Shooting leaves man seriously wounded

July 23, 2008

A man was shot and seriously wounded early this morning near Franklin Park, police said. The shooting took place at around 1 a.m. outside 25 Seaver St., off Blue Hill Avenue. Police blocked off Seaver Street for about a half-hour, redirecting traffic around the crime scene. The victim was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital, according to Lieutenant Richard Sullivan. Police did not know the man’s condition, but Sullivan said he was in "pretty tough shape." Homicide units were called in to investigate. Police did not release any additional details this morning.

The House passed a bill yesterday that would ban pet-rental companies in the state. The bill, filed by Representative Paul K. Frost, Republican of Auburn, outlaws pet-rental companies because of what he called "public health, public safety, consumer concerns, and ethical issues." Earlier this month, city councilors voted to ban the Flex Petz pet-rental company from opening a Boston branch because of similar concerns, Frost said. Flex Petz, founded by Marlena Cervantes in 2007, currently operates in New York, Los Angeles, and London.

Women who want to breast-feed their babies at restaurants, stores, or in the park would get protection from being hassled under a bill passed yesterday by the Massachusetts House. The bill makes it clear that women who are breast-feeding cannot be charged with crimes such as indecent exposure or lewd and lascivious conduct, said Representative David Linsky, the Natick Democrat who championed the bill. It also makes it clear that places of public accommodation, such as restaurants, hotels, or stores, cannot prevent women from breast-feeding or tell them to leave the premises. The bill will now go to the Senate, where a slightly different version has already passed, Linsky said.

A Cambridge man who suffered severe injuries from a lightning strike Sunday at Franklin Field in Dorchester was upgraded to good condition yesterday at Boston Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. Cruz Garay, 44, was among nine spectators injured at a soccer match when lightning struck a tree they were using for shelter. Two other men remained in intensive care at Boston Medical Center yesterday, said Lieutenant Christopher Stratton of Boston Emergency Medical Services. Another man remains in intensive care at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Stratton said, and the rest have been treated and released.

A longshoreman has pleaded guilty to fraud charges for putting his 2-year-old daughter on the payroll. Prosecutors said yesterday that Shawn O'Donnell, 40, the chief timekeeper for the longshoremen's union, pleaded guilty in Suffolk Superior Court on Monday. Prosecutors said that in 2004, the Saugus resident wrote in the name of his then-2-year-old daughter on a timesheet. The child was credited with three hours of work and received a check for approximately $63. (AP)

A woman survived a car accident on Route 3 northbound yesterday morning by escaping through her sunroof, Braintree fire officials said. At 11:45 a.m., a 2000 Toyota Camry driven by Arlene Green, 74, rolled over and burst into flames, south of the Interstate 93 split in Braintree. Green, of Canton, crawled out through her sunroof, Braintree Acting Fire Lieutenant Bob Leoney said. Green suffered a small scratch on her leg from broken glass, Leoney said. She was taken to Quincy Medical Center and later discharged. One lane was closed and northbound traffic on Route 3 was backed up about 6 miles, Leoney said.

A young bald eagle found hanging upside down from a tree after getting its leg tangled in nylon fishing line has died. Andrew Madden, district manager of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, said the bird appeared to have been in poor health even before it was discovered in the tree Sunday. (AP)

Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad Inc., which runs the commuter rail lines, is apologizing for delays yesterday morning on the Worcester/Framingham line. The company said in an e-mail to customers that a systemwide outage in the communications system for CSX Corp., the freight train company that dispatches trains on the line, had caused a "cascade effect of delays." The company also said one train had to proceed into Boston without lights or air conditioning.