Electronic mural at WGBH on the blink

The eye-catching electronic mural that looms over the Massachusetts Turnpike as drivers enter Boston has been having technical problems and will go dark until September, a spokeswoman for WGBH said yesterday. The problem is that some of the LEDs that produce the image on the screen go dark when they become too warm. The public television and radio station is planning to enhance the cooling system, Lucy Sholley, director of marketing and promotion, said in an e-mail. The 30-by-45-foot screen, which was turned on in September, is part of the station's new $85 million headquarters. Visible for a mile to eastbound travelers, it is allowed to display only photos, no words.

A Chelsea man was sentenced to up to 20 years in state prison yesterday after being found guilty of raping a young relative, according to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley. The abuse started when the victim was 7 years old and lasted for two years, Conley said. Carlos Mercado-Lopez, 52, was sentenced in Suffolk Superior Court after his conviction Thursday on a five-count indictment charging him with three counts of rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child. According to Conley, the conviction hinged on the now 11-year-old victim, who took the stand and delivered testimony against Mercado-Lopez.

Sheriff's officials said a man and woman were killed in a lightning strike last night at their home. Cumberland County sheriff's deputies and members of the Standish fire and rescue were called to a residence on Ossipee Trail West about 6 p.m. yesterday after getting a call that two people were injured by lightning. Upon arrival, they found an unidentified man and woman lying unconscious outside, and life-saving measures were unsuccessful. Officials said three young children were at home at the time, and that the adults had gone outside to retrieve a pair of eyeglasses the family dog had taken from one of the children. Strong thunderstorms ripped through parts of Maine last night, knocking down trees, dropping hail, and leaving nearly 20,000 people without power. (AP)

A computer hacker has run up a phone bill of more than $15,000 at the Duxbury public library. Town manager Richard MacDonald told The Patriot Ledger of Quincy that the calls last March included one 30-hour connection to India that cost $7,000. Selectmen this week shifted $13,000 in town funds to help pay the bill. MacDonald said the town is still looking into its obligations and may not have to pay. The FBI is investigating. Manny Santos, director of engineering for CranCom Inc., the library's phone company at the time, says a hacker apparently got access to the phone system through an employee. The library now has a new phone system. (AP)

A military team delayed plans Thursday to raise a Russian submarine that sank in the Providence River last year, saying last-minute checks raised safety concerns. An attempt to raise the 282-foot-long sub could occur in two or three days, after a team of US Navy and Army divers, sent courtesy of a Department of Defense training program, replace some equipment. The sub had been home to the floating Russian Sub Museum since 2002 and drew tens of thousands of tourists before it sank after taking on water during a storm in April 2007. It was first launched in 1965 as part of the Soviet Northern Fleet. It is the only submarine of its kind in the United States and had been one of two such submarines on display outside the former Soviet Union before it sank. (AP)

A school committee wants to build a wind turbine to power its high school in Eastham and make money. Nauset Regional School Committee chairman Rick Wood said at a meeting Thursday that he supports building the $2.7 million turbine. He said the committee still must consult with nearby property owners, including the National Park Service. (AP)