilor.”

“This is supposed to be a democracy,” he said. “I am not going to let this abuse of power continue.”

For an essay in the Boston Globe magazine that will appear this Sunday, freelance writer (and former Boston city councilor) Tom Keane conducted an e-mail interview with Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner. The e-mail exchange, which occurred before Turner's arrest, focused on his continued support for state Senator Dianne Wilkerson despite her years of legal troubles. Turner sent an 896-word response on Oct. 31 that follows in its entirety. It touches on politics and race and states, "Its time for Americans to admit that ethics never have had a significant influence on American politics."

Q. Why do you continue to support state Senator Dianne Wilkerson?

A.The Second Suffolk Senatorial Race: A Different Perspective: Chuck Turner

I resent the accusation that my support and the support of other African-Americans for Dianne Wilkerson's sticker campaign in the November Second Suffolk Senatorial District (District) race is based on the thought that an "African-American" is entitled to the seat.

The District was created to enable the Black and Latino community in the geographical heart of Boston to elect a State Senator to represent the "community of interests" that held us together. While race was a significant part of our shared interests, the shared interests also included our economic and social situation and the fact that we were actively engaged in a fight against racial discrimination.

By Globe Staff

A Dorchester teenager was held on $100,000 bail today after his arraignment on charges that he brought a loaded handgun to English High School on Thursday.

Walter West Jr.

“The defendant had a cocked and loaded 9mm handgun inside a school,” Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement. “A case like this should be chilling to every parent and every person in the Commonwealth who cares for children’s safety, no matter where those children live or go to school.”

(Pool Photo)

During his testimony, Strickland indicated an area where, he said, he noticed Haleigh had been injured.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- Haleigh Poutre's stepfather took the stand late this morning in his child abuse trial, saying he never harmed the girl and only sometimes gave her a "tap to the head" if she wasn't listening when he spoke to her.

Speaking publicly for the first time since he was charged with severe abuse, Jason Strickland, 34, described himself in measured tones as a caring breadwinner of the home, working 10-hour days as an auto mechanic and leaving the running of the household to his wife, Holli.

He said that he noticed occasional wounds, even one severe burn mark on the girl's feet, but that he was told by his wife that they were from accidents or a result of a psychological condition in which Haleigh sometimes harmed herself. Strickland said he knew that Haleigh was being seen by therapists and clinicians on a weekly basis for self-injurious behavior.

He said he never struck either of his two stepdaughters, Holli or Samantha Poutre.

"Did you ever physically punish either child?" asked defense attorney Alan Black.

"No," replied Strickland.

"Did you ever hurt either child?"

"No."

The stepfather's testimony is expected to resume after the lunch break. He is charged with causing the near-fatal brain injury that brought Haleigh, comatose and bruised, to a Westfield hospital on Sept. 11, 2005, or at least knowing about the injury and failing to protect the girl. His wife was also charged, but she died shortly afterward in an apparent murder-suicide with her grandmother.

By John R. Ellement and David Abel, Globe Staff

Mayor Thomas M. Menino said today that he was surprised to learn of Councilor Chuck Turner's arrest on a bribery charge, saying it further undermines public confidence in government.

Elected officials "are supposed to be there to help people,'' Menino said when questioned by reporters after a meeting with green industry business leaders at Fenway Park. "Things like this continue to get people frustrated, and somewhat angry at times.''

Asked whether Turner should resign, Menino said, “That’s somebody else’s decision, not my decision.”

City Council President Maureen E. Feeney said in a statement she was "deeply saddened" by Turner's arrest and "outraged at the recent disgrace brought to public service."

(MSPCA Photo)

Rusty, an underweight horse that was turned over to the MSPCA this summer.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

With the economy faltering, a growing number of horse owners, unable to cope with the high cost of owning their animals, have been turning them over to the MSPCA, officials at the organization said.

This year the organization has cared for 35 horses, compared with 21 during all of last year, said Melissa Ghareeb, manager of the MSPCA’s farm animal and equine center at Nevins Farm in Methuen. Twenty-six horses are currently staying at the farm.

“Horses are kind of a luxury item. They’re very expensive to care for,” said Ghareeb, estimating that it takes at least $4,000 a year. “We’re seeing a big rise in the number of surrenders.”

“As the economy gets worse, we’re seeing this momentum shift toward more and more horses coming in,” said Brian Adams, an MSPCA spokesman. He said five horses were turned in this week.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority raised wages for 13 managers by as much as $31,000 over the past year, as the cash-strapped agency was gearing up for a major toll increase. The increased salaries totaled $162,531.

“In my mind there’s really no salary increases. The only people that have changes in salaries are promotions,” said Alan LeBovidge, executive director of the authority.

LeBovidge said in most cases, the increases went to employees who took on multiple jobs when they were promoted. He provided the Globe with a chart showing what he characterized as a $1.8 million overall savings because the salary increases came in conjunction with eliminating management jobs.

As an example, LeBovidge cited the agency’s chief financial officer, who was promoted from comptroller and now serves as chief financial officer, comptroller, and director of financial management. He was given a $20,000 raise in March, for a new salary of $145,000. The move resulted in a net savings of $200,000 for the turnpike, LeBovidge said.

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Former Northeastern University president Richard Freeland has been tapped to become the next commissioner of the state's higher education department.

At a meeting this morning, a search committee for the Board of Higher Education unanimously recommended Freeland as the department's next leader, after a lengthy national search.

The appointment requires the approval of the full board and Paul Reville, the state's education secretary.

Frederick W. Clark, chairman of the board and the 13-member search committee, scheduled a board meeting for Dec. 5 to interview Freeland and vote on his candidacy.

The education board sets policy for the state's 29 community colleges, state colleges, and universities, in conjunction with the institutions' boards of trustees.

(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)

By Globe Staff

Onlookers saluted today as a military honor guard carried the flag-draped casket of Army Specialist Corey M. Shea into the Sherman & Jackson Funeral Home in his hometown of Mansfield. Shea was killed Nov. 12 in Mosul, Iraq.

Visiting hours will be held from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday, with the funeral at 11 a.m. Monday at St. Mary's church in Mansfield. Shea will be buried in the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne.

By Globe Staff

Troubled by the toll hike proposal? Massachusetts residents will be able to sound off in December and January at four public hearings about the steep increases being planned by the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

Hearings will be held Dec. 10 at the State Transportation Building in Boston, Dec. 15 at Lynn City Hall, Dec. 17 at the Framingham Memorial Building, and Jan. 7 at Worcester City Hall.

The Turnpike board gave preliminary approval Friday to toll increases that could cost daily commuters from the western suburbs $250 to $500 more a year.

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Boston College President Rev. William P. Leahy called today for a university-wide 2 percent spending cut to bolster the institution's financial aid budget in anticipation of increased requests for tuition assistance.

"Need for financial aid will increase as some BC families struggle with lost jobs and diminished home values," Leahy said in a letter to the college community. "It will be critical to have additional funds available."

The cut will total $2.5 million. The savings will be placed in a reserve account to assist students next semester and the following academic year.

Leahy said the financial crisis and steep market slides had hurt the college's endowment, which it relies on for about 10 percent of its yearly budget. Last month, university officials said the endowment totaled $1.7 billion.

"While Boston College depends on investment income significantly less than many of our peers, the decline in our endowment certainly affects our revenue projections and must be compensated for in our budget process," Leahy wrote.

By Globe Staff

More than 3.1 million people voted in the Nov. 4 election, the highest number ever to cast ballots in Massachusetts, the secretary of state's office said today.

The vote "demonstrates the civic involvement of our citizens and their intense interest in this crucial election. Even with more than three million people voting, in a state with a total population of 6.4 million, the election ran smoothly, which is a tribute to the thousands of election workers throughout all our cities and towns," Secretary of State William F. Galvin said in a statement.

A total of 3,102,995 people voted, according to returns prepared for certification by the Governor's Council next week, Galvin said. Democrat Barack Obama won the presidential race, with 1,904,097 votes to 1,108,854 for Republican John McCain, or 62 percent to 36 percent.

The number of people voting is even more impressive when you consider that the US Census estimates that there are about 5 million adults in the state.

The previous highest number of votes cast was 2,927,455, Galvin's office said. While the total number of people voting was a record, the percentage of those registered who voted was not a record, secretary of state's spokesman Brian McNiff said.

(Aram Boghosian for The Boston Globe)

The scene of the crime was deserted except for one police officer late this afternoon.

By Jonathan Saltzman and Rachana Rathi, Globe Staff

FRAMINGHAM -- A 15-year-old student has been charged with stabbing another student during a bloody brawl at dismissal today outside Framingham High School, police said late this afternoon.

The suspect, whose name was not released by authorities, is facing charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with intent to kill, disorderly conduct, and disturbing a school assembly, said Lieutenant Paul Shastany, a Framingham police spokesman.

The victim, who is believed to be 16 years old, was stabbed just above the buttocks, in the lower back. He was taken by MedFlight to Boston Medical Center, Shastany said.

"The wound was sufficient enough that the paramedics felt it would be necessary to fly him,'' Shastany said. "I'm not saying it was life-threatening or not.''

Detectives at the high school believe the victim was among four students who were involved in a fight in front of the school shortly after dismissal around 2:15 p.m., Shastany said. During the fight, another person who was not involved in the altercation walked up and stabbed the student, he said.

The 15-year-old was charged shortly after 4:30 p.m. His 16-year-old brother is also charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing a school assembly in relation to the fight.

(Pool Photo)

Defense attorney Elizabeth L. George and defendant Jason D. Strickland listened to testimony today.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- A mental health worker testified today in the child abuse trial of Haleigh Poutre’s stepfather that Haleigh said she sometimes hurt herself and, in some cases, heard voices telling her to do so.

Pam Krzyzek, a clinical case coordinator for Brightside for Families and Children, a mental health agency in Western Massachusetts, said she visited Haleigh’s home once or twice a week in the year before Haleigh suffered her near-fatal head injury in September 2005.

During that time, Krzyzek had extensive discussions with Haleigh and her adoptive mother, Holli Strickland, about the numerous bruises and other injuries on the girl’s body. Krzyzek testified that she understood these wounds were part of a mental disorder that caused Haleigh to hurt herself, even sometimes requiring psychiatric hospitalization.

Krzyzek said Haleigh explained her swollen and injured knees by saying that she had hit herself there with a hammer. Krzyzek went on to say, however, that she had heard that Haleigh later told some friends at a dance studio that it was her adoptive mother who struck her knees with a hammer.

(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

The governor speaking to reporters after the news conference.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick said this afternoon that the state shouldn't rush into taking action to raise the gas tax, calling on lawmakers to take their time to develop a much broader plan.

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, speaking against the governor's approach of targeting turnpike and tunnel drivers with higher tolls, said Wednesday that he would push instead for a gas tax increase.

“The whole question of gas taxes versus toll increases is not quite where the choice is right now,” Patrick said this afternoon at a news conference in downtown Boston. “It will take time to have a comprehensive debate about the gas tax.”

Patrick has still not taken a firm stance on whether he would support increasing the gas tax, only saying that he doesn’t want to do it now.

“I’m not expressing a view one way or the other about the gas tax,” Patrick said. But, he added, “if this is an important subject, let’s have it be a comprehensive debate, and take into account not just how to patch or plug the latest challenge that we’re facing but how to get comprehensive reform and greater efficiencies.”

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

Police arrested a 17-year-old this morning on weapons charges after the teen allegedly brought a loaded handgun to English High School.

Walter West was one several teens accused of causing a disturbance around 9 a.m. at the Jamaica Plain high school, police said in a press release. Officers responded to the school on McBride Street in an attempt to disperse the teens.

By Globe Staff

A former executive assistant to the state auditor has been sentenced to two to three years in prison for using his position to extract bribes from individuals, the state attorney general’s office said today.

Lawrence Trapasso, 45, of Worcester, was sentenced today by Suffolk Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Donovan on three counts of bribery and one count of larceny over $250. The judge also sentenced him to three years of probation and ordered him to undergo a mental health evaluation.

Trapasso, who will be barred from ever holding another public job, was convicted Oct. 28 after a seven-day jury trial.

Trapasso worked in the auditor’s office from 1997 to 2006. Between January 2003 and April 2006, Trapasso accepted cash from three people after telling them that he could use his influence as a state official to help them get their drivers’ licenses reinstated and/or help them with pending court cases, the attorney general’s office said in a statement.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Port Authority said today that he "hoped to get some sort of agreement in principle" next month to take over the Big Dig and the eastern portions of the Massachusetts Turnpike, but urged caution on Governor Deval Patrick's plan to fix the financially struggling transportation system.

"There's just so many moving pieces to this," Thomas J. Kinton Jr. said in his first public comments since Patrick announced a major reorganization of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority this month. Patrick's plan would transfer the eastern portion of the Turnpike Authority to Massport, which runs Logan International Airport, while the state highway department would take over the portion west of Route 128.

Kinton also said tolls on the Tobin Bridge would not, for the time being, be raised, even as the Turnpike Authority voted last week to raise other tolls in the area.

The Tobin is the only toll road in Greater Boston not controlled by the Turnpike Authority. The turnpike's board gave preliminary approval last week to charge cash-paying drivers $2 at the Allston-Brighton and Weston toll booths and $7 at the Ted Williams and Sumner tunnels.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A North Shore man is sailing off the Cape Verde islands today, 11 days into an around-the-world solo, nonstop sailing race in which he has already survived a disastrously stormy start -- and attacks from wayward flying fish.

Rich Wilson of Marblehead is sailing the Great American III in the Vendee Globe, which ran into rough weather after competitors sailed out of the French port, Les Sables D’Olonne, where the race began Nov. 9 and is expected to end in about three months.

In the first two days, four of the 30 boats in the race dropped out, Wilson said. As for the rest of the fleet, “everybody got beat up,” Wilson said.

“It was really pure survival,” Wilson, 58, said in an interview by satellite phone this afternoon from his boat, which is now sailing smoothly 75 miles south of the Cape Verde islands with a 15-knot wind from the northeast.

Wilson said he got thrown across the cabin during the rough weather and believes, after consulting with a Boston expert on the satellite phone, that he sustained a cracked rib.

“It’s just tough going. It’s going to take a while to heal. It’s still very, very painful. I have to do a series of sail maneuvers. The sails on these boats are very big and, of course, there’s nobody else to help so it’s a lot of work,” he said.

By Globe Staff

A Reading woman said she will host a community meeting Saturday night to search for ways to keep the Atlantic Food Mart open following a decision by its owner to close the 86-year-old store.

The Haven street store is considered by many Reading residents to be an institution and a landmark. Owner Arnold Rubin announced this week that he is shutting down the store opened by his grandfather in 1922, citing declining revenues and increased costs.

Once the only supermarket in town, two chain stores, Market Basket and Stop & Shop, opened stores within the last year, drawing some Atlantic customers away.

Jody Avtges admitted today that she was one of the longtime Atlantic customers who started spending up to 30 percent of her grocery money at Market Basket. But, she said, she wants to keep Atlantic open, and failing that, she wants to make sure a grocery store remains in the downtown neighborhood.

She said she hopes people with skills facilitating group discussion, workers from the grocery store industry - in-store and buyers - and those with general retail experience will attend the 7:30 p.m. meeting in her 42 Washington St. house.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

In what was described as a training exercise, several contraband sniffing dogs were brought to Madison Park High School in Boston on Wednesday. The dogs' test did not disrupt the school's regular routine.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

By Globe Staff

A gubernatorial task force issued a 70-page report today that offered 10 recommendations to curb urban violence.

The steps include taking aggressive steps to crackdown on possession of illegal firearms, mandating violence and bullying prevention programs for all public schools, and supporting job training and job development for youths between the ages of 14 and 22. The study also urged the state to support summer job and internship initiatives, extended school days, and mentoring programs.

The report is the product of the Anti-Crime Council, a task force created by Governor Deval Patrick in April 2007. It includes a foreword from criminologist James Alan Fox of Northeastern University that urges Massachusetts to reinvest in violence prevention efforts. The entire report, titled “Urban Violence in the Commonwealth: Prevention, Intervention & Rehabilitation,” can be found by clicking here.

By Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick is pushing malls and big-box retailers to increase efficiency by utilizing solar energy.

The goal is to have new malls and big-box stores draw at least some power from solar panels by 2010, according to a press release issued today by Patrick's office. The governor is also offering a "super-efficient building code" as a local option for cities and towns looking to combat climate change.

“Reducing energy use, making electricity from the sun, and getting the most out of buildings we will leave to our children and our grandchildren is a value proposition that ought to make sense to developers as businesspeople,” Patrick said in the release. “It is up to us in state government to make that proposition too good to turn down.”

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

Emergency workers have blocked off a segment of Pearl Street after a “suspicious metal device” was discovered outside a building in the Financial District, according to a spokeswoman for the Boston Police Department.

A bomb squad responded to the scene to examine the device, which was found around 11 a.m.

The building has not been evacuated and no one has been injured, the spokeswoman said.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

An unidentified Brockton man is fighting for his life at a Boston hospital after being badly burned Wednesday when his clothes were ignited by a fire he had started to keep himself warm, according to the state Fire Marshal's office.

The man is homeless and was behind a building in the 300 block of Montello Street when he apparently fell asleep, said Jennifer Mieth, spokeswoman for State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan. State Police are assisting the Brockton Fire Department in the investigation.

"It appears that a homeless man had an outdoor campfire and was trying to say warm,'' she said. "He fell asleep, got too close to the fire, and his clothing ignited.''

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

Man in custody after firearm scare at English High School

Cape Cod Times: School bus collides with pick-up truck

Buzz:

Budget woes handcuff State Police

A hang-up in cell antenna effort as neighbors object

Panel approves closure of 6 schools

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD - Displaying hospital photos of Haleigh Poutre's battered body shortly after she fell into a coma in 2005, a child-abuse expert today depicted the girl as the victim of systematic abuse that included cigarette burns and physical restraints, not a troubled child engaging in self-injurious behavior as defense attorneys have suggested.

One photo, shown by Dr. Christine Barron during the child abuse trial of Haleigh's stepfather, revealed the girl's bare back, with nearly a dozen bruises and cuts on all sides and near the spine. Barron said the shape of many of the wounds suggested that the 11-year-old Westfield girl was struck multiple times by a "hard solid object."

"Is that an area a child could reach herself?" asked prosecutor Laurel Brandt, pointing to an image of a circular wound on the child's back.

"It would be difficult to reach," Barron replied.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A state Department of Correction worker has been charged with stealing more than $100,000 from the agency, the state attorney general's office said.

Lieutenant Gary Mendes

Mendes, who was in charge of procurement for the special operations division, was arrested this morning at his home.

“We allege that Lieutenant Mendes took advantage of his opportunity as head of procurement ... in essentially stealing over $100,000 of equipment for personal use,” Attorney General Martha Coakley said at a news conference today.

(Essdras Suarez/Globe Staff)

Richard O'Connor, at the cash register, has been working at the iconic newsstand for 25 years.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Out of Town News, the newsstand that has offered a cornucopia of newspapers and magazines as a Harvard Square landmark for more than 50 years, could close.

The owners have informed Cambridge officials that they have no plans to renew their lease after it expires Jan. 31. City officials say they are hoping to find another newsstand to take its place, but acknowledge that the business climate is grim as more customers get their news online rather than in print.

"It could be that we're chasing moonbeams, and we'll have to look at our re-use options," said Robert W. Healey, the city manager.

The newsstand occupies the center of Harvard Square and is on the National Register of Historic Places. No matter what happens to the business, city officials say they will keep the building, which is used as much as a meeting place as a place to buy news.

By Matt Viser, Jonathan Saltzman, Andrea Estes, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Embattled state Senator Dianne Wilkerson resigned today after 15 years on Beacon Hill, succumbing to pressure that has been mounting following her arrest three weeks ago in an undercover FBI corruption sting.

Senator Dianne Wilkerson

In a dramatic speech on the floor of the state Senate, Murray said that Wilkerson made the right decision by resigning and allowing the "good work of the Senate" to continue as lawmakers "commit ourselves to ensuring the public trust."

"And though one person may cast a temporary shadow, we are too strong, too determined and too righteous as a collective body to allow any doubt to linger," Murray said, adding: "I don’t know if we will ever hear an apology from those who should offer one … I hope we do someday."

Wilkerson stepped out of an elevator on the third floor of the State House at 11:50 a.m. and walked quickly toward her office. With a wave of her hand, she fended off questions from reporters and disappeared behind her locked office door.

This afternoon a Wilkerson staffer issued a typed statement on her Senate letterhead: "This morning, November 19, a letter was hand delivered to Senate President Therese Murray advising of my resignation from the office of State Senator from the Second Suffolk District, effective today. There will be no further comments today on this matter."

(NASA TV/AP)

Bowen maneuvers down the cargo bay of the space shuttle Endeavor during the spacewalk.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Cohasset native Stephen G. Bowen used to read a lot of science fiction -- Asimov, Bradbury, and Heinlein -- and his sister recalls waiting with him in the field behind their house in the 1970s for the Skylab space station to pass by.

Steve Bowen (Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

Bowen is on the crew of the space shuttle and made news today because he was on a spacewalk Tuesday at the International Space Station in which a fellow astronaut let go of a toolbag that floated off into the void.

In an interview transmitted from space today, Bowen told The Associated Press that the accident was "just as much my mistake as anyone else's." But, he said, "You kind of know you have to move on, you keep moving on, trying to figure out how to best accomplish the job next."

By Globe Staff

Two men have been been arrested in a shooting that shattered the calm of a residential neighborhood in Carver last week, police said.

Christopher Pina, 26, of Plymouth, and Gilberto Baez, 26, of Boston’s Dorchester section, face charges of attempted murder in the shooting of Justin Hurley, also 26, who was found Thursday morning in the back seat of a bullet-riddled car in the parking lot of a preschool.

Hurley remains in a Boston hospital suffering from gunshot wounds, Carver Police said in a statement.

Pina was arrested at 5 a.m. today at a home in the Algonquin Heights area of Plymouth. He also faces a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm. Police said they also arrested several people at a home on Main Street in Carver at the same time, including Baez, who was also wanted on other drug and firearms charges in both Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

An 18-year-old Senate page has been arrested for a series of charges, including armed robbery, possession of marijuana, and possession of a gun clip, according to state and Boston Police reports.

Rha-Shon Sheffield, a Mattapan man who goes by the nickname "Raw," was arrested early Tuesday after a state trooper pulled over a rented car carrying Sheffield and two other men. Inside the white Hyundai, the trooper allegedly found marijuana and the clip, which is used to hold bullets for a gun.

Sheffield showed the trooper a state employee identification card indicating he worked at the Statehouse, according to a State Police report.

The trooper quickly learned that Sheffield was wanted for robbing a Lowell man at knifepoint on Jan. 25., according to a Boston Police report.

By Globe Staff

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi today urged lawmakers to "seriously consider" a gas tax increase instead of the "excessive proposal" to hike tolls on tunnels and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority gave tentative approval last week to a set of steep toll increases that would double the charge for cars at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels from $3.50 to $7. The cost of driving through the Allston-Brighton and Weston tollbooths would jump from $1.25 to $2 under the plan, which is still subject to public hearings and a final vote by the authority board.

Since 1991 the Massachusetts gas tax has increased 2.5 cents to its current rate of 23.5 cents a gallon. The national average as of Jan. 1 was 25 cents, according to data from the Tax Foundation, a nonpartisan organization based in Washington D.C.

Governor Deval Patrick has said that the turnpike's financial struggles have made a toll hike unavoidable. While he has not ruled out a gas tax increase, Patrick has said that now may not be the time because of the faltering economy.

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Northeastern University has shelved plans for a 600-student dormitory amid a severe crunch in credit markets, in the latest sign of the economic downturn's impact on college campuses.

A university spokesman said today the university has indefinitely postponed the St. Botolph Street project, originally slated to begin next summer.

"In the current economic climate, all institutions are re-evaluating upcoming capital projects," said Mike Armini, who said the project would be on hold "while we continue to assess the uncertainty in global financial markets."

By Bryan Bender, Globe Staff

WASHINGTON -- More than three decades after he first appeared before the panel as a 27-year-old Vietnam veteran-turned-antiwar protester, Senator John F. Kerry is widely expected to be named the new chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a position that will give him enormous influence over international relations.

Senator John F. Kerry

Kerry, 64, who was elected to a fifth term in the US Senate from Massachusetts earlier this month, will be officially handed the gavel when the new congressional session convenes in January, according to multiple Capitol Hill sources. He will replace the outgoing chairman, Vice President-elect Joe Biden.

(Globe file photo/1999)

Hoses doused the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse building during a five-alarm fire on Dec. 3, 1999.

By Globe Staff

A new 15,000-square-foot fire station will be dedicated this afternoon in Worcester on the site of a 1999 warehouse inferno that killed six firefighters.

The five-alarm blaze on Dec. 3, 1999, was sparked by a candle tipped over in a homeless couple's makeshift shelter in the Worcester Cold Storage and Warehouse building. While searching for people trapped inside, the six firemen became disoriented in the maze-like building and were overwhelmed by heat and choking black smoke. The deaths sparked a national outcry, prompting President Bill Clinton to speak at their memorial service.

By Globe Staff

A driver not wearing a seatbelt was killed this morning on Cape Cod when his pickup truck rolled over on Route 6, State Police said.

The crash occurred at 6:19 a.m. near Exit 6 in Barnstable. The westbound 1997 Ford Ranger veered left and rolled over three times before coming to rest in the median, State Police said in a press release.

The driver was thrown from the truck and died at the scene. Police described the driver as an adult male, but they did not release his name or hometown.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

Newton firefighter hurt after falling through floor

Man not wearing a seatbelt killed in Cape crash

Buzz:

MCAS testing may expand

Heavy toll for East Boston

Menino preempts Flaherty on the greening of City Hall

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- Some jurors seemed moved to tears today in the child abuse trial of Haleigh Poutre's stepfather, as they watched a 26-minute video showing the brain-injured girl moving around in a wheelchair, feeding herself with trembling hands, and -- in a poignant moment -- writing her name.

The video was the first public glimpse of the 14-year-old Westfield girl since she became the center of a national end-of-life debate when the state's child-protection agency sought to remove her life support in 2005, saying she was in an "irreversible" vegetative state. In that context, yesterday's images of Haleigh were as inspirational as they were painful, showing the resilience of a child who defied predictions about her fate.

The courtroom of Hampden County Superior Court Judge Judd Carhart was silent as the audio-less video played in a half-dozen computer screens stationed near the jurors' chairs, lawyers' tables and spectator sections. At times, several jurors could be seen wiping their eyes, one with a tissue. The defendant, Jason Strickland, 34, showed little visible emotion, a look he has maintained through the last eight days of testimony.

The video showed Haleigh using a fork and spoon, manipulating an alphabet board to communicate, and placing a music CD into a boom box. At one point she leaned across a table and without much hesitation, and in clear print, she wrote, "Haleigh Poutre."

"That's pretty much her functional level now," said Dr. Jeffrey Forman, director of rehabilitation at the Franciscan Hospital for Children in Brighton, where Haleigh has been living and attending a day school for nearly three years.

By Jeannie M. Nuss, Globe Correspondent

A Weymouth man drove into the Charles River today after losing control of his pickup truck when he sneezed, State Police said.

Andrew Hanson, 42, drove his truck over the sidewalk and down the embankment into the water at Soldiers Field Road near North Harvard Street in Boston, Lieutenant Eric Anderson, a State Police spokesman, said.

When State Police arrived at about 1:30 p.m., Hanson was sitting on the side of the road.

He was taken to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center with minor injuries, Anderson said. No charges have been filed. The State Police, Boston Fire Department and EMS, and the Department of Recreation and Conservation responded to the scene.

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

A teenage computer hacker from Worcester pleaded guilty today in federal court to charges of computer intrusion, interstate threats, and wire fraud from 2005 to this year.

Prosecutors said the 17-year-old, whose online alias was "Dshocker," used stolen credit card numbers to buy items online; hacked into corporate computer systems and directed cyberattacks on other systems; and placed hoax 911 calls to police departments throughout the country intended to provoked armed police responses, a practice known as "swatting."

The teenager, whose name was not released because he is a juvenile under federal law, is to be sentenced at a later date, but has already reached a plea agreement that calls for an 11-month prison sentence in a juvenile detention facility. As an adult, he could have faced 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, federal prosecutors said in a statement.

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Responding to the national economic downturn, MIT plans to cut its budget next year by $50 million and delay renovations to an undergraduate dorm.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the latest in a string of local universities to announce budget cuts, plans to trim 10 to 15 percent of its spending in the next two or three years. It will begin by reducing next year's $1 billion general budget by 5 percent, according to a letter by President Susan Hockfield and Provost L. Rafael Reif.

“The continuing uncertainty about the length and depth of the economic downturn makes accurate predictions impossible,” Hockfield and Reif wrote Monday evening in a letter to the university community. “However, we must take action now to plan for a protracted period of financial constraint.”

The letter warned of a potential slowdown in hiring, but did not detail what cuts would be made. Neither Hockfield nor Reif were available for comment tonight.

While the economic downturn will likely shrink MIT’s endowment, tuition revenue, federal research funding, and pool of major donors, Hockfield and Reif assured the community that the university remains committed to need-blind admission and need-based financial aid for undergraduates.

By Globe Staff

A federal grand jury indicted state Senator Dianne Wilkerson today on eight counts of accepting bribes, exactly three weeks after the FBI arrested the longtime lawmaker in an undercover corruption probe.

The Roxbury Democrat is accused of accepting more than $20,000 to help secure a liquor license and steer legislation to benefit a developer. Under federal law, prosecutors must file an indictment or a charging document called an information within 30 days of a defendant's arrest.

"This remains an active investigation," US Attorney Michael Sullivan said. "We intend to aggressively pursue all leads in this case, more fully digest the evidence we have gathered to date, and bring additional charges as called for by the evidence."

Wilkerson faces eight charges of attempted extortion under color of official right -- essentially, using her office to illegally get payments.

Each charge carries a maximum penalty of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The indictment also seeks the return of the $23,500 paid to Wilkerson by undercover agents and a cooperating witness as part of the investigation, the US Attorney's office said in a joint statement with the FBI and Boston Police.

The 18-month federal probe of Wilkerson was outlined in detail in a 32-page affidavit filed Oct. 28 by an FBI agent in US District Court. Wilkerson has denied any wrongdoing and resisted pressure to resign despite losing re-election and receiving a formal rebuke from her Senate colleagues.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

When her daughter read her the notice, Eileen Wilbur began to sweat. Her heart raced, her blood pressure climbed.

The 73-year-old woman, who is blind, couldn’t believe that Attleboro City Hall was threatening to impose a lien of up to $48 on her next property tax bill because she had mistakenly paid her last bill by a penny less than what was due. She couldn’t fathom why the city would spend 42 cents on a stamp to collect a penny.

"It made me sick -- my adrenaline was really going up," Wilbur said in a telephone interview today. "You can do anything to me, but don't touch my house. I paid for this house with very hard work."

In response, Wilbur, who raised seven children over the past 50 years at her five-bedroom house in South Attleboro, asked her daughter to fax the letter back to the city collector’s office with a note that read: “Why don't you use the 42 cents of my tax dollars to clear that up? The lack of commonsense is staggering.”

When Wilbur didn’t hear back from city officials, she went to The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, which first reported the story.

City Collector Debora Marcoccio said the letter to Wilbur was automatically generated and sent out with 2,000 other bills for outstanding balances. She said she would have been happy to discuss the bill, but she said the fax didn't include a phone number for her to call back.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The birth of a baby at a home in Easton last weekend was a team effort, with a police dispatcher giving advice to the anxious husband over the phone and firefighters and paramedics arriving in the nick of time to deliver the child.

Julia Mansfield’s husband, Chris, called for help at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday from the home on Meadowbrook Lane, said Allen Krajcik, deputy chief of police.

Dispatcher Jean Amichetti kept the husband on the line, trying to keep him calm and giving him instructions, while firefighters and paramedics raced to the scene.

In a 911 tape released by Easton police, Chris Mansfield can be heard shouting, “The baby’s coming out right now.” Seconds later, he said, “We’ve got people here.”

Paramedics Jeff Dupuis and Brendan McCarthy and firefighters Larry Blye and John White had arrived to take over and perform the delivery on the living room floor.

"I can't say enough about the dispatcher and the Police Department and the Fire Department and everyone that showed up. You always see these things in the movies and you say, 'Oh, that’ll never happen to me.' But when babies want to arrive, they arrive. There's no waiting," said Chris Mansfield, a 37-year-old sales representative.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The state has begun preparation work for a five-mile widening project of Route 128 -- from Randolph to Dedham -- as part of a $48.5 million reconstruction, officials said this week.

Traffic will not be disrupted during the early stages. Significant construction is set to begin in spring 2009 and continue until summer 2011.

Patrick administration officials said that the addition of an extra lane in each direction, for a total of eight lanes, will ease congestion on the well-traveled road. The work will be done in conjunction with several bridge replacement projects including the Neponset River Bridge, the Amtrak-MBTA Bridge, and the University Avenue Bridge.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

LYNN -- The mother of Giovanni Gonzalez was in court today when the boy's father made his first public appearance since being charged for playing a role in the boy's disappearance on Aug. 16.

Daisy Colon, of East Boston, declined to talk with reporters following the brief hearing in Lynn District Court where Ernesto Gonzalez is charged with child endangerment.

Colon had allowed her son to spend the weekend with his father, who then lived in an apartment on Brightwood Terrace in downtown Lynn. But when she came to pick him up, Ernesto claimed their son was not with him.

Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett's office alleges Ernesto is responsible for his son's disappearance. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held on $500,000 cash bail. His attorney today filed court papers demanding the charges be dropped for lack of evidence.

State, Lynn and area police have searched repeatedly for the child in Lynn, Lawrence, along the Massachusetts coast, and in Puerto Rico, where Ernesto has relatives.

No trace of the child has been found.

Blodgett's spokesman, Steve O'Connell, said today that authorities now want anyone who thinks they saw Ernesto Gonzalez at any time during the Aug. 16 weekend to contact Lynn or State Police.

"Tell us where, tell us when,'' O'Connell said at the courthouse. "That might be the key. We will spare no expense, we will spare no manpower, in order to bring this boy home.''

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

The owners of a New Bedford leather goods factory raided by immigration officials settled a class action lawsuit today, agreeing to pay current and former workers $850,000 in overtime.

The federal lawsuit was brought by five former and one current employee of Michael Bianco Inc., but it extends to 764 workers, said Audrey Richardson, senior attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services, which has represented many of the workers detained in the March 2007 raid.

The lawsuit charged that the company set up a fake corporation, Front Line Defense Inc., to avoid paying overtime wages. Employees said they were required to clock out at 5 p.m. after working a full day shift at Michael Bianco and then clock back in at 5:30 p.m. for Front Line. They received checks from both companies, to make it appear they had not exceeded 40 hours a week.

"Most of the time, the workers were doing the same work on the same machine as they did during the day,'' Richardson said.

Employees who clocked the most hours will receive up to $8,000 in back overtime pay.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A state oversight agency didn’t ensure all the aircraft in smaller airports were properly registered, costing the state thousands of dollars in registration fees and raising public safety questions, the state auditor’s office said today.

An audit looking at 27 of the state’s smaller airports found that they were home to 2,456 aircraft. But 689 of those aircraft were not accounted for in the database of the Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission, an audit found.

The registration gap cost the state an estimated $113,685 in revenue, the auditor’s office said in a statement. It also increased the potential for illegal activities, such as terrorism, drug smuggling, or illegal immigration, said Glenn Briere, a spokeman for State Auditor Joe DeNucci.

“It’s fair to say we appreciate and respect the audit process and the opportunity to review procedures,” said Klark Jessen, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction, which oversees the Aeronautics Commission.

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is considering a major revamp of its standardized testing system that could eventually require students to complete science lab experiments and teamwork projects and deliver oral presentations. State officials said the changes, if approved by the board, will ensure that students will graduate from high school with the skills necessary to succeed in college or the workplace.

Education Secretary Paul Reville emphasized the changes would not replace the statewide MCAS exams, but complement them.

“We are proud of our achievements to date, but let's be honest, we must recognize we have a long way to go to realize our dream of a fully excellent, equitable school system,” Reville said.

Later, he added, “We are still failing far too many students, losing too many through dropping out, numbing too many with boredom,and ill preparing so many that alarming numbers of our graduates are incapable of doing unremediated college work or successfully completing post-secondary education.”

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

Electricity has been restored to Braintree today after a massive outage left 3/4 of the city without power. The 45 minute outage darkened traffic lights and train signals and affected some 8,400 power customers.

The outage was caused by a National Grid contractor who was digging and struck one of the town's primary transmission lines, said JoAnn Stak Bregnard, marketing and programming director for the Braintree Electric Light Division. City officials were not aware that National Grid was digging in the area, and it is investigating the status of its Dig Safe permit, Bregnard said.

By Globe Staff

A woman was killed in Plymouth early this morning when the minivan she was driving burst into flames after ramming a stand of trees in the median of Route 3, State Police said.

The woman, whose name has not been released, died at the scene, State Police said in a press release. She was the lone occupant of the 2004 Honda Odyssey.

The woman was driving north near Exit 2 when she crashed at about 2:45 a.m. It was not immediately clear whether she was wearing a seatbelt.

The wreck partially closed northbound Route 3 for approximately 2 hours. The crash remains under investigation by State Police and the Plymouth police and fire departments. Mass Highway assisted troopers at the scene.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

Power outage zaps Braintree

Woman killed in Plymouth crash

Buzz:

Wood-fired boilers spur pollution concerns

Leader's pay rankles at Suffolk University

City fires superintendent of cemeteries

Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD - A young Westfield woman was portrayed by prosecutors today as a courageous witness who finally, after previous false statements to police, told the truth about the violence that she saw Jason and Holli Strickland inflict on the oldest child in their home, Haleigh Poutre.

However defense attorneys cast Alicia Weiss, 26, the former next-door neighbor of the Stricklands and longtime babysitter, as a person with no credibility because she gave conflicting stories to police and has acknowledged witnessing repeated, horrendous abuse on Haleigh but doing nothing to stop it.

In the seventh day of testimony in the child abuse trial of Haleigh's stepfather, Jason Strickland, Weiss explained that she initially kept secret from police the abuse she had witnessed because of loyalty to Holli, who she regarded as her "best friend."

"I told them the truth, but not the whole truth," said Weiss, now an aide in a day care.

In her four hours of testimony, Weiss broke down crying several times when describing her close relationship with Holli Strickland that extended over about six years. Holli gave Weiss one of her first jobs as an assistant in Holli's family day care.

By David Abel, GLOBE STAFF

For failing to properly supervise his employees, misreporting his work hours, and taking long liquid lunches, the city’s superintendent of cemeteries has been fired, city officials said today.

Donald J. Griffis, who worked for the city for 31 years and last year earned $101,332, was fired on Friday after a city investigation revealed that one of his former employees, Paul J. Hamm, stole gas from a city pump at the cemetery where they worked. The two also spent long lunches drinking alcohol, and on several occasions skipped work afterward, city investigators said.

Hamm, a 22-year city employee who last year earned $79,778, resigned on Oct. 28 after city officials accused him of stealing hundreds of gallons of fuel since spring.

“There’s clearly no room for stealing, and Hamm had to be held accountable for that,” said Jeff Conley, executive director of the Boston Finance Commission, a city watchdog that investigated the case. “But he was able to do that because of the inadequate supervision of his immediate boss, who[m] he went out to lunch with every day. One guy was stealing fuel, and the other guy created an environment to allow him to do that, and we can’t allow that to happen.”

Neither Griffis nor Hamm returned calls for comment.

By Globe Staff

A 21-year-old man wearing earphones walked in front of a Green Line train and was struck by a trolley near Boston College, according to an MBTA spokesman.

The Boston College student suffered serious head injuries and facial lacerations and was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, said Joe Pesaturo, the spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. He was conscious and talking as he was transported to the hospital, Pesaturo said.

The injured student was identified as Michael J. Cordo of Sudbury.

The collision on the inbound tracks at 9:20 a.m. just east of Boston College Station disrupted Green Line service. Riders were bused in both directions between Boston College Station and Washington Street.

Witnesses told investigators that the man was wearing headphones when he walked across the trolley tracks. "The trolley operator attempted to get his attention by blowing the horn, but it was to no avail," Pesaturo said.

Trolley service was restored at 2 p.m., he said.

The Transit Police investigation into the incident continues.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A Charlestown man today pleaded not guilty to charges he was driving drunk when his Jeep struck and fatally injured a man as the victim crossed Soldiers Field Road in Brighton early Sunday morning.

Robert J. Finnerty, 26, was arraigned in Brighton Municipal Court. He is charged with operating under the influence and motor vehicle homicide, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel C. Conley's office. Judge David T. Donnelly set his bail at $25,000 cash.

Finnerty's attorney, William Crowe of Boston, did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.

In a State Police report filed in court, Trooper John McCarthy said he arrived at the scene around 3 a.m. and saw two paramedics standing over the victim, whom they had just pronounced dead.

McCarthy said the victim, whose identity remained unknown this afternoon, was walking when he was struck in the left-hand lane of Soldiers Field Road near its intersection with Everett street.

Finnerty was in his car and admitted he was driving, police said. He initially denied drinking alcohol, but then was quoted as telling the trooper, "well...not a lot, maybe a glass of wine or something earlier.''

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

An 18-year-old Brockton man has been charged with kidnapping and attempted rape and murder after he allegedly threatened a woman he met at a nightclub with a steak knife.

Adelito Fonseca was arrested Sunday night in Foxborough on charges that also included assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery to intimidate, assault to rape, intimidation of a witness, and assault and battery.

According to a press release issued by Foxborough police, Fonseca met the woman at a Rhode Island nightclub and drove her to Foxborough. Fonseca allegedly threatened to kill her if she did not have sex with him.

By Brian Ballou, Globe staff

A man who allegedly shot into a crowd gathered near Elder Street in Dorchester earlier this month, killing a 19-year-old mother, was charged earlier today with homicide and several gun violations.

Daniel Harris, of Dorchester, stood behind a door throughout his arraignment at Roxbury District Court. As Assistant District Attorney David Fredette described how Harris allegedly shot Alexandra Gomes, several members of the victim's family, seated in the front row of the courtroom, gasped and started crying. The family members later declined comment.

Fredette said Harris also hit four other people, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries. An unidentified man who was standing nearby pulled out a handgun and shot back at Harris, hitting him in the hip, Fredette said. The man who apparently returned fire had a license to carry a firearm and has not been charged.

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

Embattled state Senator Dianne Wilkerson has asked a federal magistrate judge for a court-appointed lawyer, saying she cannot afford to pay an attorney to defend her against charges that she took $23,500 in bribes.

In a two-sentence motion filed late Friday, Wilkerson asked US Magistrate Judge Timothy S. Hillman to appoint Max D. Stern as a taxpayer-funded lawyer.

Stern had been defending Wilkerson in a petition for discipline filed by the state Office of the Bar Counsel in an unrelated matter when authorities arrested her Oct. 28 on federal corruption charges. Stern began representing her in the criminal matter, but there was widespread speculation in the legal community that she would be unable to pay him given her long history of financial problems.

(Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

Ben Perron of St. John's-Shrewsbury crawled toward the finish line after collapsing during the Division 1 MIAA Cross Country Championship at Franklin Park on Saturday. Perron finished the race.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

Braintree bank robbed overnight

Buzz:

Hub grads come up short in college

Suffolk's Sargent tops pay scale for college presidents

Being behind a farm vehicle just got more frustrating

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Globe Staff

Thieves pried open the rear door of a bank in Braintree overnight, sawed into an ATM machine, and stole an unspecified amount of cash, police said.

Before breaking into the Citizen's Bank on Granite Street, wires were cut outside, severing a communication link to police. The intruders then broke down a fire escape door and removed a video recorder, which rendered surveillance cameras useless, police said in a press release.

Officers responded the scene shortly after 1 a.m. to investigate the communication failure at the bank. Police discovered the cut wires outside, and inside the officers saw smoke, which prompted them to notify the fire department. The smoke, however, was actually debris from the metal cutting tool used to split open the ATM machine.

Police did not report making any arrests.

By Sarah Gantz, Globe Correspondent

Thousands of people rallied outside Boston City Hall today to voice their support for same-sex marriage and protest the recent California vote that made it illegal in that state.

Despite intermittent rain, about 4,000 people from Boston and beyond attended, organizers estimated. Boston Police do not make official crowd estimates.

Briellen Daggett said she and her girlfriend had planned to move to California next year. "I absolutely will not move there," unless the law is reversed, said Daggett, 20, of Middleborough.

Brightly colored signs and rainbow flags were scattered through the crowd, which gathered around a stage as activists from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and MassEquality spoke, along with state and local politicians.

(Photo by Randy H. Goodman)

Officials conferred at the scene this morning.

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff

NEWTON -- Someone spray-painted a swastika on the sign at a Newton temple Friday night or early this morning.

Rabbi Eric Gurvis of Temple Shalom said a number of teenagers and their parents attending a ceremony today noticed it, prompting him to scrap his planned comments and condemn it from the pupit. He also talked about the incident with members of a prayer group of about 40 people.

"There is a collective sense at a troubled time that we need to be optimistic and try to make things better," he said, paraphrasing his remarks. "Something like this reminds you how much more there is to do, and on how many fronts."

Gurvis, in his 10th year as rabbi at the temple, which is on Temple Street in the West Newton area, said there had been no similar problems during his tenure. The incident took place on the anniversary weekend of the Kristallnacht pogroms in Nazi Germany that marked the begining of the Holocaust.

Newton Police did not return phone calls this afternoon, but police could be seen patrolling the area frequently.

(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

Firefighters cleaning up after today's blaze.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

A three-alarm fire this morning caused an estimated $1.6 million in damage to a building on Boylston Street in Boston's Back Bay section.

Four firefighters received non-life-threatening injuries fighting the blaze, which happened on a strip that includes upscale restaurants and stores. No other injuries were reported, said Steve MacDonald, a Boston Fire Department spokesman.

The three-story building housed the Atlantic Fish Co., a restaurant, with a Crate & Barrel store next door, the top two floors of which extended over the restaurant.

Road closures and other transportation advisories for the week of Nov. 16:

Two to three lanes of I-93 South will be closed approaching and through downtown Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Storrow Drive on-ramp to I-93 South will be closed Thursday and Friday from 11:59 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Haymarket on-ramp to I-93 South and the Callahan Tunnel will be closed Monday through Wednesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

By Tracy Jan and Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Lest college students think otherwise, smoking, growing, and selling pot is still illegal on campuses.

It seems that the recent passage of Question 2, which decriminalized possession of small amounts of marijuana, caused confusion (and perhaps raised hopes?) among some students at Emerson College.

Dean of Students Ron Ludman, saying "some individuals have inquired if [Question 2's] passage will impact college policy," felt compelled to send a campuswide e-mail to set the record straight. He reminded students of the school's code of conduct. Those found guilty are subject to a $75 fine, a letter home to parents, and suspension.

"Possession is still unlawful in Massachusetts and the College is still subject to the federal Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act," he wrote. "That law conditions the College's receipt of federal funds on its enforcement of standards of conduct that clearly prohibit unlawful possession, use, or distribution of illicit drugs."

Lesson of the day: The law is the law.

By Globe Staff

A 39-year-old Jamaica Plain woman was arraigned today on charges that she tried to bilk a 92-year-old man out of $330,000 as he lay in a hospital bed.

Tammy Lewis

Lewis allegedly conspired with her boyfriend, Rodolfo Bonilla, 44. He was arraigned earlier in the week, also on seven counts of larceny over $250, and was ordered held on $100,000 cash bail.

According to prosecutors and police reports, Bonilla allegedly worked with Lewis to get a mentally incompetent Michael Kostecki to sign a power of attorney designation in June and to then drain the elderly man's account at Citizens Bank.

Lewis was already being held on $100,000 bail for a separate scam, the district attorney's office said.

Lewis's attorney, Thomas Karp, couldn't be reached for comment Friday night.

A picture of Corey Shea from his Myspace page.

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

MANSFIELD – He was good at football and hockey and one heck of a poker player. Corey Shea was also good at being a soldier, his family said today.

“He was a hero,” his mother, Denise Anderson, said. “He was my hero.”

Shea, 21, died in Iraq Wednesday near the city of Mosul when he and other soldiers were ambushed by a renegade Iraqi soldier with possible ties to al Qaeda. One other soldier was killed, six more were injured. The Iraqi soldier was shot dead.

Specialist Shea, a cavalry scout with the Killer Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment out of Fort Hood, Texas, had been in Iraq for a year. His tour of duty was to expire in January.

By Globe Staff

A Boston man is facing a murder charge in the slaying early Sunday of a 19-year-old Dorchester mother who wanted to become a nurse.

Daniel Harris, 23, is charged with killing Alexandra Gomes in an incident on Elder Street in Dorchester.

"This arrest brings us one step closer to justice for a young mother taken from those who loved her and needed her most, but it's not the end of our efforts," said Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. He called for people to step forward and assist investigators.

"Even the smallest piece of evidence could be of great value" he said.

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

A three-alarm fire that killed a Palmer woman Thursday was caused by bedding coming too close to a baseboard heater, the State Fire Marshal and Palmer Fire Department said today.

The victim, 44-year-old Theresa M. Francis, could not escape her apartment in a four-unit building on Commercial Street in Palmer because of the intensity of the flames, officials said.

“Investigators believe that the blanket came in contact with the electric baseboard heater and that is how the fire started,” Fire Chief Alan J. Roy said in a statement.

Roy said there was no evidence that there were working smoke alarms in the apartment, but fire officials could not be completely sure because of the amount of destruction.

By Globe Staff

J. James Marzilli Jr., the state senator from Arlington who faces charges of sexually accosting several women earlier this year, has resigned, the Senate president's office said today.

J. James Marzilli Jr.

She said Marzilli's resignation, which was effective at 5 p.m. today would "begin the process of restoring the public's trust in their government."

Marzilli's resignation came after revelations that he had attended a conference in Germany last month in his official capacity, while the charges were pending that he had accosted women in downtown Lowell.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- Blood, DNA, and fingerprint evidence suggesting that Haleigh Poutre's severely injured body was near the basement stairs and the first-floor bathroom of her Westfield home dominated today's testimony in the child-abuse trial of her stepfather.

This evidence has been considered critical to the prosecution's case alleging that her stepfather, Jason Strickland, threw Haleigh down the stairs and then carried her unconscious body to a first-floor bathroom in an attempt to rouse her.

Haleigh was 11 when the alleged abuse took place on a September weekend in 2005. Prosecutors say her adoptive mother, Holli Strickland, also played a role in the violence that weekend, or at least observed all of it.

State Police chemists and a trooper also testified that blood belonging to Holli Strickland was detected on a Barbie towel found in the home. After six days of testimony, Hampden County prosecutor Laurel Brandt has yet to show forensic evidence that links the stepfather to the blood stains near the basement stairs or first-floor bathroom.

Defense attorneys have also pointed out to jurors that there is no evidence how long these blood stains existed in the home. For at least five years, the state's child-protection agency believed Holli Strickland's account that the girl's multiple bruises and burns were due to a psychological disorder causing her to hurt herself, including sometimes hurling herself down stairs.

A picture of a pine tree shilling from the historical society's collection. The coin was stamped with the year 1652.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The Macy's building in Downtown Crossing has certainly made its share of profits over the years. But 350 years ago on the same exact site, they were literally making money.

The Bostonian Society today plans to unveil a historic marker at the building, which once was the site of the Hull Mint, the first mint in British North America, said Brian LeMay, executive director of the city's private nonprofit historical society.

The mint was established in 1652 by the colonial Legislature. John Hull, a silversmith, was appointed as head of the mint. It operated for about 30 years, making a number of silver coins, the best-known being the pine tree shilling, said LeMay.

LeMay noted that the mint was authorized without the colony notifying or seeking permission from the British government.

"Everybody on this side of the pond agreed some coinage was necessary," he said.

Samia Letaief, Reginald Ellis, and Edward Baez were happy with the gas prices today at Hatoff's in Jamaica Plain.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Yes, you can believe your eyes. Gas prices under $2 per gallon have arrived in Boston.

Customers at Hatoff’s on Washington Street in Jamaica Plain welcomed the station’s price of $1.99.9 this afternoon.

“It really feels good,” said Marc Millien, 31, of Dorchester. “It’s a big surprise. ... I hope it goes down more.”

“It’s been forever,” said Samia Letaief, 46, of Hyde Park. “It really has.”

Gas prices around the state have been dropping down to just above $2 a gallon, according to www.massachusettsgasprices.com. And dozens of stations -- many in the southeastern portion of the state -- have begun offering gas below $2.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Superintendent-in-Chief Robert Dunford denied today that he tried to interfere with a colleague’s disciplining of a drill instructor suspected of having an affair with a police recruit.

"The whole internal affairs process does not report to me,” he said in a telephone interview. “It reports to the commissioner. I have no role in internal affairs investigations."

A day after he went on leave, Dunford said he may hire a lawyer and plans to return to the department.

“I’m stepping aside until the conclusion of the investigation,” he said.

According to two public officials who spoke to the Globe on condition of anonymity, Deputy Superintendent Marie Donahue, who oversees the police academy, placed Officer Paul Downey on desk duty because she suspected he was having an affair with a female recruit.

The officials said that Dunford soon called her and told her to restore him to full duty. Dunford denied that allegation.

"If I was going to stop her, he wouldn't have been placed on desk duty," he said. Dunford said Donahue never told him she suspected an affair between Downey and the recruit.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff/file)

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board voted 4-1 today in favor of an unprecedented toll increase, approving a 75 cent hike at the Weston and Allston-Brighton tollbooths and a $3.50 surge at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels.

The plan would increase the charge at Weston and Allston-Brighton to $2 from $1.25 and at the tunnels to $7 from $3.50. Fast Lane users would pay $1.50 at Weston and Allston-Brighton and $6 at the tunnels. The steepest spike would be felt by taxi riders coming from Logan International Airport, where the charge for cabs at the Sumner and Ted Williams tunnels will jump to $9 from $5.25.

The proposed toll increases are still subject to public hearings and the increases would not take effect until February or March, after a final vote. The measure would raise an estimated $100 million a year, closing the Turnpike Authority's staggering budget deficit. Governor Deval Patrick outlined a plan to dismantle the beleaguered agency in an op-ed piece in Thursday's Globe as he acknowledged that "there is simply no way around an increase in the short term."

By Globe Staff

For decades, Boston's City Hall has been the butt of jokes and the object of scorn. Although some architects have praised its Brutalist design, local detractors have derided it as the Incredible Hulk and said it resembles a jail and "the crate that Faneuil Hall came in.''

Now City Hall, which opened in 1969, is getting some international attention: It tops the list of the "World's Top 10 Ugliest Buildings' and Monuments'' compiled by the website VirtualTourist.com, which provides tourism and travel information. Editors and readers of the site point out the building's "dreary facade" and its "incongruity with the city's more genteel architecture. Luckily, it's very close to more aesthetically pleasing attractions.''

Mayor Thomas Menino has long disliked the present City Hall and has proposed to tear it down and build an "architecturally magnificent" one on the South Boston waterfront.

"This is great news for tourism in Boston," Menino said. "It proves we really do have it all -- the most historic places in the world and the ugliest building in the world. You can see it all right here in beloved Boston."

Rounding out the top five on the website's list of ugliest buildings, and the site's comments about them, are:

-- Montparnasse Tower in Paris; "the ominous stick is a blight on the landscape of the world's most stunning city.''

-- LuckyShoe Monument, in Tuuri, Finland, "a giant, golden horseshoe."

-- Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool, England; "people who work here must be sick of the space capsule jokes.''

-- Port Authority Bus Terminal, New York City; an "iron monstrosity.''

Want the whole list? Here's a separate story , from Reuters.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Internal Revenue Service agents raided a strip club on Thursday in Salisbury owned by the Methuen superintendent of parks and recreation as well as the man's home.

Methuen Mayor William M. Manzi 3d said today the city is waiting to see what, if anything happens, in the investigation into the affairs of Kevin G. Moury, before deciding whether to take action against the longtime city employee.

“The IRS went to his business and to his home, of that there is no doubt,” Manzi said in a telephone interview. “But what that means, and what they’re looking at, is not known to the city.”

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff, and Jeannie M. Nuss, Globe Correspondent

NEW BEDFORD -- After more than 30 hours, the Coast Guard ended a search this morning for a 57-year-old fishing captain whose boat capsized 115 miles east of Cape Cod.

Antonio Mesquita

"The decision to end a search is one of the most difficult ones to make," said Petty Officer First Class Gerald Welton in a statement. "Our thoughts are with Mr. Mesquita's family and friends."

At about midnight on Thursday, Mesquita rushed into the pilothouse of his foundering fishing vessel and slapped the emergency alarm, alerting his three-man crew to the danger they faced. The crewmen -- Francisco Brito, Joao Matias, and Jorge Talma -- survived. Mesquita, who was last seen inside the pilothouse, apparently did not.

(AP photo)
President Bush and Barney, in happier times.

By Globe Staff

His White House gravy train is coming to an end soon. So could Barney, the first pooch, be in a bad state over his imminent departure from his cozy Pennsylvania Avenue crib?

Last Friday, he took a took a bite out of a Reuters reporter who had stooped to pet the Scottish terrier (see video). And now, more details are emerging about how Barney turned on Celtics public relations director Heather Walker in September.

Walker was visiting the White House with the NBA champions when she reached down to pet Barney, who promptly bit her on the wrist, drawing blood.

"Oh, my God, you've got to be kidding," Walker, a Salem resident, said in a story in today's Salem News. "I couldn't believe the president's dog bit me."

But Walker, a dog lover and yellow Lab owner, took the incident in stride. The Boston Herald reported that the Celtics doctor was on hand to tend to Heather, and the visit with President Bush continued.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

Trolley collision injures 7, delays Green Line

Modern Continental reaches $21m settlement for Big Dig collapse

Pike managers outline proposed toll hike

Malden city worker accused of embezzlement

Buzz:

Superintendent of police under investigation

Poutre sister's testimony was lacking

The pendulum swings: Boston urged to reclaim Poe

State senator's trip irks colleagues

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Two Green Line trolleys collided this morning in the Boylston T station, sending seven people to local hospitals with reports of neck and back pain, according to an MBTA spokesman.

One trolley bumped into the back of a second trolley as it pulled up to the Boylston platform. The collision at 8:45 a.m. did not damage or derail the trains, but it caused the two trolleys to hitch together, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. There were approximately 500 riders on the two trains.

“All of a sudden, the train just shook,” said Eric Chen, a Northeastern student on his way to work at Government Center. “A couple people spilled their coffee, and my friend hit her head.”

(AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, file 2006)

By Globe Staff

The Attorney General's office has reached a $21 million agreement with Modern Continental for damages resulting from the fatal tunnel collapse in June 2006.

The agreement, which must be approved by a bankruptcy court, would also bar the construction contractor from doing any further work on the Big Dig.

"Today's settlement marks another step toward resolving the remaining outstanding claims related to problems in the Big Dig tunnels," Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerald T. Leone discussed the case today.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

An employee in the Malden treasury office has been accused of a property tax scam that allegedly allowed her to embezzle tens of thousands of dollars.

State Police surrounded a car outside a Malden bank and arrested the city employee, Gia Desantis Cox, and a man involved in the scam, according to a press release issued by the Middlesex District Attorney's office. The pair allegedly had $3,500 in cash.

Cox is scheduled to be arraigned today in Malden District Court on charges of larceny over $250 and conspiracy to commit larceny over $250. The man involved in the scam is also expected to be arraigned on similar charges. His name was not released.

“We allege that this defendant abused her position of trust and access in the Malden Treasury to steal money that rightfully belonged to the city’s taxpayers,” Middlesex District Attorney Gerald T. Leone said in a statement. “We are continuing to investigate the scope of this scheme, but we estimate that this has resulted in the theft of tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars.”

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

A highway ramp has been closed this morning in Weymouth after an ambulance collided with a box truck, State Police said.

The crash occurred on the ramp between Route 3 south and Route 18 south. The ambulance was en route to the scene of an earlier rollover accident, said Sergeant Dan Mahan.

Mahan said there have been minor injuries, but he did not know how many.

By Globe Staff

Police may be able to charge a suspect with resisting arrest just for running away from them, the state appeals court ruled today.

Upholding the conviction of Luzander Montoya, a man who fled Holyoke police on the night of Sept. 11, 2005, the Massachusetts Appeals Court said a suspect being chased can be charged with resisting arrest if, in running away, he or she creates “a substantial risk of causing bodily injury” to the officers.

Montoya’s attorney had argued that his running away from the two officers was “purely passive conduct.”

But the court noted that Montoya ran across a parking lot and down a ramp, scaled a chain-link fence, and jumped 25 feet into a shallow canal. It was late at night and the area was poorly lit. The other side of the fence had no ledge that would permit a person to land on it.

Neither officer jumped over the fence and followed Montoya into the canal. Montoya gave up after the officers shouted at him through the fence. He was retrieved from the canal when a ladder was lowered to him, the court said in an opinion written by Justice Charlotte Anne Perretta.

But the "circumstances present more than sufficient evidence" that Montoya's conduct could have caused an officer to be injured, and the charge could be presented to the jury, the court ruled.

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

The Coast Guard is investigating what caused a 250-foot barge to hit a bridge in the Merrimack River today.

The barge William Breckenridge hit the Derek Hines Memorial Bridge, also known as the Amesbury swing bridge, shortly before noon while traveling through the channel north of Deer Island, the Coast Guard said in a statement. The bridge connects Amesbury and Deer Island. A second bridge, the Chain Bridge, connects Deer Island and Newburyport.

No injuries or pollution releases were reported, said Coast Guard officials.

“We take these reports seriously and investigate them quickly,” Lieutenant Kate Higgins, duty officer in Boston, said in a statement.

(Joseph Mehling photo)
Dartmouth president James Wright: "Revenue is down significantly."

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

Dartmouth College president James Wright announced a range of cost-cutting measures yesterday in the latest sign that the financial downturn is hurting the nation's colleges and universities.

In an e-mail sent to the Dartmouth community, Wright wrote that "revenue is down significantly because of declining endowment performance," and that the university must reduce its staff to offset its losses. He called for cuts of $40 million over the next two fiscal years to prevent cuts in financial aid.

Dartmouth's move follows similar cutbacks by Harvard, Columbia, Boston University, and other institutions that are facing steep declines in endowments. Dartmouth's endowment dropped $220 million from July through September to $3.4 billion.

"As we have received more information about how the volatile economy has affected the college, we now recognize that it will not be possible to reduce the budget at this level without cutting back our compensation expenses," Wright wrote. "Attrition will be the preferred approach to this, but it is not likely to be sufficient to meet our objectives."

(Mesquita family photo)

The Coast Guard is searching for Antonio Mesquita.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

NEW BEDFORD -- The family and friends of a fishing boat captain gathered today to comfort and support each other as the Coast Guard searched for him in the ocean off Cape Cod, where his boat suddenly capsized overnight.

The captain, Antonio Mesquita, 56, was a Portuguese native who had been working in New Bedford as a commercial fisherman for more than 20 years, his daughter, Sandra Silveirinha said.

She said she recognized the odds of him surviving were shrinking every minute, but she still hoped that he was alive.

“My heart wants to tell me yes. I would hope that he is. But I don’t know,” she said outside the family home in the southern section of the city.

The 71-foot Costa & Corvo capsized 115 miles off Cape Cod. Three other crew members on board were plucked from the ocean by fishermen in their sister craft, the Mary K, the Coast Guard said.

"The crew says that everything happened so quickly they weren't even able to put on their life vests,'' said Petty Officer Connie Terrell, a Coast Guard spokeswoman.

By Globe Staff

An alleged purse snatcher is facing larceny charges after several good Samaritans chased him along downtown Boston streets Wednesday until he was arrested by a police officer working a paid detail, police said.

Dana Funderburg

According to police, shortly before 1 p.m. Wednesday, Funderburg allegedy grabbed a silver-colored purse from a woman who was in the Cosi restaurant on State Street. “He’s stealing my purse!'' the woman shouted.

Funderburg ran off -- with several people pursuing. During the foot chase, Funderburg threw the purse away, but it was recovered by one of the people chasing him, police said.

A Boston Police officer working a paid detail near School Street saw the chase and joined in. With the help of an off-duty Providence police officer, the officer took Funderburg into custody after a brief struggle, police said.

Jonathan Keaveny, Funderburg’s court-appointed attorney, said it was too early to comment on the details of the case.

“He’s going to be denying responsibility, clearly,” he said.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Democratic state Senator J. James Marzilli, who has been accused of sexual assault, flew to Germany last month and participated in a panel discussion on “Greening the Economy” that identified him as a representative of the Massachusetts State Senate.

J. James Marzilli Jr.

Marzilli pleaded not guilty in June to charges he accosted four women in Lowell. Marzilli did not seek reelection but continues to be paid and will receive a bump in his pension if he remains in office until January.

Marzilli's attorney, Terrence Kennedy, defended his client's trip to Germany, saying this afternoon there was "absolutely no prohibition to him traveling anywhere but Lowell.”

"He didn’t use any taxpayer funds while he was there," Kennedy said, adding that Marzilli has attended the conference numerous times in the past. "He didn’t violate any law, he didn’t violate any rule. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it.”

While Kennedy asserted no taxpayer funds were used, if Marzilli got the same deal as another attendee, he did not have to pay out of his own pocket.

Anja Caldwell, an environmental architect from Maryland who was on the panel with Marzilli, said she did not get a speaking fee, but conference organizers paid for her airfare and hotel. She was contacted about three months before the conference.

Marzilli's quiet trip to Germany preceded the arrest of state Senator Dianne Wilkerson, a Roxbury Democrat who is accused of taking bribes to shepherd through legislation in an FBI sting. The Senate took swift action, calling unanimously for Wilkerson to resign, but so far has not taken similar action on Marzilli.

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

A 44-year-old woman was killed in Palmer early this morning when a three-alarm fire tore through an apartment building, according to police and fire officials.

The blaze started at 1:15 a.m. in a four-unit building at 29 Commercial Street, according to a press release issued by the Palmer Police Department. Firefighters extinguished the blaze.

Police identified the victim as Theresa M. Francis. Investigators are trying to determine whether a space heater ignited draperies, according to Palmer Police Chief Robert Frydryk, who spoke to The Springfield Republican in an article posted on the newspaper's website.

The intensity of the flames apparently prevented Francis from escaping from her apartment, police said.

By Anne Baker and Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondents

A man was shot this morning in Carver and taken to a local hospital with what authorities described as non-life-threatening injuries.

The man was shot at about 10:30 a.m. on South Meadow Road in Carver. An ambulance tended to him just over the town line in Plymouth, taking him to a local hospital, according to the Plymouth Fire Department.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting were not immediately clear. Carver Police would not provide any details. A spokeswoman for the Plymouth District Attorney's office said it was a non-fatal shooting that was being handled by Carver Police.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The state’s highest court has ruled that the parents of a young CVS clerk who was stabbed to death in 2004 when he chased a shoplifter out of his Longwood Avenue store cannot sue the store’s owners.

Cristian Giambrone

The court said the suit was barred by a provision in the workers’ compensation law that prohibits lawsuits against employers for work-related injuries. The provision was intended as a tradeoff in which workers would give up their rights to sue in exchange for receiving workers’ compensation benefits.

The court rejected an argument by the plaintiffs that they should be allowed to sue because no workers' compensation had been paid to Giambrone, who died at the scene.

The court, in an opinion written by Chief Justice Margaret Marshall, noted that a lower court judge had said the case was “heart-rending” and had “found it troubling that there appeared to be no remedy available to the parents against the employer for a claimed wrong.”

(AP Photos/Dave Roback, Pool)

When Samantha Poutre, 12, was asked today to identify her stepfather, she pointed to a man in the courtroom audience. She did not point to Jason Strickland, who is shown above in photograph taken on Nov. 5.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- The prosecution in the child abuse trial of Haleigh Poutre’s stepfather suffered a major setback today when its key witness pointed to the wrong man when asked to identify the defendant in court.

Haleigh Poutre

But when prosecutor Laurel Brandt asked Samantha to identify Strickland, the girl pointed to a man in the audience of the courtroom. The man Samantha identified was a lawyer in a separate case attending the proceeding as a spectator.

Minutes later, the prosecutor pointed to the defense table where the stepfather sat with his three lawyers. She asked Samantha whether she knew anyone at that table, and the girl told the jury she did not recognize any of them.

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

This keeps up, and colleges can build a lot fewer classrooms.

More than one in five college students is taking at least one course online, a 13 percent increase in enrollment that far outpaced the growth of the overall student population, a new survey has found.

The sixth annual survey, considered the leading barometer of online enrollment, found that the number of students taking online courses more than doubled between 2002 and 2007, the year the survey targeted. Almost 4 million students now take courses online, about 84 percent of them undergraduates.

"We are still seeing double-digit growth," said study co-author Elaine Allen, research director of the Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship at Babson College. "Yet schools report they are competing for students as online options expand."

The survey of 2,500 colleges and universities was conducted by researchers at Babson College, the College Board, and the Sloan Consortium.

The current financial crisis is expected to further the trend.

"In these tough economic times, with unemployment up and higher costs for heating and transportation, we will inevitably see the appeal of online education grow," said Frank Mayadas, program director of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. "The survey results demonstrate that online education is increasingly playing an important role in higher education."

(Essdras Suarez/Globe Staff)

The 30-by-45-foot digital mural on WGBH's headquarters in Brighton has been dark for some five months due to a series of glitches. The last straw came in June, when the state-of-the-art LED screen carried a pockmarked image of Big Bird. WGBH is now suing the installer and manufacturer.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

3 New Bedford fishermen rescued; search continues for captain

Woman, 44, killed in Palmer fire

Buzz:

WGBH files suit over repairs for video wall

Boston purse snatcher chased down by Good Samaritans

Sox step in, freeze ticket prices

Rift in House over DiMasi widens

From the mike to the Oval Office

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

A car that was stolen Monday carrying about 500 cellphones collected to benefit troops overseas was found today in Weymouth, about a quarter mile from where it was last seen, police said.

A window was smashed and the phones were gone, said Weymouth Police Sergeant Rick Fuller.

The stolen 1990 Oldsmobile was found at 11:45 a.m. at Old Stone Condominiums, around the corner from the Weymouth Elks Club, where it was taken on Monday between 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., said Fuller.

"We weren't sure if it was targeted for the car or the phones, but after finding it a quarter of a mile away, [we can assume] it was for the cellphones," said Fuller.

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

A New Bedford man was sentenced today to 2 1/2 years in jail after pleading guilty to charges that he was text messaging on his cellphone when he struck and killed a 13-year-old boy with his car in Taunton last year.

Craig P. Bigos

Earl Machado, 13, was riding his bike alongside a friend who was walking down dark Poole Street in Taunton on Dec. 27 when he was struck by Bigos’s car. Bigos told police he was text messaging and thought he hit a mailbox while on the way to his girlfriend’s house. The next day, he noticed police cars investigating the accident and realized he hit a person. He turned himself in to New Bedford police.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A changing of the guard is ahead for Massachusetts Republicans. Peter Torkildsen, the party chairman, said today he would not seek reelection to the post.

Peter Torkildsen

He said he would remain active in the party, but “it’s time to help the party in a different capacity.”

Torkildsen said he would give himself a "mixed grade" as party chair, noting that while all Republican incumbent state lawmakers held onto their seats in last week's elections, three open House seats switched from Republican to Democratic. Republicans will be far outnumbered on Beacon Hill in January, with only 16 Republicans among the state's 160 representatives and five among the state's 40 senators.

"It was disappointing because we lost net seats. ... But I think I've helped sow the seeds for the party growing in the future," he said. He said he felt the voters would eventually realize the evils of having a single party in charge in both the Legislature and the governor's office.

(Josh Reynolds/Globe photo)
Ravinder Kainth, her mother-in-law, Amarjit Kainth, and son Harsh Kainth, 2, all of Malden, along Pleasant Street today.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

MALDEN – This working-class city of 56,000 sports a bounty of strip malls and a downtown full of auto-repair shops and fast-food restaurants. And according to BusinessWeek magazine, it also ranks as the state's top community to raise children.

That declaration surprised some long-time residents shopping today off Pleasant Street.

"I think it might be a bit of an exaggeration," said Theresa Pinette, 73, who has lived all her life in Malden. "I would call this a little surprising. I can think of a lot of other places that would rank higher."

In explaining its criteria, the magazine acknowledged in its latest editoin that the ranking "wasn't a perfect list."

By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

They allegedly bilked nearly $330,000 from the bank accounts of a sick 92-year-old man.

But that, apparently, was not enough, according to prosecutors.

The couple -- a personal banker and his girlfriend -- trekked to Michael Kostecki's hospital room and allegedly tried to steal $5,000 in cash he had brought with him to Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, a prosecutor said today in West Roxbury Municipal Court.

Despite a letter signed by Kostecki granting the girlfriend power of attorney, hospital officials refused to give the couple the elderly man's last scraps of cash. The hospital notified Citizens Bank, which launched an investigation and told the Suffolk District Attorney's office.

The personal banker, Rodolfo Bonilla, 44, pleaded not guilty today to six counts of larceny over $250 from the elderly or disabled. Prosecutors also plan to charge the girlfriend, Tammy Lewis, 39, who is being held in another case in which she is accused of a defrauding a Connecticut man of $150,000.

Bonilla had been Kostecki's longtime banker at Citizens Bank in Jamaica Plain. He has since been fired from the bank.

Defense attorney Sarah McClean disputed the prosecution's facts today in court, saying that Bonilla and Lewis were not romantically involved but merely neighbors in Jamaica Plain. None of the checks drawn from Kostecki's accounts were in Bonilla's name, McClean said, and he did not benefit from any of the money.

"These are very serious allegations, but there are two sides to the story," McClean said, adding that Kostecki asked for Bonilla's help with his finances.

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Mayor Thomas M. Menino rang the bell at the Downtown Crossing event this morning.

By Globe Staff

In past years, when times have gotten tough, people have dug deep in their pockets to put cash in the Salvation Army's distinctive red kettles. This year, the organization's officials worry, might be different.

“In other times, what these economic downturns had meant was maybe no raise this year, maybe no Christmas bonus. But now, we’re looking at folks that may be going from a donor to being a client,” said Major Raphael Jackson, general secretary of the Salvation Army of Massachusetts.

The Salvation Army held the kickoff for its kettle campaign today in Boston’s Downtown Crossing. Jackson said in a telephone interview after the event that the campaign collected $3.1 million in 2007 and he was hoping it would raise $3.5 million this year.

(David G. Curran for The Boston Globe)

The Mya had a police escort as it rolled down Route 6 in Barnstable this morning.

By Globe Staff

US Senator Edward M. Kennedy, the liberal giant from Massachusetts who is battling brain cancer, will likely spend some time sailing in Florida this year during the Congressional recess, a spokesman said today.

His boat, the Mya, is heading to Florida this week, Keith Maley said. A photographer caught a picture of the sloop, loaded aboard a truck, heading along Route 6 in Sagamore this morning.

After undergoing a brain biopsy and being diagnosed in late May, Kennedy walked out of Massachusetts General Hospital days earlier than scheduled, and went sailing on the Mya in a light breeze on Nantucket Sound.

"It was wonderful to be on the water," Kennedy said after disembarking at the time. "It's all it takes." A few days later, he took second in his class in a sailing race.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

Emergency crews at the scene after the crash last week.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A Rhode Island man will face charges after his negligent driving allegedly caused a tractor-trailer carrying aviation fuel to overturn on Interstate 95 in Attleboro last week, an accident that forced the closure of the southbound side of the highway for nearly 11 hours.

Andrew Tavares, 21, of East Providence was allegedly driving too fast and lost control of his car, which then rammed into the truck, sending it careening out of control, State Police said in a statement.

An investigation found that Tavares "was driving at a speed greater than reasonable for the highway conditions at that time, and that his excessive speed combined with his attempt to swerve around the vehicle in front of him caused him to lose control of his car," State Police said.

Tavares has been summonsed to court to faces charges of negligent operation, failing to stay within marked lanes, speeding, driving an unregistered motor vehicle, failing to notify the registry of an address change, and possession of drug paraphernalia, State Police said. He is to be arraigned at a future date in Attleboro District Court.

By Globe Staff

The man who allegedly stole a $110,000 diamond ring from a high-end jewelry store in Newton over the weekend has been arrested, police said today.

Bartel was arrested without incident this morning at about 9:30 a.m. by Quincy detectives. He is to be arraigned today in Newton District Court.

Lieutenant Bruce Apotheker, a police spokesman, said he didn't know whether the ring had been recovered.

Police have alleged that a surveillance camera recorded video of Bartel fleeing a Shreve, Crump & Low store at the The Mall at Chestnut Hill on Sunday, holding the ring.

By Gregory B. Hladky, Globe Correspondent

NEW HAVEN -- Peg Oliveira and Jennifer Vickery became Connecticut's first legally wed same-sex couple shortly before 11 a.m. today in a ceremony on the steps of City Hall punctuated with tears, red roses, and clutches of white balloons.

Their marriage was conducted nearly 90 minutes after a lower court judge formally entered a decision to comply with a state Supreme Court ruling that found that any laws banning same-sex marriage violated Connecticut's constitution. Standing in Superior Court, the eight plaintiff couples in the case hugged each other and their lawyers as Judge Jonathan E. Silbert entered the ruling and cleared the final hurdle, making this the only state other than Massachusetts to allow same-sex couples to wed.

"Today Connecticut sends a message of hope and inspiration to lesbian and gay people throughout this country who simply want to be treated as equal citizens by their government," said Ben Klein, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, speaking on the courthouse steps "This is living proof that marriage equality is alive and well and making progress in this country."

The plaintiff couples and the crowd of 50 well-wishers walked a few blocks to City Hall to be greeted with bouquets of red roses and clusters of white balloons. A small crowd at the steps cheered and passing cars honked in support of the same-sex marriage victory.

(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

The boots and dog tags of Marine Lance Corporal Alexander Arredondo stood on Tuesday in the Hall of Flags at the State House during a Veteran's Day ceremony. Arredondo was killed in Najaf, Iraq, in August 2004, the month he turned 20 years old.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Buzz:

Smoking ban tied to a gain in lives

Big Dig debt challenges Massport

Leominster mayor tests power of $1 to help heat homes

Veterans Day parade gets smaller crowd, fewer marchers

By Globe Staff

A new chapter in Connecticut history -- and the history of gay rights -- is about to begin. A Superior Court judge in New Haven is expected to enter the final judgment in a case authorizing same-sex marriage in that state. And once that happens, same-sex couples are free to get marriage licenses.

The Connecticut Supreme Court ruled 4-3 last month that same-sex couples have the right to wed. The high court sent the case back to the Superior Court, where Judge Jonathan Silbert is slated to issue his ruling Wednesday.

Connecticut will join Massachusetts in allowing gay marriages. (Gay marriage was also legal in California, but it was outlawed by a statewide vote in last week’s elections.)

Gay rights advocates have said they expect it to be a historic and happy day. Some same-sex couples said they were elated.

"We're thrilled and we don't want to wait one minute," said Peg Oliveira, a 36-year-old yoga teacher and educational consultant who plans to marry Jennifer Vickery, a 44-year-old lawyer, on the New Haven green on Wednesday. "I want to show the folks who worked so hard to make this possible that we are very grateful and we don't want to wait any longer to be able to say the words 'We are married."'

Harvard University on Monday became the latest college to announce that it is looking to cut spending, as the nation's financial downturn hits institutions large and small. Boston.com asked Richard Doherty, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts, to assess the coming impact on campuses.

Q. Do you forsee the economic crisis leading to sharp tuition increases next year? Will colleges boost or reduce their financial aid budgets in response?

Colleges will do their best to allocate as much money as possible to financial aid recognizing that their students are facing extreme economic pressures, but as we have seen in recent reports even well-to-do colleges and universities are under significant financial pressures themselves.

Q. What type of colleges will be the hardest hit by endowment losses, and how will it affect their operating budgets?

A. All colleges, public and private, will be adversely affected by endowment losses. However, those colleges and universities which generate a greater percentage of their operating revenues from endowment income will probably be more immediately impacted by endowment losses.

Not surprisingly these tend to be larger, more well-endowed institutions. Our smaller colleges tend to be more tuition dependent for their revenues so they will be more focused on retaining current students and attracting new students.

By Globe Staff

Shadon Tucker returned home safely tonight when he ran into a police officer in the South End, Boston police said.

“He’s been found, safe and sound,” Boston police spokesman James Kenneally said.

Boston police were asking for the public's help in finding the 12-year-old Dorchester boy who had been missing since he left for school on Monday morning.

Tucker's parents say they last saw him Monday at about 6:50 that morning, leaving their home on Norfolk Street. School officials later called them to tell them that he had never shown up.

(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

The late afternoon sun illuminated the Stars and Stripes being displayed at the Main Street fire station in Reading. Firefighter Brian Ryan secured the flag Monday, in preparation for today's Veteran's Day ceremonies.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Members of the William E. Carter Post 16 of the American Legion in Boston march down Tremont Street in the parade.

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

In a somber ceremony at the State House's Memorial Hall, officials paid tribute this morning to the state's half-million veterans.

"Veterans, you come with memories, scars, and tears," said Richard Earley of the Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services, who served as master of ceremonies. "You are everything to us. Today is your day."

The hour-long ceremony featured a candlelighting for POWs and MIAs by Timothy B. Sullivan, a retired US Navy commander and former POW. An empty place setting at a table in front of the audience was meant to represent those servicemen and servicewomen.

Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray said today's veterans continue a tradition of military service and sacrifice established by colonial militiamen at the battles of Lexington and Concord.

"Captain John Parker and his band of soldiers stood to block the British advance," he said. "They stood for freedom and were cut down."

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Buzz:

E-mails counter DiMasi on Cognos

... Speaker balks at demand for his records

Two towns consider tying the knot

Arlington salutes family with 7 sons sent to war

By Brian Ballou, Globe Staff

The greeting "Welcome home" came with a $1,000 check yesterday for nine US servicemembers, a thank-you from the Commonwealth for helping with the war efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The greeting has already been mailed to at least 17,000 servicemembers in the state, but there are about 7,000 eligible Marines or soldiers who still have not applied to receive their tax-free check.

Yesterday, in the State House's Grand Staircase, Cahill made a push to get the word out that servicemembers called into active duty since 9/11 and served in combat theaters in Afghanistan or Iraq are eligible for the checks.

(File photo by Wendy Maeda/Globe staff)
Drew Faust: "We need to be prepared to absorb unprecedented endowment losses and plan for a period of greater financial constraint.”

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

The economic crisis is hitting the nation’s richest university.

Harvard University president Drew Faust said today the university is looking for ways to reduce spending, raising the prospect of cuts to programs and compensation. Harvard also is assessing all aspects of its sweeping plans to expand across the Charles River in Allston, she said.

“We must recognize that Harvard is not invulnerable to the seismic financial shocks in the larger world,” Faust wrote in an e-mail to faculty, staff, and students.

She did not specify what cuts were on the table.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick would get rid of some tolls in the western part of the state and give control of the Big Dig to the agency that runs Logan International Airport under a plan his administration is drafting to eliminate the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, according to three government sources.

Patrick has been working for more than a year to reorganize the state’s troubled transportation agencies. Though some tolls would be eliminated, the tolls closest to Boston within Route 128 would remain. The Turnpike Authority board is set to meet Friday and will discuss raising tolls.

Patrick's long-term goal is to eliminate the turnpike authority and let the Massachusetts Port Authority assume control of the roads inside Route 128, including the Big Dig tunnels. Massport already maintains one toll road, the Tobin Bridge. Under the Patrick plan, Massport’s road maintenance and tolling responsibilities would be greatly expanded.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi continued to defend his reputation this afternoon after refusing to comply with an Ethics Commission demand for his records, a move that has sparked a behind-the-scenes legal struggle with the commission's lawyers and questions among House lawmakers over whether he will remain as speaker.

“I am not hiding anything,” said DiMasi, emerging from a meeting with banking officials. “Absolutely not.”

DiMasi also reiterated his opposition to calling lawmakers back for an emergency formal session to deal with Governor Deval Patrick’s plan to close a $1.4 billion budget gap.

By Globe Staff

Harvard University will bestow an honorary degree on Senator Edward Kennedy on Dec. 1 at a special convocation ceremony, his office said today.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Harvard President Drew Faust described Kennedy as an "extraordinary person" who is "admired by colleagues on both sides of the aisle as one of the nation’s most able, energetic, and influential lawmakers."

"He has without doubt been one of our most tireless advocates for education – and higher education in particular – passionately committed to opportunity for all, and to the excellence of America’s universities," Faust said at commencement.

(Stephen Rose for the Boston Globe)

Jason Strickland (left) sat with attorney Alan Black last month at a pre-trial hearing.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD - The child abuse trial of Haleigh Poutre's stepfather was abruptly called off today when the judge announced that one of the defense attorneys, Alan Black, was ill, a development that could jeopardize the completion of the trial.

Hampden County Superior Court Judge Judd Carhart told jurors the news at 9 a.m. just as they had taken their seats for the start of the second week of testimony in the criminal case against Jason Strickland. The trial was originally scheduled to last about two weeks. Jurors were told to return Wednesday, unless otherwise notified.

Black's co-counsel, Richard Rubin, said outside the courtroom that Black had been taken to the hospital for some routine screening tests, though Rubin would not say what was causing Black to feel sick. Rubin said Black does not have any chronic health problems.

Black apparently had been feeling poorly throughout last week. After the opening statements last Tuesday, the judge cut short the day around 11 a.m. after announcing that a "quasi-emergency" had come up. Later, an assistant clerk said that a participant in the trial was not feeling well, though he would not specify the individual's name. Rubin and an assistant clerk acknowledged today that it was Black.

When asked after opening statements last Tuesday who was feeling sick, Black said he was instructed by the court not to say. He did not appear visibly sick last week during the five days of the trial.

By Globe Staff

Cellphone service is finally available today from the deepest bowels of the Big Dig, eradicating a dead zone that has frustrated drivers since the opening of the tunnels.

A joint statement issued today by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless announced that the subterranean wireless network was fully operational, providing coverage in the Tip O'Neill Tunnel and the Interstate 90 connector to Logan International Airport.

"A system of this size and complexity -- the provision of wireless service throughout an underground interstate highway with numerous on and off ramps -- is a significant accomplishment," said Mark Elliott, a spokesperson for the wireless companies, in a statement. "It is the result of a huge and sustained effort by the MTA and the wireless carriers.”

The Globe reported last week that drivers had noticed cellphone service in the tunnels, although some calls were cut off by patches of static near entrance and exit ramps. At the time, the cellphone companies responsible for wiring the tunnels under contract with the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority said they were "getting close," but warned commuters not to expect regular and consistent service just yet. The wireless carries say that network has now been completed.

By Globe Staff

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi will host another "economic summit" today on Beacon Hill with a focus on local banking and lending as the country continues to struggle in the grips of a global financial crisis.

DiMasi and other House leaders will meet with banks to "take the temperature of the local economy" and receive advice about how to remedy the impact of the national crisis in Massachusetts, according to a press release. The speaker's office is hosting a series of economic meetings.

"In our first session as the crisis began, we heard from the top economic minds in the Commonwealth and we received advice about how and when the worldwide and national crisis will hit Main Street," DiMasi said in the press release. "Now I believe we need to hear from Main Street about how they are faring and what we can do to help.”

(Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker showed the grace of a ballet dancer as he toed the sideline Sunday afternoon and remained in bounds with a 21-yard first quarter pass from Matt Cassell. With a 20-10 victory, the Patriots have "Come Together," as the Beatles once sang, and captured a tie for the lead in the AFC East.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Buzz:

Wilkerson reportedly ID's FBI source

Woman, 19, slain; sister, 3 men hurt

Colleges reach out to poorer students

(Mark M. Murray/The Republican/AP)

Firefighters continued to work at the site of the ruined church building Wednesday morning.

By Sarah Gantz, Globe Correspondent

SPRINGFIELD -- The fire that destroyed a new church being built for a predominantly black congregation was intentionally set, law enforcement officials said today.

The timing of the fire at the Macedonian Church of God in Christ building early Wednesday morning -- just a few hours after Barack Obama's landmark victory -- has raised questions about whether it was a hate crime.

But federal and state investigators have not been able to determine from the evidence whether it was a hate crime, State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan said at a news conference attended by federal, state, and local law enforcement officials. All potential motives are being investigated, he said.

“We know it’s arson. We know it’s a very serious crime and we’re going to do everything we can to identify the perpetrator and to prosecute that person or persons responsible,” said Hampden District Attorney William M. Bennett. He said whoever set the fire could face federal charges, depending on what the investigation uncovers.

“Arson is a particularly heinous crime,” said Springfield Police Chief William Fitchet, “And when a church is targeted, it tears at the very fabric of our community, it attempts to destroy the doctrines upon which the republic is built.”

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

Authorities continue to investigate the death of a woman who was killed by an Amtrak Acela Express train in Mansfield on Friday afternoon.

Investigators believe the victim is a 55-year-old Mansfield resident, but haven't conclusively determined her identity, said MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo. The MBTA Transit Police is investigating the accident, which happened at the Mansfield commuter rail station.

No ruling has been made yet on whether the woman's death was an accident or a suicide, Pesaturo said.

Road closures and other transportation advisories for the week of Nov. 9:

Two to three lanes of I-93 South will be closed approaching and through downtown Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Haymarket onramp to I-93 South and the Callahan Tunnel will be closed Tuesday through Friday from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m.

I-93 South Exits 20A South Station and 20B to I-90 (MassPike) west and Albany Street will be closed Tuesday through Friday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Andrew Bacevich and his wife, Nancy, paused for a moment after the ceremony honoring their fallen son, Army Lieutenant Andrew Bacevich.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

WALPOLE – As Andrew Bacevich, a Boston University professor, West Point graduate, and Vietnam War veteran, stood before about 200 residents at the rededication of the Bird Fountain on the Town Common this morning, he recalled when his fallen son, Army Lieutenant Andrew Bacevich, was brought back from Iraq last year. Thousands of people had lined the streets as the funeral procession for the 27-year-old passed through the center of town.

“We were profoundly moved by that gesture of respect,” said Bacevich. The family felt they had to give back to the community, he said, and donated $5,000. Lieutenant Bacevich was killed on May 13, 2007, Mother's Day, after an IED exploded in Iraq.

The town used the family's donation to renovate the C.S. Bird Fountain , which had been dry for decades. Dozens of Walpole residents donated their time, resources, and money to transform the public space, which had fallen into disrepair.

The Bird Fountain was a gift to the town in 1905 from Charles Sumner Bird, a prominent businessman, said town administrator Michael Boynton.

“These gifts – one of generosity and the other, the giving of one’s own life for the freedom of others – will be here at Town Common forever,” Boynton said. “To our community and our nation, there will always be the life of Andrew Bacevich.”

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff)

Firefighters said that when they arrived flames were shooting out of the window at the top of the house.

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff

HAVERHILL -- The mood is somber today on the street where a fire last night killed a woman and her 6-year-old nephew in the attic of their home.

Neighbors said the boy who died, a first-grader, knew many of the kids in the neighborhood. “He was a really cute little kid,” said Christine McDonough, a mother of three who lives nearby.

She said the boy could be seen every day waiting at at the bus stop with his aunt or uncle.

Neighbors and the family pastor last night identified the woman as Mary Pina. Neither the woman’s name nor the boy’s name has been officially released.

By Jeannie M. Nuss

An adult female and child died in a tragic fire in Haverhill Friday, fire officials said.

The blaze began at a single-family home at 22 Warren St. before 10 p.m., officials said.

Several others were at home at the time of the fire, officials said.

Several people were displaced from the fire, said a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross in Massachusetts Bay.

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

President-elect Barack Obama's aunt is in hiding with relatives in Cleveland and mulling her options to fight a deportation order, according to her immigration lawyer.

Margaret W. Wong, a lawyer in Cleveland, issued a statement saying Zeituni Onyango did not wish to comment further. The 56-year-old half-sister of Obama's late father had said she would speak to a reporter after the election, but instead declined to comment and fled her apartment in the Boston Housing Authority for Ohio.

"Her wish is for this matter to remain private," Wong said in a statement. "She is in Cleveland with close family members resting and is under good care."

An immigration judge denied Onyango's application for political asylum and ordered her deported four years ago. But since then she has been living in federal and state-funded public housing in Boston.

By Michele Morgan Bolton, Globe Correspondent

A southbound Amtrak Acela Express train struck and killed someone on the tracks this afternoon in the town of Mansfield.

The accident happened at about 3:40 p.m., said railroad spokesman Cliff Cole.

Cole said there were no injuries to the 264 passengers on the train or the crew members. All the tracks in the area were closed until just before 5 p.m. when one track was reopened, allowing Amtrak and commuter rail trains to move through the area, said railroad spokeswoman Karina Romero.

Sergeant Peter Roy of the MBTA Transit Police, speaking at the accident scene at the Mansfield station, said his agency was investigating and investigators were still trying to identify the body. He said the probe so far indicates there were no problems with the track and signals.

Roy said the accident had caused delays but trains would gradually get back on schedule later in the evening.

The Acela Express 2171 was heading from Boston to New York and then to Washington.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- An angry defense attorney asked a judge for a mistrial today in the child abuse trial of Haleigh Poutre's stepfather, Jason Strickland, after a state police trooper testified that an aluminum baseball bat, with Haleigh's name on it, had tested "positive."

Defense attorney Alan Black made the motion soon after trooper Ronald Gibbons described the initial test for blood-like substances on the bat, but after the jurors had been excused for a break. Black said the reference to the word "positive" gave jurors a distorted and sinister image of the bat, which had been found upon further testing to contain no blood at all.

Hampden County Superior Court Judge Judd Carhart denied Black's motion, saying that jurors would eventually hear the full story behind all the tests conducted on the bat, which was found in the basement of Haleigh's Westfield home. Prosecutor Laurel Brandt confirmed that she would make clear to the jurors the full results of the tests on the bat.

By Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today announced the appointment of a 12-member public integrity task force that will include lawmakers, good government advocates, and ethicists.

The task force includes Kimberly Budd, director of the Community Values Program at Harvard Business School; Scott Harshbarger, the former state attorney general; and Joseph Savage, the former chief of the Public Corruption and Special Prosecutions Unit for the US attorney.

“The members of this task force offer a broad range of professional backgrounds and experience," Patrick said in a statement. "All of them share a commitment to ensuring the highest standards of honesty and public integrity.”

Led by the governor’s chief legal counsel, Ben Clements, the task force was prompted by the rash of ethics and legal issues unfolding around Beacon Hill.

(George Rizer/Globe photo)

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

The dozens of beefy men gather in a dark room, bending their knees, rolling their shoulders, and stretching to prepare for the day ahead. But this is no exercise room at the gym – it’s a Somerville construction site.

The men work for Skanska U.S.A. Building Inc., an international construction company. Instead of sweatbands and running shoes, they wear flannel shirts and nylon vests.

The workers are doing “Stretch and Flex,” a morning routine the company’s local branch implemented a few years ago to help prevent injury.

“We look at it more of a mindset than a set of rules,” said Lou Guarino, a field engineer who leads the exercises at the Somerville site. “It’s a mindset that the worker is going to come to work and work safely.”

By Globe Staff

A 23-year-old man has been convicted in Suffolk Superior Court of first-degree murder in the May 15, 2007, slaying of another young man in the Franklin Field housing development.

Jovon Adams of Dorchester was convicted in the killing of Cordeiro Andrade, 20, of Roxbury. Adams also was convicted of the nonfatal shooting of a 27-year-old woman during the same incident, and pointing a gun at another woman's head a day earlier, the Suffolk district attorney's office said in a statement.

Adams and Taquise Johnson, 19, of Roxbury were identified by investigators as Andrade's killers last year, prosecutors said. Johnson, who is being held without bail, will be tried at a later date.

With state budget cuts threatening their organization, staffers at the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute, which helps families affected by violent crimes, sounded a sorrowful note in this video by Globe staffer Suzanne Kreiter.

(DEP Photo)

An emissions label developed by California under its Low Emissions Vehicle program.

By Globe Staff

For years, people strolling on car lots have been able to look at stickers on the cars telling them how many miles the car would get per gallon. Soon, a new sticker may tell people how much the car would pollute the air.

State environmental officials say they're proposing a regulation requiring that all new cars, beginning with the 2010 models that will hit the lots next year, bear an "emission performance label."

The sticker would be affixed to the driver's side window and would rate the car from 1 to 10, with 10 being the cleanest, in two categories: the production of gases that cause smog and the production of greenhouse gases that scientists believe are causing global warming.

"The Emission Performance Label will help motorists find vehicles that combat global climate change as well as get them where they want to go," Ian Bowles, Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs, said in a statement.

By Felicia Kazer

Boston teacher Felicia Kazer tells how Barack Obama's election transformed McCormack Middle School in Dorchester the day after the historic vote, stirring excitement, a sense of possibility, and unbridled joy in her students.

Wednesday was a great day to be a teacher.

The excitement started as soon as I entered the school in the morning. It turns out that a small group of students arrived before classes started to decorate our hallways with Barack Obama posters.

They had photocopied pictures of Obama's face. Under it they had written one word: "President."

By the time the rest of the student body arrived, our whole school had been plastered with these signs.

At 7:14 a.m., the hallways at my school looked very familiar: crowded, hectic and loud. Only on this morning, students weren't ignoring their teacher's requests to get to their homerooms because they were too busy gossiping about shoes or TV last night or one another.

Instead, they were simply too busy to get to class on time because they were all talking politics with their friends. It was stunning to overhear conversations between eighth-graders that included words like: electoral votes, democracy, and ballots. And it wasn't just a few kids -- it was all of them.

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

A hazmat crew responded this morning to an "active incident" on John Dietsch Boulevard in North Attleborough, according to a fire department dispatcher.

The dispatcher would not say the type of hazardous material involved or give the exact location of the incident.

No additional information was released.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Boston firefighters and emergency medical workers had to lower a construction worker from the roof of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center this morning after he was jolted by a blast of electricity.

At about 8 a.m., the construction worker, who was not identified and is in his 50s, was welding with a machine that runs on electric current when he was shocked, emergency officials said.

The welder complained of chest pains to the firefighter working on detail on the roof, said Steven MacDonald, spokesman for the fire department. Fearing he could be suffering from a heart attack, the firefighter called for assistance and emergency officials rushed to the roof, MacDonald said.

(Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

This 2007 image of Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia shows the type of effort that earned him a Gold Glove.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Buzz:

DiMasi asserts immunity in fight with ethics panel

Their healthcare? Courtesy of the state

Miami jury convicts Connolly

Legislative panel sounds wake-up call on drowsy driving

By Jeannie M. Nuss, Globe Correspondent

A Gloucester couple today received lengthy federal prison sentences for convictions on child pornography production charges, US Attorney Michael J. Sullivan said.

Kendra D’Andrea, 33, was sentenced to 27 years in prison and Willie Jordan, 35, was sentenced to 30 years, for enticing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, Sullivan said in a statement.

The couple raped and photographed D’Andrea’s 8-year-old daughter in 2004, Sullivan said. An anonymous caller tipped the state child protection agency about the couple’s photos on a website, Sullivan said.

Gloucester police arrested D’Andrea at her home and police apprehended Jordan in Michigan and brought him back to Massachusetts. Both D’Andrea and Jordan must register as sex offenders when they are released from prison, Sullivan said.

The US Secret Service, Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett, and Gloucester Police conducted the investigation.

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

Federal immigration officials deported 3,836 immigrants from New England during the last budget year, up from 3,464 deportees the year before, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced today.

The jump marked an increase of nearly 11 percent but was still about half the increase nationwide.

Nationally, deportations soared to 349,041 for the budget year that ended in September, up from 288,663 the year before, an increase of nearly 21 percent.

“We made a commitment to the American people to embark on an ambitious enforcement strategy aimed at securing our borders and strengthening our nation’s immigration system,” Julie L. Myers, the assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement. “The record results seen across the country reflect significant, steady progress toward this goal.”

(Alan Diaz/AP)

Connolly listened attentively to testimony earlier in the trial.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. was convicted today of second-degree murder for leaking information to long-time informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi that caused them to kill a potential witness against them 26 years ago.

The verdict, delivered by a Florida jury that deliberated for 13 hours following seven weeks of testimony, means that the 68-year-old Connolly could spend the rest of his life in prison.

It marks the complete fall from grace of the once-decorated agent who is already serving a 10-year prison term for his 2002 federal racketeering conviction for helping Bulger -- one of the FBI's 10 Most Wanted -- evade capture and protecting him from prosecution for years.

By Milton Valencia, Globe Staff

NEWTON -- A 19-year-old Newton man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly waved a knife and threatened to kill and rob commuters at the Newtonville train station this morning.

(Steven R. Grossi, Newton Police Handout)

“This could have been a lot worse,” said Lt. Bruce Apotheker, a police spokesman. “With everything that occurred down there, the victim was very fortunate.”

Grossi was arraigned at Newton District Court on charges of armed assault to murder, attempt to commit a crime, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, disorderly conduct on a public conveyance, and two counts of threatening to commit a crime.

He pleaded not guilty, and was ordered held without bail. He is slated to return on Nov. 25 for a status hearing.

Police officers responding to the station found him on the platform. When he walked away, he looked like he was throwing something to the ground, Apotheker said. It turned out to be the knife. He was arrested without incident.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- Displaying black-and-white digital images of Haleigh Poutre's wounded brain, a Springfield radiologist testified today that only an event as severe as a "high-velocity motor vehicle accident" could explain the degree of her head injuries, and not even a tumble down a set of stairs could produce that level of neurological trauma.

During the first week of testimony in the child abuse trial of Poutre's stepfather, Jason Strickland, Dr. Richard Hicks, a radiologist at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, responded to questions by prosecutor Laurel Brandt who tried to show that only violent abuse, probably sometime on Sept. 10, 2005, would explain the 11-year-old girl's condition when she was rushed by her family a day later to Noble Hospital in Westfield.

Hicks told jurors that his review of Haleigh's CT scans and MRI images at Noble and his hospital showed the girl had extensive damage to areas deep within her brain, including her brain stem and corpus callosum, and once such trauma occurred, she would cease to walk, speak or eat.

"Once she suffered the injury, she should be unconscious," he said while showing the jurors dozens of brain scans.

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

Riders in the Pan-Mass Challenge did a lot of pedaling this year -- and a record amount of fund raising.

The charity bike event is turning over a $35 million check to the Jimmy Fund tonight, the largest donation from a single event ever made to the fund, which pays for cancer research and treatment.

“It’s amazing. I’ve been here 20 years, and it’s phenomenal,” said Suzanne Fountain, director of the fund, which supports the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “They continue to be so supportive of Dana-Farber yet again, and the money they give us is so critical.”

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff, and Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

Southbound Interstate 95 reopened this afternoon in Attleboro nearly 11 hours after a tanker truck overturned carrying 11,001 gallons of jet fuel,

The truck spilled a third of its payload when it flipped after being hit by an out-of-control Volvo near Exit 4 at 4:45 a.m. The fuel flowed into storm drains and prompted the evacuation of more than 30 people from 14 nearby homes. The road completely reopened at about 3:30 p.m.

Preliminary air, water, and soil tests indicated that the environmental impact of the spill did not extend much beyond the interstate, according to state and federal officials who responded to the scene and spoke at a press conference.

"As of now we believe the release [of jet fuel] is limited to the highway," said Dan Crafton of the state Department of Environmental Protection.

(AP Photo)

Could it happen here? In Monroe, Ohio, the price of gas had fallen to $1.81 today.

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent

Gas prices in Massachusetts are dropping toward the $2 per gallon mark, a magical number that seemed unattainable only a few months ago.

Residents of Dartmouth appear to be some of the luckiest. Two stations there, Bliss Express and Dartmouth Gas & Service, are currently selling gas at $1.99. The price drop happened at midmorning today for both stations.

People are "filling up their cars and are surprised by getting some change back and they are not used to that,” said Tony Touboukneir, owner of Bliss Express.

“Everybody seems to be happy,” said Steve Couto, who works at Dartmouth Gas & Service. “They are concerned that the prices may go up again, but they're taking advantage while they can.”

Both stations had recently been selling gas for $2.09 per gallon.

As of this afternoon, massachusettsgasprices.com listed a dozen stations with gas selling for less than $2.10 per gallon. That's a far cry from early July when gas peaked over $4 per gallon, according to AAA's surveys.

By Globe Staff

A former Quincy city worker who broke into City Hall in hopes of cleaning up his personnel file can be stripped of his pension because of his crimes, the state’s highest court ruled today.

Ralph J. Maher, the former chief plumbing and gas inspector, argued that stripping him of his pension was an excessive punishment -- forbidden by the Eighth Amendment -- for his convictions of breaking and entering in the daytime with intent to commit a felony, stealing in a building, and wanton destruction of property.

But the Supreme Judicial Court, affirming a decision by a lower court judge, said today that the city retirement’s board decision to remove Maher’s pension wasn’t unreasonable.

(Globe File Photo)

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

Fenway Park is receiving another nip and tuck that may be the last major improvement to the storied ballpark.

A swath of seats has been removed from the lower portion of the seating area from dugout to dugout so that the concrete underneath can be repaired and waterproofed, Red Sox officials said today. New, wider seats will then be installed.The work is part of a nine-year improvement plan that will cost more than $100 million.

"We are in the eighth inning of a nine-inning game with respect to improvements of Fenway Park," said Larry Lucchino, Red Sox President and CEO.

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

A wealthy Brookline couple pleaded not guilty today to charges they stole $53,000 worth of medical coverage from the state at a time when they owned doughnut shops, a jewelry store, a Boston office building, and a home in one of the area’s most expensive communities.

Joseph and Jila Youshaei allegedly claimed they were earning just $475 a week between 1999 and 2005 when in fact they were worth, on paper, millions of dollars, according to court records filed by Attorney General Martha Coakley’s office.

The couple appeared together for arraignment this morning in Suffolk Superior Court. They left without speaking to a Globe reporter. Outside the courtroom, their attorney, William E. Gens, said the couple was never as wealthy as prosecutors allege between 1999 and 2005.

Gens said the Youshaeis were involved in a number of businesses during the six years in question, but those businesses failed. He also said the couple purchased their home on Chestnut Hill Avenue in Brookline – currently assessed at $896,200 – with no money down as did others during recent years.

“It’s a sensitive issue during today’s economic climate,’’ Gens said outside the courtroom of the allegations that his clients stole health benefits meant for the poor. “But it isn’t quite as it is made out to be.’’

By Globe Staff

Brockton police officers fatally shot a man Wednesday night after he pulled a handgun and pointed it at them.

The shooting of John Earl Parks, 25, is being investigated by State Police assigned to the Plymouth district attorney's office, the office said today in a statement.

The incident began at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday when two officers observed two males engaging in suspicious narcotics activity. Officers approached and immediately apprehended one suspect, prosecutors said in a statement, citing their preliminary investigation of the shooting.

The second suspect, Parks, fled and was pursued to an area near Pleasant Street and Warren Avenue, where he pulled the gun.

"After refusing to drop the weapon, Parks was shot by officers," the statement said. Parks was pronounced dead at Brockton Hospital. The names of the officers involved will not be released until the investigation is over, prosecutors said.

An assistant to Police Chief William Conlon referred all questions to the district attorney's office.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

A state labor panel decided to send the Boston firefighters' contract dispute to arbitration today with hopes that the contentious faceoff will be settled by late December.

The Joint Labor Management Committee voted to enlist the help of an independent and possibly out-of-state arbitrator to resolve the 2-1/2-year battle, which has been stalled on the issue of random drug and alcohol testing of city firefighters.

"The design here is to settle this," said Samuel E. Zoll, a retired judge who heads the committee. "The arbitration, in my judgment, must move forward."

By Shelley Murphy, Globe staff

MIAMI -- Jury deliberations in the state murder trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. were interrupted briefly this morning when jurors discovered that a file containing documents that were not presented during the trial was accidentally left in the bottom of a cart containing other evidence they were reviewing.

Sixty-eight-year-old Connolly, his lawyers and prosecutors were quickly summoned to the courtroom around 11:30 a.m. and appraised of the slip-up after Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Stanford Blake received a note from the jury foreman asking if it was alright for the six-woman, six-man panel to review the contents of the file.

Defense Attorney Manuel L. Casabielle said he was compelled to ask for a mistrial, but the judge immediately denied his request.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter must wait a little while longer to regain control of $280,000 in gold coins that the FBI confiscated during his arrest earlier this year on charges he kidnapped his daughter after a messy divorce.

Defense attorney Jeffrey Denner said today in Suffolk Superior Court that he was close to an agreement with prosecutors for the return of the coins, which were seized during Gerhartsreiter's arrest in Baltimore after an international manhunt.

"Essentially, it's his money and the government has no right to it,’" Denner said outside court after a hearing.

It has not been alleged that the gold is connected to any crime, and Gerhartsreiter can use the gold to pay his defense lawyers. Denner said that prosecutors want to document the coins in case there is a need to introduce them at trial.

By Anne Baker, Globe Staff

A three-alarm fire tore through a rooming house in Lawrence early this morning and flames spread to the three-story apartment house next door.

Both wood frame buildings sustained extensive damage, said Chief Peter Takvorian of the Lawrence Fire Department. No one was injured in the blaze, but some 20 residents were displaced.

Investigators believe that the fire was ignited by a resident who accidentally set a mattress aflame while using a lighter in a dark room to hunt for a pack of cigarettes, Takvorian said.

Firefighters responded to the first alarm at 5:01 a.m. on Greenwood Street. Flames spread to the building next door and officials quickly sounded second and third alarms.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:


Breaking Now:

Fire spreads between 2 buildings in Lawrence

Jet fuel spill closes southbound I-95 in Attleboro

Buzz:

Checking racism's postelection pulse

Political scramble if Kerry joins Cabinet

Black church in Springfield burns

School board OK's some aspects of overhaul

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

State Senator Dianne Wilkerson -- whose resignation has been demanded by her State House colleagues and sought by prominent clergy members from her district -- promised today to resign the Senate seat she has held for 15 years, but she refused to say when.

Wilkerson hinted last week after her arrest on federal bribery charges that she would resign. At the time, she promised to provide more details about her departure today, following Tuesday's election.

With her defeat at the polls sealed, she said today she would resign ``as soon as humanly and responsibly possible.''

"I am committed to resigning my office as soon as I can do so consistent with my need to effectuate an orderly transition, including closing out hundreds of active constituent matters, filing and storing 16 years of files consisting of hundreds of boxes, assisting my current staff in finding new employment and putting related affairs in order," Wilkerson said in the statement released by her Senate office just after 5 p.m.

Wilkerson, who has a history of financial problems, makes about $1,400 a week in her job as senator. If she hangs on to her office until her term expires in January, she would qualify for an additional year of credit for her state pension, going from 16 years of service to 17 years and boosting her annual payment by almost $2,000, according to an on-line state pension calculator.

By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff

A predominantly black church under construction in Springfield caught fire early today, just hours after Barack Obama’s landmark victory, triggering concerns the building might have been torched in a hate crime.

The 3:10 a.m. blaze destroyed the Macedonia Church of God in Christ building at 215 Tinkham Road, causing an estimated $2 million in damage.

Church officials promised to rebuild, but the concerns that their building was targeted dampened a mood that had been uplifted on the night of Obama’s historic election victory, which will make him the nation's first black president.

“This was a special time in our nation’s history, but I also know not everybody was happy and celebrating,” said Bishop Bryant Robinson Jr., head of the church. “After 71 years of being an African-American, you know these things happen.”

(Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff)

Daniel F. Pokaski left the meeting saying only, "My reputation's been savaged, savaged."

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

Boston Licensing Board Chairman Daniel F. Pokaski declined to discuss alleged backroom deals in the award of a liquor license when he appeared publicly today for the first time after the FBI's arrest last week of state Senator Dianne Wilkerson on federal bribery charges.

Pokaski was in Ireland and did not return repeated telephone calls last week as the Wilkerson arrest gripped the city and Beacon Hill and engulfed the licensing board in controversy.

He presided today over a routine Licensing Board hearing. Afterward, he would not answer any questions about the case. Approached by a reporter, Pokaski pursed his lips, shook his head, and said only, "My reputation's been savaged, savaged."

A lawyer retained by Pokaski later stated that the chairman did nothing wrong in awarding the liquor license that is a key element of the case against Wilkerson. But he would not discuss the specific actions attributed to Pokaski in an FBI affidavit released when Wilkerson was arrested Oct. 28.

"Dan Pokaski has been a public servant for over 30 years, and he has done nothing wrong," said the lawyer, Howard Cooper. "Chairman Pokaski intends to cooperate with all appropriate inquires from law enforcement."

By Globe Staff

A 44-year-old Gloucester woman has been sentenced to a year in jail for providing alcohol to 12- and 13-year-old children, Essex County prosecutors said.

Heidy Jordon pleaded guilty today in Peabody District Court to charges of reckless endangerment of a child and procuring alcohol for a minor.

Prosecutors said that Jordon admitted going to the liquor store on June 8, 2007 to buy alcohol at the request of her 13-year-old daughter and then providing it to six children at her Eastern Avenue residence. She did the same thing on June 22, 2007 for five children.

A 12-year-old boy became so ill he nearly had to be taken to the hospital, prosecutors said in a statement. One girl became unconscious.

Judge Matthew Nestor sentenced Jordon to 2 1/2 years in jail, with one year to be served.

Jordon’s attorney, Edward Pasquina of Gloucester, didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD - A former emergency room employee broke down crying this morning when she reviewed photographs that she had taken of Haleigh Poutre's battered body shortly after the girl was brought to a Westfield hospital, images that were among more than a dozen introduced as evidence during the first full day of testimony in the child abuse trial of Haleigh's stepfather, Jason Strickland.

"Do these photographs fully and accurately show the parts of the body that you took that day?" asked prosecutor Laurel Brandt in Hampden Country Superior Court.

"Yes," replied Dawn Walz through tears as she testified about her contact with 11-year-old Haleigh and her family on Sept. 11, 2005.

This afternoon, the prosecutor distributed the photographs from Noble Hospital, along with others taken later at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, to jurors.

The pictures showed numerous sizeable wounds and burn marks across Haleigh's body, including cuts near one of Haleigh's eyes and her chin, and pronounced, circular reddened wounds on her chest and lower back. One photo also shows a deep bloodied wound on her head, which is believed to be related to the severe head trauma that put the child into a coma that fall.

McCain won in the red communities. They were few and far between.

By Casey Ramsdell, Globe Correspondent, and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The tiny town of Aquinnah on Martha’s Vineyard took the prize for being the biggest stronghold for presidential candidate Barack Obama in Massachusetts, with 90 percent of the 311 voters there casting a ballot for the Democrat who will be America’s first black president.

“It was not unexpected for me, as the clerk, that it would be that way,” said Carolyn Feltz, the town clerk. She said Aquinnah was a "politically liberal town."

With only 15 Republicans among the town's 398 registered voters, "You don't have to be a genius" to know which way the community will vote, she said. McCain actually got 26 votes, she said, meaning that McCain had wooed some voters away from the Democrats, unenrolled, and other parties.

Other communities that came out overwhelmingly for Obama included Cambridge (88 percent), Provincetown (88 percent), Amherst (87 percent), Shutesbury (85 percent), and Pelham (85 percent).

(Bill Brett for The Boston Globe)

By Matt Viser and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A beaming Governor Deval Patrick met with reporters today after his return from Chicago and reiterated that he has no interest in a post in President-elect Barack Obama's administration.

After speaking about being "enormously moved and excited and proud" of Obama's electoral landslide, Patrick said definitively that he did not want to return to the White House.

"Are you asking me if I am going to Washington again?" Patrick asked, rephrasing a reporter's question. "No I am not. We have an ambitious agenda and a lot of work to do here. Frankly if the people will have me, I'd be interested in a second term."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Massachusetts set a new record for voter turnout Tuesday. More than 3 million residents went to the polls as voters overwhelmingly chose Democrat Barack Obama as the country's next president.

Secretary of State William Galvin said in a telephone interview today that the tally of voter turnout has reached 3,042,959, up from the 2.9 million who participated in the 2004 presidential election. He said the totals could rise to 3.1 million when overseas ballots are finally tabulated in the coming days.

"It was an election not to be missed,'' Galvin said. He noted that roughly half the state's 6 million residents participated. "It's impressive.''

The percentage of the 4.2 million registered voters who participated -- about 72 percent -- was not a record.

By Globe Staff

Despite falling gas prices, the number of people riding the MBTA continued to rise in September, the ninth month in a row that ridership has seen an increase over the previous year, officials said.

Average weekday ridership increased 2.6 percent, compared with same period a year earlier, to 1,345,000. T officials said that, with the exception of one month in 2006, it was the highest in almost 10 years of monthly data.

The average price of gas reached a high of $4.09 on July 9 in Boston, according to the AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. It has dropped to $2.40 today. That means that people are saving more than $25 every time they fill up a 15-gallon tank.

John Tlumacki/Globe staff
Calvin Titus of Sandwich said he's been coming to the Raynham dog track for 25 years.

By Christine Legere, Globe Correspondent

RAYNHAM – A day after Massachusetts voted to ban greyhound racing, a pall settled over the Raynham-Taunton Greyhound Park.

The park’s owner worried about the fate of the more than 600 workers amid the ailing economy. Employees and patrons appeared stunned at the park today. Most said they never thought the proposal, Question 3 on the ballot, would pass.

Even the bugle sounding the cheerful “Call to Post” over the track’s loudspeakers at noon failed to elicit the usual excited chatter from spectators as the greyhounds were led to the starting line.

“I’m pretty discouraged,” Sharon Butts, 50, said as she tended a long row of customers at the lunch counter. “I started here 25 years ago as a single mother, and I’ve been able to support my son all through school. … This place has always been very good to people with families.”

Trainer Mike Curran, his eyes welling with tears, said he has worked at the track for 30 years.

“We spend every day and night together, and we all help each other,” Curran said. “I’m 52 years old with a high school education. This is a dream job: playing with dogs all day. That vote is a life-changing event for us.”

Wonderland Greyhound Park in Revere is the only other dog racing track in Massachusetts.

By Megan Woolhouse, Globe Staff

The massive and mysterious waves that struck the coast of Maine last week, ripping apart docks and snapping pilings in Boothbay Harbor, baffled scientists who said they had no name for the phenomenon.

Some readers, however, had their own theories about the waves (see graphic). And they wrote in from across the country to share them.

Harvey of Acton suggested that the wave was caused by "an Earth wobble'' -- which he described only as "a foundational phenomena that occurs."

John B. of Brookline wrote to say that he felt an earthquake at 2:31 p.m. on Oct. 28, the day of the wave. And he forwarded as proof an e-mail he sent to a friend noting that his "computer monitor was noticeably vibrating."

Like many readers, David A. Brooks, a professor of oceanography at Texas A&M University, suggested that the mysterious waves were something called "seiches" or more casually, "harbor sloshes." He said the phenomena is something akin to how water behaves in a bathtub.

"Around mid-afternoon, evidently the wind abruptly reversed to south (directly inward in BBH) and the speeds increased to over 20 knots offshore," he wrote. "The sudden removal of the offshore drag on the falling tide and replacement with a strong onshore push probably caused the rapid return of the water and subsequent harbor oscillations with periods of about 5-10 minutes or so.

"While this may be an unusual event because of its intensity, harbor oscillations of smaller amplitude commonly happen when wind speeds or directions change rapidly, especially in confined harbors like BBH,'' Brooks wrote. "I'm told that the tide gauge at the Maine Department of Marine Resources in BBH was not operating last week, so unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a source of direct measurement of sea level oscillations in the harbor."

Ruth, a social worker in Newton had a theory of her own: "It's Election Day and something momentous in our history is happening, namely this election."

She wrote that American Indians, Shakespeare, and other cultures have often seen "signs." Comets, for example, have always seemed to portend dramatic events.

Dick in Sherborn shared these thoughts. The rogue wave? "It's called: The Democrats," he wrote.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- A jury continues to deliberate the fate today of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr., who is accused of plotting with longtime informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi in the 1982 gangland slaying of a Boston businessman in south Florida.

John J. Connolly

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The resounding failure of a ballot initiative to eliminate the state income tax had an immediate impact on the MBTA, which began selling bonds this morning to pay for structural improvements to service.

“We’re selling them as we speak,” said Jonathan Davis, deputy general manager and chief financial officer of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, in a telephone interview just before 11 a.m.

The T had held off selling $357 million in bonds in recent weeks because of advice from financial advisors, who said the agency may not get the best price during the uncertain period before the election. The bonds are tax-free, a perk that could have been diminished if voters had scrapped the income tax.

Davis said the agency was ready to start selling them immediately after the election so it could get a jump on other government bodies around the country that may also have delayed floating bonds until after the election.

The T will use the money for station improvements, train equipment, bus overhauls, and other long-term projects deemed important to keeping the transit system running.

(Jonathan Wiggs/Globe Staff)

Eileen L. Kenner exalted with supporters at the Breezeway Bar and Grill in Roxbury as Democratic candidate Barack Obama was declared the winner of the 2008 presidential election.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Buzz:

Obama

Mass. voters reject income tax repeal

... approve dog racing ban and marijuana law change

Jurors begin deliberations in Connolly's murder trial

For local family with ties to history, a milestone

(Video by Milton Valencia)

Dozens of young people, elated at Obama's victory, splashed in the reflecting pool at the Christian Science Plaza.

By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff, and Gabrielle Dunn, Globe Correspondent

Hundreds of revelers, mostly college students and 20-somethings, took to the streets in Boston early today to celebrate Barack Obama’s triumph in Tuesday’s elections.

Dozens jumped into the reflecting pool at the Christian Science Center after marching from the Boston Public Library, along Huntington Avenue, waving Obama signs and chanting, “USA, USA, USA.”

“It was the excitement of it all,” said Becky Tinker, a 19-year-old sophomore from Connecticut who attends Emerson College. “This was such a historic night, why not do what you want?”

Police reported no arrests as of 12:45 a.m. Wednesday. Instead, police seemed to let the crowd celebrate, guiding revelers along streets while patrolling the area on motorcycles to make sure no one was acting disorderly.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Sixty-six-year-old Jake Coakley picked cotton as a boy in Beaufort, S.C., just as his father and grandfather did before him. So on Tuesday, as he stood amid a throng of people hugging, high-fiving, and even weeping outside a Roxbury polling place, he wanted to underscore the significance of the day.

‘‘This,’’ he said to a little boy, patting his head and staring deeply into his eyes, ‘‘is history.’’

At another polling station blocks away, Charles Robinson recalled the racial epithets shouted at him as a student at South Boston High School during the busing crisis of the 1970s.

In St. Petersburg, Fla., Ron Dock spoke of the day he learned that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. had been shot. Dock was 18, he said, crouching in a rice paddy in Vietnam, preparing for a firefight. In Alexandria, Va., 83-year-old Flossie Parks recalled turning 21 and being forced to pay a $3 poll tax for the right to vote.

Millions of black voters across the country turned out to help elect Barack Obama the first African-American president yesterday, and as they did, they reflected not just on the course of a historic campaign, but on the history of a nation. From Florida to Arizona, Chicago to Boston, black Americans said they were writing a new chapter in a progression that began long before Obama burst onto the scene at the Democratic National Convention in 2004. The moment was tinged with poignancy at the prices paid by generations before them who could have never imagined a black man winning the highest office in the land.

(Essdras Suarez/Globe Staff)

Beverly Rock of Dorchester waved her cane as she and others celebrated word of Barack Obama's presidential victory at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

By Jillian Jorgensen, Globe Correspondent

The big moment came at 11 p.m. when the networks declared that Barack Obama was the winner.

The crowd of several hundred at the Fairmont Copley Plaza in Boston erupted into applause and began chanting, "Yes, we can." People danced to the oldie, "Signed, Sealed, Delivered," and sang along with "We Are The Champions."

"I'm feeling great," said 16-year-old Robert Dabbas of the South End, who came to the event with his mother.

Caroline Osterman of Arlington, who said she had worked for both Jeanne Shaheen, the Democratic candidate for Senate in New Hampshire, and Obama, said, "I really like the fact that we are going to have change in America. It's about time that we Americans take care of America first."

(David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

Christine Dorchak, president of Grey2K USA, a greyhound advocacy group, cheered with Kathy Estridge, Leslie Scheideler, and Tracy Casner, during a party for supporters of the dog racing ban at a Boston nightclub.

By Stephanie Ebbert, Globe Staff

Massachusetts voters today embraced a ballot question to end greyhound racing in the state, rejecting track owners’ arguments that the ban would cost jobs at a time of economic hardship in favor of protecting dogs from harm.

The contentious ballot question passed amid emotional ad campaigns by both sides. Proponents used images of sad-eyed greyhounds that they say are caged inhumanely and raced to injury while opponents put the spotlight on the track employees who would be put out of work if the ballot question passed.

"It's not fair to the dogs," said Dulce Fajardo, 41, a Roxbury Democrat who voted for the ballot question. "I love animals. And for me this is something cruel. They can't defend themselves so we have to do it for them."

(Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

Shaheen gave two thumbs up as she took the stage to give her victory speech at a Manchester, N.H. hotel.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

LONDONDERRY, N.H. – Former Democratic governor Jeanne Shaheen won a hard-fought rematch for the United States Senate, defeating incumbent Republican John E. Sununu in a campaign that attracted attention and money from across the nation.

NBC called the race at about 8:15 p.m. for Shaheen, who will become the first female US senator in the history of New Hampshire.

In defeating Sununu, Shaheen has ousted the youngest member of the US Senate and a rising star in the Republican Party.

The New Hampshire Senate race has been one of the most carefully monitored campaigns in the country, with two deeply experienced politicians facing off in a rematch of a 2002 contest that ended with two GOP operatives in jail over a phone-jamming scandal.

By Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

On two of the biggest questions facing Massachusetts in this election, younger voters played a big role, according to exit polls.

Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama ran up huge margins among those voters under 30 in Massachusetts, while those over 45 were far less enamored with the Democratic nominee, splitting their ballots between him and Republican John McCain.

Voters under 30 -- along with liberals and college-educated and middle-income voters -- also were key to the wide margin that opponents racked up in defeating the ballot initiative that would have eliminated the state's income tax.

Those are the conclusions of interviews with voters, who, after casting their ballots today, were contacted by a national survey company, Edison/Mitofksy, which performed state-by-state exit polling for the national media.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Kerry and his wife, Teresa, celebrated tonight at the Fairmont Copley Plaza.

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

Four years after coming up short in his bid for the presidency, John F. Kerry settled today for a return trip to the United States Senate, easily defeating a little-noticed GOP challenger to earn a fifth term.

"I am humbled to receive the support of voters from Williamstown to Provincetown and every city and town in between, and I promise to continue to prove worthy of your confidence in me over the next six years," Kerry said in a statement released soon after the polls closed. "I have always been honored to represent the people of Massachusetts, and I can't wait to return to Washington with my friend Ted Kennedy by my side and continue to deliver for you and your families."

The race between Kerry and Jeffrey K. Beatty, a counterterrorism expert, never gained much traction, with the incumbent focusing much of his political might on helping Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama win New Hampshire.

And even before the first vote was cast, speculation had already turned to how much of his term Kerry would actually serve, with both Beatty and Kerry's Democratic primary opponent suggesting he was pining for a Cabinet post should Obama win the presidential race.

(John Bohn/Globe Staff)

Chang-Diaz declared victory in a speech to supporters tonight at a restaurant in Boston's Jamaica Plain.

By Donovan Slack, Globe Staff

Sonia Chang-Diaz declared victory tonight in her campaign for state Senate in Boston, a hard-fought but nonetheless bittersweet win after incumbent Senator Dianne Wilkerson dropped out of the race last week following her arrest on federal bribery charges.

Chang-Diaz made the declaration at about 9:15 p.m. based on unofficial reports from polling places that she had received more than 80 percent of the votes cast in the Second Suffolk District. Official results were not expected until late tonight because city election officials had to hand-count each ballot after the polls closed at 8 p.m.

If she indeed secured the seat, Chang-Diaz, a former school teacher from Jamaica Plain who lost to Wilkerson in a race in 2006, still faces a big challenge winning over some of Wilkerson's core supporters. Some voters going to the polls today said they felt Wilkerson was victimized by authorities, and they voted for her despite the stunning FBI images of her allegedly accepting bribes.

(Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

Whitney Taylor, chairwoman of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, left, and Question 2 supporter Dr. John H. Halpern, associate director of substance research at McLean Hospital, celebrated after hearing that the measure passed.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

Massachusetts voters today approved a ballot initiative to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana, making getting caught with less than an ounce of pot punishable by a civil fine of $100. The change in the law means someone found carrying as many as dozens of marijuana cigarettes will no longer be reported to the state’s criminal history board.

“The people were ahead of the politicians on this issue; they recognize and want a more sensible approach to our marijuana policy,” said Whitney Taylor, chairwoman of the Committee for Sensible Marijuana Policy, which campaigned for the ballot initiative. “They want to focus our limited law enforcement resources on serious and violent crimes. They recognize under the new law that the punishment will fit the offense.”

The proposition will become law 30 days after it’s reported to the Governor’s Council, which usually meets in late November or early December. But the Legislature could amend or repeal the new law, as they've done with some prior laws passed by the voters, said Emily LaGrassa, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Martha Coakley. The Associated Press called the outcome at about 9:20 p.m.

The proposition will require those younger than age 18 to complete a drug awareness program and community service. The fine would increase to as much as $1,000 for those who fail to complete the program.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

Massachusetts voters once again rejected a ballot question to eliminate the state's income tax, six years after the question lost by such a slim margin that supporters hoped it would pass on a second try. The Associated Press called the outcome at about 8:45 p.m.

The victory for opponents of repealing the tax was a lesson in what money and organization can accomplish on Election Day.

A similar question to repeal the tax in 2002 attracted little advance notice and no formal opposition but nearly passed. Stunned income tax supporters took no chances this time, spending millions of dollars on an aggressive campaign that included TV ads, direct mail, and door-to-door outreach warning of the likely damage to the state and public services as well as the other taxes and fees that might be raised to offset it -- and voters were listening.

"We're in enough trouble as it is," said Leonard LeBlanc, a 78-year-old retired carpenter from Lynnfield who voted no.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

A line of voters stretched for a hundred yards up Exeter Street outside the Boston Public Library in the Back Bay.

By Andrew Ryan, Donovan Slack, and Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Waves of eager voters swamped polling places across Massachusetts today as officials grapple with a surge in turnout expected to top three million voters in a landmark presidential election.

With radiant sunshine pushing temperatures to the mid-60s during the day, block-long lines snaked around corners in Davis Square in Somerville, Boston's South End, Pittsfield, and Lawrence, where an election clerk called it a "madhouse." Shorter lines were reported, but business remained brisk during the evening hours.

By 3 p.m., 200,040 people had cast ballots in Boston, about 13,000 more than had voted by that time in the presidential election of 2004. Turnout was highest in Ward 19, Jamaica Plain, where 62.88 percent of registered voters had already been to the polls. The largest number of voters came from Ward 18, which includes Mattapan and Hyde Park, where 20,523 have already cast ballots.

Election clerks also reported "extremely high" turnout in Worcester, Wellesley, Newton, Georgetown, Salem, and other cities and towns.

"This is a historic event no matter how you vote," said Annette Grant, 42, a "Hillary girl" who cast her ballot for Democratic Senator Barack Obama in Roxbury. "You have the chance to pick the first woman for vice president or a biracial candidate for president."

Those historic overtones seemed to be driving early turnout, especially in African-American neighborhoods where voters snapped photographs of each other as they braved long lines. In Davis Square, a line of voters filed past a day-care center where a group of mostly black toddlers waved as they marveled at the crowd.

"Who's going to be the next president?" the toddlers' caretaker asked the children. "You all can be."

A little boy called out, "Happy vote!" again and again.

"This is history, you've got to vote,'' said Jackie Lewis, 45, an Obama supporter who cast a ballot in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood. "This is a moment I'll never have again in my lifetime. Maybe in my son's lifetime, but not in mine."

By Matt Collette, Globe Staff

A spokesman for Secretary of State William F. Galvin criticized two local talk radio hosts after a number of people called the Massachusetts Election Division to complain that they had told listeners that the election had been postponed from today until Wednesday.

The spokesman, Brian McNiff, said John Dennis and Gerry Callahan said on their morning radio show on WEEI-AM that the election had been pushed back a day. Both Dennis and Callahan have declared themselves McCain supporters, the Associated Press has reported.

“We got complaints at the Election Division that there were people on the radio who were saying that the election had been postponed until Wednesday, so some people were being told to vote on Wednesday,” McNiff said. “Gradually, more calls came in and we focused it down to this show on WEEI.”

McNiff said there were no plans to take legal action against the hosts or the station. He said he contacted both hosts and the station manager by phone and e-mail, but had not heard back from them by this evening.

The Globe was unable to reach Dennis or Callahan for comment. The person who answered the phone at Entercom Communications, WEEI’s parent corporation, directed questions to the radio station’s Boston office, where no one answered the phone.

McNiff said state law prohibits interfering with elections.

“I said [to WEEI] these are the voting hours today and it’s false to say there is anything different,” McNiff said.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe staff

MIAMI -- A Florida jury began its deliberations today in the murder trial of retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. The six-man, six-woman panel worked for an hour in the late afternoon on the case, in which the once-respected Boston lawman is accused of leaking information to gangsters that led to a business consultant's 1982 slaying.

Connolly's defense lawyer argued today that his client had acted "honorably'' when dealing with longtime informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi and never plotted with them to murder anybody.

"If I'm not mistaken, the government would want you to believe Mr. Connolly was some kind of rogue agent who was doing these things in his own best interest,'' said defense attorney Manuel L. Casabielle. "In reality, what Mr. Connolly was doing was the FBI's work. Him and other agents like him were the tip of the spear in the fight against the Mafia.''

In a closing statement that went for an hour yesterday afternoon and nearly three hours today, Casabielle urged jurors to find 68-year-old Connolly not guilty of charges of murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the slaying of John B. Callahan. He is accused of warning Bulger and Flemmi that Callahan, a former World Jai Alai executive, was being sought for questioning by the FBI and would likely implicate the gangsters in the 1981 slaying of World Jai Alai owner, Roger Wheeler.

Photo by John Bohn/Globe staff
Milton Beecher, 99, delivers his ballot as his son, Edward, and grandson, Robert, look on at
Hopkinton Middle School.

By Christina Pazzanese, Globe Correspondent

HOPKINTON -- This was one presidential election the three generations of Beecher boys weren’t about to miss.

Amid the crowds streaming in and out of Hopkinton Middle School this morning, Edward Beecher, 59, his 99-year-old father, Milton, and his teenage son Robert pulled up in a silver station wagon to cast what was a historic vote for a family that traces its lineage back to the famed abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe.

For the first time, all three men voted together in an election, and all three said they came specifically to vote for Barack Obama .

Edward Beecher said the Illinois senator's candidacy stirred an excitement in him that he hasn’t felt in four decades.

“The last time I felt such hope was the day Robert Kennedy won the California primary,” said Edward, an adult-services coordinator for the state Department of Mental Retardation. “But it was so short-lived.”

Milton Beecher, who turns 100 in March, calls himself an independent and said the first president he voted for was Herbert Hoover, in 1928. Although he has difficulty hearing and needs the assistance of a wheelchair, the retired highway engineer for the state of Connecticut wanted to vote as a way to make his feelings known about the current occupant of the White House, George W. Bush: “He’s the worst president we ever had!”

Another motivating factor: he “doubts” he’ll be around for the next presidential election.

Robert Beecher, 18, a senior at Hopkinton High School, said he’s been looking forward to voting for the first time.

“I’m glad this election got to be the one I voted in,” he said, especially since many of his friends and classmates were not yet of voting age. “I feel lucky I’m old enough to vote in this.”

The family says Beecher Stowe, the author of “Uncle Tom’s Cabin,” a novel published in 1852, is a direct cousin who descended from a common relative, English colonist John Beecher.

Edward Beecher said that even before the family officially learned of its connection to the author a few years ago through genealogical research, it long suspected it had ties to her and instinctively shared her views on equality.

“From the time I was young, my mother and father raised me to respect that everyone was equal,'' he said. "It didn’t have anything to do with color or race or ethnicity.”

His own philosophical kinship to the abolitionist spirit grew stronger during his days as a politically-active student at Boston College in the late 1960s and early '70s, he said.

So what would Beecher Stowe likely say about her relatives supporting an African-American man for president?

“She’d probably say, ‘It’s about time!’” Edward Beecher said with a laugh. “I think she’d be proud [of us] and proud of the American people.”

By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff

ASHLAND -- Eighteen-year-old Stephanie Cowern and her older sister Amanda, 20, walked out of Ashland High School this afternoon bubbling with the visible excitement of first-time voters.

That enthusiasm, however, quickly gave way to sibling rivalry. Stephanie, a high school senior, gave her vote to Democratic Senator Barack Obama. Amanda, a sophomore at Massachusetts Bay Community College, opted for Republican Senator John McCain.

"You got to go with experience when you're voting," said Amanda, who high-fived her father, Don Cowern, another backer of McCain.

Stephanie argued that she agreed with Obama on a host of issues such as healthcare and countered that she did not like that McCain has voted so consistently with President George W. Bush. Then, the younger sister brought out her big gun to end the conversation, invoking the name of the Republican vice presidential candidate.

"Palin," Stephanie said. "Done."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Scores of angry Cambridge registered voters this morning discovered that their names were missing from lists of eligible voters as city election officials alerted the state to the problem -- and provided a solution.

“They have no problem collecting taxes from me, but they can’t get my name on the (voting) roster,’’ said Laura Gamel, whose husband was on the list but she was not. Gamel was married earlier this year, but has lived in the same Cambridge neighborhood and voted in every election, including the September primary, at the same polling place during that time. She also personally filled out the city census card.

Gamel said workers at her Ward 11, Precinct 3 polling place on Churchill Avenue telephoned the Cambridge Election Commission, checked Gamel’s name on a different master list, and eventually handed her a ballot. She said the mix-up added about 10 minutes to the hour she spent waiting to vote.

This afternoon, Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons said she regretted the snafu, but insisted it was quickly corrected and said that the overwhelming majority of voters in her city zipped through the polling places.

“Some Cambridge residents encountered unexpected difficulties when they were attempting to perform their great civic duty by voting in the federal election. It turns out that an incomplete voter list had been distributed to the City’s polling locations,’’ the mayor said in a statement released by her office. “As soon as this was realized, a correction was made and a new, complete list was immediately distributed to all polling locations.’’

She added, “I deeply regret any inconvenience this may have caused voters.’’

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

While Barack Obama came up big this morning in Dixville Notch, N.H., Tanner Tillotson scored a victory of his own in the historic hamlet: Just after midnight, he cast the country's first Election Day ballot.

Tillotson this morning

Tillotson, 20, who was born in Boston and graduated from the Commonwealth High School in the Back Bay in 2006, is a third-year computer engineering major at McGill University in Montreal. He said his name was selected from a pot to vote first, but came close to missing the chance.

“I almost didn’t put my name in,” he said, but added it at the last minute.

Tillotson said that all of the residents of Dixville Notch save one, who voted by absentee, lined up and individually cast their votes. They waited in the next room to hear the results.

Tillotson's presidential choice? Barack Obama.

“It was honestly a lot of things,” he said. “I think you can’t count out the fact that he’s someone the people can believe in,” Tillotson said. “In my mind, that’s a big thing right now.”

Tillotson was not alone in Dixville Notch: Obama defeated John McCain 15-6.

John Bohn/Globe staff
Boston University students study ballot questions before voting at a campus polling station.

Milton

"What's waiting two or three hours when we've been waiting two of three generations for this type of leadership.''
-- Governor Deval Patrick at St. Mary's School, quoting a Floridian who voted early over the weekend. See video

South End, Boston

"I think this time everybody has something to say."
--Roland Baron, 64, standing in an hour-plus long line outside Cathedral High School

"I expected to wait a half an hour to an hour. That's why we came early as opposed to after work. The nice day made it easy."
--Bill Wolff, a 63-year-old retiree who voted at Washington Manor Apartments

Lynn

Calvin Anderson

Jamaica Plain, Boston

“We’re not a swing state, but people still want to get their voices heard.”
--Erin Knepler, 28, who dreamed last night of an Obama victory

Roxbury, Boston

"Given how our economy is going, it's worth getting out of bed to go vote."
--Annette Grant, 42, who got up at 4:20 a.m. to be at her polling place before 7 a.m.

"Obama and Chang-Diaz! Both are historic! Obama and Chang-Diaz! Both are historic!"
--Antonio Oritz, 59, referring in the latter reference to Democratic state Senate candidate Sonia Chang-Diaz.

Natick

"Obama hasn't got the experience in my opinion. We need someone with real strong experience."
- Paul Carew, 56, feeling " grossly outnumbered" as he held a placard for Republican state Senator Scott Brown in a blue sea of signs for Obama and Kerry.

By Globe Staff

Boston voters today are urged to bring canned goods and other non-perishables to polling places for a citywide food drive.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino's staff and local volunteers will be at polling places collecting the donations. The effort is part of Menino's Food & Fuel Campaign, which targets struggling families who may have to decide between heating their home and eating this winter.

A list of polling places can be found here.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- Determining how 14-year-old Haleigh Poutre nearly died from violent head injuries inside her Westfield home may come down to dramatic, competing testimony from her younger sister and stepfather, who are expected to take the witness stand in the coming days.

Haleigh Poutre

The sister will also say that her mother, Holli Strickland, who was married to Jason, was near the stairs at the time, and the couple "tried to wake Haleigh" without success, the prosecutor said.

According to Brandt, Samantha will go on to say that her stepfather later took Haleigh's unconscious body from the bottom of the basement steps and into an empty tub in a first-floor bathroom. When the couple was unsuccessful in reviving the girl, they told Samantha "to go upstairs and be with her 2-year-old brother."

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Embattled Democratic state Senator Dianne Wilkerson may have ended her sticker campaign, but her name was still visible today at some polling places in Roxbury.

Taped over the blue signs of her challenger, a white flier asked: "What happened to innocent until proven guilty?" It urged voters to "write in Dianne Wilkerson."

The fliers outside Orchard Gardens Community Center covered the name of Sonia Chang-Diaz, a former schoolteacher who narrowly beat Wilkerson in the Democratic primary. Wilkerson, a 15-year incumbent, had been running a sticker campaign until she was charged last week with accepting $23,500 in bribes in a federal corruption probe.

Wilkerson announced on Friday that she was ending her write-in campaign, but she resisted mounting pressure to resign from the Senate. Wilkerson said she would make an announcement on Wednesday regarding whether she will leave office before her term ends in January.

Photo/The Springfield Republican
Jason Strickland, center, confers with his attorneys Alan J. Black,
left, and Richard J. Rubin during a hearing in Hampden Superior Court in Springfield last month.

By Patricia Wen, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- Opening statements will begin tomorrow in the child-abuse case against Jason Strickland, a Westfield man accused of participating in the near-fatal beating of his step-daughter, Haleigh Poutre.

By late this afternoon, prosecutors and defense attorneys had agreed on a panel of 14 jurors, including two alternates who would hear evidence in this criminal case that is expected to last two or three weeks. The panel was picked from a pool of about 250 prospective jurors in Hampden County Superior Court who were questioned over three days about their ability to be impartial in this high-profile case.

Earlier today, Judge Judd Carhart denied a motion from prosecutors to bar the media from showing photographs or video of Haleigh that may be shown during the trial.

This case received nationwide attention when Haleigh nearly died in September 2005 from an alleged brutal head injury suffered in her Westfield home, and then when the state nearly pulled her life support while she was unconscious.

Haleigh, now 14, remains a patient in a pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Brighton after suffering severe head injuries. She has recovered to the point of being able to speak simple sentences, and she attends a day school connected to the hospital.

Prosecutors have said they will not call her as a witness; however the defense said they are still undecided on the issue.

By Brian Ballou, Globe Staff

The president and principle shareholder of a New Bedford company that was awarded almost $230 million in government contracts pled guilty this morning to illegally hiring and concealing undocumented workers, and now faces up to 18 months in jail.

The plea by Francesco Insolia, 51, of Pembroke, caps an almost two-year investigation following a massive raid of the Michael Bianco Inc. manufacturing company. At least 361 undocumented workers were detained following that raid.

“Our nation is rich with opportunities and it is no wonder that people from around the globe seek to come here to work and live,'' US Attorney Michael Sullivan said this afternoon during a press conference. "The defendant’s conduct in this case undermines our nation’s principles of freedom and the integrity of our immigration system, placing legally operating businesses at a competitive disadvantage.”

In addition to a possible jail term, Insolia has agreed to pay a fine of $30,000. The company, MBI, has agreed to pay a fine of approximately $1.5 million and to pay about $460,000 in restitution for the overtime owed to employees.

Late last month, two managers for the company pleaded guilty to various charges, including hiring and harboring illegal aliens. Sentencing for all three is scheduled for January.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi this afternoon sought to defend himself against a Globe report that he is refusing to comply with a demand for records from the state Ethics Commission in its conflict-of-interest investigation.

“I’ve always acted in the most ethical ways here in the Legislature,” DiMasi said as he entered Governor Deval Patrick’s office for a weekly leadership meeting. ”And any decision I’ve ever made was in the best interest of the people in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.”

“I’m very upset that -- and I’m disturbed -- that my good name has been called into question,” he added. “Obviously, you know, I don’t like that. I don’t like that at all. And I will defend myself in that manner in any way I can.”

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

Former Boston firefighter Albert Arroyo is being treated for depression and a back injury at a Boston hospital following his arrest this weekend for allegedly violating a restraining order obtained by his ex-girlfriend who said he has been harassing her for six years, according to court records.

Albert Arroyo at the 2008 WNBF Pro American Body Building Championship. Photo by Todd Ganci.

She also wrote that Arroyo "follows me everywhere. For that reason, I am in fear of leaving my house. I keep my doors locked. I close my curtains because he looks up to my windows when not in my hallway.''

Arroyo was fired from the fire department earlier this year after failing to convince officials he was permanently disabled with a back injury despite competing in a body-building contest.

His attorney, Neil Osborne, said today the firing is the subject of a grievance filed by Arroyo’s union, Local 718 of the firefighters union. Osborne said he does not represent Arroyo in connection with his arrest on alleged domestic violence charges.

(AP Photo/Eagle-Tribune, Paul Bilodeau)

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

LAWRENCE -- A fatal fire at a home in Lawrence claimed two lives overnight when a mother rushed back inside to try to save her developmentally disabled son, according to police and fire officials.

Sean Cahalane

"They kept screaming, 'Jump, Sean, jump!'" said Paul Watterson, a longtime family friend who spoke with the father, Russ Cahalane, after the fire.

But Sean Cahalane refused to jump. As Russ Cahalane went in search of a ladder, his wife, Linda, 51, rushed inside to try to save her son. When Russ Cahalane realized where his wife had gone, he followed her inside.

"He got to the bottom of the stairs, but there was too much smoke," Watterson said. "He called for her, and didn't get an answer."

HAVERHILL – Affectionately known as “Coach Sean” on the high school football field, Sean Cahalane graduated from Whittier Vocational Technical High School in 2007 and could not have been more loved there. Athletic Director Kevin Bradley’s phone rang nonstop this morning as his former teammates called to express shock about his tragic death.

“He meant so much to the kids,” Bradley said. “They are all crying. He never played a down but he touched every one of their lives.”

Sean, 20, died with his mother in an early morning fire today at their Lawrence home. He was the much-loved equipment manager for the Wildcats Football Team his junior and senior year, and no one was more ecstatic when the team went to the super bowl both years.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

MIAMI -- Retired FBI agent John J. Connolly Jr. did not pull the trigger, and was not even in Florida in the summer of 1982 when an admitted hitman shot Boston business consultant John B. Callahan in the back of the head and dumped his body in the trunk of a Cadillac at Miami International Airport.

John J. Connolly

Leaking that information was "like throwing red meat to a lion, it was like waving a red flag in front of a bull," Fred Wyshak, a federal prosecutor from Boston who is assisting in the state murder prosecution told jurors. "He knew what was going to happen.''

Flemmi testified that Connolly never actually told them to kill Callahan, but he said the agent knew that his tip would prompt them to kill the businessman because the agent had leaked information to Bulger and Flemmi in the past that caused them to kill two FBI informants -- one in 1976 and another in 1982.

As the election approaches, many people are waking up having had powerful dreams about the election.

If you have had a memorable dream in recent days, please contact David Abel at dabel@globe.com for a story he's preparing on the subject of dreams and the elections.

Please include a phone number and email address where he can reach you today.

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

A man was killed overnight when a two-alarm fire believed to have been sparked by a malfunctioning coal stove swept through his home in Hopkinton.

Officials did not release the identity of the man, whose body was discovered at 9 p.m. by firefighters who rushed inside the home on Meserve Street, said Hopkinton Deputy Fire Chief Ken Clark. The man apparently died from injuries caused by the fire and was pronounced dead at the scene, Clark said.

The man lived alone in the home, which sustained extensive damage in the blaze. This afternoon, State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan and Hopkinton Fire Chief Gary T. Daugherty said preliminary findings point to a malfunctioning coal stove in the living room as the cause.

Hopkinton firefighters also battled a three-alarm fire overnight on Hayden Rowe Street, Clark said. The family who lives in the house escaped safely. One firefighter suffered a minor injury to his arm.

(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)

Three-year-old Brady Kudrick harassed his big sister Abby, 5, on Sunday with a handful of leaves in their backyard on a glorious fall afternoon.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in metropolitan Boston since 1971. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here.

Here is the news Globe Deputy City Editor Mike Bello is following this morning:

Breaking Now:

Mother dies trying to rescue son from Lawrence fire

Man killed in Hopkinton fire

Buzz:

DiMasi refuses to provide records

Boston police arrest ex-firefighter

Demand growing for food assistance as holidays near

By walking beats, Boston police aim to improve community relations

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

Police officers investigating a report of an armed robbery lifted a South Boston man from the wheelchair he was sitting in and found three guns, two equipped with high-capacity magazines and one with a laser sight, authorities said today.

Edwin J. Prosper Jr., 22, was charged with three counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and numerous counts of unlawful possession of ammunition.

“He was literally sitting on top of them,” said Officer Eddy Chrispin, a police spokesman.

Prosper was arrested after police and a SWAT team converged Friday night on an apartment building at 20 Pilsudski Way in South Boston as part of an armed robbery investigation.

Road closures and other transportation advisories for the week of Nov. 2:

As part of a plan to increase traffic flow throughout Interstate 90 (MassPike), lanes will be reconfigured at the I-90 East toll plaza near Route 128 Sunday. The new configuration will be in place for commuters Monday.

Lanes of I-90 (MassPike) East and West near the Ted Williams Tunnel will be closed Sunday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 11:30 p.m. to 6 a.m.

Cooper Street in the North End will be closed to traffic Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for two weeks.

By Sarah Gantz, Globe Correspondent

A 23-year-old Webster man was killed Friday night in a one-car rollover crash at the Allston-Brighton toll plaza on the eastbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike, authorities said.

Jesus Munoz was not wearing a seatbelt when his 1997 Acura coupe swerved off the left side of the road, struck a light pole and jersey barriers, and rolled over. The accident happened just before midnight, State Police said in a statement.

Excessive speed may have been a factor in the crash, said Sergeant Dave Mahan, a State Police spokesman.

The accident shut down three lanes on the highway for about two hours.

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

WESTFIELD -- A pile of candy littered a street in this western Massachusetts city today, sad evidence of a car accident Friday night that killed a 9-year-old trick-or-treater and his mother.

Police say they are investigating why the car hit Roberta A. Salois, 47, and Steven X. Smith-Salois.

The crash occurred at about 8:15 p.m. on South Maple Street near Margerie Street, Westfield Police said in a statement. Salois was pronounced dead after being taken to Noble Hospital in Westfield. Her son was pronounced dead at BayState Medical Center.

Roberta Salois was one of six children, said Pam Salois, her sister-in-law, in an interview outside her home on Russellville Road.

“The whole family is going to get together and meet and plan things out from here,” she said, referring to funeral arrangements.

Police said Anne R. Schlichtig, 26, of Westfield was the driver of the 2005 Toyota that struck the mother and son. No charges have been filed.

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

Police are searching for a Carver woman who has been missing since she was seen leaving a Providence nightclub last weekend.

Quiana Key, 23, has not been heard from since leaving The Complex club parking lot with an unknown man on Oct. 25, Carver Police said.

Key is black, 4-foot-11, weighs 150 pounds, and has brown eyes and shoulder-length black hair. Key, who has a young child, was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with blue jeans and brown high top boots.

Carver Police encourage anyone with information regarding Key or the man she was with to call them at 508-866-2000.

(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

Peter Shugrue, an employee at Electric Time Co., inspected an 84-inch Wegman clock Friday before its shipment to Virginia.

By Jillian Jorgensen, Globe Correspondent

When Massachusetts residents turn their clocks back tonight with the end of daylight saving time, State Fire Marshal Stephen D. Coan is hoping they will also change the batteries in their smoke detectors.

"The peak time for home fire fatalities is between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. when most families are sleeping," Coan said in a statement. Keeping the batteries in smoke alarms up to date is an effective and easy way to reduce fire deaths, he said. Twice a year, when clocks are switched forward and then back, people should change those batteries, he said.

If a smoke alarm is 10 years old or older, it should be replaced, Coan said. Carbon monoxide detectors should be replaced after five to seven years.