Man struck by commuter train dies

A Brookline man died Wednesday night after being struck by an inbound commuter train near Yawkey Station, said Joseph Pesaturo, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. Thomas McCormick, 43, was walking a bicycle along the tracks at 9 p.m. about 200 yards west of the station when a commuter train from Worcester hit him, Pesaturo said. The engineer of the commuter train was unable to stop in time and McCormick died instantly. Pesaturo said there is nothing suspicious about McCormick's death, but the MBTA will continue to investigate the incident.

Law hikes court-appointed lawyers' pay
Governor Mitt Romney signed a law yesterday to raise the hourly wage for court-appointed lawyers by $7.50 after lawmakers rushed the bill through in the final night of formal sessions last Friday, said Romney spokesman Eric Fehrnstrom. The Legislature must still authorize the funds to make good on the hourly wage hike for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the agency whose lawyers represent indigent clients. The bill came in response to a Supreme Judicial Court ruling last week that said criminal defendants cannot be held in jail for more than seven days without an appointed attorney. The court ruled further that cases would be dismissed after 45 days if defendants were not able to secure publicly funded lawyers. Some lawyers have left the program, citing the low hourly wages, leaving the accused without representation. (State House News Service)

MILFORD
Army deserter held after traffic accident
A 17-year-old soldier was in the custody of military authorities yesterday after an examination of his records following a traffic accident showed that he is a deserter from Army basic training. Jayce Salvas, 17, of Woonsocket, R.I., had been in the Army for two weeks, stationed at Fort Benning, Ga., when he deserted, said Master Sergeant Richard Lambert, a spokesman for Fort Devens in Ayer. Salvas was involved in the car accident earlier this week in Bellingham. He was turned over to authorities at Fort Devens and was expected to be sent to Fort Knox in Kentucky, the Army's detention facility for deserters, Lambert said. (AP)

WESTON
Painter's death an apparent accident
A self-employed painting contractor was found dead in a Church Street backyard yesterday after he apparently fell three stories from a roof, police said. The man, whom police did not identify was in his 50s, and was found dead yesterday in the backyard of the home he was painting, Weston Police Deputy Roland Anderson said. Anderson said it appears the painter was removing brackets that hold up staging Wednesday when he either slipped off the ladder or the ladder fell. The man had known the residents of the home he was painting for about 20 years, Anderson said. No one was home at the time of apparent accident, Anderson said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is investigating because the death appears to be an industrial accident, Anderson said.

CORINTH, Vt.
Goat farmer charged with animal cruelty
A goat farmer has been charged with cruelty to animals, more than five months after police launched an investigation of his farm and seized 44 of his nearly 300 animals. Chris Weathersbee, 64, was charged Tuesday with 44 counts of cruelty to animals. Police said Orange County prosecutors may amend the number of charges at his Aug. 23 arraignment in Vermont District Court in Chelsea. Each misdemeanor charge carries a possible sentence of up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $2,000. Weathersbee is accused of failing to provide ''necessary medical attention" to his goats, said Vermont State Trooper Chuck Schulze of the Bradford barracks. Under state law, necessary medical attention may be for illness, injury, parasitic infection, or malformed hooves. (AP)

LEXINGTON
Man dies in car crash during rainstorm
A 54-year-old Bedford man was killed in a car crash during a heavy rainstorm yesterday morning on Route 2 eastbound, State Police said. Thomas C. Wright was driving eastbound at 5:30 a.m. when a Dodge Ram traveling westbound began to hydroplane. The vehicle, driven by Sergio Malon, 40, of Everett, crossed the median into eastbound lanes and struck the Ford Ranger driven by Wright. Malon, who was not injured, will be cited for failure to stay within marked lanes and may face more charges pending the outcome of the investigation, State Police said.