Newton woman suffers serious burns

A 19-year-old Newton woman was in critical condition last night after suffering serious burns early yesterday morning. Renata Ivnitskaya was airlifted to Massachusetts General Hospital after a gas can ignited and burned the majority of her upper torso, according to police and fire officials. Ivnitskaya and five of her friends were around a "porch-safe fire table" at a home in North Falmouth, according to police spokesman Sean Doyle, when the accident occurred. As the fire began to deteriorate, the teenagers threw gasoline on it to keep it going, when the can caught fire. He said the group was using the fire to keep warm. Police determined that the incident was an accident.

An Amtrak train was held for more than two hours yesterday at Canton Junction after a man trespassed onto the tracks and was hit, a railroad spokesman said. The man was taken to an area hospital by helicopter after he was hit about 11:15 a.m., said Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari. The man's identity and condition were not released last night.

The search for affordable entertainment and job-hunting help has prompted a boom in the use of public libraries throughout Connecticut, officials said. Christine Bradley, executive director of the Connecticut Library Consortium, said the trend is not unusual during economic downturns. But this year, something is slightly different: Librarians also are seeing a notable increase in the use of resume and career resources in addition to the books, videos, and magazines that are always in demand. Librarians at Connecticut facilities say they are seeing the same thing: new patrons signing up for library cards, attending free activities, and waiting to use public computers. (AP)

A Brown University student is leading efforts to help thousands of HIV victims in the tiny central African nation of Rwanda get access to healthy food and boost income. Emma Clippinger of Cambridge and a Yale University colleague founded a nonprofit organization after realizing that many HIV victims were so malnourished that they could not absorb lifesaving antiretroviral drugs. Gardens for Health International has helped more than 4,000 Rwandans get access to tools, seeds, and organic manure to plant and harvest foods for themselves and families, donate to hospitals, and sell at the market in the past two years. (AP)

The New Hampshire Supreme Court has upheld the conviction of one of the Hanover High School students charged in last year's high-profile cheating scandal. Paul Formella, who has since graduated, stands convicted of one count of criminal liability for the conduct of another for helping steal final exams from a classroom in June 2007. Formella appealed to the Supreme Court this fall, arguing that he backed out of his role as a lookout before the tests were stolen. According to the law, someone is not considered an accomplice if he ends his involvement before the crime is committed, preventing it from happening. The Supreme Court ruled Formella did not notify his fellow students of his decision to back out and therefore should be held liable. (AP)

A store clerk who reported a pair of robberies - including one in which she said a thief kicked her baby - now says she made them up. Darci Herdling, 22, of East Calais, was charged with grand larceny and lying to police for reporting heists at the East Calais General Store, where she worked. On Nov. 20, she told police the robber kicked a car seat holding her 4-month-old daughter, Cheyenne, and fled with $1,400 from the cash register; she reported a second robbery attempt Sunday. Herdling - whose mother owns the store - said she accidentally dropped the baby while working and was worried about hospital workers questioning her, so she concocted the story. (AP)