By Marc Larocque, Globe Correspondent

Two former Haverhill Highway Department employees were each sentenced to two years in jail today, with most of their terms suspended, after they were convicted of defrauding the city.

James Flaherty, 65, will serve six months in jail with the remainder of his time suspended, followed by probation. His son, 35-year-old Kevin Flaherty, will serve four months in jail and then probation.

Kevin Flaherty was also ordered to pay $856.97 of restitution to Haverhill and perform 200 hours of community service. The two men were convicted on June 2, after James Flaherty was charged with larceny over $250 and Kevin Flaherty was charged with larceny over $250 and presentation of false claims.

A joint investigation by the state’s inspector general’s office and State Police discovered the Flahertys improperly used their public positions to use city-owned paving material, such as asphalt, for their family business.

(AP File Photo)

Ono stood by a poster of her late husband in 2003 at the premiere of a new DVD of his work at a London theater.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Ten hours of grainy, black-and-white footage depicting intimate moments of John Lennon and his family at their London estate in 1970 now legally belong to Yoko Ono, who won a copyright battle against a Massachusetts company in federal court last week.

U.S. District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel found the former Beatle's widow was the rightful owner of the rare documentary videotapes Thursday. Zobel refused to overturn her previous decision to dismiss a copyright infringement lawsuit against Ono filed by World Wide Video of Lawrence, which alleged it owned them.

"Our client is very happy," said Ono's lawyer, Jonathan M. Albano of Boston, who declined to comment on whether the videotapes would ever be released publicly in their entirety.

By Globe Staff

MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas said today his agency is setting up about 42 new phone lines at key locations so bus drivers and train operators can keep in touch with their families.

The installation of the lines was one of the steps the agency has taken to address concerns among employees after the public transit agency instituted a tough new policy cracking down on cellphone possession and use, Grabauskas said.

"We are committed to putting the necessary systems in place to allay any concerns Operators may have about their families and dependents contacting them in the event of an emergency while they are at work," Grabauskas said in remarks prepared for delivery at a Department of Public Utilities hearing.

By Globe Staff

Even as a legislative committee was hearing testimony today in a quiet State House room on bills tightening the rules for elderly drivers, another crash involving an elderly driver in Woburn sent a woman to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

An 83-year-old Malden man is facing charges of negligent operation after the 12:26 p.m. accident at Old Cambridge Road and Russell Street, said Woburn Police Sergeant Robert Giannotti. Police will also ask the Registry of Motor Vehicles to determine that the man is an immediate public safety threat and revoke his license.

Giannotti said the man and his 84-year-old wife were in a Toyota Camry that was coming out of Old Cambridge Road onto Russell Street. The car hit a Chrysler Sebring driven by a 78-year-old Woburn woman who was driving west on Russell. The collision was "not head-on but nearly head-on," said Giannotti.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

Reputed New England Mafia underboss Carmen "The Cheese Man" DiNunzio is poised to plead guilty to federal bribery charges and state extortion and gambling charges under an agreement that will send him to prison for six years, according to his lawyer.

Carmen DiNunzio

The 51-year-old DiNunzio will plead guilty tomorrow afternoon in US District Court in Boston to charges that he tried to bribe an undercover FBI agent posing as a corrupt state official in a bid to secure a $6 million Big Dig contract. He has been under house arrest in his East Boston home since his indictment in the federal case 14 months ago.

As part of his agreement with federal and state officials, DiNunzio will also plead guilty in Essex Superior Court in Salem on July 8 to extortion and illegal gambling charges that were brought against him in December 2006.

DiNunzio was dubbed "The Cheese Man'' because he owns the Fresh Cheese shop on Endicott Street in the North End.

By Vivian Nereim, Globe Correspondent

Legislators, government officials, and community organizers called today for changes to the state's criminal records law that they said would help ex-offenders reenter society, including shortening the waiting period to seal records and a simplification of the sealing process.

Supporters of the changes to the Criminal Offender Record Information law, speaking at a State House rally, argued that revisions to the law would help people released from prison to find jobs and housing, reducing recidivism.

"The CORI law is broken, and on a daily basis opportunity is lost," said Kevin Burke, secretary of the state Executive Office of Security and Public Safety.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino urged immediate action. "Let's do CORI reform this session. Let's get it done now," he said, adding, "I just put a young man to work who spent 15 years in jail."

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

The uncle of a little girl who was struck and killed by an 89-year-old driver earlier this month urged lawmakers today at a State House hearing to place more regulations on elderly drivers.

"I want people to do something about this, and I think all Massachusetts residents do. I want you to look us in the eye and say 'We should do this and we will do this,'" said Nihan Patel, 24, the uncle of Diya Patel.

Diya Patel, 4, was struck on June 13 by a car driven by Ilse Horn of Canton. Horn has had her license revoked and faces a charge of motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation. Patel was crossing Washington Street, also known as Route 138, with her grandfather, at about 11:39 a.m.

Nihan Patel testified alongside Senator Brian A. Joyce, who is pushing for a bill that would require testing every five years for drivers older than 85.

(Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff)

Nothing was playing at the theater when a photographer stopped by in December -- and nothing had played there for years.

By Emily Sweeney, Globe Staff

Quincy’s historic Wollaston Theater has been sold to Street-Works Development LLC, a New York-based firm that has plans to redevelop downtown Quincy.

The single-screen movie theater, known to locals as “The Wolly,” has been closed since 2003, and is in need of major repairs.

Quincy Mayor Thomas P. Koch requested that Street-Works purchase the aging building so it could be preserved, according to the mayor’s office. Koch said the deal will give some time for a nonprofit organization to raise money and secure grants to restore the theater.

“The real work begins now,” Koch said in a prepared statement. “We believe the potential is there to bring back The Wolly as a true gem for Wollaston and all of Quincy. But make no mistake, it is going to require a major communitywide effort to make this happen. And the nonprofit will be looking at every possible resource along the way.”

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/file 2008)

Last July, workers prepared to load fireworks into shells on barges in the Charles River.

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

Four barges heavy with sand and empty mortar tubes will be nudged into position today on the Charles River as preparations enter the final stage for the Fourth of July fireworks spectacular.

Planning for the nationally televised event this weekend on the Esplanade began in winter and required some 3,000 hours of intensive work, said Steve MacDonald, a spokesman for Boston 4 Productions. The fireworks display will include over 25,000 pounds of pyrotechnics fired in 12,000 shells. To synchronize the show to music, hundreds of mortar tubes will be connected to computers with 5 miles of wires.

"It takes 11 days to set up the show," MacDonald said, "and it’s gone in 21 minutes."

(David Kamerman/Globe Staff/file 2007)

The USS Constitution off Castle Island during Navy Week in 2007.

By Globe Staff

The fifth annual Navy Week kicks off today in Boston with free tours of the USS Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yard.

Activities over the next six days include an F-18 flight simulator on City Hall Plaza, a concert by the Navy Northeast Showband at Faneuil Hall, and a sunset parade in Charlestown Navy Yard to honor Captain Shawn Murphy, the first mate of the Maersk Alabama, a container ship hijacked in April by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

Here is the full schedule for Navy Week:

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The official portrait of former Governor Mitt Romney will be unveiled this evening in a ceremony at the foot of the Grand Staircase in the State House.

former Governor Mitt Romney

"I don't want to give away any surprises, but it’s a very realistic looking portrait," Fehrnstrom said this morning. "There are some interesting features that I think people will find unique."

The 6 p.m. ceremony is expected to draw 150 to 200 people. Speakers include Romney's former budget chief Thomas Trimarco, former Senate President Robert Travaglini, former Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey, and Governor Deval Patrick.

By tradition, Romney's portrait will hang in the outer office lobby of the governor's office. Its placement will force the removal of the portrait of former governor John Volpe, with whom Romney's father, George, once served in the Cabinet of President Nixon. Volpe's portrait will hang in the halls.

(Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff)

Last week at Suffolk Downs, Jessica Paquette walked across the muddy track in what might seem like a strange choice of footwear. "Why would I wear high heels?" Paquette asked. "Because they match my dress."

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Vivian Nereim and Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondents

BOURNE -- A young woman who was celebrating her friend's 21st birthday at a bar was killed in a crash this morning when her ride home was apparently speeding on a wet road and hit a tree, police said.

Cassandra Flynn was not wearing a seat belt in the backseat of the 1984 Porsche 944 when the driver lost control of the two-door coupe on County Road in Pocasset, a village in Bourne, according to the Bourne Police Department.

No one in the car was wearing a seatbelt, police said. The three other occupants of the vehicle suffered injuries in the wreck, including the driver, Jonathan Muir, 21, of Falmouth.

When rescue crews arrived, Sonya D'angelo, 21, of Bourne, was the only person conscious. D'angelo told police that the four friends had been at The Courtyard Restaurant and Pub, which closes at 1 a.m.

Bourne Police Chief Earl Baldwin said today that at this point in the investigation there was no evidence that alcohol played a role in the crash. Speed and a damp roadway do appear to have been a factor, Baldwin said. The crash remains under investigation.

Police identified the fourth occupant of the car, Erica Pouler, of Bourne, as the woman celebrating her birthday.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

Despite inches of rain and all those overcast afternoons, gloomy mornings, and cloudy lunch breaks, this June will not set a record for a shortage of sunshine.

Even if not another ray of sunlight reaches the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory and Science Center in Milton before the end of the month, it will not matter. It is now mathematically impossible to break the all-time record set in 1903, when just 25 percent of the sun’s rays penetrated the clouds.

The lowest this June can go with one last good, gloomy day is 26 percent, one percentage point short of making history. That is disappointing for Robert Skilling, the chief observer at Blue Hill, who had been rooting for a new record.

"We're in solid possession of second place," said Skilling, finding his own silver lining when the sun poked through the clouds this afternoon at the Blue Hill Observatory, where a glass sphere on the roof has recorded nearly every burst of sunshine since 1885.

This month will shatter the previous mark for the second-cloudiest June on record in 1998, when only 36 percent of the sun's rays reached the earth. That in itself, Skilling acknowledged, is an accomplishment.

"We never suspected," he said, "that this would stay this low."

By Matt Viser
Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today signed a budget for next year that cuts aid to cities and towns, pares back programs throughout state government, and imposes $1 billion in additional taxes on Massachusetts residents, shoppers, and visitors.

In signing the $27 billion budget, which is $400 million less than the proposal approved this month by House and Senate lawmakers, Patrick issued vetoes that cut funding in a number of areas. The budget takes effect Wednesday, the first day of the next fiscal year.

“This is without question an austere – and in some respects, painful – budget,” Patrick told reporters. “It contains many unavoidable spending cuts, and many of them will have a painful impact.”

He said the budget “reflects the stark economic realities of the time.”

Patrick's plan restores health care coverage for 30,000 legal immigrants and provides a record-high $4 billion in education funding for cities and towns, thanks in part to $167 million in federal stimulus money. It also includes more than $1 billion in new taxes, a portion of which will prevent a planned toll increase on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

His budget calls for nearly $150 million in line-item vetoes, eliminating or slashing programs that the Legislature approved. In addition, it eliminates $217 million in funding for county sheriffs, according to an administration official briefed on the budget. That funding will likely be restored through a bill that consolidates sheriffs departments throughout the state.

The Legislature now must decide whether to override the governor’s vetoes or let them stand.

The budget includes more than $1 billion in tax increases, which include new taxes on hotels, alcohol, meals, and satellite dishes. The new sales tax rate, which will increase from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, will go into effect Aug. 1.

Patrick had said he would agree to the lawmakers' plan only after they agreed to overhaul the state's ethics, pension, and transportation laws significantly. Over the past two weeks, House and Senate lawmakers approved plans on each of those items, all but forcing the governor to sign on to their tax proposal.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

An 34-year-old Newton man, whom Boston police arrested Friday after he allegedly tried to sell two kilograms of raw heroin to an undercover officer, was ordered held on $300,000 cash bail today.

With a blue jacket draped over his head, Amando Avila pleaded not guilty in Roxbury Municipal Court to numerous drug charges before Judge Edward Redd, who said he was concerned that the Mexico native might be a flight risk when he imposed the $300,000 cash bail.

Avila's court-appointed attorney, Rebecca J. Kratka of the Committee for Public Counsel Services, said Avila has been living in the United States since 2000 and operates a painting company with a brother. Kratka said Avila could not afford a high bail or an attorney on his own.

Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Migdalia Nalls, citing the investigation by Boston police and federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, urged Redd to set an even higher bail, $750,000.

In a report filed in court, Boston police said ICE investigators alerted them that a Mexican man was looking to sell heroin. An undercover Boston police officer allegedly contacted Avila on a cellphone and Avila agreed to meet him at a supermarket parking lot in the Fenway section of the city.

Avila showed up on foot, telling the undercover officer that his wife had dropped him off from their Newton home. The wife, however, has not been charged and police said in the report they saw Avila with two men, not any women.

In the report, police said Avila agreed to return to Newton, pick up the drug and meet the undercover officer in the Fenway neighborhood. Avila, who also said he did not have a license, returned around 8 p.m.

Avila allegedly showed the officer 2 kilograms of heroin. The officer told Avila he was going to get the money but instead police officers arrived and took Avila into custody.

Avila faces a minimum of 15 years imprisonment, prosecutors said. He is due back in court July 28.

HANOVER -- The man accused of the kidnapping and attempted rape of a 6-year-old allegedly injected the girl with an unknown substance from a hypodermic needle that made her sleepy as he bound her hands with black tape and held her in an apartment filled with chains, ropes, and other trappings of sexual bondage, prosecutors said today.

Prosecutors allege that the man, Justin Shine, 26, was high on cocaine when he snatched the blue-eyed, blond-haired girl Saturday afternoon while she was riding her pink bicycle and wearing a Barbie bike helmet. Shine allegedly lured her into his apartment by promising to show her guinea pigs and gerbils, Assistant Plymouth District Attorney Sharon Donatelle said today during his arraignment in Hingham District Court.

Shine then allegedly shackled her ankles, placed tape over her mouth, and then slit one of his owns wrists as police searched door-by-door in the Hanover Woods apartment complex for the little girl, Donatelle said.

"He told her she was not going to be the one to die here," Donatelle said. "That he was."

The girl either escaped or was let go. Shine pleaded not guilty today to charges of kidnapping, attempted rape, assault and battery, and resisting arrest. He was ordered held without bond pending a dangerousness hearing on July 1.

"No amount of bail could keep the community safe," Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz said after the arrangement.

Shine's court-appointed attorney, William Leonard, declined to speak with reporters.

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

The state revoked the driver's license today of an 86-year-old woman who allegedly struck and severely injured an elderly pedestrian in Melrose on Sunday.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles issued the revocation order this morning for the license of Virginia Nelson. The Malden resident has not been cited by police, who are still investigating the crash.

The victim, Francis Blomerth, 84, of Medford, was hit about 10:30 a.m. on Main Street. Police believe that Blomerth was in a crosswalk when he was struck, near a neon-yellow traffic sign that cautions drivers to stop for pedestrians. Blomerth remained in critical condition today at Massachusetts General Hospital.

According to the Registry records, Nelson had a clean driving record prior to today's revocation.

(Evan Richman/Globe Staff/file 2008)

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

FRAMINGHAM -- The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board unanimously approved a budget this morning that rescinded a $100-million toll hike because the governor is poised to sign a budget later today that includes a bailout for the struggling roadway.

The 5-0 vote officially eliminated the toll hike that had been scheduled to take effect Wednesday. The Turnpike Authority will instead receive a $100-million annual subsidy from a 1.25-percentage-point increase in the state sales tax.

"We feel vindicated because the public has now agreed that the burden of paying for the Big Dig shouldn't have to fall on Metrowest and North Shore commuters," said Representative David Linksy, a Democrat from Natick. "Now that burden will be shared."

(John Blanding/Globe Staff)

GLOUCESTER -- Sister Caterina (left) and Sister Mary Claire smiled on Sunday despite the raindrops at St. Peter's Fiesta.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Emma Stickgold, Globe Correspondent

An elderly man was seriously injured after being struck by an 86-year-old Malden woman on Main Street in Melrose this morning, the fourth serious high-profile accident involving an elderly driver this month.

Police found the pedestrian, whom they identified only as an elderly male, on the ground on Main Street after getting calls reporting the incident just before 10:30 a.m.

By Vivian Nereim, Globe Correspondent

Boston police seized $200,000 worth of heroin and arrested a Newton man allegedly trying to sell the drug to an undercover police officer Friday, officials announced today.

Amando Avila, 34, had roughly 2 kilograms of Mexican black tar heroin in his possession, police said at a press conference today.

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

Two people were pulled from the mouth of the Merrimack River last night after their boat took on water and capsized.

The Coast Guard received a distress call at 8:42 p.m. after a good Samaritan witnessed the 20-foot recreational vessel in distress.

By Vivian Nereim, Globe Correspondent

WEYMOUTH -- More than 100 gallons of gasoline spilled onto Main and Winter streets after a driver ran over and severed a hose at a Gulf gas station around 8:45 this morning, according to fire officials.

The Weymouth Fire Department and Clean Harbors, an environmental services contractor, are cleaning up the spill and the surrounding storm drains.

Deputy Fire Chief Joe Davis said the Fire Department has found no flammable vapors left, and does not expect a fire or explosion, but it is prepared in the event that one happens. The Department of Environmental Protection has also been called to the scene.

By Michael Corcoran, Globe Correspondent

HANOVER — A 26-year-old man was charged with kidnapping and attempted rape of a 6-year-old girl who disappeared while riding her bicycle Saturday and later escaped from an apartment in shackles, authorities said.

The child had been gone about 30 minutes while bicycling at the Hanover Woods apartment complex on Franks Lane, when her mother reported her missing to police at 1:05 p.m., Plymouth District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said at a press conference Saturday night.

Police responded immediately, and as they did a door-to-door search, the child escaped, her legs in shackles, Cruz said. She pointed to an apartment, and police entered.

After a struggle, police arrested Justin Shine, 26, of Hanover, who had self-inflicted wounds, Cruz said. He would not say whether Shine lived at the apartment.

The girl was taken to a hospital, but authorities would not comment on whether she was injured.

‘‘Officials did an excellent job,’’ Cruz told reporters at the Hanover police station. ‘‘It’s fair to say that if the police didn’t do the job that they did, that this situation may have ended worse.’’

Shine, who was also transported to a hospital, was charged with kidnapping, attempted rape, assault, and resisting arrest, Cruz said. He said that charges may be added or modified pending the investigation. Shine will be arraigned Monday in Hingham District Court.

By Mark Shanahan, Globe Staff

Amid fanfare worthy of the World Series, Red Sox owner John Henry today married Linda Pizzuti, who has been a fixture on his arm since the two met a year ago.

Surrounded by 50 or so friends and family members, the couple were married in the late afternoon on board Henry’s 164-foot yacht, the Iroquois, with a reception featuring the music of Maroon 5 held afterward in the outfield at Fenway Park.

There were no sausage vendors on Ipswich Street as long black cars pulled up at Gate B and deposited dapper guests at the curb. More than 400 people were invited to the reception, which was notable not only for its lavishness — a red carpet welcomed guests to the park — but also for its intense security.

Anyone working the event was prohibited from having a cellphone, and guests were asked to refrain from taking cellphone images that might surface on the Internet.

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

Seven-year-old Nathaniel Turner was taken off life support and died early today at UMass Memorial Medical Center, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette reported.

The boy had been declared brain-dead Tuesday. His father, Leslie G. Schuler, 36, and his father's girlfriend, Tiffany Hyman, both of Worcester, have pleaded not guilty to multiple assault charges in connection with the boy's fatal injuries. District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. has said he expects Schuler will be prosecuted for homicide.

Police said the boy was the victim of emotional and physical abuse beginning May 19 that culminated in the fatal beating on Father’s Day.

By Globe Staff

With deafening booms, lightning, and drenching rain, thunderstorms are rumbling through Eastern Massachusetts this afternoon.

The National Weather Service said Doppler radar indicated that some areas are receiving 2 inches of rain in less than an hour.

The forecasters warned that the runoff could cause rapid flooding of small streams and also to expect flooding of urban areas and roads and underpasses.

Severe thunderstorm warnings were issued in the late afternoon for areas in eastern and southeastern Massachusetts.

By Michael Corcoran, Globe Correspondent

A 4-year-old boy was rescued this afternoon after hitting his head when falling into a pool at a Kingston country club.

The boy was initially unconscious when he was pulled out of the water by lifeguards at the Indian Pond Country Club. They, along with several bystanders, performed rescue breathing, the Kingston Fire Department said in a statement.

The boy had expelled water and was semiconscious when the Fire Department arrived shortly after 2 p.m., the fire officials said.

The child was to be flown to a Boston hospital, but because of foggy conditions, he was taken to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, the fire officials said. Messages left at the Indian Pond Country Club were not immediately returned.

By Hannah McBride, Globe Correspondent

A Sudbury man was flown by helicopter to Massachusetts General Hospital this morning after he was injured when his vehicle overturned on a town road, authorities said.

A fire dispatcher said rescuers found the man's Jeep Grand Cherokee upside down around 10 a.m. near the intersection of Old Lancaster Road and Meadow Drive.

A police dispatcher said the man, who is in his 50s, was alone in the car and no other vehicles were involved. Officials said the accident is under investigation.

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Onome Grell, 6, of Dorchester, (left) jumped in the air with other children in the new fountain at the grand opening today.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Five years ago, Dorcas Dunham could only dream of what the vacant lot on Elmhurst Street in Dorchester would look like if it were remodeled as a playground. As children splashed through a fountain and slid down slides for the first time today at the new Elmhurst Playground, she no longer had to use her imagination.

Dorcas Dunham

By Marc Larocque, Globe Correspondent

With unusually heavy June rains soaking into the earth and making it unstable, some coastal areas in Maine may be in danger of sliding into the water, a geologist working for Maine’s Department of Conservation warned today.

Stephen Dickson of the Maine Geological Survey issued the warning after about 200 feet on the shore of the Penobscot River shifted and slid into the water Thursday in Stockton Springs, a town about 180 miles northeast of Boston. No one was hurt, but two summer houses and a rail line near the landslide were still at risk, he said.

“The triggering mechanism here is the long period of heavy rains throughout June that have led to high water levels underground and saturation of the mud, which reduces its strength,” Dickson said by phone. He said slope failures could occur near any body of water where there is a bluff that is 20 feet higher than the high-water mark.

(Mass. State Police)

Some of the plants at the house were 4 feet tall, police said.

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

A 52-year-old Western Massachusetts man is facing drug charges after State Police allegedly found 200 marijuana plants, 13 pounds of bagged marijuana, and bags of money stuffed in a vacuum cleaner and clothes dryer in his two homes.

Bobby Kay was arraigned Friday in Greenfield District Court on charges of possessing a Class D narcotic and cultivating a Class D narcotic, among others. The charges were the culmination of a three-week investigation, State Police said.

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent

A fire this morning on Bay Street in Springfield killed a teenager and his 4-year-old brother and injured several other family members.

Marshall Wood Jr., 17, and Malik Bell, 4, were on the second and first floors, respectively, of their home when the fire started this morning, said Dennis Leger, a spokesman for the Springfield Fire Department.

The fire apparently started in the basement, but the cause is still unknown, Leger said.

Two girls, Jakaria Bell, 9, and Jasayah Bell, 13, suffered facial burns and were taken to a burn center in Boston. Melissa Bell, the mother of all the children, who is likely suffering from smoke inhalation and anxiety, was hospitalized, Leger said.

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

A New Bedford man has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted Friday in Taunton Superior Court of killing a 10-month-old boy.

Manuel Antonio Lopez, 30, was convicted of second-degree murder in the death of Josiah Pacheco, who died at Hasbro Children’s Hospital three days after sustaining blunt trauma to his head on Aug. 11, 2007. Lopez was watching the baby while his girlfriend, the child’s mother, was at work. Lopez was not the boy’s father.

“There is nothing on this Earth that is more cruel and unjust than the intentional killing of an infant,” Bristol District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter said in a statement.

Lopez was living with the child’s mother on Deane Street, where the incident occurred. He will be eligible for parole after 15 years.

The police sketch of the suspect.

By Emma Rose Johnson, Globe Correspondent

Boston University police are on the lookout for a Peeping Tom who allegedly sneaked into a women's bathroom recently in an academic building on campus.

The incident occurred at 3:45 p.m. June 19 in a bathroom at 675 Commonwealth Ave., the victim told police. The woman said she was in a stall when the suspect entered the bathroom and looked over the stall's dividing wall. The victim said she screamed, causing the man to run.

Road closures and other transportation advisories for the week of June 28:

One lane of Interstate 90 West in the Ted Williams Tunnel will be closed Monday and Tuesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The I-90 East high-occupancy vehicle tunnel to Logan Airport will be closed Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 p.m. to 5 a.m.

Lanes on I-90 East near the Ted Williams Tunnel will be closed Sunday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

(David L. Ryan/The Boston Globe)

Zach Williams appeared to be channeling Ol' Blue Eyes -- and it worked. He won the men's crown.

By Taryn Plumb, Globe Correspondent

Casey Rae Macomber started out as your typical shower songstress.

Whitney, Mariah, Martina – she sang them all, belting powerhouse ballads and crooning sweet serenades among the suds and steam.

Eventually, she took her act onto the karaoke stage. Then the petite graphic designer spent 16 drenching hours waiting in the rain for "American Idol" tryouts. (Ultimately, she got the easy letdown: "You're just not what we're looking for.")

Today she was in Boston vying for a different crown: Karaoke Idol.

"When I'm singing, I'm in my own little world," said the 25-year-old Marblehead diva, one of eight competitors who battled for the state karaoke title, in a contest held in Boston.

By Christopher Girard, Globe Correspondent

A 24-year-old New Bedford man was indicted by a grand jury today in the 2005 slaying of a man in that city, Bristol County prosecutors said.

John J. Burgos Jr. allegedly shot Dana Haywood, 31, of New Bedford, near the intersection of Russell Street and Acushnet Avenue on July 4, 2005. Haywood was shot once in the chest and once in the head, Bristol District Attorney Sam Sutter said in a statement.

Burgos was indicted on a single count of murder and will be arraigned in New Bedford Superior Court at a date that has yet to be determined, Sutter said.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Get ready to shell out more at the cash register. Governor Deval Patrick said today that he will sign a budget that would raise more than $1 billion in new revenues by hiking taxes on everything from satellite dishes to cheeseburgers.

The statewide meals tax will also increase, from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, and municipalities will have the option to levy an additional 0.75 percent. Taxes will also go up on satellite television users, and an exemption on alcohol sold in retail stores will be eliminated. Communities will also be allowed to raise the local hotel tax by 2 percentage points.

It would be the first increase in sales and meals taxes since 1975.

“I will approve the new revenues we need to bring our budget into balance, offset the need for even more difficult cuts, and expand opportunity throughout the Commonwealth,” Patrick said in a statement. “Due to the economic challenges that all states are facing, this new revenue is necessary to prevent us from losing ground on our long-term goals in education and health care, and further straining safety net services that are struggling to meet the increased demand.”

Massachusetts right now has one of the lowest sales tax rates in the country, and the state also exempts several items from the tax, such as food, and clothing that costs less than $175. The state passed a 3 percent sales tax in 1966, and it was increased a decade later to 5 percent, where it has remained since.

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

The family of a 7-year-old boy who is brain-dead after allegedly being beaten by his father has decided to donate his organs, Worcester police said today.

Nathaniel Turner had been at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester and was declared brain-dead Tuesday. Turner's family, led by his mother and grandmother, were given the legal right to end life support by a Juvenile Court judge this week.

Worcester Police Sergeant Kerry Hazelhurst said today that the family was anticipating that the organs would be harvested today. On Thursday, the family asked for privacy and banned UMass Memorial from releasing any information about Turner's status.

"They are going to donate the organs, which is a nice thing out of a tragic thing, to give people a chance to live,'' said Hazelhurst.

By Globe Staff

Red flags and warnings about water quality were removed this afternoon from three state beaches after tests showed that bacteria counts there had dropped.

Earlier today the state Department of Conservation and Recreation had been strongly discouraging swimming at King's Beach in Lynn, Tenean Beach in Dorchester, and Wollaston Beach in Quincy. Daily water quality tests had found high levels of the bacteria Enterococcus, according to spokeswoman Wendy Fox.

New tests found that the bacteria levels had dropped low enough that the water was again safe. All three beaches are located in interior, urban areas where it takes a long time for the tide and currents to flush out impurities.

The Department of Conservation and Recreation overseas a total of 26 beaches from Salisbury to Martha's Vineyard. For up to the minute information, call the state's water quality hotline at 617-626-4972.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

In Caroline Hanlon's third-grade class at the Lee Elementary School in Dorchester, the school year ended and summer vacation began at about 1:10 p.m. today not with a bell and a raucous cheer, but with a poem, a hug – and some tears.

The seven students who came in for the last half-day of school sat quietly on the floor as Hanlon read the Dr. Seuss story "Oh, The Places You'll Go!"

She then read another poem, telling the kids, "I will always think of you/ As through the years you go/ Try hard to do the best you can/ There is so much to know." She hugged the kids, and took them down to the cafeteria where they were to wait for their buses, which had begun lining up in front of the school.

It was a scene being acted out in some way in all 143 schools across the city today. The year ended for high school seniors earlier this month. But for the 53,000 remaining students, today was the day they crossed the threshold into summer.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

Top law enforcement officials are asking for the public's help in finding Christian Miranda, an alleged cocaine trafficker who has evaded capture since Monday, when Boston police observed him participating in what they described as a wholesale cocaine purchase.

Miranda, a 39-year-old from Roxbury, is believed to be one of the "impact players" in the world of drug and gun crime who spread "anxiety, fear, and, frankly, violence through many of Boston's neighborhoods," Attorney General Martha Coakley said today at a press conference with city and state law enforcement officials.

After allegedly observing the cocaine deal on Monday, police tried to arrest Miranda, but he eluded them in a car and foot chase aided by associates. Through the dark of the Dorchester night, officers last saw Miranda making what they believed to be threatening gestures at them with a gun before he hopped a fence and escaped, Coakley said.

"He's a person that we need to get off of the street, and we need the help of the community now to make that happen," Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said.

By Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick today signed a bill overhauling the state transportation system and consolidating a patchwork of agencies that govern roads, rail, and bridges.

Governor Deval Patrick

The bill, a key part of what Patrick is calling his "reform agenda," creates a new state Department of Transportation that will oversee highways, mass transit, aeronautics, and the Registry of Motor Vehicles. It also eliminates the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and ends some perks at the MBTA that critics have seized on as symbols of waste and abuse in government. Patrick's administration says the new law will save tens of millions of dollars annually.

"This law eliminates the antiquated and inefficient transportation structure in Massachusetts and brings considerable cost savings," House Speaker Robert DeLeo said in a statement.

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

Lawyers for the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller have asked a state judge to set aside his convictions in his high-profile custodial kidnapping case, claiming that a prosecutor made inflammatory remarks in a closing argument and that an expert witness for the state gave unreliable testimony about the defendant's sanity.

Clark Rockefeller

Lawyers for Rockefeller, whose real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, said Assistant Suffolk District Attorney David A. Deakin prejudiced their client when he urged the jury to reject defense claims that Rockefeller was insane when he abducted his young daughter last summer.

"Don't let this insanity defense be the culminating manipulation in a lifetime of lies designed to get what he wanted,'' Deakin argued.

Rockefeller's lawyers said Deakin's remark was a "smear" that went beyond the limits of what state appeals courts have permitted in closing arguments.

"The use of the word manipulation suggests that the defendant, his attorneys and, by extension, even his forensic expert witnesses, utilized this defense to con the jury into believing that he suffered from a mental disease or defect,'' wrote Rockefeller's legal team, which was headed by Jeffrey A. Denner, of Boston.

The lawyers also wrote that Gaziano should have granted their request during the trial to order jurors to ignore the testimony of Dr. James A. Chu, a clinical psychiatrist at McLean Hospital who testified for the state. Chu said Rockefeller suffered from a mental disorder but had exaggerated his symptoms and was legally sane at the time of the crime.

Rockefeller's lawyers noted that Chu acknowledged that he was not a forensic psychiatrist and that he was unaware the insanity defense in Massachusetts places the burden on prosecutors to prove the defendant was sane, rather than requiring the defense to prove the defendant was insane.

"Combined, the improper closing argument and the inaccurate expert testimony eviscerated the insanity defense and denied the defendant due process of law,'' said the motion, which was submitted June 19 and unsealed by the judge Thursday, according to Denner.

Erika Gully-Santiago, a spokesman for Suffolk District Attorney Daniel Conley, said prosecutors will respond to the motion within 60 days.

"The issues raised in this motion were raised by defense counsel during the trial, and the judge ruled in the Commonwealth's favor,'' she said in a statement.

(Charles Daniels Photography)

The annual dance party last year.

By Meghan Irons, Globe Staff

CAMBRIDGE -- Tonight, the city will cut loose.

Hundreds are expected to groove during Cambridge’s annual dance party on Massachusetts Avenue. Moms with children, street dancers, and local seniors will strut their stuff to hip-hop, rock, and other music.

The event -- from 7 to 11 tonight -- is expected to draw thousands, young and old, said Ini Tomeu, spokeswoman for the city.

“It’s a kickoff to summer in the city,’’ she said. “It’s a good time. It's something that appeals to the young old.”

By Globe Staff

Boston police will give away some 200 child car seats on Saturday at a workshop in Hyde Park where officers will show parents how to properly install the safety devices.

(Globe file photograph)

The program is funded by a grant from the state Executive Office of Public Safety and Security as a part of the Child Passenger Safety Program, which also trains nationally certified technicians. In the past year, the program has distributed nearly $660,000 in federal grant funding to 67 organizations to purchase seat of all types, including forward-facing, rear-facing, convertible, and booster. The Boston Police Department has received just under $20,000.

To learn more about the program, visit the state website by clicking here.

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

A Bristol County funeral director today lost his bid to ban communities from charging burial permit fees, which funeral director Paul F. Silva considered an illegal tax on the grieving.

A unanimous Supreme Judicial Court said the cities of Attleboro and New Bedford had the legal right to impose the fees, the revenue from which can be sent into their general funds.

Silva and his attorney brother, Martin Silva, had argued the fees were an illegal tax because the fees must be paid before a burial can be held.

But the state’s highest court ruled otherwise.

“The burial permit charges are regulatory fees, not proprietary fees,’’ Justice Judith Cowin wrote for the court. “These charges are founded upon the state's police power to regulate the disposal of dead bodies in a manner that preserves the public health, safety, and welfare.’’

Cowin also noted “although a municipality has no independent power of taxation, it may assess, levy, and collect fees when the Legislature has authorized it to do so, provided that those fees are reasonable and proportional.’’

The Silvas had won before the Appeals Court, but the SJC decision reversed that legal finding. The Silva family operates the Silva-Faria Funeral Homes in Fall River and Somerset.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A New York City man is now under indictment for the murder of Justin Cosby, a Cambridge man who was shot inside a Harvard University residence hall when a “drug rip’’ went bad, resulting in stunning violence on the Cambridge campus.

Jabrai Jordan Coney, 20, allegedly conspired with two other men to attack Cosby, whom Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr. has said agreed to sell them marijuana, inside Kirkland Hall on May 18. Shots were fired and Cosby staggered out of the dorm onto a street where he collapsed.

Two female Harvard University students with ties to Coney have been linked to the case, but not been charged. Chanequa Campbell and Brittany Smith, both from New York City, were barred from Harvard commencement.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Two lanes on Interstate 93 were temporarily closed this morning in Somerville because of a small fuel spill from a two-vehicle crash, state officials said.

A box truck and car collided just after 8:30 a.m. near Exit 28. The truck hit the median and spilled its fuel, said David Procopio, director of media communications for the State Police.

The driver of the car was taken to a local hospital with what police described as non-life-threatening injuries. The condition of the truck driver was not immediately available.

The wreck closed the left northbound lane and southbound carpool lane. Additional information was not released.

Globe photographer George Rizer stood at the edge of New Bedford Harbor on Feb. 6, 2007, and captured this image of the scalloper Courageous. Patricia Lareau stood on a hurricane barrier, watching the ship carrying both her boyfriend and her son head out to sea.

Globe photographer George Rizer is retiring today after 39 years at the newspaper. He shot his first assignment for The Boston Globe in 1970 after studying photography in the army and at Boston College. He joined the staff in 1973. "So I hit the streets looking for fires, shootings, bank jobs, cats up trees, whatever. I retained the right to still shoot some sports and general assignments on weekends. I consider myself lucky -- being at the right time, right place on many occasions. The same goes for making pictures, but you can often make your own luck with a touch of experience, a heap of curiosity, and maybe a dash of pushiness." To view his portfolio of photographs, click here.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Matt Viser and Frank Phillips, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick said today that he intends to sign the Legislature's overhauls of the state ethics laws and transportation system, claiming two more victories in his bid to remake Massachusetts government and all but acknowledging that he will support a sales tax increase in return.

Governor Deval Patrick

“We have a very ambitious agenda," he said. "We’re going to keep driving that agenda.”

And yet Patrick now faces a thorny political problem as he heads into next year's reelection campaign. He has said he would agree to lawmakers' plan to raise the sales tax only after they agreed to significant government reforms. Now that they have done that to his liking, Patrick all but has to sign a provision in next year's state budget to increase the tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, which will surely draw heat from his opponents and some voters.

By Matt Byrne, Globe Correspondent

Tears, shock, and surprise were just a few of the reactions on Blue Hill Avenue in Boston's Dorchester neighborhood tonight as news spread of the death of Michael Jackson, the legendary King of Pop.

"It's wild. I wouldn’t have expected it," said Daniel Rogers, 38, of Dorchester from behind the counter of the Century Liquor Store. "It's going to be interesting watching people react. L.A.'s going to be crazy tonight."

Many customers in the store in the predominantly African-American neighborhood mentioned Jackson as they approached Rogers at the counter.

"Everybody's got jokes, but everyone's hurt," said Rogers, who said he believed the child sex abuse charges Jackson was cleared of in 2005 would probably not tarnish his legacy.

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

By Globe Staff

An emotional Francesco Puleo, a hostler with the Boston Police Mounted Unit, listened to remarks at a farewell ceremony at Boston City Hall Plaza today to honor the unit, which is disbanding because of the city's budget crunch.

Puleo will lose his civilian job with the unit along with others who took care of the horses.

"I've always been a fan of the mounted unit, but I heard from neighborhood folks that they want more officers on our streets," said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. "So we've reassigned those nine officers and we're putting them back on the street."

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A 38-year-old man took a taxi to a Salem bank today, then asked the driver to wait for him while he used the cash machine. The driver didn't know that his passenger's real intention was to withdraw money with a gun rather than a plastic card, police said.

Jose R. Rodriguez of Salem was captured about an hour after he allegedly robbed the Eastern Bank on Congress Street at gunpoint, said Salem Police Detective William Jennings.

By Nandini Jayakrishna and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Investigators searching the homes of Dane Cook's former manager and his wife found cash stashed in the freezer, in Tupperware, and in the bathtub, a prosecutor said this afternoon at the arraignment of the wife, who is facing charges that she helped her husband to steal millions from the entertainer.

Dane Cook (AP)

Richard Grundy, a prosecutor for the state attorney general's office, said McCauley and her husband, Darryl, who has been previously charged, diverted about $10 million of Cook's money to their own personal account.

Judge Phyllis Broker set bail for Erika McCauley at $1 million.

Her attorney, Martin Weinberg, said, "She's vigorously contending her innocence. She didn't steal money. She didn't believe she was possessing stolen goods."

The search continues today for a New Hampshire man who disappeared after a 37-foot pleasure craft with three others aboard crashed into the north jetty in Salisbury while entering the mouth of the Merrimack River Wednesday night.

The motorboat began taking on water at 10 p.m. The Coast Guard plucked one of the boaters from the water and rescued two others from a nearby jetty.

Seth Coellner, 36, of Kensington, N.H. was still missing late this afternoon. Mark Baillargeon, 51, of Newmarket, N.H., was taken to Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport with a back injury; Jacob Clark, 30, of Hampton, N.H., and Russell Hilliard, 50, of Hampton Falls., N.H., were uninjured, the Essex district attorney's office said.

A Coast Guard helicopter flew to the scene this morning to join the search, which included state and environmental police. The mouth of the Merrimack River forms the border between the town of Salisbury and the city of Newburyport, about 40 miles north of Boston.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino testified today at the State House in favor of statewide legislation requiring random drug and alcohol testing for all public safety personnel and emergency medical technicians.

"We already have drug testing for conductors of garbage trucks, dump trucks and school buses. Why not a public safety official? Why are they not tested?" Menino asked the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee at today's hearing, adding that the law would "equal the playing field" for municipal workers.

Menino declared support for the same legislation when it was proposed last year by State Representative Christopher J. Donelan of Orange at the request of a city resident. The measure was filed after reports that two firefighters who died in a West Roxbury restaurant fire had drugs or alcohol in their system, with one's blood-alcohol level exceeding the legal driving limit, and the other's blood containing traces of cocaine.

The city is still locked in contract negotiations with its fire union, with drug testing the major sticking point.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

Starting Monday, city employees will be banned from sending text messages while driving in city-owned vehicles, Mayor Thomas M. Menino announced this afternoon outside the Government Center T station, which in May was the site of a train collision apparently caused by a driver occupied by his cell phone.

"We don't want to say you should not do it when we're not doing it ourselves," Menino said.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

The Legislature approved an overhaul of the state's ethics laws this afternoon, passing the most sweeping changes in decades as lawmakers attempt to move past a series of high-profile scandals on Beacon Hill.

The legislation will now head to the governor's desk. Governor Deval Patrick has scheduled a press conference for 5:30 p.m.

"Let's bring hope back to Massachusetts," Representative Peter Kocot, a Northampton Democrat and a chief architect of the ethics bill, said in the House debate.

While no one voted against the plan in the House -- the final tally was 157-0 -- several lawmakers were frustrated with what they called a closed-door practice in crafting the bill. They also said it did not go far enough, by not subjecting the Legislature to the state's open meetings law.

"I don't believe it goes far enough," said Representative Jennifer Callahan, a Sutton Democrat. "I just don’t understanding how many more headlines it will take, to read about either corruption or wrongdoing, before we embrace true, meaningful reform.”

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

The US Supreme Court, in a ruling that stemmed from a Boston drug case, held today that criminal defendants have a constitutional right to cross-examine forensic experts who prepare laboratory reports on illegal drugs and other evidence used at trial.

By a 5-4 vote, the court ruled that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee that defendants have a right to confront witnesses against them extended to forensic analysis, such as typically routine reports that a powder seized by police was cocaine.

Attorney General Martha Coakley, who had argued before the court that the confrontation clause did not apply to such evidence, predicted that the ruling would result in accused drug dealers walking free. She said the state simply does not have enough laboratory analysts to testify in the thousands of drug cases handled by the judiciary each year, mostly in the district courts, if defendants seek to cross-examine them. If no experts are available to testify, she said, defendants will undoubtedly ask judges to dismiss their cases.

"There will be drug dealers who will not be punished," she said. "They will walk out of court." The ruling applies to state courts and federal courts throughout the country.

(Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

The cloud cover broke this morning at the Hopkinton Reservoir, where Stephen Wong played with his dogs Ruby and Toby.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

After five straight days of gloom and gray, the clouds finally parted this morning, giving way to sunshine and blue sky for the first time since the official start of summer on June 21.

The day began like a rerun of much of June with formidable, overcast skies. Low hanging stratus clouds burned off, however, as the temperature climbed into the 70s.

"The sun is back," said Jeremiah Pyle of the National Weather Service in Taunton. "I think we are all pretty excited about that."

By mid-afternoon, after only a few hours of sunshine, clouds began to roll back in to the Boston area.

More sunshine may peek through clouds on Friday, when the temperature is expected to crawl into the 80s for only this second time this month. Rain, gusty wind, and small hail, however, may sully the day. On the National Weather Service's website, the forecast for Boston says it all.

"A chance of showers and thunderstorms before 11 a.m., then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm between 11 a.m. and noon, then showers and thunderstorms likely after noon."

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A new city program designed to expanded access to locally grown fruits and vegetables will give people vouchers to double the value of food stamps at 14 farmers' markets in Boston.

"It makes it easier for low-income residents to make healthier food choices and share in the bounty of Massachusetts grown farm fresh fruits and vegetables," said Jim Greene, who works in the office of Mayor Thomas M. Menino.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A Suffolk Superior Court judge today sentenced a man who shot another man to death in Dorchester 30 years ago to the years he had already served in jail, but the man will now be turned over to immigration officials, who plan to deport him to his native Jamaica.

Richard Franklin, 47, formerly of Brockton, was convicted Tuesday of manslaughter in the slaying of Gregory McDavid on Greenbrier Street on May 13, 1979. The case was unsolved until Franklin confessed in 1995. He was jailed but wasn’t tried until this year because he wasn't competent to stand trial.

Judge Judith Fabricant sentenced him today to 15 to 20 years in prison on the manslaughter charge and another year for a gun charge, but said he had already served his sentence. Franklin didn't walk free, however, because US Immigration and Customs Enforcement had lodged a warrant seeking his detention.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Logan International Airport officials announced today that airfield construction projects will resume Monday, saying they have taken steps to prevent close calls involving construction vehicles and planes like the one last week involving a US Airways jet on takeoff.

Airport officials said 18 licensed and trained drivers will escort construction vehicles while they're on the airfield. No other contractors will be allowed to drive on the airfield unless they're escorted.

The escort drivers will be retrained and recertified before Monday. They will check whether runways are in use when they start their shifts and monitor announcements of any changes, checking in to acknowledge they're aware of the changes, airport officials said in a statement.

The "complete focus" of the drivers will be on whether they are traveling through authorized areas of the airfield, said Phil Orlandella, a spokesman for the airport, which is run by the Massachusetts Port Authority.

The graduation season may have wound down in New England, but Northeastern University President Joseph Aoun has embarked on a trip to Europe and the Middle East to deliver commencement speeches at three colleges: the American College of Thessaloniki, Greece (June 24); Bahcesehir University in Istanbul (June 28); and Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Beirut (July 11). The Globe's higher education editor, Roy Greene, caught up with Aoun via e-mail and asked him to reflect on his trip.

Q. What are Northeastern's connections to the three universities?

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

A pedestrian suffered serious injuries overnight after being hit by a police cruiser in Falmouth, police said.

Two police cruisers collided on Sandwich Road while responding to an emergency call at 11 p.m. One of the cruisers struck the pedestrian, who was near the edge of the road, according to a press release from the Falmouth Police Department.

Police did not release the name or age of the pedestrian, who is being treated at a Boston hospital. Police said the person's injuries were not life-threatening.

State Police are investigating the crash.

(Wendy Maeda/Globe Staff)

House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray walked through the State House on Wednesday to a press conference to unveil the most sweeping ethics overhaul to come out of the Legislature in decades.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Correspondent

Police arrested a 27-year-old New Bedford man today and charged him in the fatal shooting of another man Tuesday night at the VFW Hall in New Bedford, the Bristol County district attorney’s office and New Bedford police said

Adam Pina was charged with murder in the death of 41-year-old Wayne Rice of New Bedford, according to a joint statement from District Attorney C. Samuel Sutter and New Bedford Police Chief Ronald Teachman.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a fight had broken out inside the VFW Hall prior to the shooting, officials said. At some point during the fight, authorities said, Pina took out a gun and shot Rice.

The victim was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford, where he was pronounced dead, authorities said.

Pina is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow in New Bedford District Court.

(Telegram & Gazette)

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

WORCESTER – A juvenile court judge today issued a ruling that ended life support for a 7-year-old boy who was declared brain-dead after allegedly being severely beaten by his own father on Father's Day.

Nathaniel Turner had been treated at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. He was declared brain-dead as of 4:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Juvenile Court Judge Carol A. Erskine agreed with doctors today that the boy was already dead, a ruling that meant he could be removed from life support.

Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said prosecutors would now charge the boy's father, Leslie Schuler of Worcester, with homicide. Schuler and his girlfriend, Tiffany Hyman, had pleaded not guilty in Worcester District Court on Tuesday to multiple assault charges.

"What we do have now is we go from a case of assault and battery and serious bodily injury to a child to a homicide investigation," Early said.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Councilors Sam Yoon and Michael F. Flaherty, who are running for mayor, cast the only dissenting votes today as the Boston City Council overwhelmingly approved an annual city budget that cuts overall spending for the first time in 15 years.

Sam Yoon

Flaherty's vote against the budget was his first in nine years in office. He said he voted "no" because the Menino administration had failed to justify its spending decisions.

"Too many times, the administration revealed that there was a lack of data that was driving these decisions," Flaherty told his colleagues in the council chambers.

Yoon has voted against every budget in his three years in office. He said the city could have saved millions of dollars by removing its fire-alarm boxes, launching a car-sharing program for city workers, and reining in "unsustainable personnel costs" and "out-of-control overtime costs."

"I don't think it moves the city forward at all," Yoon said. "It keeps the city the same and, in this day and age, that's unacceptable."

Dot Joyce, a Menino spokeswoman, said it was "difficult budget" necessitated, in part, by a $95 million cut in state aid, the city's second largest source of revenue after the property tax.

"While we had to make difficult decisions, this budget protects core services and maintains public safety, educational programs, and maintenance that our residents have come to expect and deserve," she said.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

House and Senate leaders today announced a compromise on ethics and campaign finance reform legislation, tightening Massachusetts' ethics laws after a series of high-profile scandals on Beacon Hill.

The legislation includes a ban on gifts to public employees, but it doesn't go as far as Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal to criminalize all gifts to public employees.

Senate President Therese Murray has also relented on an earlier Senate proposal that would have weakened the state Ethics Commission. Under the new plan, the commission would stay in place and would gain some enforcement powers.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Boston police found 45 $100 bills, copies of bills from Foxwoods casino in Connecticut, and a blank check with Philip Markoff's name on it as they built their case against the 23-year-old Boston University medical student, court documents reveal.

Copies of more than 170 pieces of evidence, including police reports, fingerprint reports, and cellphone receipts, have been handed over to Markoff's lawyers, according to a court document known as the notice of discovery.

The document was filed in court Tuesday, the same day Markoff's lawyer, John Salsberg, unsuccessfully argued to have the notice impounded. He has complained that the enormous publicity that has surrounded his client's case could make it harder to find an impartial jury for Markoff. Markoff has pleaded not guilty to charges of kidnapping and murder. He is accused of fatally shooting 25-year-old Julissa Brisman, a New York masseuse he allegedly met using the Craigslist website.

By Marvin Pave, Globe Correspondent

After the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004, Katherine M. (Kitty) Dooley, the daughter of one of the team's original "Royal Rooters," made a special request.

Dooley

"Kitty even went to Fenway Park to make sure they removed the correct seat," recalled her great-nephew, David Leary, who in September of 2007 accompanied Ms. Dooley to the mound at Fenway as part of a ceremonial first pitch honoring descendants of the Royal Rooters. "She took great pride in being able to walk to the mound (at the age of 96) and after the ceremonies, she joked to me that 'I can't believe all these people turned out to see me.'"

The seat held a place of honor in the living room of her Milton home, where, last Sunday, Ms. Dooley, an eyewitness to Boston sports and political history, died peacefully in her sleep, three days after her 98th birthday.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The sun, which vanished last Saturday behind a dismal ceiling of clouds, may actually break through the overcast sky on Thursday afternoon, warming the temperature to the mid 70s in Boston.

"But we could see a few peeks of sunshine in the afternoon," said Hayden Frank, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton.

Unadulterated sunshine is expected to flood the Boston area on Friday, when forecasters predict clear skies and highs above 80 degrees. It would be only the second time in June that the temperature topped 80 degrees.

There is, of course, a catch.

"We could see a few scattered showers and thunderstorms" in the afternoon, Frank said.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Turbulent seas have reclaimed the wreckage of an unknown vessel that had washed up recently on a Cape Cod beach and intrigued beachcombers with its obviously antiquated construction, a National Park Service official said.

The wreckage, a section of timbers and planking that was about 40 feet long, was found last week just south of Ballston Beach in Truro in the Cape Cod National Seashore. It had disappeared when a ranger went out to inspect it last night, said Sue Moynihan, chief of interpretation and cultural resources at the park.

"As of last evening, it was gone," Moynihan said. "A little glimpse of history pops up and it was gone again."

Officials said Tuesday after looking at photos of the wreckage that it appeared to be similar to the debris that washed up in January 2008 at Newcomb Hollow in Wellfleet and that was sucked back into the sea in April. The Wellfleet debris came from an unnamed schooner-turned-barge from the late 19th century.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

A crucial decision on a $100 million toll hike on the Massachusetts Turnpike, initially scheduled for Thursday, has been pushed back to Monday because of unresolved political questions on Beacon Hill.

Governor Deval Patrick

"Unless and until the executive and legislative branches of government reach sufficient agreement to provide the turnpike authority with $100 million, which everyone recognizes it needs, the only thing we can do is have that toll increase," said Michael Angelini, a board member. "In a way, we're spectators to a drama conducted elsewhere."

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The driver of a construction vehicle that had a close call with a US Airways jet last week when it crossed a runway at Logan International Airport has said he didn't know the runway was open when he drove across it, federal transportation investigators said.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which is looking into the runway incursion Thursday, said in a preliminary report that the runway, 15R, is occasionally closed due to airfield construction. When the runway is closed, signs indicate that it's closed, the NTSB said. But no signs were up Thursday, indicating that the runway was open. Airport officials also said that all personnel had been briefed that the runway was active.

But the driver of the vehicle "indicated that he had not been briefed to that fact," the NTSB said in a one-page report posted on its website.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Massachusetts State Police are investigating the alleged rape of a woman at the Suffolk Downs racetrack, spokesman David Procopio said today.

The attack occurred early Sunday morning, June 14, in the back of the racetrack, Procopio said, declining comment on the suspects and the victim.

"No arrests have been made and warrants have not been issued," he said. "The investigation is focused and ongoing."

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Globe Staff

Smoke from an electrical malfunction forced the evacuation this morning of the Hyatt Regency Boston on Avenue de Lafayette in downtown.

A transformer malfunctioned, creating the smoke and temporarily knocking out power to the hotel, a fire official said. No injuries were reported.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

The driver of this Route 19 bus took evasive action and swerved onto a sidewalk after being cut off on Tuesday by another vehicle on Geneva Avenue. Two people suffered slight injuries on the bus, which was carrying 20 passengers.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Correspondent

Boston will launch a new recycling program July 1 that will no longer require residents to separate paper and plastic waste items and is expected to save the city approximately $1 million annually, city officials said today.

Coming soon to a curb near you

Residents can place all of their recyclables, including paper, plastics, glass, and cardboard, into large, city-issued barrels.

More recycling will translate into cost savings, the officials said. It is about $40 less expensive to recycle a ton of waste than to send it to landfills or incinerators, the officials said.

The new program will also begin accepting more items, such as rigid plastics, including children's toys, buckets, and laundry baskets, and spiral cans, such as coffee cans.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

The mounted unit in action at Downtown Crossing last month.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

Boston's police commissioner today defended his proposal to dismantle the Mounted Unit, the group of horse-mounted officers used to patrol parks and control crowds.

"Just like an umpire in baseball, you might not like every call," Commissioner Edward Davis said at a Boston City Council hearing. "But that's the decision we made. I had to choose between animals and people, and I chose people."

Davis said eliminating the mounted unit will save the police department $700,000 a year. The unit's nine officers and sergeant will be reassigned to districts across the city. The proposal is contained in Davis's budget proposal, which must be passed by the City Council.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

A Suffolk County Superior Court judge is considering a request by the defense for alleged Craigslist killer Philip Markoff to force prosecutors to answer whether the grand jury process that resulted in Markoff's indictment was somehow tainted.

Judge Frank Gaziano took the defense's motion under advisement after a hearing this afternoon.

John Salsberg, Markoff's attorney, filed a motion Monday asking prosecutors to detail what steps they took to protect the grand jury from getting any "extraneous information" from the media and asking what prosecutors knew about leaks to the media as the high-profile case unfolded.

Markoff, a 23-year-old former Boston University medical student, is accused of murdering a New York woman he met through Craigslist. The case generated headlines and debate over Craigslist's policies.

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

A Cape Cod man who admitted embezzling more than $14 million from his former employer in Natick and his church in Dennis was sentenced today to 15 years in federal prison today after victims of the massive theft told a judge he had betrayed their trust and affection.

Jeffrey S. Windle, 42, of Harwich received a sentence that exceeded even what prosecutors had sought after US District Court Judge George A. O'Toole Jr. heard a series of wrenching statements from a representative of Windle's former employer, Cambium Learning, which provides educational materials for special-needs students, and members of the Congregational Church of South Dennis.

"I still cannot believe that the Jeff Windle I thought I knew and respected could stoop so low," said Paul Karhu, the moderator of the church, from which Windle embezzled $647,016 from September 2003 through April 2008 while serving as volunteer treasurer.

By Ben Terris, Globe Correspondent

Parents of eighth-graders at Pollard Middle School in Needham who hoped to watch their children graduate today were out of luck. Due to inclement weather, the school moved the ceremony inside -- and due to fire regulations, parents were not allowed to attend.

The school's principal, Glenn Brand, sent a letter to parents on Monday alerting them that with about 350 students graduating, there would be no room for the expected 700 guests in the auditorium. Instead, parents were invited to attend a post-graduation reception in the cafeteria.

Fire Chief Paul Buckley said the auditorium has a maximum occupancy of 434. Officials at the school and the superintendent's office declined to comment.

"If we had allowed guests, the school would have been grossly overloaded with no way to move if there was an emergency," said Buckley, who noted that this was the first time in his five-year tenure that the school held the ceremony indoors.

(Gordon Peabody)

A detail of the wreckage. When was this boat built?

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A ghost of the past has washed up on a Cape Cod beach, the wreckage of a wooden boat of an unknown age, said officials at the Cape Cod National Seashore today.

The wreckage, a section of timbers and planking that is about 40 feet long, washed up south of Ballston Beach in Truro, said Bob Grant, chief ranger at the seashore.

The remains appear to be similar to a wreck that washed up in January 2008 at Newcomb Hollow in Wellfleet and that was sucked back into the sea in April, Grant said. "Whether these are the same or not is not clear," he said.

With the beaches shrouded recently in rain and fog, whoever found the wreck probably had an eerie experience, he said. "You go walking on the beach and then you come across this. That's kind of a cool thing," he said.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

She was the state trooper with blond hair and a big smile who stood at the Exit 7 interchange off Route 6 in Yarmouth nearly every morning.

Trooper Engelhardt before the accident

"Now every trooper that comes in will see her plaque and be able to hear her story," said Rick Brown, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts.

Engelhardt, now 56, suffered debilitating injuries in July 2003, when a vehicle operated by a drunk driver slammed into her parked cruiser at nearly 100 miles per hour on Route 25 in Wareham. She is in a permanent vegetative state at Middleboro Skilled Nursing and Specialized Center, said David Procopio, a state police spokesman.

By Globe Staff

The former chief financial officer of a small museum in the town of Harvard has been indicted for allegedly embezzling more than $1.3 million from the institution, the attorney general's office said today.

Peggy Kempton, 53, of Hollis, N.H., worked at the Fruitlands Museum, a small institution that focuses on the region's intellectual and artistic history.

She turned herself in to authorities after being indicted today by a Worcester grand jury on 14 counts of larceny over $250 by single scheme, three counts of fraudulent use of credit cards, and making false entries in corporate books.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

A 47-year-old man was convicted today in Suffolk Superior Court of manslaughter for shooting another man to death over 30 years ago.

Richard Franklin was convicted in the slaying of Gregory McDavid, 30, on Greenbrier Street in Dorchester on May 13, 1979. Prosecutors said that Franklin had intended to rob McDavid but shot him instead.

The case went unsolved for more than a decade until Franklin walked into the office of a community service officer at his Brockton housing development in 1995 and took responsibility for it.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

A 17-year-old Marlborough man pleaded not guilty today to charges of slaying an acquaintance over the weekend in Framingham's Callahan State Park after the two had a fight at a party, prosecutors said.

Marquise Brown was arraigned in Framingham District Court on charges he fatally shot Tyriffe Lewis, 17, of Marlborough, according to the Middlesex district attorney's office. Brown was charged with first-degree murder, illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.

Judge Paul Healy ordered Brown held without bail.

"This defendant and the victim were engaged in a physical and verbal confrontation on Friday evening," District Attorney Gerry Leone said in a statement. "We allege that the defendant went to the park with the victim the next day, shooting the unarmed victim in retaliation for what transpired between them the day before."

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A fast-rising tide trapped two teenagers on the roof of their car Monday night in Wellfleet, requiring a rescue by the local fire department.

The teens had been driving on a causeway between the mainland and Lieutenant Island when the car died. The causeway is typically dry, but the combination of high tides and an offshore gale flooded the roadway and left the teens about 150 yards from the island, according to Chief Dan Silverman of the Wellfleet Fire Department.

"My guess is their car stalled," Silverman said today. "The tide comes up pretty quickly, so by the time we got to them, they were sitting on the roof of their car."

The teen were cold and wet but did not require hospitalization. "We threw them in the back of the ambulance and warmed them up for a little while," Silverman said.

The rescue came as unusually high tides hit the Bay State. Minor coastal flooding was reported in Nantasket, Scituate, and Winthrop. A high surf advisory remains in effect for much of the Massachusetts coastline, although the coastal conditions tonight and Wednesday should be less severe.

"We're expecting another high tide around midnight tonight," said Hayden Frank, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton. "But the winds are dissipating, and should be below 25 knots by this evening."

In Newbury, a sandbag barrier near the end of Plum Island Boulevard seemed to be holding back floodwaters, town officials said. In late 2008, a home on Northern Avenue fell into the sea because of extreme beach erosion.

"We've had some high tides over the last few days," said Newbury Town Administrator Charles Kostro. "But the sandbags have held up well. We'll have the engineer who designed the barrier take another look in a few days, but so far we're looking pretty good."

(Smithsonian National Museum of American History)

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The Smithsonian today added two tidbits from Red Sox lore to its venerable history museum in Washington, D.C., supplementing a collection that includes the 1814 flag that inspired the "Star-Spangled Banner" and the lap desk Thomas Jefferson used to draft the Declaration of Independence in 1776.

"It's a gigantic honor for us, the Red Sox, and everybody who supports the Red Sox," team president Larry Lucchino said today after a ceremony at the National Museum of American History. "This is a hallowed place."

The exhibit coincides with the Red Sox first series with the Washington Nationals, which begins this evening. The ceremony today included Lucchino and Wally the Green Monster. The items will be on public display until at least Sunday and may be incorporated into the permanent exhibit.

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Harvard University announced this morning that it plans to lay off 275 staff members as the college grapples with budget pressures caused by a precipitous endowment decline.

Harvard University President Drew Faust

"Such decisions, in their human dimensions, are among the hardest that an institution like ours can make," Faust wrote. "But difficult circumstances have called for difficult decisions across the university."

Facing a projected 30 percent drop in the value of its endowment, Harvard had already made the decision to withhold raises for about 9,000 faculty and non-union staff members for the next school year. And it has offered a voluntary early retirement program to about 1,600 staff members that ultimately shed more than 500 employees. But the savings were not enough, Faust said.

Dear Colleagues,

As all of you know, this past year has created a set of extraordinary financial challenges for our university as it has for others. I am grateful for the continuing efforts made by people across Harvard to confront these new realities with thoughtfulness and care, and with an emphasis on sustaining the strength of our core academic programs.

Dear Colleagues,

I am writing to let you know that most of the Schools, allied institutions, and units in the central administration at Harvard will be carrying out a reduction in our workforce over the next seven business days.

The size and scope of the reductions will vary across the Schools and units, but when taken together these changes will result in the elimination of approximately 275 staff positions. About 40 more staff members will be offered positions with reduced work hours or an academic year schedule. Deans at the affected Schools and department leaders will be communicating directly with their staff members about the changes taking place in their local communities over the coming days.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

CHELSEA -- Firefighters helped evacuate a dozen people Monday from a row house after city inspectors determined the structure was unsafe. A bulge was visible in the rear of the building.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

(AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac/file 1992)

Ed McMahon (left) shook hands with host Johnny Carson during the final taping of "The Tonight Show" on May 22, 1992. McMahon died today at 86.

By Mark Feeney, Globe Staff

Ed McMahon, whose nearly three decades as Johnny Carson’s sidekick on “The Tonight Show” and innumerable appearances as television pitchman and master of ceremonies made him one of the medium’s most ubiquitous figures, died today. He was 86.

Publicist Howard Bragman told the Associated Press that Mr. McMahon died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center surrounded by his family. Bragman didn't give a cause of death, saying only that the entertainer had a "multitude of health problems the last few months."

“My talent is making it seem I have no talent,” Mr. McMahon once wrote. “It took me years of hard work to convince an audience that I wasn’t working.”

Implacably genial, Mr. McMahon’s persona was one of abundant bonhomie and reputed bibulousness. His booming voice made him a natural announcer, and his even more booming laugh made him a natural straight man.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A Cape Cod windsurfer missing after a large wave knocked him off his board was rescued today after spending nearly two hours in the rough surf, authorities said.

The man was surfing at Chapin Beach in Dennis at about 1 p.m. when the wave hit. Another windsurfer was able to toss him a life vest, but was unable to help him further because of the harsh conditions and went ashore and called for help.

(Photo courtesy MSPCA)
George Knapp, a postal worker, and his wife adopted the newly named P.D., for Postage Due.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

An 8-week-old kitten discovered abandoned recently in a mailbox in Hyde Park found a new home today and received a new name: P.D., for "Postage Due."

The 2-pound calico was adopted by a New Hampshire couple. The Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals chose the couple after receiving a flood of queries after the kitten, which postal officials nicknamed "Postina,'' was discovered shaking and malnourished by a postal worker on June 13.

"We've received calls from as far away as Holland and Italy," said Brian Adams, a spokesman for the MSPCA. "When the news first broke, we were receiving about 10 calls an hour and a ton of e-mails from people looking to adopt her."

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The co-chairman of the Legislature’s transportation committee pledged today that a bill banning automobile drivers from using text messaging devices on the road remains a priority, even though the provision was taken out of the budget bill that passed last week.

“I think that’s next on the agenda,” said Senator Steven A. Baddour, a Methuen Democrat. “There’s consensus around that.”

Baddour said the Ways and Means Committee removed the measure from the final version of the budget because it was not related to spending. He said the Legislature would consider the issue as a separate bill, but said he did not yet have a timeline for debating it.

A driver safety organization, Safe Roads Alliance, has planned a rally for Thursday at Boston City Hall Plaza urging lawmakers to pass a bill. Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Melissa Martin, whose daughter was killed in a car crash caused by texting, will attend, according to a press release from the organization.

This surveillance screenshot shows the shooting suspect and a woman (background) authorities are searching for as a witness. (Bristol DA’s Office)

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

NEW BEDFORD – In the neighborhood here that John K. Martin called home, friends today were mourning the loss of a man they think died doing what he did best – helping others.

Martin was shot in the head Saturday night by an armed robber who had stormed into one of Martin’s regular haunts, the Petro Mart on Coggeshall Street.

Martin, according to authorities, apparently tried to protect a Petro Mart clerk from the thief, but instead was shot.He died Sunday night at the Rhode Island Hospital in Providence.

"It was just a coincidence, it shouldn't have happened,’’ Mike Khalife, 30, of the Petro Mart, said today. “The problem is that it's just like John to do something like this, he just helps everybody."

Down the street at the Dunkin’ Donuts, assistant manager Tracy Arruda said the 32-year-old Martin was in the restaurant nearly every day.

(Globe photo/George Rizer)
Residents this morning leaving an apartment building on Orange Street in Chelsea.

By Michaela Stanelun, Globe Correspondent

A three-story apartment building in Chelsea was evacuated today after an inspector raised concerns about a possible "bulge'' in the structure, Chelsea fire officials said.

The residents of 36, 38, and 40 Orange St. were evacuated over concerns that the brick building was in imminent danger of collapse, said Chelsea Fire Deputy Robert Zalewski. A structural engineer was working to determine what needs to be done to ensure the building is safe.

Up to 24 people live in the building. Twelve residents were home at the time. Zalewski said residents were concerned about where they would be placed, and were sent to a community center on Walnut Street.

"If the engineers believe the residents cannot return tonight, the owner of the building will place them in a hotel," Zalewski said.

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

Authorities have launched an intensive search for a pistol-toting masked bank robber dubbed the "U30 Bandit'' because he is in and out of the banks he holds up in under 30 seconds.

The robber has held up seven banks in the suburbs of Boston between March 26 and June 16, and three times was carrying a device that appeared to be a bomb, authorities said today. In two of the holdups, the robber left the apparent explosive at the counter. It turned out to be fake.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

A wind-driven fire destroyed a Seekonk barn and claimed the lives of about five dozen farm animals, authorities said.

The fire broke out just before 5 p.m. Sunday in the single story building on Meadow Court, said Fire Chief Alan R. Jack. The owner had used the barn to store farm equipment as well as house sheep, chickens, hens, and rabbits.

The building and its contents were declared a loss. The owner was able to save some sheep, propane tanks, and gasoline cans, but the other animals could not be rescued.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff and Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

The medical student accused of killing a masseuse he met on Craigslist spoke in a clear, confident voice today at his arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court, saying he was "not guilty" of first-degree murder and six other charges.

Wearing a blue-striped, collared shirt, Philip Markoff stood expressionless as Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Edmond Zabin summarized the "brutal nature" of attacks on three women he allegedly met through Craigslist, noting the particular "brutality in the deadly assault against" 25-year-old Julissa Brisman on April 14.

In arguing that the defendant should continue to be held without bail, Zabin pointed to the "strength of the evidence at this point against Mr. Markoff, which at this point includes video and electronic and documentary evidence and forensic evidence linking him to all three of these crimes, the least of which is to the murder weapon."

Defense attorney John Salsberg did not offer a defense for his client in court or present an argument for bail. Salsberg asked Magistrate Gary D. Wilson to stop the prosecution from rehashing the details of the alleged crimes because he said it could poison a potential jury pool. Wilson dismissed that request, allowing the prosecution to continue with its recitation of the alleged facts. Few new details were revealed about the case, which grabbed national attention in April as police searched what the media had dubbed the "Craigslist killer."

The Globe reported today that prosecutors told a grand jury that Markoff used another man’s New York driver’s license to purchase the 9mm automatic handgun used to kill Brisman at the Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel in April. The grand jury heard testimony from victims, witnesses, and Markoff’s fiancee, Megan McAllister.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A Brockton man was properly convicted of murder for the brutal killing of his girlfriend, whose body was found hidden in a storage space in her Brockton apartment building some two weeks after she disappeared in 2001, the state’s high court said today.

The Supreme Judicial Court unanimously upheld the first degree murder conviction of Darrell Sharpe for the beating death of Vincetta Myers, a former Roxbury woman who obtained four restraining orders against Sharpe before he ended her life with the claw of a hammer around Jan. 4, 2001. Her body was found Jan. 19, 2001.

On appeal, Sharpe’s attorney argued that the jury should not have learned that Myers had obtained four restraining orders against him — none was in effect at the time of her death — and that two other women also got restraining orders against. Sharpe.

Sharpe took the stand in his own defense in Plymouth Superior Court where he admitted hitting Myers with the hammer but only after she attacked him repeatedly as they argued over money. His appeal lawyer said the conviction should be reversed because Sharpe’s trial lawyer made a major mistake by letting Sharpe testify in his own defense, which is rare in murder trials.

Writing for the court, Justice Francis X. Spina said Sharpe should stay in prison where he is serving life sentence without the possibility of parole.

“The case against the defendant was overwhelming, and the only realistic chance the defendant had to obtain a verdict of less than murder in the first degree was to take the stand and testify as he did,’’ Spina wrote. “We have reviewed the entire record… and see no reason to reduce the degree of guilt or grant a new trial.’’

(Matthew Lee/Globe Staff)

Singer Gwen Stefani and bassist Tony Kana of the band No Doubt bounced, skipped, skanked, and pogoed through a high-octane, hit-rich set Saturday night at the Comcast Center.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

Philip Markoff, the 23-year-old medical student who allegedly killed a masseuse he met on Craigslist, has been indicted and will be arraigned tomorrow morning in Suffolk Superior Court, according to District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

Markoff has been charged in the April 14 killing of 26-year-old Julissa Brisman, a masseuse who advertised on Craigslist, with a gun he purchased under a false identity. Four days earlier, Markoff allegedly bound and robbed Trisha Leffler, a 29-year-old prostitute from Las Vegas. In both cases, as well as in a third attack in Warwick, R.I., Markoff allegedly used disposable cellphones and temporary e-mail addresses to make appointments, then used plastic ties and duct tape to bind his victims.

(K. Clineff Photo)

By John S. Forrester, Globe Correspondent

This Father's Day many a modern dad will be honored who has gotten more involved in raising the children. But these guys take it to the extreme.

Twenty-three adult seahorses in a tank at the New England Aquarium are mating and giving birth. The odd thing is that, counter to the human experience, those expecting are the males. Seahorse males carry the eggs in a pouch on their chests until the babies hatch and emerge.

"I like that," Kathy Seefried, 50, of Bristol, R.I., said Saturday at the exhibit after learning about the seahorses' mating habits.

Quickly firing back, her son Adam, 25, of Fall River, jested, "I don't."

"I've had five pregnancies. Trust me, it would be a good idea," the elder Seefried said.

A father hiking with his 7-year-old triplets came upon the body of a man lying face down on a trail of Callahan State Park in Framingham Saturday afternoon, police said.

The dead man, who appeared to be in his 30s, was wearing shorts and a T-shirt and did not have identification with him, said Framingham police Lieutenant Patty Grigas.

The park was immediately closed after police arrived as officers combed the area for clues to what happened to the man. The cause of death was unknown. State and local police were investigating.

-- John Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

By Caitlin Castello, Globe Correspondent

A 3-year-old child and an adult male died Saturday when they were thrown from their sport utility vehicle in an accident on Interstate 95 in Attleboro, State Police said.

A 1997 Ford Explorer carrying six people was traveling north on the highway when it struck a 1996 Chevrolet near Exit 2 at around 5:30 p.m. The Explorer rolled over, ejecting some of the occupants.

In addition to the two fatalities, three adults and a juvenile were transported to local hospital with injuries, State Police said. The driver of the Chevrolet, a 19-year-old woman from Pawtucket, R.I., was not injured. The northbound lanes of I-95 were closed for an hour and a half, State Police said. The accident remained under investigation.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Back in the day, Roxbury had an open-door policy, says Karen Marsh.

"Those were the good times," said the 40-year-old dance teacher. "Everybody left their doors open, everybody knew each other. You had 100 mothers because everybody was everybody's mother."

Now residents mingle with people who have moved away and return to the old neighborhood to reminisce and enjoy each other's company at the Juneteenth and Roxbury Homecoming, she said. The event held today at Franklin Park began in 1997 to commemorate the ending of slavery in the United States and to celebrate the neighborhood. Two years ago, Governor Deval Patrick signed a proclamation at the park proposing June 19 as a national holiday to honor the date in 1865 when the last people held as slaves in the country learned of their freedom.

"We've been coming for nine years, I look forward to it every year," said Marsh, who still lives in the neighborhood and sat on the lawn with some friends at today's event.

Hundreds gathered under canopies and umbrellas scattered throughout the park. Patties and sausages sizzled on barbecue grills, and loudspeakers boomed the funky sounds of the R&B band Earth, Wind and Fire. But the day is more than a picnic, said Teddy Scott."It is a celebration of freedom," he said.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

A 35-year-old woman with Boston-area roots has won $350,000 on the "Don't Forget the Lyrics" game show.

"It was like being at Six Flags but being on a ride for an hour," Deanna Dellacioppa said of being on stage, trying to remember lyrics and singing the songs. The show, which was taped in August, aired last night on Fox 25.

Dellacioppa now lives in Los Angeles, but her parents still own the Winchester house she grew up in and Nicola Pizza in Arlington, where they have worked for more than 30 years. One of her plans for the prize money: to take them on a family cruise.

"If I could give them an inch of what they have given me, it would be incredible," she said.

By Caitlin Castello, Globe Correspondent

A plane crash at Plymouth Airport sent two people to the hospital with minor injuries and caused a runway to be closed for two hours earlier today.

A four-seat Piper Cherokee flipped over at about 2:30 p.m. when a wheel broke during an aborted take-off, said airport manager Tom Marr.

The accident happened during what was believed to be a flying lesson, Marr said.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Governor Deval Patrick reiterated his threat today that he will veto a sales tax increase proposed in the Legislature's budget unless lawmakers pass a strong ethics reform bill.

"I've been as clear as possible about the sequence. Unless the ethics bill comes to me in time and is right, I will veto the sales tax increase," Patrick told reporters during a visit to a Juneteenth and Roxbury homecoming celebration at Franklin Park in Boston today.

By Marc Larocque, Globe Correspondent

Two former administrators for Tufts University have pleaded guilty to stealing nearly $1 million from the school and spending it on items such as gourmet steaks, high-end fashion, and foreign travel, Middlesex prosecutors said today.

Josephine Nealley, who was the director of the university’s Office of Student Activities from 1996 to 2007, stole $372,576 and faced three counts of larceny over $250. Raymond Rodriguez, who was the budget and fiscal coordinator for the Office of Student Activities from 2001 to 2007, stole $604,873 and faced two counts of larceny over $250.

"These two employees abused the access that they were given by the university to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars that was meant to help students," District Attorney Leone said today in a statement.

Road closures and other transportation advisories for the week of June 21:

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

The ramps from Tobin Bridge on Route 1 South and Rutherford Avenue/Charlestown City Square to I-93 South and Storrow Drive will be closed Tuesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The Storrow Drive on-ramp to I-93 South will be closed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m.

By Marc Larocque, Globe Correspondent

Six people, including some children, were injured in a two-car crash on Interstate 495 northbound in Boxborough this morning, state police said.

The collision occurred at 10:02 a.m., just north of Exit 29. One of the injured people was airlifted to a Boston hospital.

“One car went into the woods,” said Lieutenant David Wilson, a state police spokesman. “Juveniles were injured. Reconstruction is en route.”

The Boxborough police and fire departments are assisting state police in the investigation, Lieutenant Wilson said.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

The man's name is synonymous with genius. But he's sticking his tongue out just like any kid.

The incongruous image is considered one of the world's best-known pictures. And one of the original prints made for Albert Einstein was sold Thursday by a New Hampshire auction house for $74,324.

"It's pretty exciting," said Bobby Livingston, director of sales and marketing at RRAuction.com in Amherst, N.H. "It's such a famous, iconic photo. Just the experience of handling it ... I think it's one of the coolest things I've ever seen."

Livingston said it was the highest price ever paid for a photograph of the legendary theoretical physicist.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A former Lowell police officer was ordered to pay a $12,000 fine after being convicted of extortion and gambling charges this morning, the Middlesex district attorney's office said.

David Annis, 33, of Dracut gambled on sports events through a Westford bookmaker, amassing a $5,000 debt, prosecutors said. When the bookmaker tried to collect, Annis showed the man his badge and falsely implied he was investigating gambling cases, prosecutors said.

"David Annis not only participated in illegal gambling activity while a Lowell police officer, but also used his position to intimidate and manipulate others," District Attorney Gerry Leone said in a statement. "The defendant violated the trust instilled in him by the citizens of Lowell."

By Matt Viser and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Legislature has approved the state budget for the next fiscal year, a plan that would slash services in nearly every area of state government and raise the state's sales and meals taxes.

The House voted this afternoon, 110-46, to accept a House-Senate conference committee version of the bill that was unveiled by legislative leaders last night. The Senate quickly followed suit, approving it, 31-8.

The proposal is headed to the desk of Governor Deval Patrick, who issued a statement this afternoon saying he would veto a sales tax increase contained in the budget, unless the Legislature passes ethics reform legislation.

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent

HINGHAM -- Animal Control Officer Leslie Badger took an abandoned Saint Bernard around the town today, hoping that someone would recognize the animal and provide officials with clues to his missing owner.

"We're pretty much in the same place as we've been so far in this case," Badger said this afternoon. "We're trying every angle possible."

Police are searching for the elderly man who walked the Saint Bernard every morning near Accord Pond -- a reservoir that supplies water to several South Shore communities.

On Wednesday, a manager at a Chili's restaurant called police after the large dog turned up, wet and alone, near the establishment.

The mystery has only deepened as police have talked to residents and business employees, conducted extensive searches, and followed up various leads.

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff/file Feb. 2009)

A fish waiting for a buyer at the auction.

By Brian MacQuarrie, Globe Staff

GLOUCESTER -- Federal fisheries regulators announced today that they have planned a 10-day shutdown of the Gloucester Seafood Display Auction, the main clearinghouse for fish brought into this historic port.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it had sent the auction a letter notifying it that it cannot buy, possess, or sell federally regulated fish for 10 consecutive days because of violations of buying illegal cod and falsifying records committed in 2000 and 2004.

The letter asks the auction to inform NOAA by June 24 if there is a legal reason why the shutdown shouldn't take place. If there is no reason, the letter said, the auction has between now and July 13 to begin its 10-day shutdown.

Read today's Globe story here. The text of the budget can be found here.

--Eliminates funding for 800 local projects and programs

--Closes 12 offices of the state Registry of Motor Vehicles
--Uses $199 million in state reserves, leaving less than $600 million in the rainy day account

--Increases sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent, which is estimated to bring in an additional $900 million. The budget dedicates $275 million of the new revenue to transportation: $100 million to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority; $160 million to the MBTA; $15 million to regional transit authorities.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Construction on the airfield at Logan International Airport remains suspended today as officials probe how a construction vehicle crossed a runway Thursday in front of a jet speeding toward takeoff.

The Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates the airport, are investigating, said airport spokesman Phil Orlandella.

Orlandella said Massport was reviewing its policies and procedures and they "most likely will be adjusted."

"What you can do out there, how you can drive, who has to do what, are being looked at," he said.

By Brian R. Ballou and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

It took four trials, two deadlocked juries, and one ill judge before William Wood and Quincy Butler were ultimately convicted of the brutal torture and murder of a woman in her Dorchester apartment in 2004.

Betsy Tripp

Butler, 35, received a series of consecutive sentences for convictions including second-degree murder that will keep him in prison for a minimum of 52 years before he is eligible for parole.

A Suffolk Superior Court jury convicted the pair of "career criminals" for what the prosecution described as a "drug-crazed quest for crack cocaine." The night of Feb. 13, 2004, they hogtied Betsy Tripp, 59, in her apartment and fatally slashing her throat and shooting her boyfriend in the face, leaving him partially blind.

Butler and Wood had repeatedly escaped conviction on the same charges since 2008 because of three mistrials, twice because of deadlocked juries and once because the judge was ill. The fourth and final jury convicted Butler of nine crimes and Wood of six crimes.

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

QUINCY -- A 21-year-old man died today after hitting his head jumping into a flooded quarry for a predawn swim, apparently slipping on rocks on a rainy night.

The man, Patrick J. Coughlin, had gone to the quarry for an impromptu reunion with three long-time friends, returning to the swimming hole of their childhood. Coughlin and another friend tried to jump off the 15-foot ledge for a simultaneous dive, but he hit his head on the way down and landed in 15 feet of water.

"It's just one of those terrible tragedies," Keating said at a press conference shortly after dawn.

There is no evidence of foul play, Keating said. The state medical examiner will perform an autopsy to determine a cause of death.

By Matt Viser and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

House and Senate leaders tonight unveiled a state budget for next fiscal year that slashes services in nearly every area of Massachusetts government and calls for additional sales, meals, and alcohol taxes.

The $27.4 billion plan, which the Legislature is expected to vote on Friday, would make dramatic spending reductions that lawmakers have been forecasting for months as state revenue projections have worsened severely on account of the national recession.

Legislative leaders said that the budget eliminates 50 separate line items and 800 earmarks. Some communities could see up to a 15 percent cut in local aid, they said, and a dozen Registry of Motor Vehicles branches would be closed.

"It was just a litany of bad choices that we had before us," said state Representative Charles Murphy, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. "There's going to be a lot of pain and there's going to be a lot people who aren't terribly happy."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

More than 30 years after a Jamaica Plain man was shot outside a Dorchester home, the trial of his alleged killer began, with the defense attorney urging a jury not to believe his client’s confessions.

Richard Franklin is charged with manslaughter for the May 13, 1979 shooting of Gregory McDavid, a married father of two from Jamaica Plain. McDavid’s death went unsolved until Franklin confessed to the shooting in a series of interviews with Brockton and Boston police in 1995 and 1996.

But Franklin’s attorney, James Coviello, told the jury in his opening statement they should discard the confessions. “There will be discrepancies that will show his confession, his statements, his claim of doing this, is unreliable and false,’’ he said.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A Quincy man was arrested for fare evasion and assault and battery on transit-police officers during a struggle at the Quincy Center station this morning.

MBTA Transit Police said an anti-fare-evasion team spotted Robert C. Fitzgerald, 54, about 11:15 a.m. as he "piggybacked" behind a paying customer, going through the fare gate without paying.

He was confronted by two plainclothes officers, who started asking him questions.

Transit Police Sergeant Michael Flanagan said Fitzgerald first apologized for not paying and then gave the officers a false name.

"He took off running and ran through the fare gates, smashing them up," Flanagan said. "There was a short foot chase, and officers arrested him on stairs leading out of the station after a struggle."

(Matt Collette/Globe Correspondent)

Hingham animal control officer Leslie Badger with the dog. What secrets does he know?

By Matt Collette and Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondents

HINGHAM -- A microchip embedded in a Saint Bernard may help Hingham police solve the mystery of a man who went for a walk in the woods on Wednesday with the dog and disappeared.

A Nebraska company manufactured the microchip, which is used by people to find lost dogs. Investigators hope that the company has information about who bought the microchip.

"We are trying to contact the people in Nebraska to see if they can help us out," said Lieutenant Michael Peraino, a Hingham police spokesperson.

The Saint Bernard was found wet and wandering alone near Accord Pond, raising fears that something may have happened to the dog's owner, a man in his 70s with gray hair. Police scoured the area with their own dogs while Accord Pond was searched by dive teams and a boat using an underwater camera.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Health officials in Beijing are monitoring three Shrewsbury students and one chaperone as a precaution after one student showed signs of the H1N1 virus while on a school trip.

Officials from Saint John's High School in Shrewsbury were notified Wednesday that the individuals on the trip to China were being quarantined.

The remaining 12 students and chaperone have continued with their trip as planned, according to a statement from Saint John's. The 15 students and two chaperones left for China June 11 on the school-sponsored trip.

By Matt Viser and Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The Massachusetts House and Senate approved a transportation reform package this afternoon, despite the strenuous objections of lawmakers concerned about the impact it would have on union workers employed by a new transportation mega-agency.

The bill was approved by a 27-11 vote in the Senate and a 130-25 vote in the House. It now heads to the governor's desk.

Representative Joseph Wagner, House chairman of the Transportation Committee, said the new law would be a "benefit to every citizen in this commonwealth."

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The Enchanted Village, the holiday display that drew generations to the old Jordan Marsh department store each Christmas, sold today at auction to a sentimental bidder with a familiar name.

Eliot Tatelman, the pony-tailed president and chief executive of Jordan's Furniture, placed the winning bid of $140,000, topping a private collector's best offer by $5,000.

"How could I not do it?" said Tatelman, recalling his own pilgrimage to see the village as a 5- or 6-year-old, clutching his mother's hand in the crowd. "The topper was the name 'Jordan.'"

The sale on behalf of the city of Boston by Stanley J. Paine Auctioneers took less than 10 minutes, with the price rising in $5,000 and $10,000 increments from a starting bid of $25,000. Tatelman fended off the advances of the private collector because he said he feared the village would be disassembled and sold piece by piece on eBay.

The 8,000-square-foot display will be erected at the Jordan Furniture showroom in Avon, where it will go on display each year from November to January. Admission will be free, Tatelman said. The store also plans to make the Enchanted Village available for fund raisers for hospitals, orphanages, and other child welfare organizations.

"The only catch for Jordan's," Tatelman said, "is that you are just going to have to walk through a lot of furniture to get to it."

By Globe Staff

The attorney general's office has reached a $10,000 settlement with two Brookline real estate brokers who refused to show an apartment to a family with young children.

The attorney general's office claimed that Geoffrey Wells, owner of Harvard Real Estate of Brookline, and one of his employees, David Ravalli, had violated both lead paint laws and antidiscrimination laws.

A consent judgment signed Tuesday by a Norfolk Superior Court judge requires the defendants to pay the family $10,000 and prohibits the brokers from discriminating against any person seeking housing. The judgment also requires, among other things, that the brokers be trained on fair housing and antidiscrimination laws.

"Under Massachusetts law, it is illegal to discriminate against someone because they have children or because the presence of children might trigger a property owner's duties under the lead paint laws," Attorney General Martha Coakley said in a statement.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Massport has suspended all airfield construction at Logan International Airport after a construction vehicle drove onto a runway this morning as a jet was taking off, officials said.

US Airways Flight 27, an Airbus 320, was taking off for Phoenix at around 6:36 a.m. when a construction vehicle crossed Runway 15R.

Edited audio of the moments before Flight 27 took off (LiveATC.net)

Massport, saying that safety and security were top priorities, announced this afternoon that it would suspend the construction.

"Until we know the factors that contributed to this event -- whether it was the failure of an individual or there was a failure in the system -- and implemented measures to minimize further the potential for such events, construction on the airfield will be suspended," the authority said in a statement.

By Brian R. Ballou and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A man accused of intimidating a witness who spoke to police about a killing earlier this week in Cambridge erupted in a tirade of obscenities today when a judge ordered him held on $20,000 cash bail.

The man, Edwin Alvarado, 22, screamed at the judge in Cambridge District Court after his arraignment on charges of witness intimidation and assault and battery.

Prosecutors allege that Alvarado slapped the witness twice in the face and told him to stop talking to police about a shooting early Tuesday that left a man lying dead in a driveway of the Fresh Pond Apartments.

Defense attorney Raymond L. Parino dismissed the charges as a coercive attempt to get Alvarado to cooperate with homicide investigators. Alvarado has an alibi, he said, for the time of the alleged witness assault.

"This has nothing to do with witness intimidation and battery," Parino said. "This has everything to do with the investigation of the homicide."

(David Ryan/Globe Staff)

Juliet the dog stopped to investigate two inflated rats on Wednesday during a walk on Oliver Street in Boston. The rats were part of a picket line that caught the attention of Juliet's owner, Katherine Hall, a visitor from Tennessee. (Biggie Rat and Itchy Brother were Saturday morning cartoon characters in the 1960s.)

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

(Historic Boston Inc.)

The firehouse -- and the men of Torrent Six -- in better days.

By Meghan Irons, Globe Staff

Built in 1859, it once served as the home of the fire company known as Torrent Six. From 1919 to 1950, it was home to the local chapter of Spanish American War Veterans. It was used briefly by the city park department in the 1950s.

The firehouse today

The firehouse at Eustis and Washington streets is Boston's oldest remaining fire station building. It's noted for its small size and ornate Italian decoration.

Historic Boston, which was formed around saving the Old Corner Bookstore on the Freedom Trail, said much of its work in saving historic buildings in downtown Boston is done.

In recent years, the group's efforts have focused on the city's neighborhoods.

"By moving our operations to Dudley Square, we make the firehouse's redevelopment feasible and bring HBI closer to its mission of neighborhood preservation," said Kathy Kottaridis, who heads Historic Boston.

Construction of the firehouse is expected to begin in November. Historic Boston expects to move there in the fall of 2010.

(Steve Miller for The Boston Globe)

By Vivian Nereim, Globe Correspondent

EAST HARTFORD -- The frustration sank in the moment I got in the car. I couldn't reach the brake. Adjusting the driver's seat seemed simple, but my back was stiff, my knees were stuck, and my hands were heavy. I sheepishly asked my driving instructor, Stephen Smith, if he could help. It was embarrassing, but I couldn't do it on my own.

I was wearing a restrictive suit meant to simulate the bodily effects of aging as I fumbled through a closed driving course at Rentschler Field, practicing parking, navigating orange cones, and making emergency stops.

The suit and the course were part of a Liberty Mutual event on Wednesday marking the release of their "Driver Seat Game," an online video game designed to simulate the physical and cognitive limitations experienced by many elderly drivers. The game, which went live Tuesday morning, is accessible at http://libertymutual.com/driverseat.

Ideally, said Greg Gordon, senior vice president of consumer marketing for the insurance company, the game will create empathy for elderly drivers and spark conversations between adult children and their elderly parents about whether it's time to hang up the keys.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

House and Senate leaders announced tonight that they had reached agreement on a sweeping transportation overhaul that includes the elimination of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority – an agency that has long been a symbol of bloat and inefficiency.

The extensive plan, reached after weeks of closed-door negotiating, is expected to be voted on by the House and Senate Thursday, giving rank and file lawmakers only hours to review complex legislation that their leaders have labeled historic.

A key provision of the bill would dramatically scale back the benefits given to MBTA employees -- considered some of the most generous in the country -- for an estimated savings of at least $30 million a year.

“I think this is serious reform and some real cost savings in the healthcare,” said Michael J. Widmer, president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, who had been critical of the Legislature's earlier attempts at an overhaul.

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Staff

CHELSEA -- Some struggled to learn English; others fought bouts of alcoholism.

Some went to school once every two weeks; others decided even that was too much.

They have battled behavioral problems, academic failures, personal tragedies, or substance abuse.

But Thursday, the 13 graduating seniors of Phoenix Charter Academy will prove they were able to pick up the broken pieces and move on, that they succeeded even when some told them they could not.

"We have all made mistakes," Senior Jessica T. Gedeus, 18, said at a class dinner Tuesday, amid smiles, cheers and unstoppable tears of gratitude. "But...look at us now: Class of '09."

By L.E. Crowley, Globe Correspondent

Hingham police searched today for a man near Accord Pond after his dog was found wandering alone but called off the search after about five hours.

"We searched the pond thoroughly and didn't find anything," said Michael Peraino, a police spokesman. "We're waiting for a call from a man who is missing his St. Bernard."

Police said they believe the owner is a tall, white male in his mid-50s, with gray hair, but they don't know his name.

At about 8 a.m., the manager of a nearby Chili's restaurant, Bill Carey, saw the St. Bernard near his car in the parking lot.

By Globe Staff

Boston Police captured a suspected bank robber in Jamacia Plain this afternoon after a robbery at the Mount Washington Bank on Centre Street.

Police said a man in his 30s entered the bank at 515 Centre about 2:45 p.m., jumped over a teller window, grabbed a "substantial amount of cash" and fled out the door.

A police spokesman said officers responded and set up a perimeter around the bank. They found the alleged bandit in the area.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino made an extraordinary statement today at the base of the Bunker Hill monument, speaking on the very spot of that bloody struggle 234 years ago that marked a turning point in the American Revolution. The Battle of Bunker Hill -- that heroic stand by a ragtag army of farmers against a larger and better-trained British force -- is no longer part of classroom instruction right there in Charlestown.

"These youngsters over here aren’t taught that in school any more," Menino said as he gestured toward a group 80 children from two nearby Boston public grammar schools. "And so we are losing part of that American history."

The remarks came at a ceremony marking Bunker Hill Day, one of two Suffolk County-only holidays under fire. Along with Evacuation Day on March 17, critics have taken aim at the holidays, which give some 35,000 workers days off and cost an estimated $5 million. The mayor has artfully avoided taking a position on the controversy, pointing out again before his speech that they are "state holidays" which the city is required to treat as paid days off because of its labor contracts.

The fact that the relevance of Bunker Hill is not taught in school, however, is an entirely different issue. Curriculum outlined by the state Department of Education strongly suggests that Massachusetts students learn about the battle. In fact, the state recommends that third graders should be able to explain the "important political, economic, and military developments leading to and during the American Revolution." The guidelines make specific reference to one major military engagement of the Revolution: the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Officials at Boston Public Schools could not be immediately reached this afternoon for comment. They took the day off to observe Bunker Hill Day. The mayor's spokeswoman, Dot Joyce, clarified his comments when asked after the speech, noting that Menino did not know the history curriculum taught in each of Boston's public classrooms.

"I think what he means in the greater context," Joyce said, "is that in the hectic world we live in, we need to stop and reflect on the history in our own back yard."

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Two court officers sat outside the House chamber, reclining in their chairs as one let out a big yawn. One lawmaker, Representative Brad Hill, was spotted walking through the hallways in athletic shorts, a T-shirt, and running shoes.

Some offices were completely closed. Lights out. Doors locked.

“I’m working today,” said Senator James B. Eldridge, after giving directions to a wayward tourist looking for an exit. “My whole staff is here.”

On today’s Bunker Hill Day holiday, which is observed in Suffolk County and normally grinds work at the State House to a halt, the state’s top political leaders tried to project the image that they were working hard, in part by making cameos before TV cameras.

Senate Republicans – all five of them present and accounted for – held a midday caucus to try to demonstrate they were hard at work. It was the first time they’d held a caucus on Bunker Hill Day, they said, as they munched on pasta salad, ham and cheese sandwiches, and Double Stuf Oreos.

“You could throw a bowling ball down a hallway,” said Senator Robert Hedlund, a Weymouth Republican. “And not hit anyone.”

By David Abel, Globe Staff

The town manager of Billerica, who resigned this week after being pilloried for his negative comments about the town, told selectman at a town meeting Tuesday night that he will consider rescinding his resignation.

Williams

Williams left this morning on a previously planned vacation to Florida. He was on a plane this morning and could not be reached.

But selectmen said he received a vote of confidence last night and that some local officials want him to stay.

“It would be too strong to say he rescinded his resignation,” said Andrew Deslaurier, vice chairman of town’s board of selectmen. “He said he would take some time and evaluate his future with his wife. He said when he comes back from vacation, he will tell us which direction he would move in.”

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

The well-dressed man driving a BMW who allegedly tried to rob a Dedham bank Tuesday has a wife and a 9-year-old child and virtually no criminal record, but he recently lost his job and became depressed, his defense attorney said today.

The incident was "totally out of his character" for Delroy G. Henry, his attorney, Francis DiMento said today at Henry's arraignment in Dedham District Court.

DiMento also said Henry, 34, of Boston's Dorchester section, had always supported his family but had recently been involved in a motorcycle accident that left his left arm paralyzed.

Henry faces a charge of attempting to commit a bank robbery, as well as four counts of kidnapping and four counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon after he allegedly entered the bank Tuesday with what appeared to be a handgun and ordered the workers into a corner.

George Murphy and Jack Whelan, long-time Charlestown residents, talk about why they think Bunker Hill Day should remain a Boston holiday.

By Globe staff

Two fishermen today discovered the body of a man floating in the Saugus River in Lynn, according to Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett’s office.

The man’s body was recovered by Revere firefighters and an autopsy is expected to be performed Thursday by the state medical examiner’s office. The man is believed to be a 46-year-old homeless person from Lynn, but prosecutors are awaiting confirmation of the identification by the medical examiner’s office.

There were no signs of obvious trauma to the man, officials said.

The death was originally under investigation by Suffolk County but has since been shifted to Essex County. The man’s death is under investigation by State and Lynn police.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

LOWELL – Some seven years after two brothers from Billerica were fatally wounded in a Lowell parking lot, the trial of their alleged killer began today in Lowell Superior Court.

Rene Ramos

O’Reilly told jurors that 20-year-old Paul Donovan was a cellphone salesman who met Ramos for the first time just one week before he died and that the two men had agreed to conduct a drug sale.

On the night of the shooting, Paul Donovan asked his younger brother to drive to the alleged meeting with Ramos for reasons that are not clear to this day, O’Reilly said. He described the 18-year-old Michael Donovan as a star high school athlete with a promising future.

"P.J. Donovan called his brother for a ride. We'll never know why," O'Reilly said. Paul Donovan died at the scene and Michael, dressed in his pajamas and slippers, was pronounced dead a few hours later at Lowell General Hospital, the prosecutor said.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The Obama administration has changed course and will now allow same-sex couples to use their spouse’s surname when they apply for passports with the US State Department, a gay activist group said today in Boston.

A gay married couple, Al and Keith Toney, joined the Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders in challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which was passed during the Clinton administration, in federal court in Boston.

One issue the couple and GLAD raised was the State Department’s refusal to allow Keith Toney -- his name before marriage was Keith Fitzpatrick -- to seek a new passport under his spouse’s surname.

In a letter dated June 15, the US Justice Department notified GLAD and the Toneys that the prohibition has been stricken from federal rules. Keith Toney was invited to apply for a new passport and was also told the normal fees will be waived. He will file the paperwork June 22, GLAD said.

“Denying married same-sex couples the ability to have their married names on their passports not only puts them at risk in traveling with two identities, it demeans their marriages,” Mary L. Bonauto, lead counsel on the case, said in a statement issued by GLAD.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

An adult male who was stabbed in the chest late Tuesday night on Gainsborough Street near Northeastern University in Boston remains in stable condition, officials said.

Officers arrived at the Gainsborough Street neighborhood just after 11:30 p.m. and found EMS workers treating a 26-year-old male for an apparent stab wound to the upper right part of his chest, said Officer Joe Zanoli, a Boston police spokesman.

The victim was transported to Brigham and Women's Hospital. Doctors at the hospital expect him to survive, Zanoli said.

The victim is from Charlestown and he is not a student at the university.

Witnesses at the scene described the suspect as a clean-shaven male with close-cropped black hair, around 30 to 35 years old. Witnesses said the suspect was wearing a white and black zip-up hooded sweatshirt with possible dice logos.

Detectives are investigating the Fenway attack.

(Barry Chin/Globe Staff)

MANSFIELD -- Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler led his legendary local rock band through a crisp, 90-minute set on Tuesday night at the Comcast Center.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

A four-vehicle crash closed two northbound lanes of Route 128 in Waltham this morning, causing significant backups during the early commute.

The crash occurred just before 7 a.m. a few miles north of the Massachusetts Turnpike and involved a tractor trailer, delivery truck, and two other vehicles, said Trooper Thomas Murphy, a spokesman for the State Police.

The two lanes of traffic were getting by, but the accident "did have an impact on the morning commute with the flow of traffic," Murphy said. There is also a backup of traffic in the southbound lanes because of the "curiosity factor," he said.

Some people involved in the crash suffered minor injuries, but police did not know how badly they were hurt.

By Milton J. Valencia, Globe Staff

Aaron Michlewitz, a former aide to embattled retired House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi, won his old boss’s legislative seat in a landslide in today’s special election.

Michlewitz, a 31-year-old Democrat from Boston's North End, won 2,190 of the 2,745 votes cast, or about 80 percent of the vote. Independent candidate John A. Keith, a real estate agent from the South End, was a far-off second with 407 votes, and Republican David Trumbull, of Beacon Hill, earned 120 votes, according to an unofficial tally of all 12 precincts by city election officials.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

She was locked in the dark with nowhere to go. Amid letters, bills, and packages sat a small, frightened two-pound kitten, abandoned inside a streetcorner mailbox in Hyde Park.

MSPCA photo

"She thought it was appropriate, being that she was somewhat mailed," Adams said.

Because the postman had to complete his route, a woman who witnessed the discovery brought the cat to the MSPCA.

By Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Correspondent

A Roxbury man has been convicted for the second time in Suffolk Superior Court of murdering his estranged wife.

Agapito Lao faces a life term without the possibility of parole, the Suffolk County district attorney’s office said.

Lao, 50, was convicted today of first-degree murder for strangling 40-year-old Alicia Lao in her Chelsea apartment in 2000, said District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.

(Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)

A Little Leaguer practicing on the field in April.

By Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Correspondent

Amidst fears that proposed 6-foot fences around the Teddy Ebersol’s Red Sox Fields would hinder public use of the Esplanade space, the Department of Conservation and Recreation announced today it will implement changes to its plan, according to a letter from DCR commissioner Rick Sullivan.

The changes come after a May 27 public meeting in which nearly 100 attendees proposed various tweaks to the $184,000 fence installation plan, the letter said.

The DCR will continue to move forward with fence installation but will integrate the following recommendations: add two gates to provide pedestrian access to fields away from the Charles River Walkway; offset the 20-foot gate at the rear of the dugouts to create a buffer zone between the field and the Charles River Walkway; create welcoming and informative signage to clearly communicate that fields are open to the public.

The fence project. proposed last year, is part of $4.5 million in safety improvements and maintenance projects along Storrow Drive and Soldiers Field Road.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Four months ago, Boston EMT Philip Kennard worked frantically in an auditorium at the East Boston Central Catholic School to revive a 6-year-old girl whose heart had stopped during a gym class.

Today he returned to the same auditorium for a celebration of the rescue of Olivia Quigley, now 7. She was in the front row with her parents, smiling, as officials praised the school's teachers and rescue personnel for bringing her back to life.

"Right there," said Kennard, 25, pointing to the spot on the floor where he and his partner Michael Steiner, 49, treated Olivia that day.

"It's amazing. It's one of those things that can happen only once in an entire career," said Kennard, a tall, thin, young man in the brown uniform of an EMT. "She's made a full recovery, a happy little kid."

By David Abel, Globe Staff

Williams

“My comments were in response to those resistant to change and reflected on the difficulty getting changes through,” William F. Williams said in a telephone interview. “It wasn’t meant as a global criticism of the entire area.”

Over the past few days, Williams has faced a flurry of criticism from residents after saying the town lacks "curb appeal" and doesn’t “photograph well,” among other less-than-flattering comments about Billerica.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff, and Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

DEDHAM -- A man wearing a suit and tie with keys to a BMW in his pocket allegedly tried to use a handgun this morning to rob a Citizens Bank branch on Bryant Street.

The holdup did not go as planned. After corralling bank employees into a back room and few tense moments, the man walked out of the bank empty-handed, stashing his gun in a garbage can, police said.

"He picked the wrong bank to rob today," said Sergeant Michael Feeley of the Dedham Police Department.

Delroy George Henry, 34, is slated to be arraigned Wednesday in Dedham District Court.

By Maria Cramer, Globe Staff

Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis today touted the accomplishments of his department in the face of criticism from mayoral challengers who are attempting to make crime a central campaign issue.

Without mentioning any candidate by name, Davis enumerated specific steps the department had taken to combat crime in a speech this afternoon at police academy graduation at the Hyde Park Community Center which drew a crowd of an approximately 350 people. Mayor Thomas M. Menino shared the stage and joined the crowd in applause when Davis reached the high point of his remarks.

"Our focus on prevention and not simply responding to crime has resulted in the lowest levels of … violent crime seen by the City of Boston in over 40 years," Davis said. "1967 was the last time we had a lower crime rate than we do today."

Davis seemed to be offering a point-by-point rebuttal of an anticrime plan offered by City Councilor and mayoral challenger Michael F. Flaherty, which was detailed in today's Globe.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Two Rockport teenagers who left behind notes containing language from the "Twilight" vampire books and movie when they disappeared Monday were both found separately in Gloucester today, officials said.

Pamela Lawrence and Zandra Eason, both 13, were last seen Monday morning outside Rockport High School.

The two teenagers left notes in their friends' school lockers indicating their plans to run away from home, said Rockport Police Chief Tom McCarthy. Additional notes were found in the girls' homes.

The inclusion of the language from the "Twilight" books and move "made us curious," McCarthy said. The notes led police to believe the girls were camping out.

(National Trust for Historic Preservation)

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

For more than 30 summers, Sandra Swartz spent her summers in Hull, where she would ride the wooden, now 81-year-old carousel at Nantasket Beach.

"It was always glistening," said Swartz, 53, who grew up in East Milton and remembers birthday parties and weddings by the Paragon Carousel. In recent years the colors of the merry-go-round have faded, but it still makes people smile, she said.

Now the carousel's caretakers have something to smile about too. In a contest announced in April by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express, the handcrafted carousel -- one of only 150 left in the country -- beat out 25 other historic and cultural sites throughout Greater Boston competing for a portion of $1 million in preservation grants.

Online voters chose the historic wooden Paragon Carousel as the winner of the five-week competition, which ended mid-May. Friends of the Paragon Carousel will receive $100,000 to replace the popular attraction’s doors, restore its windows, and upgrade its safety measures.

"It's just a place that brings people together," said Judeth Van Hamm, a board member at the Friends of the Paragon Carousel. "And I think frankly that's why we won."

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick signed a law this afternoon that will end some of the most egregious pension abuses that have plagued the Massachusetts state retirement system for decades.

Governor Deval Patrick

Lawmakers hope the overhaul will repair at least some of the damage inflicted on Beacon Hill by a series of controversies. The retirement reform follows a recent series of Globe stories that revealed how public officials had enhanced their pensions by exploiting special provisions in state pension law.

“Today we answer the public’s call for real reform to our pension system,” said Senate President Therese Murray.

(Maisie Crow for The Boston Globe)

Samrawit Efrem, 7, waited for the school bus on Rindge Avenue for more than an hour after police diverted traffic due to the shooting.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

A 33-year-old man was apparently shot several times early this morning in Cambridge, dying in a driveway of an apartment building near the Fresh Pond shopping mall.

Police responded to a report of gunfire at 3:06 a.m. on Rindge Avenue.

"When they arrived they found the victim outside," said Corey Welford, spokesman for the Middlesex district attorney's office. "He was pronounced dead at the scene apparently from multiple gunshot wounds."

Relatives and neighbors identified the victim as Jason V. Ellcock. Ellcock has a last known address on Howard Street in Cambridge where he lived with his grandmother. Relatives said he was a father of three who lived for many years at the Jefferson Park housing development, which is walking distance from where he was shot.

Cambridge District Court records show that Ellcock was awaiting trial on drug distribution charges stemming from a May 8, 2008, arrest by Cambridge police. Ellcock has recently spent time in the Nashua Street Jail in Boston and had been free on bail.

Cambridge police identified Ellcock as a cocaine dealer in the Jefferson Park development, where he was living with his girlfriend, according to court records. Police searched the apartment last year and found a small amount of cocaine and several pills, including Oxycontin.

(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

A faux boy fixes his eternal stare at an ice cream sundae in the once Enchanted Village, a Christmas display that had been a holiday hallmark inside Jordan Marsh's flagship department store. The village now sits in a warehouse in South Boston, where it will be auctioned on Thursday.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

The town manager of Billerica announced his resignation this morning in the wake of criticism for less-than-flattering comments he made about the suburb north of Boston, town officials said.

The town manager, William F. Williams, who has held the post since September 2008, did not return calls. But he was forced to apologize after negative remarks he made about the town of 40,000 people at last week's Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce Municipal Breakfast.

"Some individuals, and I'm not one of them, are stuck in the '80s, where they look at Billerica as a place that was great and we need to retro back," Williams said, according to The Lowell Sun. "Wendy's is considered to them to be a wonderful thing."

He was also quoted as saying: "I look at [Billerica] as a town that needs a lot of work. I look harshly at Billerica as a place that seems to be in distress. When I look at it that way, I'm not demeaning you, I'm just saying that you don't photograph well. You don't have curb appeal."

By Andrew Ryan and Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

The 89-year-old woman who struck and killed a 4-year-old girl with her car on Saturday in Stoughton has been charged with motor vehicle homicide, the Norfolk District Attorney's office said this afternoon. The Registry of Motor Vehicles also revoked her driver's license, citing her as an "immediate threat.''

On Saturday morning, Ilse Horn of Canton hit Diya Patel as the girl was crossing the street. A reporter knocked on Horn's door today and she did not answer.

Horn's driving record indicates that she has been found responsible for five car crashes since 1982. The most recent crash before Saturday was on June 9, 2001, in Newton. Horn also received on speeding ticket on April 26, 1995, in West Roxbury, according to the driving record.

By Stephen Smith, Globe Staff

A 30-year-old Boston woman is the first person in Massachusetts to die from swine flu, public health authorities announced this afternoon.

The woman was hospitalized June 5 and results confirming that she had the swine flu virus came back on June 10. She died on Sunday, according to the Boston Public Health Commission.

So far 441 cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Boston, resulting in 54 hospitalizations. Massachusetts has had 1,153 confirmed cases of the disease, which is known by the scientific designation H1N1.

Across the country, there have been 45 deaths in 15 states attributed to swine flu as of last Friday, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Last week, global disease authorities declared that swine flu had reached pandemic status. The Globe reported today that the arrival of swine flu in the United States exposed gaps in the supply chain that delivers medication, masks, and even testing swabs to hospitals and doctors' offices.

(Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)

Boston Deputy Fire Chief Bernard Tully knelt on Sunday to place flowers at Forest Hills Cemetery in memory of his father, firefighter Bernard G. Tully, who died in the line of duty. The Boston Fire Department remembers its fallen colleagues each year on the second Sunday in June.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

A tractor trailer rolled over this morning in Randolph and closed a ramp off of northbound Interstate 93.

The truck landed on its side on the ramp for Exit 5A, which leads onto southbound Route 28. The crash occurred just before 9 a.m., said Trooper Eric Benson, a State Police spokesman.

It was not immediately clear what caused the rollover or whether the truck driver was injured. No additional information was available.

A pickup truck and several cars were involved in an accident on Interstate 93 South at East Milton Square.

Two separate crashes within five minutes of each other tied up traffic along Interstate 93 in Milton and Quincy, sending four people to the hospital for minor injuries this afternoon, State Police said.

Just after 1 p.m., two pickups, a 2008 Dodge Caravan, and a 2003 Cadillac collided while southbound just before Exit 8 in Milton. No one was injured in that crash, but two lanes were shut down for about 30 minutes.

Five minutes later, on the other side of the highway, four vehicles collided near Exit 9, forcing the closure of two lanes. Four people in that crash were sent to Quincy Medical Center.

State Police are investigating both accidents.

Mayuri Patel, 22, left and Priyanka Patel, 20, held a picture of Diya Patel, 4, their cousin who died after being struck by a car driven by a Canton woman in her late 80's. Matthew J. Lee/Globe Staff

By Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff

STOUGHTON -- The 4-year-old girl struck by a car yesterday while crossing the street with family members has died, according to the Norfolk district attorney's office and family members.

Diya Patel, who police say was struck by a car driven by a Canton woman in her late 80s, was described by a relative as a quiet, smart, and obedient girl.

“To sum it up, she was one of a kind," Priyanka Patel said of her cousin’s daughter.

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

The pilot was killed when a small plane crashed this afternoon near a New Hampshire resort, a federal aviation official said.

The pilot was the only person aboard the Cessna 177, said Jim Peters, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman. Witnesses told police that the plane clipped a group of trees, then hit another tree before coming to rest in a parking lot of The Margate on Winnipesaukee hotel.

"Apparently it hit a couple of our trees in a property spread out across the street," said Brittany Hamilton, 21, of Laconia, a receptionist at the resort, which is on the Laconia-Gilford town line. "It didn't hit any vehicles or people or buildings."

Peters said there were no reports of injuries on the ground.

He said the crash occurred at about 4:20 p.m. The pilot was taken to a hospital and later died there, Peters said.

By Globe Staff

A 4-year-old girl is in critical condition today after being hit by a car while crossing the street in Stoughton, law enforcement officials said.

The Stoughton Police were called to the scene of the accident on Washington Street at about 11:39 a.m. Preliminary investigation indicated the girl, who was with other family members, was in a crosswalk when she was hit, the Norfolk district attorney's office said in a statement.

The girl was transported to a Boston trauma center with life-threatening injuries and is listed in critical condition, prosecutors said.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

The marchers banged drums on Berkeley Street.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Staff

Decked out in socks with multi-colored peace signs and a top hat resplendent with the colors of the rainbow, Adam Blake was excited to participate in today's annual Pride Parade in Boston.

The 14-year-old was a member of the First Parish of Sudbury youth group, which voted a few weeks ago to come to the parade, a jubilant celebration of gay rights that is winding through the city's downtown area this afternoon.

"It's just a very inviting community. It's great to come and represent and have a lot of fun," he said.

Thousands participated. Bands played, music blared from loudspeakers, people tooted on noisemakers, and people passed out beads as the colorful procession made its way through the streets.

By Globe Staff

People have a fundamental right to have a lawyer when they go to criminal court, but they can forfeit that right if they threaten or attack their court-appointed counsel, the state's highest court has ruled.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday in the case of a man who threatened in a blood-smeared letter to "physicially assault, spit, kick, head butt, etc." his lawyer. The defendant, Mark Means, was ordered to represent himself at his September 2005 Plymouth Superior Court trial on charges of assault and being a habitual criminal, after a judge learned of the threats.

The SJC said that a defendant has a fundamental right to have a lawyer and that the right is "essential to individual liberty and security." But it also said the right, in certain cases, can be forfeited.

By Benjamin Paulin, Globe Correspondent

A Chicopee driver seriously injured a Springfield boy on a bicycle then fled the scene of the accident early this morning, police said.

Police arrested Luke Delaney, 29, at a home on Gelinas Drive in Chicopee after using "information gathered at the scene," State Police Sergeant Michael Popovics said.

Police responded to a call for a struck bicyclist at 12:21 a.m. on the Chestnut Street onramp to Route 291 East in Springfield. The boy was taken to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Popovics said.

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

Specialist Luis Burgos of Roxbury said goodbye to his daughter, Adrian, 6, after the ceremonies were over.

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent

With tears, hugs, martial music, and high praise from the governor, a Massachusetts National Guard unit that is headed to Iraq said farewell today to scores of friends and family members at a ceremony at the Charlestown Navy Yard.

"It's exciting to be part of history," said Captain Paul A. Barnett, 38, of Wareham, a chaplain in the 101st Engineering Battalion. "We are doing something not only for our generation but for the generations to come, and not only for our country but for the world."

His mother, Rita J. Barnett, 59, whose red hat read, "We are family," said, "Right now, I'm feeling weak, numb. Don't make me cry."

"I have my Kleenex right here," she said, laughing and patting her shirt.

Standing in front of the historic USS Constitution, Governor Deval Patrick lauded the soldiers for their unwavering loyalty and devotion to their country. And he asked them to draw inspiration from the vessel before them.

"What a glorious morning to recognize and acknowledge glorious service," Patrick said in his brief remarks. "Take inspiration from this ship as we do from you," he told the soldiers.

Road closures and other transportation advisories for the week of June 14:

The onramp from Congress Street to Interstate 93 in South Boston and Interstate 90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) West Exit 24, to I-93, will be closed to traffic Monday from 12:30 a.m. to 5 a.m. and Tuesday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

One lane of I-90 West in the Ted Williams Tunnel will be closed Thursday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

One lane of I-90 East in the Ted Williams Tunnel will be closed Sunday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

The man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller received a four-to-five-year prison sentence today after a jury rejected an insanity defense and convicted him of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter last summer.

"The defendant displayed no regard for the rule of law," Gaziano said as Rockefeller sat at the defendant's table, his leg shaking nervously. "He thought he would be able to outmaneuver Sandra Boss by taking her money and then at the right time taking his daughter. The defendant committed this crime with complete disregard for the anguish this would cause Ms. Boss."

With its verdict, the jury agreed with the prosecution that the case was really about a con man who meticulously planned a crime and was not mentally ill, as the defense had claimed. Rockefeller, 48, stood stone-faced as the foreman read the verdict by the jury of eight women and four men -- predominantly college-age people.

The 12-member panel also convicted him of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon for ordering his getaway driver to speed off while clinical social worker Howard Yaffe clung to the door of the sport utility vehicle. For this crime, the judge gave Rockefeller 2 to 3 years in prison, a term that will be concurrent to his sentence for kidnapping.

Rockefeller was acquitted of another count of assault and battery for allegedly pushing Yaffe to the ground. He was also found not guilty of giving police a false name when he was arrested in Baltimore.

In a brief victim impact statement read today by a prosecutor, Boss spoke of the pain caused by the crimes of her former husband.

"I faced a mother's worst nightmare, the possibility of losing a child without a trace," Boss wrote in the statement. "The emerging horrors about her abductor's nefarious past only heighten my concerns that she might come to harm."

Defense lawyer Jeffrey A. Denner asked unsuccessfully for a sentence of less than two years for his client, whom he described as a "mentally disturbed individual."

The defendant "loved his daughter too much and made huge mistakes in trying to express that love," Denner told the judge.

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley told reporters after the verdict that Rockefeller had been convicted of "the most serious charges" that "will carry the maximum penalty."

"This was a fair and just verdict for both the Commonwealth and the defendant," Conley said.

Statement to the court

This statement will be brief. It is very difficult for me to think and write about the abduction of Reigh because the experience was so profoundly traumatic and the memories are so painful.

While Reigh was gone, I faced a mother's worst nightmare -- the possibility of losing a child without a trace. The emerging horrors about her abductor's nefarious past only heightened my concerns that she might come to harm.

Since Reigh's recovery and return, I have struggled to distance us both from the events of that terrifying week, to regain the normalcy of our lives, and to restore a sense of trust and well-being in Reigh. Restoration -- emotional, physical, financial, and professional -- is a slow process at best after any trauma. The media attention to this case, and the resultant sustained loss of privacy, has made our situation unusually complicated.

The long term effects of the abduction are yet to be known, but anxiety about Reigh's safety and protection, which neither court orders nor my every precaution were able to provide in July 2008, will certainly be the most lasting. Inevitably, this crime will force us to expend substantial effort and resources for many years to come as we balance concerns over Reigh's safety with her growing need for independence.

By Globe Staff

Law enforcement authorities are seeking the public's help in identifying the body of a man found in Mystic River.

The tattoo

Authorities released a photograph of the tattoo on the man's right shoulder, a basketball surrounded by flames.

The body was discovered by State Police troopers who were providing security for a liquefied natural gas tanker.

(National Park Service)

A National Park Service diagram shows the Messner Couloir and other features of the mountain.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A Newton doctor and his climbing partner who were scaling Alaska's Mount McKinley died Thursday after falling several thousand feet, the National Park Service said.

Dr. John Mislow, 39, of Newton, and Dr. Andrew Swanson, 36, of Minneapolis, who were roped together, fell shortly before 2 p.m., the park service said in a statement.

The service said many facts about the accident remained unknown, including the exact location where the men intially fell and whether they were ascending or descending at the time.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Superior Court Judge Frank Gaziano, who sentenced the man known as Clark Rockefeller today to 4 to 5 years in prison, is a former prosecutor appointed to the court by former governor Mitt Romney in 2004.

Gaziano came to the court from the US attorney's office in Boston, where he was one of the lawyers who prosecuted drifter Gary Sampson for a series of murders in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Sampson was convicted and given the death sentence, which he is currently appealing.

Gaziano previously worked as a prosecutor in Plymouth County under the direction of Michael Sullivan, whom he followed to the US attorney's office in 2002. Gaziano joined the Plymouth County office in 1991 and spent a decade handling drug and murder cases. He is a graduate of Suffolk Law School and spent two years working as an associate with a Boston law firm, Foley Hoag.

Superior Court judges travel a circuit, and Gaziano has split his time on the bench between the downtown Boston courthouse for Suffolk County cases and Woburn, where Middlesex County trials are held.

(George Rizer/Globe Staff)

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Environmental police officers rescued two deer from a residential area in Dorchester this morning.

Two adult male deer were in an empty "enclosed area that looked like a parking lot" between Freeport and Ellsworth streets just before 10 a.m., said Kate Plourd, a spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Since the animals were in a dense residential neighborhood, environmental officers decided to rescue and transport the deer.

The officers tranquilized the animals and successfully relocated them to a wildlife management area in the central part of the state, Plourd said.

The deer have since recovered from the tranquilization.

The bus driver thought he had found a loophole in the MBTA’s new ban on operators using cellphones: He didn’t bring a cellphone to the job, which is now banned, and he didn’t talk on one while driving.

Instead, at a stop on Sagamore Street in Chelsea, the 41-year-old driver put his Route 111 bus in park, borrowed a cellphone from a passenger, and spent nearly five minutes jabbering while other riders sat in the back waiting for him, according to video taken by a camera installed on the bus.

The driver, whose name MTBA officials would not release, was fired Thursday.

“He thought he was being cute by not talking while the bus was moving,” said MBTA General Manager Dan Grabauskas at a news conference today, where he showed the video of the driver chatting. “This was an unauthorized stop.”

By Globe Staff

Toll payers who claim that their tolls are being unfairly used to pay for the Big Dig lost one round in their lawsuit against the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority when a Superior Court judge denied the plaintiffs' requests that liens be placed on the authority's assets.

Middlesex Superior Court Judge Herman Smith ruled Thursday that the plaintiffs have not provided evidence that the Turnpike Authority would be unable to pay damages if it loses the case.

"The plaintiffs have not submitted any evidence to suggest that the MTA lacks sufficient funds or will attempt to conceal, alienate, or dissipate assets to avoid paying a future judgment," the judge said in a decision Thursday.

(Photo by Lydia Marano)

John and Linda Sohus before they disappeared in 1985.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

Authorities in California monitored the kidnapping trial of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller, but ultimately today's verdict in Boston has little bearing on the 1985 disappearance and presumed death of a couple near Los Angeles.

When asked about the jury's verdict, Steve Whitmore, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, said, "None of that is directly of interest to us. Obviously we monitored the case.''

Rockefeller has been labeled a "person of interest" in the disappearance and presumed death of Linda and John Sohus in San Marino, Calif. Rockefeller lived as a tenant in the Sohuses' guesthouse when the couple went missing.

The investigation of the Sohus case continues.

"We are actively pursuing all leads with one goal in mind, and that is to solve this 24-year-old case,'' Whitmore said. "He's still a person of interest. We encourage him to talk to investigators."

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

The 'Rockefeller' jurors acted both as expected and in a mysterious way in reaching their verdicts, veteran defense attorneys said today.

By rejecting the insanity defense, attorneys said the Suffolk Superior Court jury reached the conclusion most juries reached when wrestling with a case where mental illness has been raised as a way to excuse criminal behavior.

"It's not unusual that a jury finds an individual to be sane at the time,'' said Timothy J. Burke, a former Suffolk County prosecutor who now is a Needham defense attorney. "Although the individual exhibits bizarre behavior, it's extremely difficult to establish the necessary elements regarding the insanity defense. So, I am not surprised.''

(Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

Yankees outfielders Johnny Damon (left) and Brett Gardner looked up to the heavens Thursday night as rain fell in the eighth inning at Fenway Park. The Red Sox had just scored the go-head run, giving Boston its eighth straight victory this season over New York.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Globe Staff

A fisherman died on Thursday from a head injury he suffered on a boat 10 miles off the coast of Plymouth, according to the Coast Guard.

A piece of deck gear struck the fisherman in the head while he was on a 40-foot boat off Gurnet Point. The Coast Guard responded to a distress call at 3 p.m., sending two helicopters and a rescue boat.

The fisherman was hoisted aboard a Jayhawk helicopter at 3:48 p.m. and taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he later died. The Coast Guard did not release the name of the fisherman or his vessel pending the notification of his next of kin.

"Our thoughts go out to the man's family and friends," said Chief Petty Officer Gerald Welton in a statement. "As lifesavers, the loss of a life is always a hard thing to accept."

By John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent

A US Coast Guard commander conceded today that his agency was slow in responding to a fishing boat sinking off the coast of Gloucester in January, but said that the vessel went down quickly and the two men who died probably could not have been saved.

The Patriot sank very quickly and with little warning around 1:30 a.m. on Jan 3, according to a statement from Vice Admiral Robert J. Papp Jr., commander of the Coast Guard's Atlantic Area. The official Coast Guard report says fishermen Matteo Russo and John Orlando drowned immediately, and there was likely nothing that could have been done to save them.

Coast Guard officials said, however, that response efforts should have been quicker, and the agency will take steps to improve its actions. The Coast Guard was notified about a possible problem aboard the 54-foot Patriot at 1:35 a.m, but failed to launch search vessels until nearly 4 a.m., Papp said. A rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod did not arrive until after 5 a.m., he also said.

By Globe Staff

An 83-year-old New Hampshire man was killed today when he lost control of his car on Route 3 south in Billerica, State Police said.

Stanley F. Butler was driving a 2005 Nissan Altima sedan south of Exit 7 just after noon when he lost control in the right travel lane and rolled over off the roadway.

He was transported by ambulance to the Lahey Clinic in Burlington, where he was pronounced dead, State Police said in a statement.

The crash is under investigation.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

An injured fisherman was rescued by the Coast Guard this afternoon near Plymouth, the Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard received a distress call at approximately 3 p.m. about a fisherman who had suffered a head injury when he was accidentally struck by a piece of deck gear, said Petty Officer James Rhodes, a Coast Guard spokesman.

Coast Guard personnel were conducting training exercises near Gloucester, and they sent two helicopters and a rescue boat to the scene. The injured man was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital. Rhodes said he did not know the fisherman's condition

(Castucci family photo)

Richard Castucci (left) and Frank Sinatra at the wedding of Sammy Davis Jr. and May Britt in Las Vegas in 1960.

By Shelley Murphy, Globe Staff

A federal judge today ordered the government to pay $6.25 million to the family of a Revere nightclub owner whose 1976 murder was orchestrated by longtime FBI informants James "Whitey" Bulger and Stephen "The Rifleman" Flemmi.

In a ruling from the bench following a three-day trial, US District Judge William G. Young said there was overwhelming evidence that Richard J. Castucci was a devoted father and husband who would have taken care of his family if he hadn't been a victim of the FBI's corrupt relationship with Bulger and Flemmi.

By Vivian Nereim, Globe Correspondent

The Massachusetts National Guard today announced a proposal to build a wind farm on the Massachusetts Military Reservation that would include up to 17 turbines and vastly increase the amount of electricity generated by wind power in the state.

As the first of many steps toward building the project at the 22,000-acre facility on Cape Cod, the National Guard has filed a site plan for review with the Federal Aviation Administration and the Air Force Space Command.

Depending on the size, number, and capacity of the turbines, the project could produce up to 34 megawatts of power, boosting Governor Deval Patrick's goal to develop 2,000 megawatts of wind power in Massachusetts by 2020. Currently, 11 wind turbines across the state have a total capacity of 6.8 megawatts, according to Robert Keough, spokesman for the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A Haverhill woman says she had a harrowing brush with the wild, when she was surrounded by coyotes while walking her dogs in a wooded area.

(Globe graphic)

"I was talking on the phone to a friend when all of a sudden there was one, then there was four, and they surrounded me," Burke said today. As I turned around, I started crying, I said to my friend, 'Oh my God, I'm not going to make it out of here.' "

By David Abel and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The fourth jury to hear evidence in the brutal torture and killing of Betsy Tripp finally rendered a verdict this afternoon, finding two men guilty of murder and other charges in Suffolk Superior Court.

The 35-year-old defendants -- Quincy Butler and William Wood -- had repeatedly escaped verdicts on the same charges since 2008 because of three mistrials, twice because of deadlocked juries and once because the judge got sick.

Today, the jury convicted Wood, of first-degree murder for cutting Tripp's throat. Butler was convicted of second-degree murder for participating in a crime that led to Tripp's death.

"I have nothing but relief," Christopher Gorton, Tripp's brother-in-law, said after the verdict. "But it's not like there's even some sense of victory after five years."

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Clark Rockefeller on Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court.

By Maria Cramer and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A Suffolk Superior Court jury has concluded its deliberations for the day in the parental kidnapping trial of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller.

Judge Frank Gaziano

On Wednesday, the jury asked a judge what prosecutors had to prove in the case in which the defendant has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity. Judge Frank Gaziano told the jury that prosecutors had to prove that Rockefeller understood the legal and moral consequences when he kidnapped his 7-year-old daughter last summer after a bitter divorce.

"The Commonwealth does have to prove the defendant could appreciate the criminality or legal import and the wrongfulness or moral import of his conduct," Gaziano told the jurors. "Further, when you asked 'Or can the Commonwealth meet its burden by proving just one of these?' The answer to that question is no."

Rockefeller, 48, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the kidnapping charge. He is also accused of giving police a false name and two counts of assault on a social worker supervising the July 27 visit with his daughter in the Back Bay. Prosecutors allege that the defendant is really Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a con man who came to the United States as a German exchange student in 1978 and never left.

The question about the legal definition of insanity gets to the crux of the case, which hinges on dueling diagnoses from mental health experts, who gave contradictory testimony.

By Globe Staff

The Massachusetts Legislature has passed a bill intended to end some of the most egregious pension abuses that have plagued the state retirement system for decades.

The House and Senate voted unanimously this afternoon to approve the bill, which would eliminate sweetheart provisions, tighten the rules, and, lawmakers hope, improve the image of state government.

"Today we close the loopholes and abuses that have existed in our retirement laws for far too long. Today we begin a series of reforms … that I believe will begin to restore the public's faith and trust in their government," said Representative Robert Spellane, the Worcester Democrat who chairs the Public Service Committee.

Governor Deval Patrick has vowed to sign the bill, which was unveiled by legislative leaders Wednesday after being hammered out in a conference committee between the two chambers. Lawmakers in the two chambers accepted the conference report unanimously today.

More than five months into the legislative session, the pension bill marks the first significant legislation of any kind to pass this year, aside from a handful of emergency budget provisions, the Globe reports today.

By Globe Staff

Two more Boston public schools will be temporarily shuttered due to swine flu fears, bringing the total closed during recent weeks to 15, school officials said today.

The Carter Development Center in the South End and the Louis Agassiz Elementary School in Jamaica Plain will be closed for a week due to significant flu-like illness.

The schools will be closed Friday and will reopen on Friday, June 19. The Agassiz Community Center next to the school also will be closed during this period.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Staff

A grieving mother whose daughter may have died because she was checking a text message as she drove her car in Charlton told a legislative committee today that a law banning texting while driving could save lives.

Amanda Martin

"To me, it's worth it just to tell her story," she said.

In October 2007, Amanda Martin, a 17-year-old high school student, was killed when her car went off the road and hit a tree as she drove to school. Police said they believed text messaging might have been to blame for the accident because she received a message at 7:22 a.m., and the accident occurred three minutes later.

More than a dozen bills limiting the use of cellphones were discussed at the hearing as questions grow about whether using the devices while driving can be a deadly distraction.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

A Plymouth woman reported seeing a bear Tuesday morning in a wooded area along Route 3, in the latest in a rash of bear sightings in the region, officials said today.

Terry McKenna said she was walking her beagle in the Cedarville area on Long Pond Road around 5:30 a.m. when she saw a "big, old black bear" in the road.

"I looked, and there he was just looking at me," she said. "We had a staring contest for a few minutes. Neither one of us knew what to do."

McKenna said the bear, who was standing about 100 yards from her, "jumped into the woods" when her dog moved.

By Globe Staff

Martha Minow, a noted human rights scholar and veteran professor, has been named dean of the Harvard Law School.

Martha Minow

In marking the announcement, Harvard University President Drew Faust praised Minow today as a "scholar of remarkable intelligence, imagination, and scope, with a passion for legal education."

"She has played an important and influential role in the institutional life of the Law School and the University over the years," Faust said in a statement, "and I am delighted that she has agreed to serve as dean during a critical time in the long and storied history of the School."

Minow said in the written announcement that she was "deeply honored and humbled."

"I am eager to help the remarkable community of people at the Harvard Law School … continue to pursue the promise of the rule of law, the ideal of justice, the practical solution of problems, and ever deeper understandings of legal institutions and commitments," Minow said.

(Yoon Byun/ Globe Staff)

Governor Deval Patrick stood on Wednesday before a series of portraits of the Massachusetts men and women killed in the armed services since 2001. The 115 sketches are part of the project "Operation Home Ties: Faces of Remembrance," which will be on display at the State House through June 19.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The State Retirement Board has suspended the $60,000 annual pension of former House speaker Salvatore DiMasi because he is facing federal corruption charges.

Salvatore F. DiMasi

The letter elicited a sharp response from DiMasi's attorney, Thomas R. Kiley, who said that the former speaker "has not been charged with misappropriating state funds and there is clearly no basis for saying he did.”

“Thank God we're in America, where there is a presumption of innocence and due process before the government takes things from us," Kiley said in a statement. "We look forward to the prompt hearing the Board of Retirement promised."

By John R. Ellement, Globe staff

When jurors convicted Tari Richardson for shooting at a Brockton police officer, he surged toward the 12 jurors and was only prevented from smashing into them by a handful of court officers and police officers who wrestled him to the ground.

Today, the state’s high court gave Richardson’s defense attorney the right to collect photographs of the jurors and show them to Richardson’s brother, who claimed after the conviction that he overheard a female juror admit an indirect tie to the prosecutor, Daniel Hourihan.

In a unanimous ruling, the Supreme Judicial Court rejected a request by Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz to block the defense effort. The SJC said Cruz was premature to ask the SJC to get involved. The SJC said the trial judge has agreed to the plan, but stressed that it has not yet taken place.

Until it does, the SJC said in an unsigned ruling, the matter should remain in the hands of Plymouth Superior Court Judge Jeffrey Locke.

“The Commonwealth does not argue that there is a systemic problem regarding post conviction inquiries of jurors or that the judge's fact-specific decision in this case will have any kind of wide-ranging impact,’’ the court said. “The judge's ruling in this case allowed only for a preliminary step to be taken…’’

By Nandini Jayakrishna, Globe Correspondent

EASTHAM -- Weighing a pound and three quarters, Fiona is a rare 7-year-old, but not because of her weight.

Out of about 30 million lobsters, experts say, you would only find one spotted orange-and-yellow lobster like Fiona. Caught off the coast of Prince Edward Island in Canada, the rare crustacean is now in a large tank at Arnold's Lobster and Clam Bar. The restaurant's owner, Nathan "Nick" Nickerson, who received the animal as a gift from a friend last week, named her "Fiona" after his girlfriend's granddaughter.

At least three Massachusetts schools on class trips to Washington, D.C. were touring the US Holocaust Museum today when a gunman opened fire and killed a security guard.

Teacher Chris Dupuis of MATCH Charter Public High School talks about hearing the shooting

He thought at first that the "incredible sound" came from something that had collapsed or fallen over. But then, he said, "Folks started getting up and running in different directions. It was at that moment when you realized this wasn't something collapsing, these were gunshots that people were running from."

The shots sounded extremely close, he said, and the shooting was followed by a period of chaos, uncertainty, and worry.

"People were running in every direction, trying to hit the ground. We didn't know what to do or where to go," he said.

The elderly gunman opened fire with a rifle, killing a security guard before being shot himself. "The second he stepped into the building he began firing," said D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier. The assailant was hospitalized in critical condition.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

State lawmakers agreed today to end some of the most egregious pension abuses that have plagued the Massachusetts state retirement system for decades, cutting a deal to eliminate sweetheart provisions, tighten the rules, and -- they hope -- repair some of the damage inflicted on Beacon Hill by a series of pension controversies.

CHAT TRANSCRIPT
Globe reporter Sean Murphy on state pension excesses

By Sean P. Murphy, Globe Staff

The package of changes in the state pension law agreed to by the House and the Senate today would close numerous loopholes in the pension law, many of which were detailed recently in stories published in the Boston Globe.

"One-day rule"
The Legislature would wipe out the rule that now allows elected officials, including legislators, to claim a full year of credit toward pensions for as little as half a day of service during any calendar year.

The Globe in a March 29 story showed that George Colella of Revere used the “one-day” rule three times in his career on the school committee, city council and as the mayor. The rule comes into play when elected officials remain in office until their successors are sworn in during the first days of January. The Globe story estimated that the rule delivered an extra $85,000 in lifetime pension benefits to Colella.

In a May 3 story, the Globe also showed that 52 retiring legislators used the one-day rule since 1991, adding an estimated $850,000 in extra lifetime pension benefits to the lawmakers, or about $16,000 each. The rule is available only to elected officials. Other employees receive credit calculated to the actual day they leave service.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

Clark Rockefeller today in Suffolk Superior Court.

By Maria Cramer and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The Suffolk Superior Court jury deliberating the fate of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller asked a judge today what prosecutors had to prove in the case in which the defendant has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.

Judge Frank Gaziano

"The Commonwealth does have to prove the defendant could appreciate the criminality or legal import and the wrongfulness or moral import of his conduct," Gaziano told the jurors. "Further, when you asked 'Or can the Commonwealth meet its burden by proving just one of these?' The answer to that question is no."

Rockefeller, 48, has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to the kidnapping charge. His is also accused of giving police a false name and two counts of assault on a social worker supervising the July 27 visit with his daughter in the Back Bay. Prosecutors allege that the defendant is really Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter, a con man who came to the United States as a German exchange student in 1978 and never left.

The jury concluded its third day of deliberations late this afternoon. The question about the legal definition of insanity gets to the crux of the case, which hinges on dueling diagnoses from mental health experts, who gave contradictory testimony.

(Norfolk DA)

Forty-two-year-old Kristyn Genereux's badly burned body was found Saturday by a hiker in the Blue Hills.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

Law enforcement officials said today that they have identified the body found smoldering Saturday in the Blue Hills Reservation as that of 42-year-old Kristyn L. Genereux of Plymouth.

Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating said the case continues to be investigated as a "suspicious death."

Genereux's badly burned body, which had been doused with gasoline, was found at about 3:45 p.m. in a portion of the reservation in Quincy that is accessible from Route 28 in Milton.

By John R. Ellement, Tracy Jan, and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A 19-year-old man arrested Tuesday night in New York City has become the second suspect to face a murder charge in a shooting last month inside a dormitory at Harvard University that prosecutors have described as a drug robbery gone bad.

Police arrested Blayn Jiggetts just before midnight in Harlem. Jiggetts gave police an address in Mount Vernon, a New York City suburb.

In a Manhattan courtroom today, Jiggetts refused to return to Massachusetts voluntarily and was ordered held by New York authorities until the next court date of July 8, according to a spokeswoman for Manhattan District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau.

Once he is brought back to Massachusetts, Jiggetts -- whose nickname is "Bliz'' -- will face charges of first-degree murder and accessory after the fact of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, and armed robbery, according to Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.'s office.

The charges stem from to the May 18 shooting of Justin D. Cosby, 21, inside Kirkland House at Harvard University. Cosby died the next day in a crime that up-ended the Ivy League campus and caused the university to deny diplomas to two female students who had been linked to the shooting but not charged with a crime. The victim's mother, Denise Cosby, said she learned of the arrest this morning and did not recognize the second suspect when told that his name was Blayn Jiggetts.

"I'm just happy that police are still actively investigating," Denise Cosby said. "I am happy that they have made an arrest."

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

A two-liter soda bottle likely filled with dry ice exploded behind a Dorchester church this afternoon, abruptly ending a school cookout and shutting down nearby streets as emergency crews ensured four similar bottles posed no threats.

At about 1:15 p.m., someone threw the five bottles into the yard behind Bethel Presbyterian Church, located at the intersection of Deckard Street and Humboldt Avenue, said District Fire Chief Jeff Whitman. One bottle burst with a loud bang, leading two police officers working at a field day for Boston Latin Academy juniors at an adjacent park to call for assistance.

"I guess a couple of kids just wanted to ruin this," said Frank Chen, the class treasurer.

By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff

When the shots first rang out, sending a deafening echo through the vast lobby of the Holocaust Museum, Chris Dupuis thought that something large had crashed to the floor. But when the popping sound persisted, sending waves of screaming people diving for cover and sprinting away from the museum entrance, Dupuis realized it was gunfire.

Teacher Chris Dupuis of MATCH Charter Public High School talks about hearing the shooting

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

A dramatic, black-and-white public service announcement featuring a young woman crying for help by her locker as a threatening young man ominously approaches has won a contest held by Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone, the office announced today.

With more than 1,000 students from across Middlesex County voting, the video beat five other semifinalists in the project developed by the district attorney's office to prevent teen dating abuse.

"A Cry For Help," shot by Somerville High School students Mitch Freitas, Jason Corey, Aakash Sharma, Jerry Alphonse, Anthony Bohan, and Stefanie Vivian, will now be professionally edited and submitted to local television stations.

“This was a project for teens by teens, and our hope with the project was to help spark a positive dialogue about healthy relationships,” District Attorney Leone said in a statement. “We want to congratulate today’s winner and commend all of the students who participated in this project for their leadership in speaking out against teen dating violence. They have helped send a clear message that physical and verbal abuse have no place in a healthy relationship.”

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

Boston Police have recovered a handgun from the harbor off of Long Wharf, after a passerby noticed it there at about 10 a.m. today, police said.

Boston police dive teams responded to the scene, near 296 State St., and successfully recovered the weapon, said police spokesman Officer James Kenneally.

"It's not often that you get a call that ultimately leads to the recovery of a weapon in a situation like this," Kenneally said.

Kenneally said the firearm would be forwarded to the ballistics lab, where police would try and determine if it had been used in a crime.

(David Ryan/Globe Staff)

Fifth-grader Daisha Davis sampled the wares at the 26th annual Jimmy Fund Scooper Bowl at City Hall Plaza on Tuesday, a dreary day with a chilly high of 62 degrees. The three-day event offers more than 40 flavors of ice cream to raise money to support care and research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Six bus passengers were taken to hospitals this morning with neck and back injuries after an MBTA bus driver stopped suddenly to avoid hitting another vehicle near the Forest Hills T Station, according to a transit spokesman.

The Route 32 bus hit the brakes at 8:30 a.m. to avoid hitting a van that pulled out in front of it, said Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokesman Joe Pesaturo in an e-mail. The bus did not hit the van and was not involved in a crash, Pesaturo said.

The mishap occurred near Hyde Park Avenue and Weld Street. Pesaturo did not release additional information.

By Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Staff

The former owner of an environmental testing laboratory in Westford was indicted today for submitting falsified water testing reports to the Department of Environmental Protection for several municipalities, according to authorities.

Michael Carlson, 56, of Westford, who is the former owner of Thorstensen Laboratory Inc., was indicted by a Middlesex grand jury yon 50 counts of making false reports to the DEP, two counts of larceny under $250, and two counts of larceny over $250, said a joint statement from the Office of the Attorney General and the Department of Environmental Protection. He is accused of filing false reports for a number of municipalities, including Ashby, Chicopee, Harvard, and Lawrence, authorities said.

(Norfolk DA's office)
The three rings found on the body.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

NORFOLK -- Law enforcement officials today asked the public's help in identifying the body of a middle-aged woman found doused in gasoline and badly burned Saturday afternoon in the Blue Hills Reservation.

The body, which appeared to be that of a 5-foot tall woman between age 45 and 55, was found at 3:45 p.m. on Saturday by a hiker in the Quincy section of the Blue Hills. Authorities did not publicize the discovery of the woman's body until today because they were checking hospital records and missing persons reports, according to Norfolk District Attorney William R. Keating.

"We are at a stage that we are clearly in need of the public to take the next step," Keating said today at a press conference at his office.

It has not yet been determined how the woman died, but gasoline had been used as an accelerant in the fire. The medical examiner has not yet completed an autopsy and the woman's death has not been ruled a homicide.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A high-speed chase ended abruptly early this morning when a car fleeing State Police crashed into a Boston Police cruiser in the city's South End section. Three men in the car face weapons and drug charges after the incident, said David Procopio, a State Police spokesman.

At around 1:40 a.m., Trooper Joseph Gray was traveling north on Tremont Street in Boston, when he noticed a brown Chevy Impala with a broken taillight driving in the opposite direction, State Police said.

Gray ran the plate through the Registry of Motor Vehicles database and discovered the vehicle was operating after failing an inspection. Upon discovering the car's status, Gray turned around and attempted to pull it over, but the driver of the Impala turned off the car's headlights and taillights and sped away onto Columbus Avenue.

By Jonathan Saltzman and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The jury weighing the fate of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller has concluded its first full day of deliberations, heading home this afternoon without reaching a verdict in the parental kidnapping trial.

Clark Rockefeller

"A daughter was just kidnapped by her father," Yaffe said in a composed voice in a tape-recording of the 911 call played for the Suffolk Superior Court jury last month. "I was walking down the street. He knocked me over and ran off in the car."

By Globe Staff

The MBTA has handed down its first punishment under a strict new cellphone policy, giving a 10-day suspension to a train attendant on the Orange Line who was wearing a wireless device on his ear, a transit spokesman said today.

The train attendant was getting off an Orange Line train at Wellington Station last Thursday night when his supervisor saw him wearing a Bluetooth wireless device on his ear, according to Joe Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. The device was connected to a cellphone in his bag, which the attendant said was turned off.

Train attendants work in the fourth car and do not drive the trains. The name of the attendant was not released.

The new cellphone policy, which took effect May 18, was sparked by a crash on the Green Line that occurred while the trolley operator was writing a text message. Fifty people went to the hospital with injuries when the trolley ran a red light and destroyed three trolley cars, worth a total of $9.6 million.

The new rules, believed to be the toughest in the country for a major transit agency, ban drivers even from keeping electronic devices with them while operating a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority vehicle. First-time offenders will get a 10-day suspension; after a second offense, they are subject to dismissal.

By Michael Levenson, Globe Staff

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, who has for years expressed deep reservations about charter schools, abruptly shifted course today and said he is eager to open new ones in Boston to help transform the city's poorly performing schools.

Mayor Menino

Unlike traditional charter schools, which Menino has argued drain money from traditional public schools, these charter schools would be established and controlled solely by the Boston School Committee. In a point sure to spark opposition from organized labor, the schools would not need to be unionized, although the teachers could vote to form a union. Menino said the schools would also have more flexible work hours and rules, in an attempt to attract better teachers and tailor the school day to students' needs.

If the bill does not pass by the end of this legislative session -- July 31, 2010 -- Menino said he would call for lifting the overall cap on charter schools.

By Globe Staff

A police officer who was seriously injured in a 2004 car crash while driving to help a pedestrian hit by a car cannot sue the hospital that released the pedestrian after a colonoscopy, the state's highest court ruled today.

Whitman Police Officer Dean Leavitt responded Nov. 1, 2004, to the report of a pedestrian hit. On his way to the scene, his car was hit by another vehicle (which had not been involved in the vehicle-pedestrian crash). It later emerged that the pedestrian was walking home from Brockton Hospital, where he had undergone sedation for a colonoscopy, the Supreme Judicial Court said.

Leavitt alleged that the hospital and two of its nurses should not have released the man without an escort. But the court said today that "the hospital owed no duty to Leavitt to control or detain the patient."

By Globe Staff

More than a dozen bills limiting the use of cellphones while driving will be aired at a State House hearing this week, as questions grow about whether using such devices can be a deadly distraction.

The Legislature's Transportation Committee has slated a hearing for 11 a.m. Thursday in Room 222 on 15 bills that would impose bans on texting or bans on both texting and cellphone calls, according to the office of Representative Joseph Wagner, House chairman of the committee.

The latest boost for the bills came after Aiden Quinn, a 24-year-old MBTA Green Line trolley operator, told authorities last month that he was sending his girlfriend a text message when he missed a red light and slammed his trolley into another stopped trolley near Government Center Station. The crash destroyed three trolleys and injured nearly 50 people.

FRAMINGHAM -- When Officer Phillip Hurton ran behind a automotive garage late in the evening of April 14, he knew he was chasing an armed robbery suspect. Hurton did not realize, however, that the man standing just a few feet from him had a gun.

Seconds later, the police officer thought he was a dead man.

"It happened very fast," said Hurton, 32, who today calmly described the attack. "The first shot, I didn't even realize that I was shot. My hands came up as a reflex. And after that second shot hit me, I knew what had happened.

"The first thought I had was that I got killed."

By Brian R. Ballou, Globe Staff

A 23-year-old Brockton man was arraigned today in Stoughton District Court on a charge of attempted armed bank robbery after allegedly planning a stickup at a Stoughton bank Monday.

Aaron N. DiMillio was arrested outside the Webster Bank on Washington Street. He was ordered held on $200,000 cash bail.

Prosecutor Siobhan Foley told the court that an informant had contacted police Sunday to tell them that DiMillio planned to rob the bank and would use a bomb threat at Stoughton High School as a diversion.

Police set up surveillance of DiMillio on Monday and saw him go to the bank at the same time a bomb threat was phoned in to the high school, prosecutors said.

Numerous plainclothes officers were stationed inside and outside the bank, and DiMillio was arrested as he attempted to go in, prosecutors said. Police said that when they arrested him, he was wearing latex gloves. They also allegedly found in his car a black toy gun and a note that read, "Have a gun. Give me money. No dye pack."

(Bill Greene/Globe Staff)

The Charles River Esplanade is poised for protection as a Boston landmark, but the designation is being opposed by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation that maintains the urban parkland. Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. -- who once proposed paving over for a temporary road -- told the Globe in a story published today that the Esplanade already has the highest level of protection by the state.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Officials are warning North Attleborough residents to be cautious because a
bear may be on the loose.

There were four sightings of a bear throughout the day on Friday in a
densely wooded area along Interstate 295, which is the least populated area
of town, Police Captain Daniel Coyle said.

The first sighting occurred around 7:30 a.m. when a man going to work saw a
bear walk across Paine Road. About two hours later, another person living
on Paine Road called and said the bear had walked through the yard. At 9:30
p.m., the bear appeared in another yard and stole food out of a bird feeder.
The bear returned to the same yard around 11 p.m.

(Globe staff photo/Yoon S. Byun)
Salvatore F. DiMasi preparing to leave in his attorney's car after the arraignment.

By Andrea Estes, Globe Staff

In a clear, firm voice, former House speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi declared ``not guilty'' as he was arraigned this afternoon on corruption charges in US District Court in Boston.

Three close friends of the former speaker, who along with DiMasi, have been charged in an alleged scheme to steer work to computer software firm Cognos ULC, also pleaded not guilty.

DiMasi and the others were released after the hearing. Swarmed by reporters and cameras, DiMasi declined to comment outside the courthouse after entering his plea.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

This was not quite the pit stop everyone on Bus Number 8 had in mind this afternoon. The driver, it seems, had some personal business to settle.

“He pulls over on the side of the road -- and it was not a bus stop,” said Debbie Thornton, director of nursing for Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program, who said she was a passenger. “And everybody in the bus was like ‘What the heck? Why are we stopping?’ And then, ‘Why is the bus driver getting off the bus?’ ”

Thornton said she followed the driver with her eyes and grew more surprised.

“I could not see him from the waist down, but the body language that I witnessed, it’s unmistakable when a guy’s peeing – on the side of the road,” she said.

By Jonathan Saltzman, Globe Staff

The jury deliberating the fate of the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller asked a series of questions this afternoon about the least serious charge in the case.

The 16-member Suffolk Superior Court jury had been deliberating for three hours when they asked Judge Frank Gaziano about the charge that Rockefeller gave a false name to the police when he was arrested.

Prosecutors alleged that his real name is Christian Karl Gerhartsreiter and that he is a con man who came to the United States as a German exchange student in 1978 and never left. The defense does not question the defendant's German identity, but they say that he had been using the name Rockefeller for more than a decade when police arrested him in Baltimore last summer.

This afternoon the jury wanted to know, among other things, whether the defendant was legally required to give his birth name in addition to his assumed name when he was arrested. The judge said the defendant did not have to give his birth name as long as he was not supplying his assumed name for dishonest purposes.

It was unknown whether the jury had considered the other charges yet. Rockefeller is accused of kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter last summer after a bitter custody dispute.

The jury went home today at 4 p.m. and is scheduled to continue its deliberations in the morning.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

WRENTHAM -- Two longtime friends today were accused of murdering a Guatemalan immigrant, dismembering the body, and then "cooking" the remains at a Walpole concrete business.

Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Robert Nelson made the ghastly accusations in Wrentham District Court as Daniel Bradley and Paul Moccia pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder charges and were ordered held without bail.

By Stewart Bishop Globe Correspondent

A 7-year-old Duxbury boy injured Saturday evening in Braintree was the victim of a hit and run, police said today.

The boy was playing in the front yard of a relative's home during a graduation party when he ran into the street to chase the ball. Braintree Deputy Chief Russell Jenkins said details of the accident are vague, but it appears the boy may have run into the side of the vehicle and slid underneath it as the rear wheels ran over him.

(Jim Davis/Globe Staff)

A hawk made an appearance Sunday afternoon at Fenway Park, circling over the crowd as David Ortiz batted in the second inning. The hawk was the only thing that flew out of the yard during Big Papi's at bat. The Sox lost 6-3 to the Texas Rangers.

In April 2008, a hawk targeted an eighth-grade girl on a tour of the ballpark, swooping off its nest and drawing blood from her scalp. At the time, some saw the attack on the 13-year-old girl, Alexa Rodriguez, as an omen that a certain New York Yankee slugger should beware.

It was not clear whether Sunday's hawk was the same bird from April 2008. This much is true: The Yankees have a three-game series in Boston starting on Tuesday, and a slugger named Alex Rodriguez will be making his first appearance this season at Fenway Park.

Perhaps Sunday was just a practice flight.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Jonathan Saltzman and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

The defense outlined its claim today that "pure madness" from acute mental illness drove the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller to kidnap his 7-year-old daughter last summer, discounting the diagnosis of a psychiatrist for the prosecution who lacked "expertise, experience, and training."

Clark Rockefeller

"They both told you that the notion of spending one -- one visit, 2 1/2 hours -- is an outrageous proposition to them," Denner said, taking aim at Chu, a clinical psychiatrist at McLean Hospital and associate professor at Harvard Medical School. "No valid conclusions could possibly be drawn from that type of interview."

Denner concluded: "Taking a look at Mr. Rockefeller, you know that something is wrong with him. You don't have to be a rocket scientist or respectfully a psychiatrist to know that something is very wrong with him … This is not a man playing with a full deck."

Assistant Suffolk District Attorney David A. Deakin urged the jury to took look past the "preposterous diagnosis" by paid experts. Deakin asserted that Rockefeller is really a "self-centered, controlling, and manipulative man who was angry."

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

The fire department pulled an unoccupied car out of the Mystic River this morning in Somerville.

A dog walker spotted the Honda Accord along Shore Drive just before 6 a.m. and called authorities, said Chief Kevin Kelleher of the Somerville Fire Department.

"As far as we can tell, there was no one in the car," Kelleher said.

It took a tow truck about an hour to pull the car out of the water. The 2003 Honda Accord is registered in Somerville. The car has not been reported stolen. The incident remains under investigation.

By Globe Staff

Boston police homicide detectives are investigating a woman's death early this morning in Dorchester.

The woman was found unconscious outside of 156 Callender St. at about 6:15 a.m. The woman, whose name and age were not released, was taken to Carney Hospital and pronounced dead.

Authorities have not said how the woman died. The police sexual assault unit is also involved in the investigation. A motor vehicle at the scene is being examined by detectives.

No other details have been released. Police have not reported making any arrests.

By Globe Staff

Former Massachusetts House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi is slated to be arraigned in federal court today, along with three friends, on charges that they orchestrated a scheme that allowed DiMasi to pocket tens of thousands of dollars in payments from a software company while using his clout to ensure the company won state contracts.

Salvatore F. DiMasi

The indictment paints an unflattering picture of a band of longtime associates, led by DiMasi, successfully plotting – over golf games, at Democratic fund-raisers, and in incriminating e-mails – to rig two computer software contracts, helping to assure state approval for them. The charges follow a series of stories in the Globe.

DiMasi was considered one of the most powerful elected officials in the state until his resignation in January.

His co-defendants are Richard McDonough, Joseph Lally, and Richard Vitale. The arraignment is set for 4:15 p.m. before US Magistrate Judge Richard Collings.

By John Forrester, Globe Correspondent

Two men were arrested and another was sent to the hospital after a verbal altercation turned violent in downtown Boston late Saturday, a Boston Police official said.

Officers responded to a radio call about 11:41 p.m. for a fight near 225 State St. and found one man stabbed and another having been struck on the head.

The incident began when the victims and several friends were crossing State Street and a passing car began honking at the group, according to Officer Eddy Chrispin, spokesman for Boston Police. A verbal confrontation escalated into a physical fight, during which two men allegedly exited the vehicle, hit a victim over the head with a bottle and stabbed the other.

The stabbing victim was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, and the other man was treated at the scene, said Chrispin. Police arrested Michael Grillo, 28, of Buzzard’s Bay, for the alleged stabbing and Rafael Varela, 28, of Buzzard’s Bay, for the alleged assault with the bottle.

Grillo is being charged with assault and battery and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Varela is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Both are expected to be arraigned today in Boston Municpal Court. The victims's names were withheld.

By Matt Collette, Globe Correspondent

WRENTHAM -- At noon, the score was 290 to 272, so high that organizers had to tape a third digit to the scoreboard. It's the 78th inning of what, at 4:30 p.m., will be the longest baseball game ever played.

The 36-hour game was actually a series of hourlong matchups played back to back, without breaks and with the score and inning counts carrying over as new teams took the field. The game started at 8:01 yesterday morning (a minute behind schedule, said Jim Lucas, the T-ball coach who thought up the record attempt last summer). By 8:01 tonight, more than 800 Wrentham youth, ages 5 to 15, will have played in one of about 40 matchups. At the very end, everyone who played is invited to return to the field for the final moments.

"It's gonna be a very tough base-hit opportunity for the batter, what with 817 kids in the outfield," Lucas joked.

By Franci R. Ellement, Globe Correspondent

A football assistant at Xaverian Brothers High School and a toll taker for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority were arrested and charged with the first-degree murder of a Guatamalan construction worker who went missing just over two months ago, but whose body has not been found, Norfolk County District Attorney William Keating said today.

Daniel Bradley, 47, of Westwood, who works part time for Xaverian and is a part-owner in a Walpole concrete business, and Paul Moccia, 48, of Dedham will be arraigned at Wrentham District Court on charges that they murdered 37-year-old Angel Antonio Ramirez, who was last seen picking up a friend at an airport the evening of March 20.

By Vivian Nereim, Globe correspondent

An 18-month-old boy who fell about 14 feet this morning from a window at a house on Jamie Lane in East Falmouth is in serious condition, according to a spokesman for the Falmouth Fire Department.

The child was flown by medical helicopter from Falmouth Hospital to Children’s Hospital Boston after a short delay because of a large fog bank in Falmouth, said the spokesman, Captain Gregory Clements.

By Jazmine Ulloa, Globe Correspondent

South Boston beaches lie about 2 miles from the city's downtown. Yet an abundance of blue mussels and tiny seashells pave their sands. Even eelgrass grows in small patches along the shore.

Those are just a few of the signs that Tony LaCasse said point to new life springing up on the city's beaches after Boston embarked on a multibillion-dollar cleanup of its harbor in the early 1990s.

LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium, was one of the organizers of the aquarium's beach cleanup today as a part of its celebration of World Oceans Day. The weekend-long event, intended to promote ocean care and protection, ends today with an open-air festival in the plaza in front of the aquarium that will include games, activities, and music.

"We have spent so much money on improving water quality, it's just in good sense for us to keep our beaches clean," LaCasse said. "This is about giving back to our public spaces."

(John Blanding/Globe Staff)

Brothers Nathan, 10, Jose, 12, and Edwin Flores, 20, try jumping the stream flowing into Houghton's Pond in Milton today.

The Lawrence brothers had been exploring the shallows trying to catch tiny fish with their hands when Globe photographer John Blanding caught them in mid-flight.

By Erin Ailworth, Globe Staff

SPRINGFIELD -- The air inside the MassMutual Center exhibition hall resounded with "Ayes" and "Nays" as Democrats from across the state gathered today to set their party's agenda at the Democratic issues convention.

While the convention is an annual occurrence, the platform is only set once every four years, said Stacey Monahan, executive director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party.

A man with a microphone guided delegates as they voted issues up or down in a low-lit arena with stadium seating. Some waved signs, while others captured special moments on digital cameras. A few browsed the tables outside, where attendees could learn more about Democrats like US Senator John Kerry and Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley, or pick up a T-shirt decorated with a donkey, the Democratic logo.

Edith Mazzer, 85, watched the voting in the arena. The Pittsfield resident said she hadn't missed a convention in 62 years.

"I will always be one, a Democrat until I die," she said.

By Eric Moskowitz, Globe Staff

Fall River Mayor Robert Correia's tour of his city with the top state transportation official was interrupted Friday when the mayor nosed past a stop sign and into the path of an oncoming car, according to the city's police department, which wrote Correia a ticket for $100 for failing to properly stop or yield.

The mayor was chauffeuring state Secretary of Transportation James A. Aloisi Jr., Senator Joan M. Menard, and Representative Michael J. Rodrigues in his 2003 Lexus LS430 when the front of his car was struck by a 1995 Nissan Pathfinder at the intersection of Davol and Central streets.

The driver of the Nissan, Kyra Cabral of Fall River, told police that she hit Correia's car after he ran the stop sign and drove into the intersection. The mayor told police he came to a stop before edging out. Correia, Cabral, and the others traveling with the mayor could not be reached for comment.

No one was hurt in the accident. The Herald News of Fall River reported that the officials were headed to a meeting with a reporter from the paper when the accident occurred; although they arrived late, they did not mention the accident.

By Emma Rose Johnson, Globe Correspondent

Last summer, Wrentham T-ball coach Jim Lucas had a vision of creating the world's longest baseball game. He thought the event would make a great fund-raiser and would be a perfect way to bring the community together.

"To be honest, I greeted Jim with about 10 seconds of silence," McGovern said. "I just couldn't figure out how it would work, logistically."

Despite others' doubts, Lucas persevered. The game began at 8 a.m. today, and plans call for it to continue nonstop for 36 hours, until 8 p.m. Sunday.

(David Beard/Globe Staff)

Success! Steve Salmon with his new Palm Pre.

By David Beard, Globe Staff

Tech-obsessed Bostonians lined up at a Sprint store in Boston's Back Bay by 5:30 a.m. Saturday to get their first crack at the new Palm Pre, the most-anticipated cellphone since Apple's iPhone.

But only early birds were able to buy the $299 phone in the store, which came with a $100 rebate. By shortly after 11, all of the 55 phones were sold at the Boylston Street store.

A store employee said there wouldn't be a new shipment until Monday.

Steve Salmon of Cambridge was one of the lucky ones, lining up for one of the last phones, eager to swap it for his heavy Palm 700XW.

"I try to keep up with my kids," said Salmon, a rehab technician from Cambridge. Salmon almost missed his shot because he lined up at 9:15 and the store had opened two hours early at 8.

By David Filipov, Globe Staff

HARVARD - For one terrifying night in December, trees were instruments of astonishing destruction, snapping and flying through the air like missiles. They crushed cars, fences, and roofs like colossal bludgeons; they clogged roads, snuffed out heat and electricity, and rendered bucolic woodlands into landscapes of ragged devastation.

When the snow melted and spring arrived, the ravaged trees presented a costly and massive nuisance of tangled, mangled branches and stumps that nearly everyone in this quiet town some 30 miles west of Boston had to clean up.

Now, say a Harvard musician and his three bandmates, it's time to give the trees a hug. That's right: Stop thinking of trees as a hassle and embrace them as symbols of growth, rebirth, harmony, and one of the main reasons you move to a foliage-friendly place like Harvard.

To help facilitate that mood, the band, The Grin Whistle, is hosting the 500 Tree Festival, a free concert on the town common Sunday. In addition to performing upbeat bluegrass, the band will be giving away an evergreen seedling to the first 500 homeowners to plant in their yards.

Road closures and other transportation advisories for the week of June 7.

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

The Storrow Drive onramp to I-93 south will be closed early morning Wednesday through Saturday from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m.

The Haymarket onramp to I-93 south and the Callahan Tunnel will be closed Monday from 11:30 p.m. to 5 a.m.

By David Abel, Globe Staff

An unidentified young man was fatally shot this afternoon on a patio on Fort Hill in Roxbury, police said.

Police did not identify the man nor would they comment on a potential motive. They said they were in the process of interviewing potential suspects.

"We're reluctant to say right now whether he was targeted," said Boston Police Superintendent Bruce Holloway.

(David L. Ryan/Globe Staff)

An impressive setting, but the governor's words gave some a sense of deja vu.

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

CAMBRIDGE – It's a commonplace suspicion to think that all commencement speeches are alike.

Leave it to a bunch of MIT students to make a science out of it.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, in his address today, asked more than 2,200 MIT graduates today to "use all your creativity in service of change."

"Make a new economy that expands opportunity out to the marginalized and not just up to the well-connected," he told a sea of people gathered in a courtyard by the Charles River.

But most of the nuggets the governor would impart in the speech -- his personal story and the economic gulf his family crossed in just one generation, his account of a White House dinner with his old friend Barack Obama, his call for graduates to embrace change -- had already been said. By the governor himself.

This was, after all, Patrick's sixth -- and final -- commencement speech of the season. And MIT students being, well, MIT students, they took advantage of the occasion for some good-natured, geeky fun, writing up a clever two-page worksheet drawing comparisons between Patrick's speech today and his previous speeches.

By Globe Staff

Critics of Evacuation Day and Bunker Hill Day have filed new legislation today in the state Senate in another attempt to eliminate the Suffolk County-only holidays.

The bill, filed by Republican Senator Richard R. Tisei from Wakefield, comes after similar measures narrowly failed in both houses of the Legislature.

The House killed the effort with a tie vote of 78-78. The Senate shot down a similar budget amendment 17-22.

Thirty-four lawmakers have sponsored the new legislation, including 10 senators (5 Republicans and 5 Democrats) and 24 representatives (16 Republicans and 8 Democrats).

Bunker Hill Day on June 17 celebrates the battle in Charlestown in 1775 that almost crippled the British Army. Evacuation Day, which coincides with St. Patrick's Day on March 17, commemorates when the Continental Army hauled 50 cannons up Dorchester Heights in 1776 and forced the British out Boston.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

State Representative Karyn Polito filed a constitutional amendment today that would place 12-year term limits on Massachusetts legislators, a proposal that comes as a direct result of recent scandals on Beacon Hill.

Karyn Polito

Polito's amendment likely faces an uphill climb in a Legislature that is dominated by Democratic incumbents. For the changes to be made, the state Constitution would have to be modified. It would need the approval of a majority during two consecutive sessions, and then ratified by voters at the the ballot box.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

A multi-vehicle crash temporarily closed southbound Interstate 495 this afternoon in Franklin when a person was ejected from a vehicle, State Police said.

The crash occurred just after 12:30 p.m., said Trooper Thomas Murphy, a State Police spokesman. It was not immediately clear how many vehicles were involved in the crash.

No additional information was available.

(Mark Wilson/Globe Staff/file)

Lunenburg homeowner Keith Starrett (left) displayed his feelings about Unitil Corp. in the snow in his front yard on Jan. 7 after being without power for 12 days following last December's massive ice storm.

By Globe Staff

Attorney General Martha Coakley today blasted Unitil Corp. for the electric utility's "ineptitude" after a massive ice storm last winter and filed paperwork pushing for a $4.6 million fine.

An investigation and a series of public hearings found that Unitil exacerbated problems from the Dec. 11 storm by "inappropriately" reducing its tree trimming program, having a "deficient" emergency response plan, and failing to invest in an outage management system. After the storm, the utility's initial damage assessment was "faulty," leaving the company unaware of the true damage to its system for more than a week, according to a press release issued by Coakley's office. These missteps were compounded, according to the release, when Unitil issued 4,000 estimated bills for December that it "knew to be inaccurately high" because of prolonged outages.

"Our office's most disturbing finding was that Unitil took no efforts during the outage to contact the 65 critical care customers who it knew depended on electricity for survival," Coakley said in a statement. "Only through strong remedial action and significant penalties will Unitil's ratepayers be protected from the company’s action -- and inaction -- in the future."

By Globe Staff

An Everett man ran a series of illegal high-stakes poker games out of a building on Main Street in that city and a February raid found numerous players inside, along with playing cards, chips and tens of thousands of dollars in cash, Middlesex County prosecutors said today.

Edward Gravalese, 34, allegedly operated an illegal gambling ring associated with organized crime, Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone said in a statement.

Gravalese has been indicted and faces arraignment June 17 in Woburn Superior Court on charges of organizing and promoting a gambling syndicate, keeping a gaming house, and conspiracy to keep a gaming house, the statement said.

By John R. Ellement and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

CONCORD -- Superior Court Judge Christine M. McEvoy admitted today that she drove under the influence of alcohol in April and apologized to family, friends, colleagues, and the "people of the Commonwealth."

Superior Court Judge Christine M. McEvoy

"I take full responsibly" for drinking and driving on Waltham Street in Lexington on April 15, McEvoy said.

According to a police report, McEvoy's eyes were glassy and bloodshot and her speech was slurred when officers pulled her over. McEvoy admitted drinking a few glasses of wine, according to the report, but she refused to take field sobriety tests or a breath analysis test.

In exchange for her admission, McEvoy had her case continued without finding for a year. If she remains trouble-free, she will not have a conviction on her criminal record. But if she is charged with a new offense, the drunk driving conviction would become active.

McEvoy had to pay a standard set of fines totaling $665, had her driver's license suspended for 225 days, and will be required to participate in a program for first-time drunk drivers.

The Essex district attorney's office handled the case because McEvoy's brother, John, is a top prosecutor in the district attorney's office in Middlesex County, where the offense occurred. Judge David Ricciardone said from the bench today that McEvoy received the same disposition as anyone else accused of a first offense of drunken driving offense at any other courthouse in the state.

By Globe Staff

Boston police released a surveillance video yesterday of a break-in at a South Boston condo building over Memorial Day weekend.

Investigators are hoping the community can assist in identifying the two suspects, who are accused of stealing jewelry, antique pieces, and artwork from two condos at 25 Channel Center in South Boston, police said.

Police received calls May 25 from two residents reporting that items were missing from their condos.

Both victims said they had been away for the weekend. No signs of forced entry were detected. A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the recovery of the stolen items.

By Matt Viser, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick filed an updated budget proposal this afternoon that would cut nearly $800 million from the initial proposal he filed in January, including the elimination of adult dental benefits under state Medicaid plans.

Removing that benefit, which comes through the state's MassHealth program, would save the state $164 million but would leave 600,000 residents without vital dental care, including exams, cleanings, and root canals.

Patrick’s revised budget proposal does not include money from a sales tax hike that House and Senate lawmakers have approved with veto-proof margins, prolonging the conflict with the Legislature over whether to raise broad-based taxes to plug some of the state revenue shortfalls.

By Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Correspondent

A Bank of America teller was charged today with a fraud scheme that stole nearly $300,000 from customers of the bank’s Peabody branch, federal prosecutors said.

Jeffrey C. Gautreaux, 25, of Peabody, was indicted in federal court on 17 counts of bank fraud, one count of access device fraud, and two counts of aggravated identity theft for a scheme executed from about July 2005 to June 2006, Acting US Attorney Michael K. Loucks said in a statement.

Employed as a teller at the bank’s Peabody branch on Andover Street from November 2004 to February 2006, Gautreaux used his position to gain access to the accounts and personal identification of customers who held funds on deposit with the bank, Loucks said.

Gautreaux agreed to sell the customers’ account information to other individuals who then used the information to make unauthorized withdrawals from customers' accounts, according to the indictment.

Gautreaux then shared in the proceeds, about $270,000, with those individuals, the indictment said.

(Patricia McDonell for The Boston Globe)

Patrick and DiMasi at a May 2008 event.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick said today he had talked with former House Speaker Salvatore F. DiMasi about performance management software, but downplayed the suggestion that DiMasi had discussed with him a particular company, Cognos ULC, that provided such software and was seeking a state contract.

"Not so much Cognos," Patrick said in an interview on WTKK-FM. "I certainly knew he was interested in this software."

DiMasi, who resigned in January, was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on a charge of participating in a scheme when he was speaker that allowed him to pocket $57,000 in payments from Cognos while making sure the company won state contracts.

After his appearance on the "Ask the Governor with Jim and Margery" radio show, Patrick was more vague about his interactions with DiMasi, saying, "What I know – and I don't think this is news, either – we knew of his interest in performance management."

Patrick also defended his administration's actions in awarding one state computer contract that was allegedly rigged with DiMasi's help.

"First of all, we're the ones who called in the [Inspector General] when our team first got wind of cause for concern and I have absolute confidence that our team in every respect performed professionally and with integrity," Patrick said in the interview.

"We have been investigated by both the Inspector General and the US attorney's office because we asked them to come in and have a look at it," he said on the radio show.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

A New York man was arrested today after allegedly impersonating a police officer while attempting to get into an apartment in Chinatown, Boston Police said.

Hector Rincon

After a brief chase, officers apprehended 26-year-old Hector Rincon. Rincon, who had a black wallet with law enforcement markings, was held until a Chinese-speaking officer arrived.

The victim told police Rincon had knocked on his door, flashed a badge, and attempted to force his way into the apartment. The victim was able to block his entry, and the man left, Zanoli said.

The victim followed the man into the street, where he observed him in the company of two other individuals who were dressed in similar clothes, one with what looked to be a two-way radio and earpiece.

Rincon was charged with impersonating a police officer, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest. Zanoli said police are looking for the other two men seen by the victim. Rincon is scheduled to be arraigned Friday.

By Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick, in his first monthly appearance on WTKK-FM since it reinstated talk show host Jay Severin, said today that he was "disappointed, frankly, that the station chose to let him resume broadcasting this week" after his derogatory comments about Mexicans.

Governor Deval Patrick

On April 30 during the height of the swine flu panic, Severin described Mexicans as "primitives" and "leeches" and called Mexico an exporter of "women with mustaches and VD." To listen to audio clips of the comments, click here.

Severin returned to his afternoon time slot on Tuesday and read a "sincere apology" for what he characterized as "hurtful, unkind, and wrong" remarks. To listen to Severin's on-air apology, click here.

(DEP)

An illegal dumper caught at night by the side of a road.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

In an effort to crack down on illegal dumping, the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, working with local law enforcement, has installed hidden cameras in public spaces that are considered illegal dumping hotspots as part of the Patrick administration's "Candid Camera" initiative, officials said today.

"Illegal dumping diminishes our public spaces," said Joe Ferson, spokesman for the DEP. "It's an attempt by perpetrators to pass the expense on to the taxpayers."

The "Candid Camera" initiative has so far focused on Boston, Lynn, and Worcester, although nine other communities have participated in varying degrees.

By Noah Bierman, Globe Staff

The state's transportation secretary announced today that fare increases of 15 percent to 20 percent would be necessary on the MBTA this fall, even if the Legislature comes through with an expected $160 million -- likely from a sales tax increase -- to help plug the current deficit.

Aloisi

"We need to have a multi-year solution," Aloisi said. He's hoping this fare increase will prevent another one from being necessary for at least two to three years.

The Legislature has been contemplating a variety of solutions to help the MBTA and the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, both of which are struggling financially. Officials had hoped to avoid either a toll or fare increase by identifying another source of revenue.

Governor Deval Patrick has proposed a 19-cent increase in the gas tax, while the Legislature has proposed an increase in the state sales tax from 5 percent to 6.25 percent.

(Brian Snyder/Reuters)

Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis played "America the Beautiful" and "When the Saints Go Marching In."

By Tracy Jan and Roy Greene, Globe Staff

"It is my honor to welcome you to the fellowship of educated men and women.''

With that declaration by President Drew G. Faust, Harvard University conferred degrees on 6,777 graduates during morning exercises today at the college's 358th commencement.

The service for the nation's oldest university was filled with historical touchstones, but also with a rousing flourish of jazz: honorary degree recipient Wynton Marsalis, a trumpet master, opened the ceremony with a stirring rendition of "America the Beautiful" and capped the event with a toe-tapping version of "When the Saints Go Marching In.''

By Jonathan Saltzman and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A psychiatrist for the prosecution testified today that the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller exaggerated his symptoms of mental illness and is legally sane despite his decades of bizarre behavior.

Clark Rockefeller

"There was very clear evidence, at least in my judgment, as to a certain amount of exaggeration of symptoms,'' Chu said under questioning by Suffolk Assistant District Attorney David A. Deakin. The defendant's answers "were much more consistent with untruthful responses or exaggerated responses.''

Chu also took issue with the diagnosis by the defense's two mental health experts, who found that Rockefeller suffered from narcissistic personality disorder and grandiose delusions. Those underlying mental illnesses, the defense claimed, caused him to believe a slew of fantasies and left him unable to understand that kidnapping his 7-year-old daughter was wrong.

Chu diagnosed Rockefeller as having mixed personality disorder with narcissistic and antisocial personality traits. The affliction, however, did not give him the inability to tell right from wrong.

"I couldn’t find anything other than that he is responsible for the criminal activity that he is charged with," Chu said, adding that Rockefeller's "planning it and then trying to conceal it afterward made me think that he knew what he was doing was wrong."

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

The state's highest court ruled today that the MBTA can bypass union seniority when the public transit agency moves to end discrimination in its ranks.

In a complex case aimed at drawing a line between union contracts and management efforts to end bias against women, minorities, and the disabled, the Supreme Judicial Court said protecting people from discrimination must override seniority rules.

The case involved William Wick, who was denied a job in 1999 as a rail repairman when he failed a hearing test. Wick won a favorable ruling from the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination, and the T agreed to hire him in 2004 and made his start date 1999, which gave him five years of seniority.

By Michele Richinick, Globe Correspondent

Harwich firefighters rescued a kayaker who was waist-deep in mud after saving a duck yesterday afternoon, officials said.

Two kayakers on the Herring River saw a duck struggling in a muddy area with a clam shell stuck to its leg. The individuals saved the duck and were trying to bring it back to a safer area, but it escaped, said Scott Tyldesley of the Harwich fire department.

After rescuing the duck, one of the kayakers found himself stuck waist-deep in mud and was unable to break free. The fire department responded at 2:30 p.m., and was able to lift the man out of the mud, Tyldesley said.

The kayakers’ names were not released. There were no reported injuries to the people or the duck.

(David Ryan/Globe Staff)

A line of children and adults wearing blue T-shirts walked in a line on Wednesday across Boston Common. The annual rally supports Action for Boston Community Development, an early childhood program which provides free daycare to needy families. The ABCD Head Start parade drew thousands of preschoolers, teachers, and staff.

Ted Gartland, a dayside photo editor at the Globe, has been taking pictures in Greater Boston since 1971. Each weekday, he highlights an outtake that did not appear in the morning paper. To view the work of more Globe photographers, click here. To watch Gartland's weekly segment on NECN, click here.

By Gintautas Dumcius and Michael Norton, State House News Service

In a rare tie vote, the House preserved Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day Wednesday night after a spirited debate over whether the Suffolk County-only holidays should be scrapped in the name of increased productivity in tough times or saved to honor the role Boston played in the Revolutionary War.

Republican House members pushed the plan to eliminate the holidays, which give state and municipal employees days off. The opposition piled up just enough votes for a 78-78 tie, defeating the amendment.

Some Democrats took the vote as an opportunity to rip the media, including the Boston Globe and Herald "who want to run the state from Morrissey Boulevard and Herald Square," said Representative James Fagan, a Democrat from Taunton.

"I'm going to vote to preserve our history and those two days. I'm not going to be backed up by the cynics and the haters," Fagan said.

The Globe reported last week about a similar push in the Senate that failed by a vote of 17 to 22. Click here to read that story, which included video of the Senate's debate.

By Stewart Bishop, Globe Correspondent

Sharp-eyed detectives may find telltale signs at the scene of a crime. In a case in Revere, there weren't any. They'd all been stolen.

Over $10,000 worth of street signs were discovered stolen from the Revere City Yard this morning.

According to Revere Police, a city worker returned to work at 321 Charger Street around 8:30 a.m. after a weeklong absence to discover the signs and other equipment missing.

Police estimate that between 1,000 and 1,500 signs were stolen, and are unsure of how someone gained entry to the building, or if any alarms had gone off in the past week. Police believe that someone would have to have a van or truck to carry away that amount of material.

The case has been forwarded to the detective division, which is investigating.

(Dina Rudick/Globe Staff)

Superintendent Johnson speaking at the meeting.

By James Vaznis, Globe Staff

Boston School Superintendent Carol R. Johnson tonight asked the School Committee to wait several months before voting on changes in the way the district assigns students to schools, following an onslaught of public opposition.

Johnson said in an interview before the meeting she is still committed to her proposal to shorten bus routes by scrapping the city's three sprawling school assignment zones in favor of five smaller geographic regions.

But she also appeared to leave the door open for changes, saying she wanted to spend some time this summer analyzing alternatives that have been presented by residents and activists.

By Jenna Nierstedt, Globe Correspondent

A 73-year-old woman lost control of her vehicle and struck a group of people this afternoon in Plymouth during the unveiling of a Vietnam War memorial, police and fire officials said.

Seven people were injured and transported to Jordan Hospital in Plymouth, said Police Captain John Rogers. Two people suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries, he said.

The incident came a day after a 93-year-old man drove his car into the entrance of a Danvers Wal-Mart, injuring a woman and her 1-year-old baby.

(Jim Cole/AP)

Governor Lynch makes history with the stroke of a pen.

By Eric Moskowitz and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

Traditionally conservative New Hampshire today became the sixth state in the nation -- and the fifth state in New England -- where same-sex couples will be allowed to marry.

"Today we're standing up for the liberties of same-sex couples by making clear they will receive the same rights, responsibilities, and respect under New Hampshire law," Governor John Lynch said before signing the legislation in a State House ceremony at about 5:20 p.m.

Lynch said it was a New Hampshire tradition "to come down on the side of individual liberties and protections, and that tradition continues today." The room, filled by scores of the bill's supporters, resounded with applause as he signed.

"We're thrilled to death," said Mo Baxley, executive director of the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition. "We're equal. Equal isn't nothing. Equal is everything."

Gay marriage is now legal in Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Massachusetts -- all of the new England states, except for Rhode Island. Gay marriage is also legal in Iowa.

Lynch signed the bill after it was approved by both the House and Senate earlier in the day.

After the House vote, Barbara Haines, 54, of Manchester, whispered, "Repent, repent," to people passing by her in the State House halls. Haines said God meant marriage to be reserved for a man and woman. "The basis of marriage is in God, and he created the male and female to be married and have a family -- and these people are deceived," she said.

By Maria Sacchetti, Globe Staff

Zeituni Onyango, the president’s aunt who is facing deportation from the United States, said yesterday that she planned to return to her native Kenya as soon as last night.

Then, she reversed herself, and said she was not going. Mike Rogers, a spokesman for her lawyer, said late last night that Onyango has "no intention to leave the country" and is staying to fight her case.

It was just the latest turn for the enigmatic Onyango, who catapulted from obscurity into the international spotlight last year just before the presidential election when news reports revealed that she was an illegal immigrant living in Boston public housing.

Onyango, who recently turned 57, said she has moved out of her public housing apartment and is in an undisclosed location nearby. Regardless of her travel plans, she said she plans to be in Boston for her next immigration hearing, on Feb. 4.

"I'll be there, God willing," she said yesterday in a phone interview. "I don't know, I'm not a soothsayer. I leave everything to God."

Earlier yesterday, a relative in Kenya told a group of visiting American journalists that Onyango is returning to Kenya soon. The relative did not elaborate, but the statements irked Onyango, who would not give a clear answer to the question.

By John R. Ellement, Globe Staff

Two New Bedford paramedics are facing disciplinary action by the city and by the state Department of Public Health for refusing to provide CPR to an infant found unresponsive inside a home, a child who was later pronounced dead, city and state officials said.

New Bedford Mayor Scott Lang said today he will hold a disciplinary hearing Friday for the two city employees and will also inquire into the operations of the city's Emergency Medical Services agency.

"By and large, I think it provides a very high quality of service,'' Lang said of the city's ambulance service. "What we have here is a situation where we have an incident that makes everyone take a look and to make sure that we are following through on appropriate mandates.''

By Globe Staff

An East Boston elementary school has been temporarily closed due to swine flu fears, the ninth closure of a Boston public school due to the disease, school officials said today.

The James Otis Elementary School will be closed beginning tomorrow and won't reopen until Thursday, June 11, because of unusually high levels of flu-like illness, Superintendent Carol R. Johnson said in a statement.

"We continue to work closely with the Boston Public Health Commission to monitor attendance and illness rates in every one of our 143 schools," she said.

By Globe Staff

A 3-year-old boy is being rushed to a Boston hospital this afternoon after he fell out of a second-story window in Ipswich and landed on a driveway, suffering head injuries, police said.

The boy fell out of the window on Putnam Road just after 3 p.m., said Ipswich Police Sergeant Peter Nikas.

Nikas said detectives were on the scene investigating, but the fall appeared to be an accident.

The boy was being taken by Medflight helicopter to a Boston hospital, Nikas said, but he wasn't sure which one. No further details were immediately available.

By Globe Staff

The six public service videos tell the story of teen dating violence by those know it best: high school students. Each running less than one minute, the films underscore a larger point with provocative titles such as "Just Because He Doesn’t Hit You" and "A Cry for Help."

The initiative was inspired by the startling results of an informal March survey by the Boston Public Health Commission. Nearly half of the 200 Boston teenagers interviewed for the survey said pop star Rihanna was responsible for the beating she allegedly took at the hands of her boyfriend, fellow music star Chris Brown, in February.

In Middlesex County, officials launched the video contest to spark a positive dialogue and encourage teens to speak out against teen dating violence. More than 200 students responded, working in teams to produce 35 entries. Six finalists were selected by a panel of school personnel, domestic violence experts, and members of the district attorney’s office.

Middlesex District Attorney Gerald T. Leone Jr. will address 300 Malden High School seniors on Thursday and view the six videos. The winning video will be professionally edited by Conover Tuttle Pace, a Boston Advertising and Public Relations Firm, and submitted to Boston television stations.

To watch the videos, click here.

By Globe Staff

Civil liberties activists are hailing a vote by Brookline's Town Meeting Tuesday night calling for the shutdown of a dozen surveillance cameras that were installed in town by the police department.

"We are grateful to town meeting members in Brookline who understood that a message needed to be sent, that America should not be a place where the government is watching us as we go about our activities in public," said Sarah Wunsch, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

Town Administrator Richard Kelliher said the board of selectmen would "certainly pay close attention" to the resolution.

"Resolutions by Town Meeting carry great weight and they're given great consideration by selectmen," he said.

Nancy Daly, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen, didn't immediately return a message seeking comment.

By John R. Ellement and Martin Finucane, Globe Staff

A dramatic 911 recording provides a glimpse into the frantic, anxious moments Tuesday morning at a Danvers Wal-Mart store after a car driven by a 93-year-old man crashed into the front entrance, injuring a woman and her one-year-old child.

In a second call, a frantic man tells the dispatcher, "The little girl is bleeding from the head. … You gotta hurry. You gotta hurry. … She's a little baby."

Then the man says, with obvious relief, "She is awake. She is awake. So she's OK, she's OK, she's OK all right," he said.

The mother was treated and released from Massachusetts General Hospital. But the one-year-old daughter remains hospitalized and in serious condition at the Boston hospital, a spokeswoman said today.

(AP Photo/Ted Fitzgerald, Pool)

Forensic psychologist Catherine T.J. Howe pointed to a chart today in Suffolk Superior Court.

By Jonathan Saltzman and Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff

A forensic psychologist for the defense testified today that the man who calls himself Clark Rockefeller suffers from extraordinary narcissism and delusions caused by acute mental illness that impaired "his ability to recognize the wrongfulness of his actions."

Clark Rockefeller

"What's fascinating about Mr. Rockefeller is that not only does he meet five or more, he meets all nine of the criteria," Howe said. "What is also interesting is that not only does he meet all nine, he meets it to such a significant extent. If there is a continuum of narcissistic personality disorder, he is on the far end of the continuum."

Rockefeller's narcissism was reinforced when people "believed any of his fantastical stories," Howe said, and the disease got worse and led to delusions.

"At some point his grandiosity, his narcissism … became so intense that his world, his reality, was not the reality that everybody else would have seen," Howe said. "But people believed him, and he believed it, and therefore it became a delusion."

By Globe Staff

Boston Public Schools today released a preliminary list of principal appointments for the next academic year. The 10-member list includes acting principals made permanent and school leaders new to the role.

School officials issued a press release that described each of the new principals:

By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff

Harvard University will announce tomorrow that it will establish an endowed chair in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies, in what is believed to be the first professorship of its kind in the country.

Harvard President Drew G. Faust described the academic post as “an important milestone” in an ongoing effort by faculty, students, and alumni to raise the profile of LGBT studies at the university.