Autopsy results awaited in veteran's death

July 19, 2007

A relative of John J. Meaney, a Somerville native whose body was found in that city last Thursday, described him yesterday as a caring man who struggled with alcoholism. The body of the 49-year-old was found last Thursday morning in a driveway of an apartment building on Broadway. Middlesex authorities are awaiting autopsy results to determine the cause of death. Theresa DiNicola, Meaney's sister, said the father of two and US Marine veteran was buried with honors in Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Winchendon yesterday. "He was well loved," she said of her brother. "People cared for him." Meaney joined the Marines in 1975 and served for five years, but was not sent to Vietnam, DiNicola said.

BOSTON

Police said they will retest on Sept. 22 hundreds of officers who took the June 30 detectives exam that was scrapped after officials learned exam details were leaked. Police had initially scheduled the retest for Oct. 27 to give officers three months to prepare. Commissioner Edward F. Davis moved the date up to quickly add to the thinning detective ranks, said Elaine Driscoll, police spokeswoman. The new test, which will cost about $17,000 to administer, will include questions from the same reading list officers were told to study for the June 30 exam. Officials scrapped the results when they learned some officers were told before the exam that the test would not include questions from one of the textbooks on the reading list.

The New England Aquarium has been named by Parents Magazine as one of the top four aquariums for children in the country. According to a statement released by the magazine, they reviewed more than 60 other aquariums nationwide to feature the top 10 child-friendly destinations. New England Aquarium's interactive features, programs, huggable sculptures of penguins and turtles, and opportunities to interact with live animals earned it a fourth-place finish, the statement said. The aquarium opened in 1969 and brings in 1.3 million visitors per year. It is also home to Boston's only IMAX 3D theater.

The Roman Catholic lay group Voice of the Faithful has appointed a communications specialist and longtime volunteer as its new executive director, the group announced yesterday. Donna Doucette joined the group in its early days and later led its Voice of Renewal/Lay Education National Working Group. She also served as a national representative for New England and as a member of the national steering committee. Doucette, a Harvard graduate, most recently worked as director of technical communications for Needham software developer B&L Associates Inc. (AP)

Boston University has won nearly $1 million in grants to train teachers of the deaf and to help reduce the national shortage in the field. The grants, from the state and federal education departments, go to BU's program in deaf studies. In the next few years, an estimated 20 percent of teachers of the deaf will retire, according to BU.

GREENFIELD

Two bodies were found in a home yesterday morning, after police received a call at 11 a.m. Police said the bodies were found inside the home of a third person, but said that person was not in custody nor presently considered a suspect in the deaths. None were identified by police. Police had not determined the cause of the deaths or the circumstances because of a delay in securing a search warrant for the scene. Greenfield police Lieutenant Gary Magnan said State Police are also investigating.

BROCKTON

A Brockton man was arrested and arraigned on charges yesterday stemming from the slaying of a 17-year-old Brockton youth in 2006, the Plymouth district attorney said. Robert Jacobs, 18, was charged with one count of murder and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in the killing of Jerard Rogers. Brockton police and Massachusetts State Police found Jacobs hiding in a closet on the second floor at 90 Menlo St., the district attorney's office said. Jacobs was held without bail and is scheduled for court on July 25, 2007.