E. coli detected in town's water supply

The Department of Public Works has detected e. coli bacteria in the town's water supply and has ordered residents to boil their water before use, until at least Wednesday. Residents are asked to boil their water for at least a minute, or use bottled water, for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes or preparing food. All restaurants that tap into the town's five wells have been notified. Local and state officials plan to continue testing the water to determine a source of the contamination, but no results are expected until at least Wednesday, said Terry Finnegan, chairwoman of the Board of Selectmen.

A Springfield man slashed his throat yesterday upon hearing in court that he had been convicted of sexually assaulting a child, authorities say. Donald Gibson, 39, pulled a sharp object from his pocket and cut himself while a Hampden Superior Court clerk was reading the verdict. Prosecutor James Orenstein said courthouse officers knocked Gibson to the ground and disarmed him. Orenstein said that Gibson was taken to a hospital with injuries that do not appear to be life-threatening. A spokesman for the Hampden County sheriff's office said the object was a piece of a battery casing. (AP)

Federal authorities say a 54-year-old Brockton man faces child pornography charges after allegedly e-mailing pictures he took of underage girls in sleeping positions. Authorities say Dane Boesse also e-mailed a videotape of an adult male having sex with a 12-year-old girl. Boesse was arrested in a four-count indictment charging him with transporting videos of child pornography and possessing images of child pornography and e-mailing them from his home computer. He was released on $50,000 bond on condition he wear an electronic monitoring device after appearing in federal court Thursday. (AP)

A Cape Cod woman dismissed from the jury in a high-profile murder trial after being taped talking about the case with her jailed boyfriend has been given probation in an unrelated criminal case. Rachel Huffman, dismissed from the jury in the Christa Worthington murder trial, was given pretrial probation Thursday in Falmouth District Court on a charge of possession of stolen Registry of Motor Vehicle inspection stickers and larceny under $250. Charges of marijuana possession were continued for a year, meaning that if she stays out of legal trouble for that period, charges will be dismissed. Huffman was a member of the jury in the case of Christopher McCowen, a trash collector eventually convicted of killing Worthington, a fashion writer, in Truro in 2002. (AP)

Four New Hampshire men are facing federal charges that they stole more than $534,000 from a Massachusetts company. Prosecutors say that Anthony Lopez, 34, of Sandown, N.H., worked as an accountant for NER Construction management of Wilmington between January 2003 and March 2005. Officials allege he fraudulently obtained checks payable to seven fictitious companies operated by the other defendants, identified as Donald Wilson Jr., 36, of Chester, N.H.; James Plourde, 47, who now lives in Orlando, Fla.; and Russell Lecaroz Jr., 36, of Londonderry, N.H. All four were indicted Thursday on charges of conspiracy and interstate transportation of stolen property. (AP)

The state Insurance Department says it can help residents affected by the latest round of destructive weather in the state. Insurance Commissioner Roger Sevigny said that people who suffered losses in Thursday's flash flooding or other weather-related destruction should view his department as an information and assistance resource. The department can refer people to appropriate places for help and has materials available on its website, Sevigny said. Residents can call a toll-free hot line at 800-852-3416 or get information at www.nh.gov/insurance. (AP)