Controversial book to remain in classes

Dover-Sherborn

A divisive book about the aftermath of war will remain in sixth-grade classrooms because the Dover-Sherborn Regional School Committee voted last night to revamp the English lesson to better reflect the story's historical context. "So Far from the Bamboo Grove" by Massachusetts author Yoko Kawashima Watkins was challenged by a group of 13 parents who said it was racist against Koreans and too graphic for sixth-graders. The award-winning book is Watkins's story, told through her eyes when she was 11 , of escaping Korea after World War II with her family and the horrors they experienced and witnessed on their way to Japan. Some parents argued that it wrongly ignores the atrocities committed by the Japanese while they occupied Korea.

ANDOVER

A group that was invited to speak at Andover High School and then stopped by the principal amid concerns from community members will give a presentation to students Friday, school officials said yesterday. Six social studies teachers late last year asked The Wheels of Justice , a Wisconsin-based group with a history of condemning Israel's treatment of the Palestinians, to speak to students , said Dr. David Samuels , a member of the Andover School Committee. To allay community concerns, school officials have offered optional, alternative lectures for students: a First Amendment lecture today or a presentation on the conflict in the Middle East given by specialists next week, Samuels said. All lectures are being held at the high school .

Boston

Fans of horse and dog racing got a boost after lawmakers passed a bill to extend for another two years the right of the state's four racetracks to collect wagers on races broadcast from out-of-state tracks. Lawmakers, on the last day of their session, pushed through the compromise legislation, which would extend simulcasting rights through the end of 2008. An attempt to reach an agreement last week collapsed, threatening the jobs of workers at the four tracks. Simulcasting makes up more than half of the revenue for the tracks. The bill heads to Governor Mitt Romney, who must sign it before leaving office. (AP)

A proposed state constitutional amendment to guarantee affordable and comprehensive health coverage died in the Legislature yesterday, with legislators reluctant to act while they experiment with a first-in-the-nation healthcare law passed last year. Lawmakers voted, 101 to 92, to keep bottled in a special committee the proposed constitutional amendment. The petition, had it been approved, would have been marked as a referendum on the 2008 ballot. Barbara Roop, Health Care For Massachusetts Campaign cochairwoman, said, "It's very sad that the Legislature feels they have the choice to obey the Constitution whenever it's convenient to them." By keeping the plan in committee, lawmakers avoided a vote on the measure itself. (State House News Service)

Massachusetts

A week after Governor-elect Deval Patrick cited strong December revenues as a rationale for promising to restore $380 million in state spending axed by Governor Mitt Romney, state Department of Revenue officials announced yesterday that tax collections for the month were down nearly 1 percent from December 2005. Revenues of $1.8 billion in December exceeded the state's revised monthly benchmark by $15 million, and revenues are running $98 million above the revised benchmark, which was raised by $202 million in October, for the first six months of the fiscal year. Revenue Commissioner Alan LeBovidge said December 2005 collections included $66 million in one-time payments. For the first six months of the fiscal year, tax collections are up 3.5 percent over the comparable period in fiscal 2006. (State House News Service)

CAPE COD

Fifteen dolphins washed up on Cape Cod shores over the weekend, said Katie Touhey, executive director of the Cape Cod Stranding Network. Four of the dolphins were found dead, and two had to be euthanized, she said. Volunteers helped the others swim to deeper waters. Dolphins usually are found stranded on Cape Cod beaches between late December and early April -- about 220 on average. Last year, 271 dolphins washed up, Touhey said. "This is one of the few places on the planet where there are regular strandings of dolphins," said Touhey, adding that the weather, winds, shape of the Cape, and slope of the beaches play a role.