Man charged in bogus terrorist threat

A man wanted for allegedly calling in a bogus terrorist threat that put Boston on high alert in January was arrested yesterday in Mexicali, Mexico, at the request of US officials, who had secretly issued a warrant for him in May, the FBI reported. Jose Ernesto Beltran Quinonez, 34, of Mexicali, is charged in a three-count indictment unsealed yesterday in California with calling 911 and falsely claiming that four Chinese nationals and two Iraqis were smuggling a nuclear warhead into the United States from Mexico and planning to transport it to Boston. The allegation sent law-enforcement officials nationwide scrambling, until the FBI publicly announced the tip was a false alarm.

BOSTON

Court won't hear appeal in gang killing

The US Supreme Court refused yesterday to consider whether two men charged in a Boston gang killing should have two juries ready to consider their case. Justices declined to hear an appeal filed on behalf of Darryl Green and Branden Morris. At issue was whether one jury should consider the men's guilt, and, if necessary, a second jury consider the death penalty. An appeals court said one jury would do both. This appeal did not involve the separate issue of picking a racially balanced jury. (AP)

Travaglini touts slot machine revenue

Senate President Robert Travaglini yesterday suggested that adding slot machines at four state racetracks could raise money to expand health insurance coverage. A day after the Globe reported that House leaders were mulling alcohol or cigarette taxes to pay for health coverage, Travaglini said revenue from slot machines was ''more appropriate and defendable. . . . That's why the Senate voted the way they did for the slots," he said, referring to the Senate's support of a bill to approve slot machines at four racetracks. (State House News Service)

FAA team to investigate safety at Logan

A team of specialists from the Federal Aviation Administration toured Logan International Airport yesterday to investigate a rash of near-collisions on its runways. Members of the FAA's ''Tiger Team" will spend two or three days studying Logan's runway safety procedures and evaluating the performance of its air-traffic controllers, said FAA spokesman Jim Peters. Logan has had 16 ''runway incursions" since last October. Once the team completes its evaluation, it will report its findings to FAA chief Marian Blakey. (AP)

Groups seek right to review vote materials

Several community groups representing Hispanics and Asian-Americans said yesterday they want a hand in ensuring that the city complies with terms of a settlement with the US Department of Justice, which had sued over alleged violations of the Voting Rights Act. At a hearing before Judge Sandra Lynch of the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit, US District Chief Judge William G. Young, and US District Judge Patti B. Saris, the groups asked for authority to review city voting materials before elections and to help select workers who would act as community liaisons. In its lawsuit, filed in July, the Justice Department alleged that the city had violated the rights of voters with limited English skills. On Sept. 15, a settlement was reached that required the city to provide Spanish-, Chinese-, and Vietnamese-language assistance to voters.

Officials ordered to surrender T passes

State transportation officials have been ordered to turn in the passes that allow them free rides on buses and trains, a privilege not offered to any other state employees. State Transportation Secretary John Cogliano told the Boston Herald that the free-pass policy is unfair to commuters who pay as much as $200 a month for their commuter rail passes. He ordered officials to turn in their passes by Oct. 31. The officials who had been taking advantage of the free rides work for the Executive Office of Transportation but not the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which operates the region's mass transit system. ''The T is under financial constraints right now, but more important is that we as public servants should not be given special privileges," Cogliano said. (AP)

Remains ID'd as those of E. Boston man

A 42-year-old father of two from East Boston was identified by authorities yesterday as the man whose remains were found inside a culvert in the Belle Isle Reservation in Revere Oct. 11. Authorities are trying to determine how and when Richard Boulay died. William Boulay, a brother, said his family believes that Richard may have gotten lost in the reservation while trying to get back to the nearby Lawn Avenue apartment in East Boston he shared with his teenage daughters and their mother. ''Nobody knows what happened," William Boulay said. ''I don't know anybody who would want to kill him."