Red Cross appeals for blood donations

The American Red Cross yesterday issued an urgent appeal for blood donations across Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut. Hospital shipments are being cut by up to 50 percent because blood inventories have declined by 3,000 pints in September, said Donna M. Morrissey, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross Blood Services Northeast Division in Vermont. ``This shortfall comes on the heels of a comparable decline in donations in August. Currently we are unable to meet most hospital standing orders," she said. At present, the Northeast Division has less than a day's supply for most blood types, Morrissey said. (AP)

BOSTON

Health regulators approved rules Tuesday that will give Boston officials the unprecedented ability to monitor research in laboratories working with deadly biological agents. The regulations, which have been under development by the Boston Public Health Commission for 10 months, require city licenses for Biosafety Level 3 and 4 labs, facilities that perform the most sensitive kind of research. The rules also ban research on weapons and classified work. Boston is the first major city to adopt such regulations, although they are less sweeping than the city's original proposal, which would have required permits for even lower-level labs. Industry and university officials argued that would create a blizzard of paperwork.

A Dorchester man was convicted of murder yesterday in Suffolk Superior Court in a 2005 slaying, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office said. Manolo Salazar , 41, was found guilty in the death of Carlos Benito Garcia Cruz, 41, of Guatemala. Salazar and Cruz were apparently roommates, and trial evidence indicated Salazar used a kitchen knife to slash Cruz's throat in the apartment building on Kevin Road. Salazar then fled, covered in blood, and was apprehended by authorities after a violent struggle. Sentencing is set for tomorrow in Suffolk Superior Court.

Three days into his trial, a Roxbury man pleaded guilty yesterday to several counts, including armed assault with attempt to murder, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, witness intimidation, and tampering. Ernest Mack , 50, was sentenced to 12-14 years in state prison and five years of probation. Mack also pleaded guilty in the near-fatal stabbing of a woman in her car on Washington Street in June 2003, a case in which he was scheduled to be tried. Mack also will serve a concurrent 10-year sentence for witness intimidation.

A former teacher and day-care worker pleaded guilty yesterday to federal charges that he bought child pornography over the Internet earlier this year from undercover US postal inspectors. Jon Blaisdell, 40, of Millis had worked as a prekindergarten teacher at the Shattuck Child Care Center in Jamaica Plain and as a student teacher at schools in Somerset, Norton, Hopkinton, and Sharon. US District Judge Patti B. Saris set a Dec. 20 sentencing date for Blaisdell.

A Randolph man was charged in federal court yesterday with the July armed robberies of Sovereign Bank branches in Somerville and Brighton. Trent Miller , 41, was indicted on two counts of armed bank robbery for the July 10 robbery of $13,590 from the branch at 125 Broadway St. in Somerville and the July 20 robbery of $11,685 from the branch at 415 Market St. in Brighton. The US attorney's office alleges that Miller committed the robberies by force and intimidation with a BB gun. If convicted, Miller faces up to 25 years' imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

PORTLAND, Maine

Portland police are asking for the public's help in finding a Boston man who went missing after visiting a strip club more than two weeks ago. Miguel Oliveras, 24, was last seen Sept. 2 in the parking lot of Platinum Plus after a dancer complained about him, police said. Oliveras, whose former girlfriend worked at the club, had arrived by bus in Portland two days earlier, police said. Oliveras's mother, Myrna Gonzalez, says it's unusual for her son to disappear without contacting his family. Investigators stopped short of saying they suspected foul play. (AP)