West of 495

UMass's pretty young things weren't Israeli. The Nashua Telegraph reports on allegations our own UMass sent models into malls to defraud the poor shlubs of New Hampshire in a bone-marrow testing scheme.

In Worcester, where Jeff Bernard reports on a surprise from the mayor and a city councilor.

A rich money manager driving his Mercedes hits a cyclist, a surgeon, and keeps going. He pulls over a few miles down the road to phone in a report of damage to his vehicle and asks that his car be towed. He does not ask for law enforcement assistance or emergency medical care for cyclist.

The police arrest the driver later but the District Attorney refuses to charge him with felony hit and run because, ...wait for it, a conviction could cost him his job.

What the driver is accused of doing is clearly criminal, but dropping felony charges will set a message to drivers that the penalties for neglecting the welfare of others on the road, causing life-altering injury, and showing no concern for the victim might not be as serious as the law indicates.

Sign the petition to the District Attorney to charge the driver with violations of the applicable law here.

Amherst police arrested a Medford man Friday who they believe is responsible for an incident in September in which two men suffered head injuries after being beaten with a baseball bat.

Medford man arrested in baseball bat beating by Scott Merzbach and Ben Storrow, Amherst Bulletin

Then a 14 year old teenager, Lisa Allen came forward Wednesday to tell her side of the story when Republican candidate for US Congress former police officer Sgt Jeff Perry, failed to protect Ms. Allen from Officer Scott Flanagan who performed an illegal strip-search of her. Police officers are entrusted to, and take an oath to, serve and protect. Ms. Allen said Officer Perry protected Officer Flanagan but not her. Ms Allen went further and said Perry "should not be in a position of power."

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Surprisingly aggressive and tellingly vague claims that Coons is a Boss Tweed-style cronyist

Her dismissive, mocking laughter during Coons's answers

The wild claim that the deficit "is almost becoming equal to our national GDP." Alarming, if true. But, yeah, not at all.

Her frequent interruptions

Her word salad responses

Laughing at her own jokes

Saying things she doesn't know without a hint of doubt

Stage presence and an inventive approach to fact

The content of her answers

In light of Christine O'Donnell's national press embargo, I present part of an interview she gave conservative talk host Dan Gaffney of WGMD, two weeks ago, during her primary race against former Delaware Governor and US Congressman Mike Castle.

To preview your primary ballot for tomorrow, click on the link from the Secretary of State's website:

then enter your address and select a political party. It will show you what choices you'll have on tomorrow's primary ballot.

The Animal Rescue League of Boston has technicians out in Lancaster, building a trap to try to corral a wily llama. No word if it's looking for its mama.

Channel 25 reports This time an emu was captured in Sutton today, only three months or so after one was collared in Waltham. Where are they coming from?

I've recently come across a great example of small-town journalism and wanted to post to a wider audience. The "Westminster Vine" is an online newsletter managed by Jennifer Shenk with numerous local contributors. My favorite section of the Vine is a column aka blog called "Musings of a Retired Country Gentleman." With frequent references to Seinfeld and Law and Order as well as detailed descriptions of town benefits and opinions on highway regulations and trash pickup, it is not to be overlooked.

It appears that he can walk on water, but he can't cross the street safely in Pittsfield.

Lord Jesus Christ was hit in a crosswalk. He's a 50-year-old man from Belchertown and that is his real name. It's a miracle he wasn't hurt badly. He has already forgiven the driver. The police however cited her for failure to yield for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Daily Worcesteria reports they walked back and forth across Main Street today, holding signs with slogans like "Let us cross. It's the LAW!"

Conor Yunits is liveblogging the Republican state convention. So is Red Mass. Group, natch. David Bernstein is twittering up a storm. There's more on Twitter at #magopcon.

Leominster city worker learns her boyfriend, the mayor, dumped her for another city worker via e-mail:

... The mayor's defense of his actions followed months of rumors that his ex-girlfriend, Stacia L. Venturi - upon discovering his relationship with Lisa L. Vallee, the economic coordinator - slapped Mr. Mazzarella on City Hall steps on Jan. 19, the day of the special election to replace the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy.

The mayor denied that Ms. Venturi struck him, but acknowledged she was upset upon finding out through a series of office e-mails about his relationship with Ms. Valle, who is married. Mr. Mazzarella noted using city e-mail was a mistake, and said they should have communicated via personal e-mail.

All we had was an aide to the mayor deleting e-mail.

Via Lance.

Some people spent today at Castle Island, or on the Common or just going for a walk. We drove to Worcester. It's just how we roll, plus, the kidlet had never been to the Big W. So we wondered why Lake Quinsigamond isn't a river, pondered the part of Rte. 9 where Boston TV stations always send rookie reporters to stand in the snow, marveled at Union Station, then parked near Worcester City Hall and walked around. Even in wintertime, there's a lot of green there, such as the display at Sonja's Wig Salon on Franklin Street and the statues that make up the Civil War monument:

The alley next to the abandoned Paris Cinema:

Well, at least when it comes to rail transportation. The T&G reports today that as CSX winds down operations in its Beacon Park yard in Allston, it's planning to shift its operations to the west. And according to Transportation Secretary Jeff Mullan, the new set-up promises to "make Worcester the freight rail hub for all six New England states with east-west and north-south rail connections with access to highways."

The sky was clear over Leominster Saturday night, so Jody LaFerriere could shoot the full moon, or wolf moon, the largest of the year.

$41.5 million in emergency funding to fight Asian Longhorned Beetles.

The money will go to increased tree surveys to find potentially infected trees and to tear them down and grind them up in an attempt to stop the bug from spreading beyond the Worcester area.

Maija: In Allston

Mass. High Tech reports what an Evergreen Solar executive told investors last week.

Jody reports some "serious thunder" west of 495.

Yes, Virginia, those living outside of 495 may well be having a home day for the whole family. Quite a lot of schools and the like closed out where it's really snowing.

1. http://www1.whdh.com/stormforce/index.php
2. http://wbztv.com/schoolclosings

The Supreme Judicial Court today reversed an attempted-rape conviction for a man who agreed to pay an undercover Worcester cop $200 for sex with her supposed foster child, because police arrested him before he could get near the girl.

The court upheld Kerry van Bell's conviction on a charge of soliciting sex for a fee, because he agreed to hand over the money to the cop. But the court said it could not uphold his conviction on a charge of attempted rape of a child because the legal definition of "attempted" means police would have had to stop him in the moments just before he actually raped a child:

Spatch is tweeting the Worcester warehouse fire, using Worcester Fire Department records.