Legislature split on gay marriage measure

May 21, 2009

A divided New Hampshire House has refused to go along with changes the governor demanded to make his state the sixth to allow gay marriage. Instead, it voted for more negotiations with the Senate. The Senate passed the changes, 14 to 10, yesterday, but the House did not agree later in the day by a vote of 188 to 186. The House then voted 207 to 168 to ask the Senate to negotiate a compromise. Governor John Lynch said last week that he would not sign the legislation without language to better protect churches against lawsuits if their beliefs preclude them from marrying gays. (AP)

A former state trooper pleaded guilty yesterday in US District Court to conspiracy and cocaine distribution charges, according to the office of Acting US Attorney Michael K. Loucks. John T. Foley, 64, of Saugus had been assigned to the State Police barracks in Revere and had been a trooper since October 1971. Foley faces up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine, the US attorney's office said. Loucks called Foley's crimes "an affront to every decent, honest member of the Massachusetts State Police."

A company that worked on a Big Dig contract was convicted of billing fraud in federal court yesterday for a scheme that lasted five years, according to Acting US Attorney Michael K. Loucks. Adams Management Group Inc., a subcontractor to McCourt Construction Co., pleaded guilty to a single count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. Adams Management Group could be fined up to $500,000 and put on probation for up to five years, the US attorney said. The company billed apprentice workers from 2002-06 at the journeymen worker pay rate, resulting in overpayments by the Central Artery/Tunnel Project to the contractor, the US attorney said. Compensation for the work was based on how much time employees put in, not on a fixed, contractual price.

A man who fled painful chemotherapy treatments more than a decade ago denied yesterday that he was with a teenager who is running away from them now. Billy Best said in a telephone interview that he was in Boston and had not talked to 13-year-old Daniel Hauser and his mother since they fled New Ulm, Minn., after a court-ordered medical exam showed Daniel's Hodgkin's lymphoma had worsened. Daniel's family belongs to a religious group that believes in natural healing methods, and he has testified that he believed the treatments would kill him. A district court judge in Minnesota ruled last week that Daniel's parents were neglecting him and ordered them to consult doctors. An alert issued to police departments around the country had said the Hausers might be traveling with Best. (AP)

The Lenox home of author Edith Wharton has reached an agreement with principal creditors on a restructuring plan that will significantly reduce the estate's debt. Trustees of the home, known as The Mount, announced yesterday that the key to the restructuring was a $750,000 gift from the Alice M. Kaplan Memorial Fund. The plan will cut the Mount's funded debt from $8.7 million to $4.7 million and give the estate a "realistic" chance to retire its principal balance within five years. (AP)

The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University has announced 24 Nieman fellows for the 2009-2010 year. Bob Giles, foundation curator, said members of the class reflect the changing news industry, with more freelancers than ever before. In response, he said, the program will introduce a yearlong multimedia curriculum designed to teach new skills. Nieman fellows come to Harvard for a year of study, seminars, and special events. Fellows named from New England include Martha Bebinger, State House reporter, WBUR radio; and Liz Mineo, reporter, The MetroWest Daily News, Framingham. (AP)