$2 million grant is set to fight asthma

BOSTON

A $2 million grant will fund a three-year initiative to curb the environmental triggers of asthma in Boston public housing. Mayor Thomas M. Menino's office announced yesterday that the grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation would specifically target children struggling with the respiratory disorder. The grant will train 10 community health advocates, develop a public health campaign, hire two additional housing authority workers to focus on pest control, and fund the distribution of 800 kits with information for reducing asthma triggers in the home. (AP)

Eight candidates submitted enough signatures to qualify for the ballot in a special election for the Boston City Council seat being vacated April 30 by District Councilor Paul J. Scapicchio. The candidates each turned in at least 200 voters' signatures to City Hall by the 5 p.m. deadline yesterday. The signatures must be verified by election officials before the candidates can be placed on the ballot for a preliminary election May 16. The final election in the district, which includes the North End, Charlestown, and East Boston, is set for June 13. The eight candidates are Anthony L. Dantona Sr. of East Boston, Peter Borré of Charlestown, Ben Joplin of the North End, Salvatore LaMattina of East Boston, Christine Amisano of Charlestown, Frank Graziano of East Boston, Daniel J. Ryan of Charlestown, and John Toby Knudson of the North End.

Assault charges against a Roxbury man who allegedly beat his neighbor with a baseball bat have been upgraded to murder, the Suffolk district attorney's office said yesterday. According to prosecutors, John Conley, 39, repeatedly struck Frederick Montgomery, 41, with the aluminum bat during an argument March 12 at the Wigglesworth Street apartment building where they both lived, said David Procopio, a spokesman for the district attorney. After Montgomery's death March 18, prosecutors pursued a new complaint charging Conley with murder, Procopio said. Conley was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Wednesday.

The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority board yesterday awarded a $1.39 million construction contract for a planned turnaround ramp at the Allston interchange, which officials said should be completed by September. The contract was awarded to R. Zoppo Corp. of Stoughton. The westbound-to-eastbound turnaround ramp is expected to lower travel times from Logan Airport and the Boston Convention & Exposition Center to Back Bay and downtown hotels.

The state Department of Social Services has made significant progress correcting problems in its management of foster care services, conducting quicker criminal background checks and improving its computerized foster care tracking system, an audit found. The department also dramatically streamlined its licensing procedures, according to the report by state Auditor Joseph DeNucci released yesterday. Despite the improvements, DSS still needs to make progress in a number of areas, including scheduling faster hearings for appeals, the audit said. (AP)

Boston police are asking for the public's help in finding a driver who allegedly fled the scene of a reported road-rage attack that severely injured a South Boston man. The assault took place at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at Fargo and Summer streets in South Boston. The victim and a witness said they were riding motorcycles along Summer Street when they got into an argument with a motorist. As the argument continued, the victim and witness said the motorist forced the victim off the road, throwing him from the motorcycle. The suspect then fled. The victim, who was found lying in the road's center island with broken ribs and other injuries, was taken to Boston Medical Center, where police said he was in stable condition yesterday. The suspect is described as a white male driving a newer-model silver Mazda. Anyone with information is asked to call 617-343-4742.

The Bay State ranked seventh in the nation in per-capita state taxes in 2005, according to a report the US Census Bureau released yesterday. Bay State taxpayers shelled out $2,815 per capita in state taxes during 2005, or $632 more than the average per capita state tax collection nationwide. Vermont had the highest per capita state tax collections, at $3,600, followed by Hawaii, Wyoming, Connecticut, and Delaware. Massachusetts also ranked seventh in 2004. (State House News Service)