Court: Wife of Bulger victim cannot sue

BOSTON

A federal appeals court ruled yesterday that the wife of a Quincy safecracker who was kidnapped, tortured, and killed in 1983 by longtime FBI informants James ``Whitey" Bulger and Stephen ``The Rifleman" Flemmi can't sue the government because she waited too long to file her $50 million lawsuit. The US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit upheld a judge's dismissal of Elaine Barrett's lawsuit last year, finding that she knew by March 2000 that the FBI's mishandling of Bulger and Flemmi resulted in the murder of her husband, Arthur ``Bucky" Barrett, yet she waited nearly three years to file a claim. The Federal Tort Claims Act required Elaine Barrett to file her claim within two years of learning that FBI negligence played a role , the court found. Earlier this week, US District Judge Reginald C. Lindsay, the same judge who dismissed Barrett's suit, ordered the government to pay $3.1 million to the mother of Quincy fisherman John McIntyre, who was murdered in 1984.

A Boston police detective and former state representative announced yesterday that he will try to unseat state Senator Dianne Wilkerson in the Sept. 19 write-in campaign. John Kelleher , a Democrat who served in the House of Representatives from 1973 to 1978, said he will fund his campaign with his own money and is taking a leave of absence from the department without pay to run for Wilkerson's seat. Wilkerson, who has a history of legal problems, failed to garner the 300 signatures needed to get her name on the ballot this year, forcing her to wage a write-in campaign. Kelleher, a 32-year veteran of the Police Department, is the third challenger to enter the race. Republican Samiyah Diaz and Democrat Sonia Chang-Diaz, both 28, are vying for the seat.

NEWTON

A 9-year-old girl says she was the victim of an indecent assault at the New England Mobile Book Fair in Newton, making her the third girl to report such an attack at the business since June 2005, police said yesterday. The latest alleged assault occurred on Sept. 1 at about 7:30 p.m., when the girl walked unaccompanied through the 49-year-old bookstore's juvenile section, Newton police said. The girl described her assailant as a white man with red, curly hair, a goatee, and a light-blue shirt. She said the man fled the bookstore afterward. Steve Gans, the bookstore's chief operating officer, said they have taken measures to find the suspect, such as installing security cameras throughout the building. He said the bookstore has turned over video images to police. Anyone with information is asked to call Newton's detective bureau at 617-796-2104 or the department's tips line at 617-796-2121.

MASSACHUSETTS

Grace Ross, the Green-Rainbow Party candidate for governor, yesterday announced a new running mate, Martina Robinson of Belchertown. The announcement qualifies Ross and Robinson for the November ballot. She replaces Wendy Van Horne, who dropped off the ticket last week for personal reasons. Ross described Robinson, 30, as a disability rights activist. Robinson, who has cerebral palsy, has been active in American Disabled for Attendant Programs Today for more than 15 years.

BRAINTREE

A Braintree man was seriously injured in a fire in his Cape-style home on Arthur Street yesterday, Fire Department Lieutenant Dan McDonnell said. Firefighters arrived at the scene at 7:38 a.m. and found Joe Stover, 69, and neighbor Robert O'Toole, 44, inside near the front door. Officials believe that O'Toole entered the home to rescue Stover, McDonnell said. Stover was rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital with serious injuries, and O'Toole was taken to South Shore Hospital suffering from smoke inhalation. The fire is under investigation.

CAMBRIDGE

Jill Carroll, the Christian Science Monitor writer who was held hostage for nearly three months in Iraq, is among the new class of fellows announced yesterday by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government. The Shorenstein Fellows will work on research projects while at the center. Carroll plans to analyze the decline of foreign bureaus following changes in the newspaper industry. The other 2006 fellows are: Garance Franke-Ruta, senior editor at The American Prospect; William Powers, media critic for National Journal magazine; and Allan M. Siegal, former assistant managing and standards editor at The New York Times. (AP)