Man, 74, dies after stabbing in Dorchester

Right whales gave birth to a record 39 calves this spring, the New England Aquarium said. Aquarium officials said yesterday that the number of births breaks the old record of 31 and shows much improvement from 2000, when only one calf was born. Each birthing season is important, because right whales number fewer than 400 and are among the most endangered whales in the world. (AP)

Police are looking for a man who fled a Natick Collection jewelry store with an $80,000 diamond ring he asked to see from the display. The man fled the store at about 8 p.m. Wednesday with the 6.6 carat, three-stone ring. The center stone was a 5-carat yellow diamond. Police did not name the store. The thief was described as a light-skinned black man in his mid to late 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall with a muscular build. He was clean cut with a thin mustache and dark eyes. He also had a tattoo on his left forearm of what appears to be two words that form a V pattern. Anyone with information is asked to call Natick police at 508-647-9500.

Authorities have identified human remains found by a man walking his dog earlier this week. Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said yesterday that the remains of Seanna Donnelly, 24, had been there several months. She was last seen by her family in October. Early said her death has not been connected at this point to the unsolved slayings of several women from Worcester known to work as prostitutes. He said Donnelly had been arrested in the past for prostitution and drug abuse. Donnelly's last known address was Boston. She grew up in Gardner and also lived in Leominster, Winchendon, Everett and Fitchburg. She also used the name Jade Linda Donnelly. Autopsy results are pending. (AP)

Police are searching for the driver involved in a hit-and-run accident that seriously injured a man yesterday morning. Michael Zarba, 23, of Lynn was crossing the street at the intersection of Mall and Boston streets when he was struck. Police found Zarba in the middle of Boston Street just after 6:30 a.m., a Lynn police report said. According to a witness, man driving a gold or brown Toyota or Honda sedan was traveling east on Boston Street when he struck Zarba. Police say they believe the car sustained heavy front end damage, the report said. Zarba was in serious condition at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Federal officials will start using pesticides in their battle against the invasive Asian longhorned beetle next year. A spokeswoman for the Department of Agriculture told The Telegram & Gazette of Worcester that the agency will chemically treat trees susceptible to the insect starting in the spring of 2010, when specialists get a better idea of the extent of the infestation. (AP)

A man walking on the Blue Line right of way was struck and killed by a train as it was about to enter Revere Beach station yesterday morning, the MBTA said. The fatality happened shortly after 10:30 a.m. on the northbound side of the tracks, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said in a statement. The victim was a 44-year-old Winthrop man.