Man robs Sovereign Bank in Brookline

A robber escaped with an undisclosed amount of money from a Brookline bank yesterday. Police said the man passed a note to a teller at a Sovereign Bank branch on Harvard Street stating he had a gun and requesting a sum of money. The robber is described as a white male about 6 feet tall, 40-50 years of age, with a receding hairline. The crime is under investigation by the FBI bank robbery task force.

BROCKTON

A 28-year-old Abington man was shot and killed early Sunday morning in Brockton, police said. Brockton police responded to a report of shots fired at 10 Hunt Street, where they found Gregory Goncalves Jr. shot multiple times in the torso while sitting in a parked car. Goncalves was pronounced dead a short time later at a local hospital, police said. State and Brockton police detectives are searching for the shooter.

MIDDLEBOROUGH

Middleborough selectmen last night moved a planned July 28 special Town Meeting, set to vote on ratification of a casino contract between the Mashpee Wampanoag and the town, to the outdoor ballfields behind the high school. The meeting had previously been planned for indoors at the high school and junior high, but the buildings were found to be unavailable. The board also appointed a subcommittee to work out the logistics of that outdoor session. Cars will not be allowed at the high school, so voters will be required to park at outlying areas and take shuttle buses. The board expects the cost of the meeting to be considerable because of the need for police, fire, and medical workers, tents, a sound system, and a temporary fence. Although the July 28 meeting will open at 11 a.m., voters can begin to check in at 7 a.m.

WORCESTER

Grace Ross is on the political rebound after her failed run for governor last year. The Green-Rainbow Party gubernatorial candidate is running for Worcester City Council. Ross, a Harvard-educated political activist, has filed the necessary signatures and paperwork to run for one of the six at-large seats on the ballot this fall, according to the Worcester Election Commission. Each of the incumbents is also running. Five district seats also will be up for a vote in the Sept. 11 primary, if it is necessary, and the Nov. 6 general election. (AP)

ANDOVER

A fire yesterday morning caused massive smoke, water, and structural damage to New England Bible Church. The Rev. Chip Thompson, pastor, said the blaze started after a fire in a church van spread to the building. Although Thompson is looking for other venues to hold services this Sunday, he said his goal is to have them in the church, if possible. "This will strengthen the church," Thompson said in a telephone interview. "I don't see any spirits being dampened -- our feet maybe, because of the water in the carpet." The Andover Fire Department was able to save the church's grand piano and a new $15,000 sound system, he said.

BARNSTABLE

Senator Edward Kennedy reported for jury duty yesterday and was released from serving when a grand jury was chosen before his number was called. Superior Court Judge Gary Nickerson got a big laugh in the courtroom when he acknowledged Kennedy's presence and said, "He couldn't get out of jury duty either." Kennedy called the jury selection process "very impressive" and recalled that his wife, Victoria, served on a Barnstable jury for a three-day trial about 12 years ago. (AP)

SWAMPSCOTT

The burglary suspect who fell off a cliff last week while running from police died Saturday, according to a statement issued today by the Essex district attorney's office. Alex Bonah, 34, fell while scaling down a cliff behind Paradise Road. He was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital, where he died. After an autopsy, the medical examiner determined that Bonah died from head trauma suffered during the accidental fall. According to police and prosecutors, Bonah burglarized a house on Bank Road at 1 p.m. July 4 and stole jewelry and about $100 in cash. A neighbor witnessed the break-in and called police.