Ex-US official facing immigration charges

Boston College will host a conference Thursday on deportation, migration, and human rights featuring discussions on the effects of raids nationwide. Filmmaker Luis Argueta also is scheduled to screen his documentary, “abUSed: The Postville Raid.’’ The film chronicles the May 2008 arrests of 389 undocumented workers in Postville, Iowa, by federal immigration agents. Argueta also will speak about the Guatemalan mountain villages from which the workers migrated. The conference is sponsored by the school’s Center for Human Rights and the International Justice Post-Deportation Human Rights Project. (AP)

An infant was killed when it was thrown from a car during a crash on Interstate 95, Massachusetts State Police say. The collision occurred as heavy rain and wind hit the area Saturday night, but police have not determined whether weather was a factor. Police say Ashley Derochea, 20, of Brockton, lost control of her vehicle, which hit a guardrail and overturned. The infant, whose gender and age were not released, was thrown from the vehicle and died at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Rhode Island. Derochea and a passenger, Michael Cornell, 21, were taken to Rhode Island Hospital with serious injuries. The crash was under investigation yesterday. Information was not released on whether the child was restrained in an infant car seat. (AP)

Construction has resumed on the Sagamore Bridge, which could mean headaches for anyone trying to get on or off Cape Cod in the next few months. The bridge has been reduced to one lane in each direction while the US Army Corps of Engineers makes repairs on the 75-year-old structure. The first phase of construction caused major backups on Route 6 last fall. Officials hope to complete the spring phase before Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer tourism season. The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is advising motorists to avoid using the bridge at peak weekday commuting times: 7 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. Drivers may also consider the Bourne Bridge as an alternative. (AP)

The word “retardation’’ would be stripped from the name of a Rhode Island health agency under legislation state lawmakers will consider this week. A House committee plans to vote Wednesday on a bill to rename the Department of Mental Health, Retardation, and Hospitals to the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities, and Hospitals. The bill is sponsored by Representative Frank Ferri, Democrat of Warwick. If adopted by the committee, the measure could get a full vote on the House floor. Governor Donald L. Carcieri, a Republican, said he supports renaming the department and considers the word insulting. His late sister had Down syndrome. (AP)

Apples are getting some competition from cows over what New Hampshire’s state drink should be. The House will weigh in this week when it votes on a bill designating apple cider as the state drink. A lawmaker introduced the bill after Jaffrey Grade School pupils contacted her. Later, Gilford Elementary School pupils lobbied for milk. The House Environment and Agriculture Committee is split. (AP)