Abandoned newborn in good health

The newborn baby girl who was left on a Newton doorstep on Wednesday was reported in good health yesterday at Newton-Wellesley Hospital as police tried to find her parents. Newton police said they were looking into a witness's report that he had seen a dark-green, older-model Volkswagen Jetta parked in front of the house on Moulton Street 25 minutes before the homeowner found the baby. The witness told police that the driver appeared to be an African-American woman under the age of 30, with a passenger who appeared to be an African-American woman.

Massachusetts officials say they have found a simple way to save $2 million a year and reduce carbon emissions by more than 5,000 tons per year: Turn off computers that aren't being used. The state announced yesterday that it has issued a new computer power-management standard that calls for tens of thousands of state computers to be shut down or switched to "sleep mode" when not being used.

A 22-year-old Dorchester man is facing a charge of cruelty to animals after allegedly hitting his girlfriend's cat with a saucepan. Emmanuel Rodriguez was arrested Thursday afternoon on Washington Street. The white cat, named Snowballs, was taken to the MSPCA Angell Memorial Animal Hospital, where it is recovering from its injuries, according to a police report. Rodriguez's girlfriend said he had told her he hit the cat because it knocked over a computer monitor.

It could be a frustrating fall for Maine deer hunters. The state game department's deer biologist, Lee Kantar, said last year's harsh winter took a heavy toll on fawns. As a result, he said this fall's deer harvest is expected to decline by about 6,000 - or about 18 percent - from last season. The deer population outlook is reflected in the number of any-deer permits being issued for this season: a little over 50,000, compared to more than 66,000 issued last fall. Kantar said he expects about 24,000 deer to be taken this year, compared to just under 30,000 last season.

Maine will host the 32d Conference of the New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers next week. The conference Monday and Tuesday in Bar Harbor will focus on regional energy, transportation, and economic development issues. Governor John Baldacci and New Brunswick Premier Shawn Graham are cochairmen of the conference. The governor said all six New England governors and all five of the Eastern Canadian premiers are scheduled to participate. (AP)

A Shrewsbury teenager charged with setting fire to a Northborough strip mall and firebombing a teacher's car has been placed under home confinement. Matthew Cramer pleaded not guilty at his arraignment on Thursday to 11 counts, including burning a building, malicious explosion, and three counts of larceny. Cramer, 18, is allowed to leave his parents' home unsupervised only to attend college, go to work, or for medical appointments. Police said Cramer is one of two teens who started a fire at the Northborough Shopping Center in March.

One driver was killed last night and two other people were injured when two vehicles collided at the intersection of Chestnut Street and Hart Road in Lynnfield, Police Chief Paul Romano said. The victim's name was not released pending notification of relatives. The man, who was driving a Volkswagen Jetta, and two people inside a Lexus SUV had to be cut from their cars by rescuers. The man was pronounced dead at Lahey Clinic in Burlington last night, Romano said, while both people in the SUV suffered injuries that were not considered to be life-threatening. Speed does not appear to be a factor in the crash, which is under investigation, the chief said.