Toddler injured in fall from third floor

A 2-year-old girl was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital last night after falling from a third-floor window of a Somerville home, police Sergeant John Vozella said. He said the toddler's injuries were unknown but that they did not appear to be life-threatening. The toddler fell from the third floor at 4 Aldersey St., a four-story building, about 7 p.m. Vozella did not release the names of the child or her parents, but said the toddler was not alone at the time of the fall. He said police were investigating. "We would do that under any circumstance," he said. No charges were filed last night.

A person was stabbed at the Ashmont T station at about 11:30 last night, according to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority police. The victim, who was not identified, was taken to Boston Medical Center for treatment, said MBTA police Lieutenant Steven Douglas. The extent of the person's injuries and the person's condition last night were unknown, according to police. The attack is under investigation, Douglas said.

Federal, state, and Worcester officials announced yesterday that they have discovered more trees infested with the destructive Asian longhorned beetle. Last week, officials said they had found between 12 and 15 trees in Worcester's Greendale neighborhood infested with the invasive insect, and designated a circular area with a 1.5-mile radius for more intensive survey work and intervention. Yesterday they said the area of concern has been expanded to 16 square miles, including parts of Worcester and the neighboring towns of Holden and West Boylston. "Controls are in place so that tree products, wood, remain within the area," said Michael O'Brien, Worcester city manager.

Police in Barnstable are investigating after a homeowner found a loaded .22-caliber semiautomatic handgun with two 12-round magazines in a trash bag in his yard Tuesday. The gun was found around 9:30 a.m., said Sergeant Sean Sweeney. No shootings have been reported in Barnstable within the last 24 hours. Sweeney said police will be contacting neighboring communities to see whether there have been any shootings in those areas. Police are trying to trace the gun to find out who its owner is or whether it has been used in a crime, Sweeney said. He said there could be a number of explanations for the gun being there, including someone discarding it after stealing it or someone leaving it there for another person to pick up. But, he said, police do not have any clear answers at this time.

A dozen protesters, including a woman suspended 35 feet in the air, are criticizing Plum Creek Timber Co.'s massive development plan for the Moosehead Lake region. Maine Earth First claimed responsibility for yesterday's demonstration outside the Augusta offices of the Land Use Regulation Commission, which is weighing the development proposal. The commission's decision is expected by year's end. (AP)

With a report expected in about a month, US Coast Guard and ferry officials say they are investigating why a Casco Bay Lines ferry carrying a wedding reception of 96 people ran aground Friday near Basket Island. Nicholas Mavodones Jr., operations manager at Casco Bay Lines, said the Bay Mist, piloted by a ferry captain who was licensed nine months ago, should have been in a deeper channel. No one was injured. (AP)

The Vermont man accused of kidnapping 12-year-old Brooke Bennett has waived a preliminary hearing at which an FBI agent was expected to testify. In a last-minute move yesterday, Michael Jacques, 42, opted not to go forward with the hearing in US District Court in Burlington. Jacques, a registered sex offender, is accused of kidnapping his niece, who disappeared June 25 and was found dead a week later. A onesentence notice to the court from public defender Michael Desautels did not explain his client's decision. (AP)