New England in brief
A westbound Green Line trolley came to an abrupt stop at North Station around 10 p.m. yesterday, jolting passengers and sending three riders to the hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening, said Lydia M. Rivera, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. After coming to the jarring halt, the trolley operator asked over the intercom if everyone was all right, and then after proceeded to the Haymarket and Government Center stations, Rivera said. At the Government Center stop, several passengers exited the trolley and were treated for injuries, she said.
130 communities use new trash program
State officials say 130 cities and towns in Massachusetts have adopted the so-called “Pay-As-You-Throw’’ programs for trash disposal that encourage recycling. The programs vary from community to community, but the basic idea is to charge residents by the amount of trash they throw away, but allow them to recycle any amount of material for free. State environmental officials say the programs have saved money while reducing the amount of trash that ends up in landfills and incinerators. The state will mark “America Recycles Day’’ today and urge more communities to adopt Pay-As-You-Throw. (AP)Brookline
450 customers lose electricity for hours
Several hundred homes and businesses in the Chestnut Hill section of Brookline lost power yesterday. JoAnne O’Leary, Cambridge
Firm’s iPhone app wins transit challenge
An iPhone application that shows MBTA riders a map of all transit routes and the scheduled times for the next train, bus, or boat has won a prize in a contest organized by the state, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced yesterday. Cambridge-based Sparkfish Creative won a prize in the MassDOT Developers Challenge for its application, MassTransit. The application can be downloaded to any iPhone or iPod Touch for $3.99. The second-place winner, OpenMBTA, an open source application, offers users detailed route maps and scheduled arrival times and can be downloaded for free.EVERETT
Driver hits vehicle, crashes van into house
A Winthrop man drove through a stop sign, hit another vehicle, and then crashed the van he was traveling in into a house in Everett at noon yesterday, Deputy William Humphries of the Everett Fire Department said. The accident took place at Union and Irving streets. Enis Dulovic of Winthrop was driving the Chevrolet van that crashed into 39 Union St., Humphries said. A woman and her two children were inside the building at the time but were not injured, Humphries said. The building’s front porch and front interior were damaged, Humphries said.Revere
Pedestrian dies after being struck by car
A man was killed yesterday after he was struck by a car while trying to cross the Revere Beach Parkway/Route 145. The 35 year-old victim, whose name was not released, was hit around 7:40 p.m. on the parkway near Winthrop Street, according to a State Police statement. He was taken to Massachusetts General, where he was pronounced dead.Two youths charged in automobile theft
Two teenagers are facing charges that they robbed a pizza delivery driver in Revere, and then stole his car, Boston and Revere police said. The 14-year-old and 17-year-old from East Boston were arrested at around 7:50 p.m. Friday in that neighborhood in a 2008 
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