Muslim Brotherhood leaders say the military is holding the election results hostage to get the movement to accept its power grab.

CAIRO — Egypt will release results from disputed presidential elections Sunday, the country's top elections commission official said — an announcement that will put an end to nerve-wracking uncertainty about who is the official winner, but promises no resolution to the power struggles between Islamists, the military and other factions.

A gathering of secular-leaning politicians criticized on Saturday what they said was U.S. meddling on behalf of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has claimed victory. Other secularists have stood behind the Islamist group, calling it the likely legitimate winner and the best hope in the current circumstances against continued military domination of the country.

The dispute highlights how the country has been split into deeply polarized camps since the June 16-17 runoff vote between the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate Mohammed Morsi and ousted leader Hosni Mubarak's last prime minister Ahmed Shafiq, whose campaign also says he has won by a narrow margin.

Many Egyptians have rallied behind Morsi as a chance to finally rid the country of the old Mubarak regime, while others support Shafiq as the best bet to counter Islamists and restore order after a year of protests, economic hardship, and fear about crime and continued instability.

But there is little hope that the results will produce an end to 16 months of political turmoil. A Morsi victory will likely see the new civilian government fight for its authority against a military that has ensured that its powers persist past the transition. A Shafiq victory will be seen by large sections of the public as illegitimate, as he is perceived as the favored candidate of the military rulers that appointed the election commission.

The commission postponed official results that had been scheduled to be announced on Thursday, leading to speculation that the military rulers are using those results as a bargaining chip in backroom negotiations with the Brotherhood about post-election division of powers.

In addition to a Morsi or Shafiq victory, a third possibility is that Egypt remains in political limbo: The elections commission may decide to annul the runoff vote and call for new elections in some or all constituencies due to allegations of irregularities by both sides.

Farouk Sultan, the head of the Supreme Presidential Election Commission, said Saturday the results would be announced the next day but did not give further details.

Underlying the tensions are a series of rulings and decrees just before and during the vote that have been perceived as a push by the military to monopolize power and leave the president with only limited authority.

The military, which took over after Mubarak's ouster, has pledged to hand over power to civilian rule by July 1. But on June 15, the country's highest court dissolved the country's Islamist-led parliament, calling the law under which it had been elected unconstitutional. Two days later the generals issued a declaration in which they gave themselves legislative powers, including control over drafting a constitution.

Brotherhood leaders say the military is holding the election results hostage to get the movement to accept the power grab.

On Saturday, Maj. General Mahmdouh Shaheen, a member of the ruling council and its legal adviser, would not comment on negotiations with the Brotherhood. He said there are no plans to amend the constitutional declaration entrenching the executive and legislative powers of the generals.

"There is no amending of the constitutional declaration. It is just like the constitution," he told The Associated Press.

The Brotherhood meanwhile has compiled what it says is a detailed breakdown of election results proving Morsi's victory. Leaders of the Islamist group have called their followers to Cairo's Tahrir Square, the birthplace of the 2011 uprising that overthrew Mubarak. Along with some secular-leaning activist groups, the protesters have vowed "a new revolution" if Shafiq is the winner, claiming that a loss would prove that election fraud was orchestrated by the military.

The ruling generals accused Islamists of stirring tension and threatened to crack down on any violence by any group unhappy with the election outcome.

For the sixth straight day, thousands of Morsi supporters and critics of the military held a rally in Tahrir Square, endorsing his victory and calling on the military to rescind its recent decisions and restore the dissolved parliament.

Across town, thousands of supporters of Shafiq and the military held a parallel rally in Nasr City, north of Cairo, outside the parade reviewing stands where former president Anwar Sadat was assassinated by radical Islamists in 1981. This was the largest show of force by pro-Shafiq, pro-military demonstrators since the election.

They raised Egyptian flags and posters of Shafiq and chanted, "Down, down with the rule of the Guide," referring to the title of the Brotherhood's movement leader.

Rumors have circulated about preparations for violence by both sides, feeding the tense atmosphere. Postings on the social networking sites of Facebook and Twitter warned Egyptians that the security apparatus is training thugs inside their camps to use them to break up protests when the results are announced.

The independent Al-Youm Al-Sabaa daily's website said that authorities reinforced the security presence near the headquarters of the elections commission, deploying troops and explosives experts.

Groups who have opposed both Mubarak and the Islamists — liberals, leftists, secularists, and others — are divided.

Some youth groups and liberal figures say they have joined ranks with Islamists for the sake of democracy. They say they have received assurances from Morsi that he will form a national unity government headed by an independent.

Mostafa Shawki, a leading protester, said he met with Morsi to stand with him against the military. "We are not forming a front with the Brotherhood or a union of any kind," he said. "If Morsi is announced victor, we will be his fiercest opposition."

Others accuse the Brotherhood of "hijacking" the revolution and accused the United States of trying to sway the results in favor of Islamists.

On Saturday, a bloc of liberal and leftist parties represented in the disbanded parliament— the Free Egyptians, the Tagammu, and the National Democratic Front — held a news conference accusing the Brotherhood of trying to blackmail elections officials with street demonstrations.

"We have to protect the revolution from those who want to hijack it," said Osama el-Ghazali Harb of the Democratic Front. "The rallies in the square reflect only lack of confidence, and an attempt to force the results in advance ... Real democracy means the courage to accept defeat."

Many liberals see the Brotherhood's newfound spirit of confrontation and inclusiveness as hypocritical. The group backed the military's transition plan throughout most of last year and was also perceived to try to dominate the drafting of the constitution.

During Saturday's press conference, liberals accused the United States of putting pressure on the ruling military council to hand power to the Brotherhood.

"We have seen the US forcing military council to hand power to the Brotherhood," Harb said. Activist Mahmoud al-Allali said U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton "is giving directions and instructions, directly and sharply."

On Wednesday, Clinton had demanded that the military "support the democratic transition, to recede by turning over authority."

Clinton spoke against the military's attempts to keep a strong grip on power and said, "The military has to assume an appropriate role, which is not to try to interfere with, dominate or subvert the constitutional authority."

U.S. officials had earlier expressed concern that a Shafiq victory could have dangerous fallout, with protests and ensuing instability that could lead the military to take even stronger measures. The officials spoke earlier on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

-------------------------------------------

AP Correspondent Sarah El Deeb contributed to this report

A Chinese spacecraft carrying three astronauts carried out a manual docking with an orbiting module on Sunday, a first for the country as it strives to match American and Russian exploits in space.

In this image made off the screen at the Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing and released by China's Xinhua News Agency, Shenzhou-9 manned spacecraft parts from the orbiting Tiangong-1 space lab, partly seen on left, to prepare for the country's first manual space docking Sunday, June 24, 2012. The Chinese spacecraft and the space lab were joined together by an automated docking on June 18. (AP Photo/Beijing Aerospace Control Center via Xinhua) NO SALES

BEIJING (AP) — A Chinese spacecraft carrying three astronauts carried out a manual docking with an orbiting module on Sunday, a first for the country as it strives to match American and Russian exploits in space.

The Shenzhou 9 capsule completed the maneuver with the Tiangong 1 module shortly before 1 p.m. (0500 GMT). The docking was shown live on national television. It follows a docking last week that was carried out by remote control from a ground base in China.

The Chinese astronauts have been living and working in the module for the past week as part of preparations for manning a permanent space station. They returned to the Shenzhou 9 capsule early Sunday and disconnected in preparation for the manual re-connection.

The crew includes 33-year-old Liu Yang, an air force pilot and China's first female space traveler.

Liu is joined by mission commander and veteran astronaut Jing Haipeng, 45, and crew mate Liu Wang, 43.

Their mission, which is expected to last at least 10 days, is China's fourth manned mission. Shenzhou 9 launched June 16 from the Jiuquan center on the edge of the Gobi desert in northern China.

China is hoping to join the United States and Russia as the only countries to send independently maintained space stations into orbit. It is already one of just three nations to have launched manned spacecraft on their own.

Another manned mission to the module is planned later this year. Possible future missions could include sending a man to the moon.

The Tiangong 1, which was launched last year, is due to be replaced by a permanent space station around 2020. That station is to weigh about 60 tons, slightly smaller than NASA's Skylab of the 1970s and about one-sixth the size of the 16-nation International Space Station.

Southwick Deputy Fire Chief Mike Demko Jr. said the blaze has been deemed suspicious as there's no gas or electricity in the barns. The investigation is continuing.

SOUTHWICK - A fire leveled two barns at the Suffield Wildlife Management Area - formerly a tobacco farm - around midnight.

Southwick Deputy Fire Chief Mike Demko Jr. said the blaze has been deemed suspicious as there's no gas or electricity in the barns. The investigation is continuing.

Demko said firefighters responded to the scene, located off Point Grove Road, around 11:50 p.m. Saturday.

WWLP-22News reports that state environmental police had planned to ask local fire departments to burn down the structures. According to Demko, the environmental police wanted local firefighters to use the area for training.

In 2008, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and then-Connecticut Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced a joint agreement to purchase the property, totaling about 254 acres in Southwick and 196 acres in Suffield, Conn. The land was to be managed by the two states as habitat for a variety of migratory birds and other species.

The Conservation Fund, a national organization dedicated to preserving land and protecting natural resources, facilitated the $4.4 million purchase, working with the states and former property owner Swedish Match Co. - the successor to Culbro Tobacco and General Cigar.

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At least one tornado linked to the storm touched down Saturday in southwest Florida.

A surfer rides a wave off Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on Saturday, June 23, 2012. A storm system will bring more heavy showers and thunderstorms to southern Florida and the Gulf Coast. This system has a high chance of tropical cyclone development over the weekend. (AP Photo/Northwest Florida Daily News, Nick Tomecek)

MIAMI (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby churned over the northern Gulf of Mexico early Sunday, interfering with oil and gas production and putting officials on alert for flooding and strong winds from Texas to Florida.

At least one tornado linked to the storm touched down Saturday in southwest Florida, but no injuries were reported. Heavy squalls pounded parts of the state.

At 2 a.m. EDT Sunday, Debby was about 200 miles (320 kilometers) south-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph), the Nationial Hurricane Center in Miami said. Debby was moving toward the north at 6 mph (9 kph).

The center of Debby was expected to linger in the Gulf over the next few days with no landfall in the immediate forecast. And while the storm's track remained far from certain, the hurricane center said Debby was forecast to continue a slow northward trek during the day Sunday.

Some strengthening is expected and Debby could be near hurricane force winds by Monday night.

Forecasters warned of up to six inches of rain along the coast, with isolated amounts of 10 inches.

It was the first time four tropical storms have been recorded before July 1 during the Atlantic hurricane season since record keeping began in 1851.

This NOAA satellite image taken Saturday, June 23, 2012, shows shower and thunderstorm activity developing around an area of low pressure spinning in the Gulf of Mexico. Tropical Storm Debby has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and forecasters say it will bring rain to the Gulf coast from southern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle. (AP Photo/NOAA)

Debby forced the suspension of 8 percent of the region's oil and gas production.

The government reported that nine production platforms and one drilling rig were evacuated. The suspended crude production amounts to about 2 percent of U.S production and about 0.1 percent of global production. The reduced production is not expected to impact oil prices unless the storm strengthens and forces more production platforms to close.

A tropical storm warning was issued for part of the southeast Louisiana coast. Officials there have been monitoring the weather closely for the last several days. Some low-lying areas close to the coast flood easily in rough weather.

"We've already seen higher tides than usual," said Angela Rains, manager of the Terrebonne Levee District.

Near the mouth of the Mississippi southeast of New Orleans, Plaquemines Parish President Billy Nungesser said officials were making preparations to protect the main highway from tidal flooding.

A tornado touched down in Collier County in southwest Florida and forecasters warned other twisters were possible.

Several homes were damaged and tree limbs were down, The Naples Daily News reported.

"This is quite common with this type of storm," senior hurricane specialist Stacy Stewart with the National Hurricane Center said of the twisters. "They tend to not be very large or long-lived, which can be difficult to detect on radar. So people need to keep an eye on the sky."

Out in the Gulf, Anadarko Petroleum removed all non-essential personnel and expects to close four facilities in the central and eastern Gulf by Saturday. Chevron, Royal Dutch Shell and Marathon Oil said non-essential personnel were being removed but production was not being affected. ExxonMobil reported that its operations were unaffected.

Alberto was the first storm this year. It formed off the South Carolina coast on May 19, almost two weeks before the hurricane season officially began June 1.

Two former state workers faced criminal complaints in connection with the death of a woman who wasn't found for two days after drowning in a murky Fall River swimming pool.

File photo / Associated PressChildren rinse off at one of the new shower stations alongside the public swimming pool at Lafayette Park in Fall River. The body of Marie Joseph, 36, was found floating in the pool last year. \/span>

FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts swimming pool where a woman drowned in murky water and her body went unnoticed for days has reopened.

WPRI-TV reports the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Pool in Fall River opened again on Saturday.

The body of Marie Joseph was found last June 28, two days after she was reported missing while swimming at the pool. Joseph was a Newport, R.I., hotel housekeeper from Haiti. Her body went unnoticed at the bottom of the pool while other people swam. Her death was ruled accidental.

State workers were criticized for opening the pool despite poor water clarity. State recreation officials spent nearly $500,000 to repair and upgrade the facility. Additional lifeguards have been hired, the deep end has been made shallower and water slides have been removed.

Giffords conducted 21 of the informal meet-and-greet events during her more than four years in office, including one on the day of the shooting — Jan. 8, 2011. The rampage left six dead and 13 wounded, including Giffords and her then-district director, Ron Barber.

FILE - In this Tuesday, June 12, 2012 file photo, former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., stands with candidate Ron Barber as they celebrate his victory in an election to fill her seat in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords' former district director ran in a special election for the seat she left in January to focus on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head during a gunman's shooting spree a year earlier. The newly sworn-in congressman, who was also injured in the shooting, held the first "Congress on Your Corner" event in the southern Arizona district on Saturday, June 23, 2012 since the incident. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, Pool)

TUCSON, Ariz. — A newly sworn-in congressman who was injured in a mass shooting last year along with then-Rep. Gabrielle Giffords held his first "Congress on Your Corner" event with southern Arizona constituents on Saturday.

Giffords conducted 21 of the informal meet-and-greet events during her more than four years in office, including one on the day of the shooting — Jan. 8, 2011. The rampage left six dead and 13 wounded, including Giffords and her then-district director, Ron Barber.

Giffords relinquished the seat in January to concentrate on her recovery from a gunshot wound to the head. Barber, a Democrat, won a special election to replace her earlier this month. He was sworn in Tuesday in Washington, D.C.

About 300 people showed up at Saturday's event outside a Tucson grocery store as temperatures topped 100 degrees, Barber spokesman Mark Kimble said. Visitors ranged from other survivors of the mass shooting and well-wishers to people who had concerns about their federal student loans or veteran's benefits, he said.

The event had been scheduled to last an hour and a half.

"But there were so many people, we went three hours," Kimble said.

Jared Lee Loughner has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges stemming from the shooting, which took place in front of another Tucson grocery store.

Barber was shot twice — once in the face and once in the leg. He was asked by Giffords earlier this year to pursue the seat, and she appeared in Tucson during the campaign's final days to help him.

Barber defeated Republican Jesse Kelly, who narrowly lost to Giffords in 2010.

In Massachusetts, drivers involved in a moving or non-moving violation, such as defective or illegal equipment, generally have 20 days from the date the ticket was issued to file an appeal.

View full sizeNew England Center for Investigative ReportingAbove: The process for appealing an insurance surcharge.

RELATED STORY:

Fewer Massachusetts motorists appeal traffic citations

By BEVERLY FORD
New England Center for Investigative Reporting

Traffic tickets – and the resulting insurance surcharges – are expensive, but for drivers who appeal those fines, the effort may be well worth it.

Appealing a ticket can save a motorist hundreds of dollars annually over the cost of a surcharge, which is imposed by insurance companies over a six-year period following the offense. Motorists, though, should be prepared to open their checkbooks to file an appeal.

In Massachusetts, drivers involved in a moving or non-moving violation, such as defective or illegal equipment, generally have 20 days from the date the ticket was issued to file an appeal.

The first step in that process is to request a hearing before a District Court clerk-magistrate in the jurisdiction where the alleged offense occurred. To do so, just check the box on the back of the citation and mail it to the Registry of Motor Vehicles at the address supplied. The court will send written notice of the location, date and time the hearing is scheduled, at which time a $25 fee must be paid.

Be prepared to explain why you believe the ticket was issued unfairly and bring along any evidence, including photographs or witness statements, to bolster your case. If a clerk-magistrate finds there are mitigating circumstances – such as something that obstructed a driver’s view, it could be dismissed or the fine reduced.

If the ticket is dismissed, there will be no surcharges but if the fine is reduced, a driver is still considered responsible and will incur additional insurance fees.

Drivers who disagree with a clerk-magistrate’s decision can appeal to a District Court judge and pay an additional $50 fee. At that hearing, motorists should again be prepared to present their cases. Again, the judge could dismiss the case, but if the judge rejects the appeal and the violation is not considered criminal, further appeal can be pursued to the state Appeals Court. That means a $300 fee.

At the Appeals Court level, a panel of three judges will review the lower court’s decision and determine if the law was applied correctly. Appellate judges do not rule on factual evidence in a case.

Drivers charged with criminal violations, such as vehicular manslaughter or fleeing from police, however, cannot appeal a citation without first having the case heard in District Court. If you lose in the District Court, you or your lawyer can file a motion to dismiss the complaint with the Appeals Court provided there is an issue with the way the lower court handled the case.

Motorists fighting an insurance surcharge due to an accident that doesn’t involve a criminal offense have 30 days to complete the appeal form on the surcharge notice mailed to them by their insurance companies. This appeal carries a $50 fee, and the Insurance Board of Appeals will mail a notice specifying the date, time and location of the hearing.

If that board finds a motorist 50 percent or less at fault, the incident will be removed from the driving record and the insurance premium should be reduced.

Drivers who are found at fault and disagree with the insurance board’s determination can appeal the decision to the Superior Court. The fee is $240. An appeal of the Superior Court decision would go to the state Appeals Court and would require another $300 fee.

Still a loser? The last stop is the U.S. Supreme Court, but motorists should be prepared to shell out $350 at the federal level as well.

Then, there are other fees for reproducing records, certifying documents, searching records and other the costs of legal representation.

Add everything up, and it may be no surprise that many drivers skip the process and pay the ticket instead.

The New England Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit investigative reporting newsroom based at Boston University.

Only a third of the drivers who appealed their cases were found to be more than 50 percent at fault, records show.

View full sizeGraphic: NECIRAbove: The process for appealing a traffic citation.

RELATED STORY:

Appealing traffic tickets costly, but can lead to insurance savings

By BEVERLY FORD
New England Center for Investigative Reporting

BOSTON -- Fewer Bay State drivers are appealing auto insurance surcharges for accidents or traffic violations, even though the odds of winning an appeal are favorable, a study by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting has found.

Data provided by the state Insurance Board of Appeals, which rules on traffic accident cases alone, shows that the number of drivers appealing those accidents – and the insurance surcharges that come with them – has declined by 36 percent since 2006 even though just over half of those drivers were winning their appeals. Only about 30 percent of motorists who appealed their cases were found to be more than 50 percent at fault and subject to a surcharge, the records show.

The state Registry of Motor Vehicles is seeing a similar trend in the number of traffic ticket appeals filed by motorists through the district courts.

“We are not in a position to speculate as to the reason for the decline in citation appeals,” said registry spokesperson Sara Lavoie.

The insurance board won’t speculate either, saying only that the division doesn’t track the reasons motorists appeal accidents which are subject to surcharges.

Some insurance critics suspect, however, that the trend may be due to both the fees imposed for appeals and a lingering recession that has left many drivers with little spare cash to file those appeals.

The fees, which start at $25 to contest a traffic violation before a clerk-magistrate and $50 to challenge an insurance surcharge, can add up quickly. Appealing either decision through the court system can add hundreds more to the tab.

The state Executive Office of Administration and Finance authorized fees more than a decade ago for drivers who appeal an insurance surcharge. The money collected goes to run the Insurance Board of Appeals. The fees for traffic tickets were updated by the state Legislature in 2009; those fees are collected by the district courts and are used to offset the costs of processing the appeals.

Originally imposed to curtail the burgeoning number of frivolous appeals cases from clogging an already overburdened court docket, the fees have done their job, registry officials say. The fees have helped clear thousands of traffic cases from court calendars and thousands more from the docket for the Insurance Board of Appeals.

In 2010, nearly 60,000 fewer drivers, representing a 21 percent drop, appealed traffic citations compared to the prior year, registry statistics show. In 2011, about 91,000 fewer drivers appealed traffic tickets than in 2009.

View full sizeGraphic: NECIRAbove: The process for appealing an insurance decision.

The Insurance Board of Appeals, meanwhile, saw its caseload of surcharge appeals drop by nearly 20,000, or 36 percent, since 2006.

Although no official study has been conducted, insurance industry critics like Ivan Sever, state chapter coordinator for the National Motorist Association, a driver advocacy group, believes the reason for the sharp decline may be a result of the fee system imposed in the courts.

“People may find they can’t afford it financially,” Sever said. Factor in the costs associated with taking time off from work to pursue the appeals, Sever notes, and most motorists likely have second thoughts about challenging a ticket.

Belmont attorney Ralph Sullivan had second thoughts, too, and he appealed the citation he received for a lane change violation all the way to the state Supreme Judicial Court, challenging the fees as unconstitutional. By the time he was through, the $100 ticket cost him nearly $1,000 in filing fees.

“If I had to do that for a client, it would have been an $8,000 to $10,000 project” said Sullivan, who argued before the state’s highest court that motorists were being forced to pay fees not assessed in other types of civil or criminal cases, including drug or assault cases. Sullivan also contended the fees impede due process by preventing poorer drivers from challenging a traffic citation in court.

The SJC didn’t agree. Last year, the court ruled that the fees were justified even if a motorist was found innocent of the ticketed offense.

“If the person driving your car was your evil twin, you shouldn’t have to pay to tell the court that,” Sullivan said. “Charging fees to people to be heard for moving violations or to be heard on merit rating surcharges is a deterrent to the judicial process.”

State Rep. David B. Sullivan, D-Fall River, concurs. He’s sponsored two pieces of legislation that would ultimately prevent the courts from charging a $25 hearing fee to motorists found innocent of a driving offense. Both bills are currently under study before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary.

“If you are found not to be responsible, you shouldn’t have to lose money,” said David Sullivan, who proposed the legislation in 2010 after numerous complaints from drivers. “It’s an issue of fairness. It’s an issue of justice.”

The court does allow motorists to appeal without a fee provided they can show a hardship, but Sullivan says that can be difficult to prove if motorists are able to afford a car, insurance and gas.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which in 2011 backed a lawsuit similar to Ralph Sullivan’s that unsuccessfully challenged a $275 fee imposed by the city of Northampton on parking ticket appeals, is currently pushing for legislation to allow those parking-related cases to be filed in small claims court where filing fees are $40.

“People should not face excessive, hugely impractical barriers to getting fair access to the courts,” said Christopher Ott, communications director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

Ralph Sullivan and other critics think the fee system also creates a conflict of interest because traffic and accident cases are often decided by the same people who benefit from the revenue generated by the fees.

In 2010, fees for a hearing on a traffic ticket before a clerk-magistrate generated more than $3.7 million in revenues for the state Trial Court. Nearly $2 million more went into the state’s general fund from Insurance Appeals Board fees.

All that revenue comes on top of the millions more that drivers shell out to pay the actual tickets, some of which include an additional $50 head injury surcharge tacked on for speeding. Drivers convicted of drunken driving and reckless driving offenses must pay $250 in head injury surcharges.

Critics claim insurance companies are also able to collect millions in dollars annually in surcharges imposed for errant and sometimes innocent (those who don’t appeal) Bay State drivers over the six years following a ticketed offense. During that timespan, an offense and a surcharge remain on a driver’s record.

It’s not just the fees and surcharges that has rankled some driver advocates, though; “A lot of people think if you don’t speed, you don’t have to worry but the problem is that speed limits may be set inappropriately or illegally, perhaps on purpose,” said Sever, rattling off a list of commuter roads where he says speed limits are set inappropriately low.

Frank Mancini, president and chief executive officer of the Massachusetts Insurance Agents, said the surcharge system, which assigns a merit rating based on a motorist’s driving history, can be both complex and costly.

Drivers involved in an accident or moving violation are ranked not only against an insurance company’s “standard of fault,” Mancini said, but also by a host of other things, including the neighborhood in which a car is garaged, the age and sex of the driver along with his years of driving experience. But not all rating factors are public, which means few drivers actually know the exact mix that goes into determining a driver’s insurance rate.

The rating process has become an issue with the state attorney general’s office. In April, attorney general Martha Coakley raised concerns on what she concluded had been a failure by the insurance industry to fully disclose complete rating factors, including those for accidents and traffic tickets. Coakley cited a ballooning of insurance surcharges, inadequate record keeping and a lack of industry transparency.

“This information is necessary for a proper review of the rate to assure that consumers are treated fairly,” Glenn Kaplan, chief of the attorney general’s Insurance and Financial Services Division, said in a statement. A lack of transparency means few motorists know upfront how much their rates will rise if they lose an appeal, the attorney general’s office contends.

Coakley’s report found that insurance rates had increased in the last two years, sometimes by double digits, after years of rate cuts under the state-regulated system. Some firms also had passed along “inappropriate costs” and failed to adequately disclose their rating system to consumers, leaving insurance buyers with few ways to compare products, Kaplan states.

“It’s baffling,” said Joan Drew, of Framingham, who got hit with a surcharge that nearly doubled her premiums after a single-car accident on an icy stretch of roadway. “I asked my insurance company how someone with a good driving record and no other accidents could get such a sizable surcharge, but I never did get an answer that made sense to me.”

Today, four years after the state deregulated the auto insurance industry and moved to “managed competition” where companies set their own rates, the attorney general’s office remains watchful.

Insurance commissioner Joseph G. Murphy says the state Division of Insurance closely monitors auto insurance rates.

“Managed competition has been a great success in Massachusetts,” he said, touting the 13 new insurers which have moved into the state since deregulation in 2008. “Consumers now have more choice in cost and company when it comes to purchasing auto insurance.”

Some industry observers remain apprehensive, though.

“If you wipe away all the consumer protections and bring more companies into the market, it doesn’t necessarily mean a good deal for consumers” said Brendan Bridgeland, staff attorney and policy director at the Center for Insurance Research, a consumer advocacy group.

Bridgeland said the mix of factors that are considered in determining a driver’s rate along with a wide range of available insurance options has made it more confusing than ever to pick an auto plan. Simplifying policy terms and making comparative charts available to insurance buyers would help stem some of the confusion over rates and policies, he said.

It also would make it easier for drivers who appeal insurance surcharges to see what the impact of their appeal would have on personal insurance rates, critics note. After all, giving motorists the option of seeing their surcharge upfront could help them decide whether to invest in court and appeals board fees.

Or they could just take a page from Ralph Sullivan’s book.

“It pays to fight it,” he says. While he didn’t win his case, Sullivan said those who do can save $2,000 or more in surcharges alone. For many drivers, those savings can be very appealing.

The New England Center for Investigative Reporting is a nonprofit investigative reporting newsroom based at Boston University.

The number of politicians from both political parties supporting LGBT rights seems to be growing, signaling that there is no longer just one party that the LGBT community feels is right for the job.

Although perhaps no statement this year was as landmark for the gay community as President Barack Obama's endorsement of marriage equality, it isn't just Democrats who are calling for increased rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people -- often abbreviated as LGBT -- ahead of the 2012 elections.

Christian Berle, deputy director of the pro-LGBT Log Cabin Republicans, explained that as society's attitudes change slowly, money is now helping influence that same change in the GOP.

"Paul Singer, one of the top contributors to the Republican Party, just started a pro-gay Republican super PAC, which is a significant carrot for Republicans who wanted to speak out for equal rights, but were afraid of the impact with their evangelical donors," Berle said.

The American Unity PAC's sole mission is to encourage Republican candidates to support same-sex marriage without fear of financial repercussions from their donors.

Berle explained that there is a chance the super PAC could help get a Massachusetts Republican elected to the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since 1994.

In the Bay State's 6th Congressional District race, Richard Tisei, an openly gay Republican, is challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. John Tierney, who has been embroiled in a scandal in which his wife and brother-in-law have been convicted of crimes and served time in jail.

And although Tierney is a strong supporter of LGBT rights and has the incumbency advantage, super PAC cash could complicate things for the Democrat -- especially considering that the two sides recently failed to come to an agreement to curb the influence of outside groups in the election.

Berle said that Tisei being elected would be a huge leap forward for the LGBT community because each politician who is open about their sexuality helps their heterosexual and sometimes reluctant colleagues gain understanding.

Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Congressional hopeful Richard Tisei, an openly-gay Republican, pose for a picture together during a Super Saturday event in March. Brown and Tisei both served together in the Massachusetts Legislature on Beacon Hill. (Photo courtesy of Tisei's Congressional campaign's Facebook page)

"It is absolutely critical," Berle said of Tisei's potential election to Congress. "I believe Sen. Scott Brown would open his ear to a friend and colleague and it may change some of his views. We were lucky to have (former U.S. Rep.) Jim Kolbe (R-Nev.) in Congress. In that position, he spoke in conference when his colleagues needed to hear the voice of a gay man. It is extremely important for Republicans to hear from one of their peers on how a potential piece of legislation might affect them."

Berle said that if you look at how much things have changed in the past six years, the difference in GOP leadership is like night and day.

"(Former) Congressman Tom Delay would take a vote whenever possible to open a door for social conservatives to drive a wedge between the people," Berle said. "Speaker (John) Boehner hasn't and won't do that. Plus polling shows a dramatic uptick in support for LGBT rights in younger sects and an uptick in support from conservatives.'

Berle said that as the next generation of the Republican Party replaces their predecessors, change is inevitable -- and it's coming in support of the LGBT community.

Carly Burton, deputy director of the pro-LGBT non-profit group MassEquality, said that one of the biggest catalysts for change is the fact that more people are open about their sexuality, which means more people know someone who is lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered.

"I think that at the heart of it, Americans are fair people. There is a desire to move toward justice," Burton said. "As more people come out, it changes peoples attitudes to what they think being a LGBT person is about."

Burton said that although legislation can make a difference, it is far from the whole solution to her group's goals of achieving legal equality.

"I think the only way to address the issues facing the LGBT community is through a multi-pronged effort," Burton said. "Legislation is a good way to start and continue important conversations, but not the only way to shift the population toward being more accepting. As more people have a LGBT person in their life, things change quickly."

And although the various candidates from both political parties don't all agree on issues such as same-sex marriage, many are open to other issues facing LGBT people.

Prior to participating in Boston's 42nd annual Gay Pride parade on June 9, Democratic political hopefuls Elizabeth Warren and Joseph Kennedy III made it clear that they stand with members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered community on the issues affecting them and their families.

Kennedy, who is facing opposition from three Republicans to represent the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by openly gay U.S. Rep Barney Frank, said that if elected he would pursue legislation that supports "lived equality." Repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- which federally defines marriage as between a man and a woman -- would be the tip of the iceberg in terms of Kennedy's priorities.

Democratic Congressional and Senate hopefuls Joseph Kennedy III and Elizabeth Warren, left and center, stand with openly gay U.S. Rep. Barney Frank at the 42nd annual Boston Pride Parade on June 9, 2012. (Photo courtesy of the Joe Kennedy 2012 Facebook page)

"First and foremost we need to repeal DOMA and guarantee same-sex partners the rights afforded all couples. But the fight for equal rights goes beyond marriage equality," Kennedy said in a statement. "As equal-marriage becomes law in more and more states, we need to look beyond legal equality and toward lived equality: from ending discrimination in the workplace to stopping the devastating effects of bullying in our schools. If elected, I will make it a priority to be not just a voice but a leader in the fight for equality."

Warren, who is running against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, called for full LGBT equality months before Obama completed his "evolution" on the issue of same-sex marriage. Recently, she renewed her promise that if elected she will draft and support legislation that ends legal restrictions and discrimination for LGBT people.

"No one should be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or expression," Warren said in a statement. "We must remain committed to promoting fairness and equality for all, and work to end the two-tiered system created by the Defense of Marriage Act, pass a fully-inclusive Employee Non-Discrimination Act, and work to create welcoming schools and prevent bullying. If elected to the U.S. Senate, I will be a leader in the fight for full equality for all Americans.”

Sen. Scott Brown voted to repeal the Don't Ask, Don't Tell policy restricting LGBT service members from serving openly in the military after a Pentagon study suggested it would have no negative impact on the military. That vote earned him the Spirit of Lincoln award from the Log Cabin Republicans.

But as a state senator in Massachusetts, there were a number of votes that placed Brown on the other side of the LGBT fence.

Brown voted against repealing a state law that prevented out-of-state gay couples from marrying in Massachusetts. In 2004, he supported a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. And although Brown does not support same-sex marriage, he has called it is a "settled issue" as far as Massachusetts goes, and said that individual states should be able to decide what is right for them.

GOP Presidential hopeful and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has said that although he believes marriage is a title reserved for a relationship involving a man and a woman, LGBT people should "should enjoy tolerance and respect."

Romney was endorsed by the conservative pro-LGBT group GOProud this week, additionally signaling that even within the LGBT community, there is no one party right for the job.

“For far too long, the gay left in this country has been allowed to dictate what they believe qualify as ‘gay issues.’ We think that jobs, the economy, healthcare, retirement security and taxes are all ‘gay issues,’ and on every single one of those issues, Mitt Romney is light years better than President Obama,” said Jimmy LaSalvia, GOProud Executive Director, in a statement. “We don’t agree with Governor Romney on every single issue – indeed we disagree strongly with him on his support for a federal marriage amendment and we have urged Romney publicly to take bolder and more conservative stances on tax reform, entitlement reform and spending.”

In this photo released by the Florida Keys News Bureau, revelers carry a 100-foot-long rainbow flag, a symbol of gay pride, down Duval Street in Key West, Fla., Sunday, June 10, 201. (AP Photo/Florida Keys News Bureau, Carol Tedesco)

A sunny day today, but showers and thunderstorms return Monday.

Mostly sunny skies finish out our weekend today as high pressure temporarily squeezes its way into the region. Yesterday's cold front will keep the temperature more seasonal and the humidity down a bit, making it a rather comfortable June day for western Massachusetts. Temperatures will be in the lower 80s once again, and dewpoints will stay in the 50s.

Another cold front will be approaching the region tonight, which will set off another round of showers and thunderstorms as early as 10 p.m. Most of the rain will be reserved for the overnight hours, and it looks to be a very wet commute by Monday morning.

Monday looks to be a washout early in the day, then becoming more scattered in nature for the second-half. An upper-level low will be stubborn to leave the Northeast, which will keep scattered showers in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. Overall, temperatures will be on the cooler side for the workweek, mid-70s expected through Thursday before a warm up comes next weekend.

Sunday: Partly cloudy, comfortable, high 83.

Sunday night: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after midnight, low 61.

Monday: Periods of rain, heaviest early, high 72.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, scattered showers, high 75.

Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley have already begun to lean on Addai.

APJoseph Addai carries the ball during practice at the NFL football team's facility in Foxborough, Mass., Thursday, June 7, 2012.

Once a Pro Bowl player and a perennial 1,000-yard rusher, Joseph Addai was relegated to “dot dot dot” status in many newspapers throughout the region when the New England Patriots signed him to a one-year deal in May.

In other words, his arrival was trumpeted by placing it between two other items that were considered too mundane for a full write-up at the bottom of a notes package.

“The New England Patriots open rookie minicamp this week. … The team signed running back Joseph Addai, formerly of the Indianapolis Colts, yesterday.”

Some may consider it an insult, an embarrassing fall from grace, but that’s what happens when you are a 29-year-old running back, one year away form being deemed elderly by football standards, and have failed to eclipse 550 yards in three of the last four seasons.

Addai gets it and is well aware of his new caste. At this point in his career, he just wants a role on a team and is willing to do whatever it takes to extend his career, no matter how glamorous or grimy it may be.

“Come in and block. Come in and catch the ball. Come in and run,” Addai said during minicamp. “Whatever they ask me to do, game by game, that’s what I’m doing.”

Each of those things will be on the menu, but as Sammy Morris, Fred Taylor and Kevin Faulk did before him, Addai’s greatest value will come from mentoring the younger players on the roster.

If he had any reservations about being cast as the grizzled veteran, second-year running backs Stevan Ridley and Shane Vereen never gave him a chance to establish boundaries. The two immediately gravitated towards him and forced Addai into the role that Faulk filled last season.

“I look up to him, almost like a big brother,” Ridley, who has long looked up to Addai since both attended LSU, said. “To have this time with him, like I had with Faulk, I’m going to cherish it and learn everything I can from him.

“He’s an awesome guy, somebody who has seen it all. And he’s very willing to teach. It’s a comfort zone for me to have someone I can depend on who has seen everything that I can learn from and try to better myself.”

In a perfect world the Patriots would have Ridley and Vereen emerge as a viable tandem and account for the bulk of the snaps at running back, with Danny Woodhead still taking on his typical role.

If that world materializes, Addai won’t receive the number of carries he became accustomed to while in Indianapolis, meaning that his accomplishments could end up only warranting a “dot dot dot” in the annals.

But if that is how things play out, his impact will continue to live on in a way that won’t be easily quantified and quickly forgotten by fans.

Now we just have to wait and see how it plays out …

Construction on his 238th massive sculpture continues at the Quadrangle through Friday.

The Republican / Mark M. MurrayThe Lorax seems to be supervising the work that is continuing on the project being done by artist Patrick Dougherty with tree saplings on the Quadrangle in Springfield.

SPRINGFIELD – Could it be named Lorax Landing?

The sticks were delivered by the truckload, but still Patrick T. Dougherty and his crew were, as he said, “hungry for sticks.”

He expected to use the equivalent of several large tractor-trailer loads of sticks for his latest installation created with tree saplings.

Construction on his 238th massive sculpture continues at the Quadrangle grounds through Friday. It will remain on display for a year, erected in the area where the Dr. Seuss National Memorial Sculpture Garden – and its Lorax character which “speak(s) for the trees” – is located.

Using birch, maple and choke cherry sticks and saplings procured from a wildlife area in Phillipston and a forest in Leeds, Dougherty, of Chapel Hill, N.C., twisted, formed and pulled his whimsical creation into being with the help of about 50 volunteers over the course of three weeks. One day there were seven volunteers on hand, some taking the leaves off the saplings and others assisting with construction.

The saplings were harvested with permission from a wildlife refuge that is the property of the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. Removing the saplings of competing species of trees enhances the forest by allowing the oaks to flourish.

Saplings also were gathered from the Leeds land that is used to train students from Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School who want to make a career of forestry.

Ever open to the creative process, Dougherty begins each installation with an overall plan, but as the massive piece progresses, he ad-libs, responding to the work itself.

“You can’t have an absolute plan because the materials don’t cooperate that well,” he said part way through the construction of the Quadrangle installation. “You have moments of imminent possibilities, and you respond to that.”

To begin, the artist drilled 2-foot holes in the ground and inserted 20-foot-tall sapling pieces on which to build a stick skeleton and then pull out the shape.

Because it was to be positioned near formal, “square buildings based on real mathematics,” the artist thought it would be fun to make this installation in a way that combines whimsy with the natural world.

He began with an idea for a topiary garden with shrubs, and the stick structure took shape akin to a castle that visitors can move in and through.

Set in a “caddywompus” style, Dougherty said the installation “sits at odds with the general layout (of the Quadrangle) which helps endear it to people.”

The sculpture has yet to be named; Dougherty likes to get input from passersby, volunteers and staff.

“Sometimes somebody says something that epitomizes the work or is clever,” and thus a moniker is attached to the work. Any way, the artist likes to see what his work looks like before naming it.

Previous works – installed throughout the country and the world – have included Speedball at the University of Washington in Seattle; Portals, Pivots, and Perspectives at Smith College Museum of Art in Northampton; Holy Rope at Rinjyo-in Temple in Chiba, Japan; Little Big Man at Krakamarken/Nature Sculpture Park in Randers, Denmark; Coming Up for Air at Arte Sella Sculpture Park in Trento, Italy; Sleepwalking at Atelier 340 Museum in Brussels, Belgium; The Cure at Brattleboro Museum in Brattleboro, Vt.; and So Inclined at Middlebury College Museum of Art in Middlebury, Vt.

His work combines his carpentry skills with his love of nature; he began to learn about primitive techniques of building and to experiment with tree saplings as construction material, beginning about 1980 with small works, fashioned in his backyard.

Dougherty has been working full time creating stick sculptures since about 1985. “I’m making a living at it. You wouldn’t think sticks could yield that,” he said.

He said the sculptures enliven life, and he enjoys living in a world of ideas, working hard and building things.

“I build big things in public spaces that enliven people’s imaginations,” he said. “They feel animated, and desire to explore and talk about it.”

His creations, he said, “are not something you think you need, but when you see it, you realize you had a great longing for it.”

The sculptures are great for the first year, pretty good the second, Dougherty said, recommending the stick works be taken down after the second year exposed to all kinds of weather. “The line between trash and treasure is very thin.”

There is something compelling about the imagery of his work that causes people to remember it. “It’s temporary work so it has to remain in your imagination and in your memory,” he said.

MassMutual Financial Group is the sponsor of the Springfield exhibit.

After two months of site visits for future installations, Dougherty is next due to begin work on a sculpture at College of St. Benedict and St. John’s University in St. Joseph, Minn.

The current fiscal year ends next Saturday and it's possible that a temporary spending plan would have to be in place when the new fiscal year starts the following day on July 1.

BOSTON — The clock is ticking on Massachusetts state lawmakers as they try to reach agreement on a new state budget.

The current fiscal year ends next Saturday and it's possible that a temporary spending plan would have to be in place when the new fiscal year starts the following day on July 1.

A six-member House-Senate conference committee has been working behind closed doors to try to resolve differences between versions of the budget that were approved by both chambers earlier in the year.

Both spending plans total more than $32 billion and neither seeks any new state taxes.

Despite a lower unemployment rate in Massachusetts and signs of economic recovery, legislative leaders have repeatedly said the state's finances remain tight and called for a conservative approach to the budget.

Road projects can sometimes result in the timing patterns for traffic control systems being altered, a Springfield official conceded.

Question: Westbound traffic on Sumner Avenue often faces long red lights at Fort Pleasant Avenue and at Longhill Street. These side streets get green lights longer than the main road. They are also mistimed so that when you get a green light at Fort Pleasant, the Longhill light is red. This wastes time and gas.

It seems to me that it was not like this until the construction on Longhill last summer.

Can’t the lights be put back to a more rational pattern? 

– J.R.R., Wilbraham

Answer: Road projects can sometimes result in the timing patterns for traffic control systems being altered, Springfield Department of Public Works director Al Chwalek said.

He has dispatched a crew to check on the lights. If the timing is off, it’s a fairly routine thing to set it right, he said. “We’ll put it back to the what it is supposed to be,” he said.

Yet another fire has occurred in a vacant house in western Massachusetts, this time in Greenfield on Saturday night.

• Greenfield house damaged by fire [WWLP-22News]
• Pittsfield engineer builds crosswords for Times [Berkshire Eagle]
• Residents protest over proposed casino in East Boston [NECN]
• A giant leap in interest in the moon [Boston Globe]
• Aaron Sorkin's Newsroom prepares for debut amid stinging criticism [The Guardian]
• Aware-2, new gigapixel camera, takes photos 30 times better than current SLRs [Huffington Post]
• Even after the Sandusky verdict, lawsuits, court cases, and investigations remain [Philadelphia Inquirer]
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Obituaries from The Republican

Benigno E. Chavez

Benigno E. Chavez, 84, of Springfield passed away on June 22, 2012. He was born in Puerto Bolivar, Provincia del Oro in Ecuador on February 24, 1928 and enlisted in the Ecuadorian Army following his graduation from high school. Chavez worked for the mayor's office in Machala, Provincia del Oro, for several years as the mayor's secretary, and also for the accounting office at city hall. In 1974, he and his family immigrated to the United States. Chavez was employed for 20 years with APD, Inc. in Windsor Locks, Conn. and retired in 1996. Prior to his retirement, he fulfilled his dream and became a U.S. citizen.

Obituaries from The Republican:

• 
  Bennett, Mary L. (Morrison)
  



• 
  Bieber, Shirley (Block)
  



• 
  Chavez, Benigno E.
  



• 
  Chmura, Joseph S.
  



• 
  Cleveland, Clifton
  



• 
  Day Jr., Robert W. "Bob"
  



• 
  DeMartino, Dr. John D.
  



• 
  Egan II, James F. "Jamie"
  



• 
  Fecteau, Nancy B. (Burton)
  



• 
  Fraska, Gary
  



• 
  Giammalvo M.D., Joseph T.
  



• 
  Hale, Willard O.
  



• 
  Harling, Marcelle June
  



• 
  Kielbasa, Alice K. (Paschal)
  



• 
  Kusiak, Stanley I.
  



• 
  McCullough, William J.
  



• 
  Paczkowski, Julia Mary
  



• 
  Piela, Steven P.
  



• 
  Provencher, Brenton
  



• 
  Raff, Caroline
  



• 
  Severyn, Doris (Duquette)
  



• 
  Tibbetts, Muriel S. (Kane)
  



• 
  Woodward, William "Bill"
  

Propane tank leaks gasoline in Ware.

WARE -A leaking propane tank forced the evacuation of several apartment buildings on Vigeant and Pleasant streets as fire and gas officials repaired the leak, officials said.

The fire department received a call at 5:57 p.m. Saturday of a 1,000 gallon above ground leaking propane tank on 19 Vigeant St.

Officials discovered a cracked regulator was causing gas to leak from the tank. Firefighters used hose lines to release the gas vapors and contacted the gas company which came to repair the leak, fire officials said.

Firefighters evacuated four multi-unit apartment buildings on Vigeant and Pleasant streets for about two hours while they dealt with the leak.

The tank was repaired by 7:30 p.m. There were no injuries.

An abandoned buildingon Deerfield Street in Greenfield cauight fire Saturdaty.

GREENFIELD - A two story abandoned building caught fire on Deerfield Street Saturday night, officials said.

Firefighters responded to 106 Deerfield St. late Saturday night after the second floor and the roof of the building caught on fire.

Officials said the building had been condemned a year ago and no one was living in it. It took officials several hours to control the blaze.

Firefighters from surrounding communities assisted. There were no injuries.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Sunshine continues this afternoon, but rain set to return overnight.

Mostly sunny skies finish out our weekend today as high pressure temporarily squeezes its way into the region. Yesterday's cold front will keep the temperature more seasonal and the humidity down a bit, making it a rather comfortable June day for western Massachusetts. Temperatures will be in the lower 80s once again, and dewpoints will stay in the 50s.

Another cold front will be approaching the region on Sunday night, which will set off another round of showers and thunderstorms as early as 10 p.m. Most of the rain will be reserved for the overnight hours, and it looks to be a very wet commute by Monday morning.

Monday looks to be a washout early in the day, then becoming more scattered in nature for the second-half. An upper-level low will be stubborn to leave the Northeast, which will keep scattered showers in the forecast for Tuesday and Wednesday. Overall, temperatures will be on the cooler side for the workweek. Mid-70s are expected through Thursday before a warmup comes next weekend.

Sunday: Partly cloudy, comfortable, high 83.

Sunday night: Showers and thunderstorms, mainly after midnight, low 61.

Monday: Periods of rain, heaviest early, high 72.

Tuesday: Partly sunny, scattered showers, high 75.

Buchholz has a gastrointestinal problem that flared up last week.

Associated Press file photoBoston Red Sox' Clay Buchholz went on the disabled list for illness Sunday.

BOSTON - The Red Sox placed Clay Buchholz on the disabled list for a gastrointestinal problem and called up Aaron Cook to face Atlanta Sunday.

Buchholz was reported in good healthy at the time of his last start on Tuesday, but felt discomfort a couple of days later, manager Bobby Valentine said.

"We hoping to get him back the end of the 15 days (on the DL),'' Valentine said.

He did not elaborate on the details of the condition.

In other lineup news, designated hitter David Ortiz got his first day off from the starting lineup. Only Ortiz and Adrian Gonzalez had played all 71 games.

Gonzalez entered last Sunday's game at Chicago as a pinch-hitter, his only non-start.

Kevin Youkilis was at third base with Will Middlebrooks the DH. Youkilis had not played since Wednesday.

Valentine said his motive was to keep Youkilis fresh to help the Red Sox win games. He said he was not playing Youkilis to showcase the veteran for a trade, even as trade rumors continue to swirl regarding Youkilis and the Red Sox.