Boston Herald - Boston Herald

UMass Dartmouth names post-bombing review task force

Jordan Graham — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:14:00 -0400

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has named several out-of-state officials to make up a task force that will review school policies and procedures in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon bombings, when federal agents zeroed in on the southeastern Massachusetts campus and arrested several students.

Led by Montana State University president Waded Cruzado, the task force will look at emergency planning and policies “related to the recruitment and support of international students,” according to a statement.

Education Department gives 3 more states waivers

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:10:57 -0400

WASHINGTON — Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced on Monday that three more states would join the ranks of those given permission to ignore parts of the federal No Child Left Behind law in favor of their own school improvement plans.

Pakistan's presumptive PM calls for Taliban talks

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:10:44 -0400

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan's presumptive prime minister called for peace talks with Taliban militants at war with the government Monday, potentially charting a course that could put him at odds with the country's powerful army.

Nawaz Sharif said "terrorism" was one of the most serious problems plaguing the country and any offer by the Pakistani Taliban to talk "should be taken seriously."

Atheists to put books next to Bibles in Ga. parks

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:08:34 -0400

ATLANTA — A national atheist group said Monday that it will donate its literature for use in cabins and lodges in Georgia's state parks after the governor's recent decision to allow Bibles there.

David Silverman, president of the Cranford, N.J.-based American Atheists organization, said his group is just waiting for an answer from the state on what the best procedure is to donate several books, including one titled "Why I Am An Atheist."

Colo. firefighters use ladder truck to rescue bear

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 15:00:45 -0400

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — It was a bigger-than-average tree rescue for firefighters in Colorado Springs.

They had to use a ladder truck to reach a black bear after it fell asleep in a tall pine tree after being tranquilized Sunday.

The bear weighed between 150 and 200 pounds. State wildlife division spokesman Michael Seraphin says a wildlife officer and firefighters put a harness around it. Then they lowered the bear to the ground as it dangled from the ladder.

BPD: Driver suspected in cyclist’s death “cooperating”

Laurel J. Sweet — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:56:28 -0400

A truck driver believed to have struck and killed a visiting Massachusetts Institute of Technology scientist and her bicycle in the Back Bay yesterday afternoon has been located and “is talking to detectives and cooperating with the investigation,” Boston police tweeted.

The driver, whose identity has not been released, is not currently facing charges.

“It appears he didn’t know he hit her,” a police source told the Herald.

Feds nix Bulger lawyers’ bid for name of confidential FBI informant

Laurel J. Sweet — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:51:57 -0400

Federal prosecutors are refusing a request by James “Whitey” Bulger’s defense team to turn over the name of a confidential FBI informant,

The informant spoke to FBI agents about conversations Whitey henchmen Kevin Weeks and John Martorano may have had with other individuals regarding what they would say if ever called to testify, defense attorneys J.W. Carney Jr. and Hank Brennan allege, citing a March 2000 FBI report. Martorano and Weeks, are expected to take the witness stand against Bulger in the coming months.

Carney: Senior White House staff knew of IRS probe

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:51:52 -0400

WASHINGTON — The White House says White House Counsel Kathryn Ruemmler was first informed about an audit of the IRS' inappropriate targeting of conservative groups on April 24 and that she notified senior staff, including Denis McDonough, the chief of staff to President Barack Obama. White House press secretary Jay Carney says Ruemmler "appropriately" decided not to tell Obama at the time because the audit was ongoing.

Schweitzer elected chairman of Stillwater board

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:43:56 -0400

HELENA, Mont. — Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said Monday that he is "focused like a laser" on improving the Stillwater Mining Co. after being elected chairman of the board — but he also isn't ruling out a potential U.S. Senate run.

The Democrat told the Associated Press in an interview that he has always been good at "keeping a couple of balls in the air."

Calif. gov cites safety in possible bridge delay

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:41:25 -0400

BERKELEY, Calif. — Gov. Jerry Brown said Monday that he does not know if the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will open over Labor Day weekend because of safety concerns.

It's the first time the governor acknowledged serious worries about the structural integrity of the $6.4 billion infrastructure project to build a new eastern span of the bridge. Brown had dismissed concerns about broken bolts earlier this month.

Guantanamo hack threat prompts WiFi shutdown

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:38:56 -0400

MIAMI — The U.S. military has shut down wireless internet service at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba because of online hacking threats.

A spokesman for the Guantanamo Bay prison says that officials have also blocked access to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter through military computer networks because of the threat.

Army Lt. Col. Samuel House says the precautions were taken because of online threats to disrupt activities at the base allegedly made by the international hacking group Anonymous. No disruptions have been reported so far.

Feds again delay San Onofre nuke restart decision

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:38:28 -0400

LOS ANGELES — Federal regulators have indefinitely delayed a decision on the proposed restart of the shuttered San Onofre nuclear power plant in California, raising new questions Monday about whether the twin reactors will produce electricity again.

The seaside plant between San Diego and Los Angeles has been dark since January 2012, after a small radiation leak led to the discovery of unusual damage to hundreds of tubes that carry radioactive water.

Israel gunman shoots 4 dead at bank, kills self

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:32:52 -0400

JERUSALEM — A gunman stormed into a bank in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Monday, killing four people in a gunfight and taking a hostage before killing himself, police said.

Police initially suspected a bungled bank robbery but later changed their assessment.

Ex-Arlington Boys & Girls Club staffer held on $250G bail

Laurel J. Sweet — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:25:00 -0400

A former pool director and swim coach at the Arlington Boys & Girls Club was simply “doing what he was told” by his employer when he fled the state in July 1980 after being confronted about the alleged rape of a child and embarking on a 33-year cross-country odyssey as a fugitive, his attorney said today.

US urges Egypt gov't to defend political speech

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:23:11 -0400

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is calling on the Egyptian government to rein in prosecutions of political expression amid what it called a "growing trend" of efforts to punish and deter people from speaking their mind.

Sen. McCain to attend rally for Mass. GOP's Gomez

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:20:23 -0400

BOSTON — U.S. Sen. John McCain came to Boston on Monday to campaign and help raise cash for Gabriel Gomez, a fellow Republican and Navy veteran who is running in a special election for the U.S. Senate.

"I believe in this young man. I believe he is the next generation of leadership in this country," said McCain of Gomez, 47, a Cohasset businessman and former Navy SEAL with no political experience.

Marathon bomb suspect's college forms task force

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:16:52 -0400

DARTMOUTH, Mass. — The college where Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev (joh-HAHR' tsahr-NEYE'-ehv) attended has formed a public safety task force in the wake of the April 15 attack.

University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth officials will review emergency planning and academic and financial policies related to maintaining "student in good standing" status.

Montana State University President Waded Cruzado (WAH'-ded cru-SAH'-doh) will lead the task force, which also will examine policies for recruiting and supporting international students.

Deadliest attacks in Iraq since US troop pullout

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:07:03 -0400

BAGHDAD — Here is a look at the deadliest attacks in Iraq since the withdrawal of U.S. troops on Dec. 18, 2011:

— May 20, 2013: A wave of attacks, some at markets and rush hour crowds, hour killed at least 86 people in Shiite and Sunni areas.

— May 18, 2013: Shootings and bombings kill at least 16 people including an anti-terrorism police captain and his family.

— May 17, 2013: Bombs rip through Sunni areas in Baghdad and surrounding areas, killing at least 76 people.

Algerian Islamist demands ill president appear

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:03:30 -0400

ALGIERS, Algeria — The head of Algeria's main Islamist political party has called for the country's ailing president to appear on television to dispel rumors over his health after a three week absence.

Abderrazzak Mukri, the leader of the Movement of Society for Peace, warned that if the president did not soon appear, it would require invoking constitutional powers allowing his removal for health reasons.

President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, 76, suffered a mini-stroke on April 27 and was rushed to a French military hospital where he has remained.

State Dept: Reports of anti-Semitism increase

Associated Press — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:39 -0400

WASHINGTON — The State Department appointed a special envoy to monitor and combat anti-Semitism Monday as a new report documents a global increase in incidents of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial.

Ira Forman, former CEO of the National Jewish Democratic Council, was named special envoy as the State Department released its annual report on religious freedom around the world. Forman replaces Michael Kozak, who had served in an acting role after Hannah Rosenthal stepped down last year.