Governor losing sleep over budget crisis

About two dozen protesters gathered in front of The Boston Globe yesterday as part of “Operation: Can You Hear Us Now,’’ protests in cities nationwide against what is called a liberal bias in major media. As cars drove by, the group held signs bearing slogans including “Watchdogs, Not Lapdogs.’’ “All we want is the Boston Globe to report the truth,’’ protester Edie Lekites said. She said media like the Globe and the ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN television networks have ignored Tea Party protests against President Obama.

The chief justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court is being honored by the state’s bar association for her accomplishments over the past decade. Margaret Marshall will receive the prestigious Hennessey Award on Wednesday. In 1999, Marshall was the first woman to be named chief justice of the high court. She is credited with creating standard time frames for every type of case in the state’s courts and establishing a Web-based case management system. The award is named after the late Judge Edward Hennessey, who served as SJC chief justice from 1976 to 1989. (AP)

Electricity was restored yesterday to the last of 7,000 customers who lost power Friday morning after an electrical fire erupted underground in the Medford Square area, said National Grid. Workers replaced 400 feet of cable near the intersection of Main Street and Mystic Avenue, said utility spokeswoman Debbie Drew. It is not clear whether the fire or the cable failure occurred first. Half of affected customers had service restored by afternoon. All but about 40 customers had power restored by noon yesterday, Drew said.

Authorities will stage a train crash today as a training exercise for emergency responders. The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority and Manchester’s Fire Department will conduct the exercise at the Sea Street grade crossing this morning. The staged collision between a train and a car on the tracks will have mock injuries to the train crew and passengers. Emergency responders will be sent. Commuter rail service will not be interrupted. (AP)

A key link between Portsmouth, N.H., and Kittery, Maine, will be closed at least six weeks. Transportation officials in the two states say the decision was made after an inspection showed deterioration of a truss on the northern end of the bridge that carries US Route 1 over the Piscataqua River. Officials told the Portsmouth Herald repairs will probably involve adding new steel plates over rusted ones. The bridge will remain open to walkers and bicyclists. (AP)

State Police are investigating a crash on Route 9 in Stoddard that left one person dead and one with minor injuries. Police closed the road linking Concord and Keene just before 6 p.m. Friday. Investigators said a car was trying to turn left when it was struck by a truck. Alcohol and other drugs were apparently not factors. Christopher Herlihy, 52, of Henniker was declared dead at a Keene hospital. Truck driver Tracy Talbot, 49, of Lebanon, was injured. (AP)

When you’re in a pickle, it’s time to come clean. That’s what Charles Davis of the National Freedom of Information Coalition, which advocates open government, said about a financial error in Montpelier. Many residents are less angry that the city overpaid a contractor by $462,000 than they are that city officials kept the mistake a secret more than three years. Officials said they thought keeping the matter under wraps might help them recover the money. (AP)

A new highway ramp will open this week as part of a major transportation project in Rhode Island. The ramp from Interstate 95 north to Point Street in Providence is expected to open for Tuesday’s morning commute. On Thursday, state transportation officials plan to open a new ramp connecting Interstate 195 west to I-95 north, the final major section of the I-195 relocation project, known as the I-Way. The ramp could open a day early if weather cooperates. (AP)