New England in brief
Swine flu fears close three more schools
May 30, 2009
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Three more Boston public schools will be closed for a week because of concerns about swine flu, school officials said yesterday. With the closures, a total of eight schools in the system have been closed recently because of the illness, officials said. The Jackson/Mann K-8 School and the Horace Mann School for the Deaf & Hard of Hearing, which share a building in Allston, and the Eliot K-8 School in the North End will be closed all of next week and reopen June 8 because of "unusually high levels of influenza-like illness," school officials said in a statement. The Jackson/Mann Community Center, next to the Jackson/Mann and Horace Mann schools will also be closed, officials from the Boston Centers for Youth and Families announced. (AP)
Two wounded in Dorchester shooting
Two men who were shot in Dorchester last night tried to drive to a hospital, with one of them in critical condition, before they met up with ambulances that took them the rest of the way, police Deputy Superintendent William Gross said. One of the men was in critical condition at Boston Medical Center last night, Gross said. The other received superficial wounds, he said. The men were said to be in their late 20s, but were not identified. The shooting occurred at about 8:45 p.m. on Gleason Street, at the intersection of Bradshaw Street. The man with superficial wounds tried to drive off in a black coupe and called 911 on the way. The car stopped and ambulances arrived at the intersection of Blue Hill Avenue and Columbia Road.Ban on harvesting of some clams lifted
A ban on soft-shell clam and razor clam harvesting on some parts of the Massachusetts coast has been lifted. The state Division of Marine Fisheries said yesterday that an area stretching from Boston to the New Hampshire border would reopen to the harvesting of soft-shell clams and razor clams. But officials said the area remains closed to the harvesting of blue mussels, surf clams, carnivorous snails, and whole sea scallops. The Cape Ann area, which includes Gloucester, had been closed to the taking of all bivalve shellfish for about a week because of the toxic algae bloom. Eating shellfish with high levels of red tide can cause potentially fatal paralytic shellfish poisoning. (AP)Nantucket man indicted over whale teeth
A Nantucket antiques dealer has been charged with the illegal importing and trafficking of sperm whale teeth. The Justice Department said yesterday that a federal grand jury in Boston indicted David Place on multiple counts of conspiracy and violating a federal law that prohibits trading in illegally captured wildlife. Authorities allege that from 2001 to 2004, Place bought and sold illegally imported sperm whale teeth. Sperm whales are classified as "endangered" under the Endangered Species Act. If convicted, Place faces up to five years in prison and fines up to $250,000. (AP)CONCORD, N.H.
Compromise reached on gay marriage bill
House and Senate negotiators yesterday agreed to add one sentence and change one word in a bill that will determine whether the state allows gay marriage. Both chambers have passed bills to legalize same-sex marriage, but Governor John Lynch demanded language to make it clear that churches and religious groups would not be forced to officiate at gay marriages or to provide services, facilities, or goods of any kind to participants. The new version, which is expected to come up for a vote Wednesday, adds a sentence specifying that all religious organizations, associations, or societies have exclusive control over their religious doctrines, policies, teachings, and beliefs on marriage. The governor approves of the revisions. (AP)WINDSOR LOCKS, Conn.
Logan official to run Bradley Airport
Connecticut transportation officials have named Eric Waldron as the new administrator for Bradley International Airport. Waldron, a 39-year veteran of airport administration and operations, is the deputy director of aviation systems and programs at Logan International Airport in Boston. He will take over in late June for Jeff Schultes, who resigned earlier this year. Before working at Logan, he was director of Worcester Regional Airport and served in other administration jobs at airports in Ohio. (AP)
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