A Metro-North passenger train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, causing "multiple injuries," authorities said.

NEW YORK (AP) — A Metro-North train derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple fatalities and dozens of injuries, authorities said.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokeswoman Marjorie Anders confirmed the deaths but couldn't give an exact number. She said the big curve where the derailment occurred is in a slow speed area approaching the Spuyten Duyvil station.

The black box should be able to tell how fast the train was traveling, Anders said.

The derailment of the southbound Hudson Line train was reported at about 7:20 a.m., authorities said. The train left Poughkeepsie at 5:54 a.m. and was due to arrive at 7:43 a.m. at Grand Central Terminal.

Four or five cars on the seven-car train derailed about 100 yards north of the station, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority said in a news release. But none of the cars entered the Hudson or Harlem rivers, which are adjacent, the MTA said.

The train appeared to be going "a lot faster" than usual as it approached the curve coming into the station, passenger Frank Tatulli told WABC-TV.

Joel Zaritsky told The Associated Press he was on his way to New York City for a dental convention.

"I was asleep and I woke up when the car started rolling several times. Then I saw the gravel coming at me, and I heard people screaming. There was smoke everywhere and debris. People were thrown to the other side of the train," he said, holding his bloody right hand.

Passengers were taken off the derailed train, with dozens of them bloodied and scratched, holding ice packs to their heads.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo appeared on the scene later Sunday morning. The Fire Department of New York said 130 firefighters responded to the derailment.

The crash was reported by the engineer, and it wasn't clear if any crew members were among the injured, the MTA said.

Edwin Valero was in an apartment building above the accident scene when the train derailed. He said none of the cars entered the water, but at least one ended up a few feet from the edge.

At first, he said, he didn't notice that the train had flipped over.

"I didn't realize it had been turned over until I saw a firefighter walking on the window," he said.

Amtrak Empire service was halted between New York City and Albany after the derailment. Amtrak said its Northeast Corridor service between Boston and Washington was unaffected.

Amtrak has halted service between New York City and Albany, N.Y., after a fatal Metro-North derailment in the Bronx.

First responders gather at the derailment of a Metro-North passenger train in the Bronx borough of New York Sunday, Dec. 1, 2013. derailed on a curved section of track in the Bronx on Sunday morning, coming to rest just inches from the water and causing multiple fatalities and dozens of injuries, authorities said. Metropolitan Transportation Authority police say the train derailed near the Spuyten Duyvil station.  

HARTFORD, Conn. — Amtrak has halted service between New York City and Albany, N.Y., after a fatal Metro-North derailment in the Bronx.

But Metro-North says service on its New Haven line in Connecticut is not affected by Sunday's derailment on its Hudson line in New York City. Four people were killed and 63 were injured in the crash.

Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole says the rail service is asking passengers to stand by for more information about when service will resume. Amtrak runs along the same rail line where several Metro-North cars derailed.

The Connecticut rail service runs on a line separate from the Hudson line. It extends from New Haven to Grand Central Terminal.

Amtrak says service on the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor line between Boston and Washington is also unaffected.

Because he missed the deadline, Meyer’s name did not appear on the Nov. 5 ballot.

NORTHAMPTON – The moose didn’t exactly eat his homework, but Downey Meyer had a good reason for missing the July 22 deadline for submitting his papers for his Northampton School Committee reelection bid.

Meyer, a one-term incumbent, was driving home from a family gathering in Maine early that morning when he hit a moose on a deserted stretch of road. Neither Meyer nor his two sons, who were passengers in the car, were injured, but the accident cut his trip short and sent him to the repair shop.

Because he missed the deadline, Meyer’s name did not appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. Fortunately for him, he had no opponent. Meyer waged a write-in campaign and won his second term with 62 votes.

The policy was one of several canceled this year as part of a review of all campus insurance, according to Santiago, who said more than $100,000 was saved by eliminating unnecessary coverage.

WESTFIELD – One month after being sued by ex-president Evan S. Dobelle, Westfield State University trustees are seeking advice from the state attorney general’s office on whether they have enough liability insurance.

The board decided to contact the attorney general’s office last week after being briefed by vice president for administration and finance Milton Santiago, who canceled the board’s supplemental liability policy in July.

Santiago explained that the policy essentially duplicated the legal protection board members already receive under state law.

The policy was one of several canceled this year as part of a review of all campus insurance, according to Santiago, who said more than $100,000 was saved by eliminating unnecessary coverage.

Westfield State and other state schools purchased supplemental liability insurance for their trustees in 2008, according to Santiago, who was hired in January and previously worked at Bunker Hill Community College in Boston and College of Staten Island in New York.

He said it was the first time Westfield State had made such a purchase, and he was unsure why it was necessary since board members were already insured by the state.

“Your (supplemental policy) was the first I’ve ever seen,” Santiago told the board.

But several board members, including Steven P. Marcus and Elizabeth D. Scheibel, said the trustees were never notified about the cancellation, and only learned about it in the middle of the legal battle with then-president Dobelle.

Under pressure from the Patrick administration, the trustees voted Oct. 17 to place Dobelle on paid leave amid two state investigations into his travel and spending habits.

One week later, Dobelle responded by suing the university, three trustees, state Higher Education Commissioner Richard M. Freeland and others. He resigned Nov. 8, claiming the unpaid leave was one of several actions by the trustees that violated his contract and constitutional rights.

Marcus said he felt “very exposed” after learning the board’s insurance had been canceled, and asked why the board was never briefed on the matter.

Board chairman John F. Flynn III praised Santiago for saving the university money by eliminating the trustees’ apparently redundant liability policy.

But Santiago or someone else should have informed the board, according to Flynn, who said the trustees still had unanswered questions about insurance coverage.

Based on Flynn’s recommendation, the board voted to ask the attorney general’s office to review the trustees' coverage and recommend changes if necessary.

Top MGM officials have said they are confident the company will be found suitable to apply for a casino license in Massachusetts.

BOSTON — A plan for an MGM casino in Springfield will face a critical test next week when state gaming regulators are scheduled to unveil the results of a background investigation into the casino giant's finances and ethics.

MGM Resorts International is the only casino applicant remaining in Western Massachusetts, after results of a recount last week of a Nov. 5 ballot question in Palmer confirmed the defeat of a resort planned by the Mohegan Sun.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has scheduled public hearings for MGM on Dec. 9 and Wynn Resorts on Dec. 16 respectively in Boston to release and discuss reports by the agency's investigators on the suitability of each of the two companies to apply for licenses to operate casinos in the state.

The commission will hold hearings on the reports on those dates and then will likely vote later on whether the companies have passed background checks and are suitable to apply for final licenses to operate casinos, said Elaine Driscoll, communications director for the commission. In the reports, investigators might make recommendations on the suitability of the two companies. If found suitable, the companies could submit final applications for casinos.

MGM officials this year have said they are confident the company will be found suitable.

As part of its background checks on casino developers, investigators will likely examine MGM Resorts International's Macau business partner, billionaire Pansy Ho, whose father has been was linked by New Jersey officials to organized crime in a 2009 special report.

While Pansy Ho is not an applicant in Massachusetts, gaming regulators in Massachusetts have said they will complete a wide-ranging investigation of an applicant's business connections before deciding whether to award licenses to operators.

John M. McManus, executive vice president and general counsel for MGM Resorts International, said MGM has been found suitable everywhere it has applied to do business.

In early October, MGM, which is seeking a license for a casino in Prince George’s County in Maryland, was found suitable for a license in that state.

"We're very comfortable with our operations in Macau, with our relationship with Pansy Ho there ... ," McManus told The Republican in October after a meeting with the gaming commission about how it should view the overseas activities of a casino applicant in Massachusetts. "The Maryland Gaming Commission .. found no objection to our relationship with her. She wasn't an applicant in Maryland. She is not an applicant in Massachusetts."

McManus said MGM has had "a good cooperative process" with the commission and its investigators.

"We're not concerned about our suitability," McManus said.

Stephen P. Crosby, chairman of the gaming commission, has said the commission would probably start the licensing process anew in Western Massachusetts if MGM Springfield is found unsuitable.

Crosby added that he was hesitant to discuss the possibility of starting over in Western Massachusetts, saying he is assuming at least one applicant will pass the background check.

West Springfield voters, by 55 to 45 percent in September, defeated a ballot question for a Hard Rock casino on the grounds of the Eastern States Exposition.

The mayor of Springfield turned down a casino plan by Penn National Gaming that included properties owned by The Republican. The mayor would not sign an agreement with Penn National that could have also gone to the ballot. Penn National, now one of three finalists for the state's lone slots-only license, is planning $225 million slots facility at the Plainridge Racecourse off Interstate 495 and Route 1 near Gillette Stadium.

About year ago, Ameristar Casinos dropped its plan for a casino at the former Westinghouse site in East Springfield. Ameristar has since been purchased by Pinnacle Entertainment.

"In Western Massachusetts, we've lost four applicants," Crosby said in a recent interview. "We still have one."

Fifty-eight percent of Springfield voters approved an MGM casino planned for the city. Forty-two percent opposed the July 16 referendum.

MGM is seeking a license for a $851 million casino on 14.5 acres in the South End of Springfield's downtown.

Investigators for the gaming commission in October were at the center of a controversy when Caesars Entertainment Corp. withdrew from its more than 2-year-old partnership with Suffolk Downs. Investigators had recommended against a license for Caesars for several reasons, including its $23.7 billion debt and connections to a hotel group that had an investor with alleged ties to organized crime in Russia.

Las Vegas-based MGM, by comparison, has $13 billion in debt.

After losing the ballot question in Palmer by 94 votes, the Mohegan Sun, which quickly passed its background check in early October, announced it would be a partner with Suffolk Downs on a proposed Revere casino.

Suffolk Downs, which is located in both Revere and East Boston, is seeking the commission's approval for the Revere casino after its Nov. 5 ballot question was defeated in East Boston and approved in Revere.

Wynn Resorts and the Suffolk-Mohegan plan would compete for the casino license in Greater Boston.

Obituaries from The Republican.

Robert Holbrook  

Dr. Robert Ellis Holbrook DDS, 76, of Springfield, died Friday. Born in Springfield, he was a retired dentist who practiced in Wilbraham for more than 35 years. He was a graduate of Classical High School and received a Bachelor of Science from American International College. He received a DDS from Fairleigh Dickenson University, and was a lifelong member of the Valley, Massachusetts and American Dental Associations. He was active in the community as a board member of the Springfield Preservation Trust and a member of the Springfield Museums and Springfield Exchange Club.

Obituaries from The Republican:

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  Albano, Gloria D.
  



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  Arillota Sr., Dominic (In Memoriam)
  



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  Barbato, Joseph and Rose (In Memoriam)
  



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  Barbato, Joseph P. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Baruffaldi, Peter (In Memoriam)
  



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  Berte, David (In Memoriam)
  



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  Bickford, George E. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Bingham, Georgeanna Merrill Jones
  



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  Bolduc, Daniel R. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Borchers, William (In Memoriam)
  



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  Bray, Andy
  



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  Bruneau, Samantha A.
  



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  Cantalini, Mario (In Memoriam)
  



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  Carduff, Martha Savaria (In Memoriam)
  



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  Carlson, Kenneth J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Clay, William A.
  



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  Colon, Shannon (In Memoriam)
  



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  Coyne, Timothy J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Coyne, Timothy J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Curry-Rege, Maureen (In Memoriam)
  



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  Denney, Michael (In Memoriam)
  



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  Fratamico, Thomson (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gelineau, Linda M. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gillan, George E.
  



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  Goulet, Donald E. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Gregoire, Roland T. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Hart, John J.
  



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  Hogan, Shirley M. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Holbrook, Dr.Robert E.
  



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  James, Joanne (In Memoriam)
  



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  Jones, Emma (In Memoriam)
  



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  Keough Sr., John J.
  



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  Kinckiner, Cleta R.
  



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  Korman, Catherine "Pat" (In Memoriam)
  



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  Lepine, Beatrice (In Memoriam)
  



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  Los, Beverly A.
  



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  Mattson, Helen W. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Mazza, MaryAnn
  



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  Merchant, Robert (In Memoriam)
  



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  Miceli, Sheila Ann (In Memoriam)
  



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  Michon Sr., Leo L.
  



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  Mirski, Susan A.
  



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  Monson, Jeannine M. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Murray Jr., William Day
  



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  Pasternak, Frank J. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Payettte, Edward L. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Provost, Florence M. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Przybycien, Emily
  



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  Raco, Shirley E.
  



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  Raimondi, Emil V. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Robledo, Barbara A. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Samsel, Una A.
  



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  Schultz, Ann V.
  



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  Self, Charles E. (In Memoriam)
  



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  Smith, Herbert Lavalle (In Memoriam)
  



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  Thompson, Peter M.
  



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  Welch, Kevin (In Memoriam)
  



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  Wojcik, Mary I.
  



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  Zulkiewicz, Frank "Pop" (In Memoriam)
  

Freezing rain and icy roads have caused havoc on Central Massachusetts highways Sunday morning, shutting down I-290 in Worcester and causing multiple pileups.

The Massachusetts State police advised drivers to stay at home for the time being. I-290 was expected to be closed for several hours. (UPDATE: 290 eastbound was open by 10 a.m. Westbound was expected to reopen before noon, state police said.)

#TrafficAdvisory. Picture says a thousand words (or more). Icey Roads. 290 in Worcester will be closed for a while. pic.twitter.com/6OP1hD6y7X

— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) December 1, 2013

#TrafficAdvisory update. Avoid Central Mass Highways. #YouArentGoingAnywhere pic.twitter.com/zFZDkmskoH

— Mass State Police (@MassStatePolice) December 1, 2013

50 plus car pile up on 290 W/B. Use extreme caution!

— Auburn Police (@AuburnMAPolice) December 1, 2013

Police were busy throughout the long holiday weekend.

 

SPRINGFIELD — Thanksgiving weekend in Springfield was marred by a fatal stabbing in the McKnight section of the city and several other violent crimes that kept police busy from Friday through Sunday.

In addition to probing the stabbing death of a man outside a McKnight apartment building early Sunday, police handled multiple assault, robbery, shooting and gun reports over the long holiday weekend.

On Saturday, police responded to a Sumner Avenue bank robbery in the Forest Park neighborhood around 11:30 a.m., and a knifepoint robbery in front of the Peter Pan bus station around 3 p.m.

Several hours earlier, police responded to a 2:35 a.m. report of gunfire in the vicinity of 79 Armory St., where they found several spent shell casings but no apparent victims.

About a half-hour before that, police responded to a stabbing report outside a downtown club around 2 a.m. Three people were slashed or stabbed outside Lux Ultra Lounge, 90 Worthington St., according to police, who said the victims were uncooperative.

On Sunday, police responded to a report of a man with a gun in the city's entertainment district and wound up arresting 30-year-old Alexis Laboy on several charges, including three counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Police said Laboy, who allegedly pointed a handgun at people near the corner of Worthington and Dwight streets, struggled with officers as they attempted to take him into custody. Laboy was carrying a .40 caliber semiautomatic gun and ammunition at the time of his arrest, police said.

He is expected to be arraigned Monday in Springfield District Court.

The violence reached a peak shortly before 5 a.m. Sunday, when a double stabbing resulted in the death of a 50-year-old man behind a Worthington Street apartment building in the McKnight neighborhood.

Police said officers responded to a report of a knife fight between two men, one of whom was fatally stabbed. The other man was also wounded and taken to Baystate Medical Center, but police so far have not indicated if he has been charged with murder or other crimes. An update on the investigation was not immediately available.

Early Monday, police responded to a 2:30 a.m. report of an injured girl who showed up at a fast-food restaurant on Allen Street in the Outer Belt neighborhood. Details of that incident were unavailable.

At about the same time, police were called to Grayson Drive in the southeastern corner of Pine Point for a shooting report. A cruiser could be seen shining a spotlight as it drove slowly along Grayson Drive near Fox Road, but officers did not find any victims, shell casings or other physical signs of a shooting.

Officials expect the two businesses to generate $330.1 million in revenue this fiscal year and $334.7 million next fiscal year.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island officials say the state's two gambling parlors are expected to boost revenue as Massachusetts sorts through casino plans and state reviews.

The Providence Journal reports that a long-expected fall in revenue at the Twin River Casino and Newport Grand expected in the budget year beginning July 1, 2014, is now expected the following year.

Officials expect the two businesses to generate $330.1 million in revenue this fiscal year and $334.7 million next fiscal year.

Plans by Connecticut's two Indian casinos, Foxwoods and the Mohegan Sun, were rejected by voters in Massachusetts, though Mohegan Sun will partner with Suffolk Downs.

Voters also rejected a casino proposal in West Springfield.

Gambling expert Clyde Barrow at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth says the casino roll-out in Massachusetts is the slowest anywhere in the U.S.

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Information from: The Providence Journal, http://www.providencejournal.com

The number of homeless Massachusetts families being placed by the state in hotels has surged to an all-time high, despite efforts to reduce the number.

GREENFIELD, Mass. (AP) — The number of homeless Massachusetts families being placed by the state in hotels has surged to an all-time high, despite efforts to reduce the number.

The state Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development reports that nearly 2,100 families per night on average were temporarily housed in hotel rooms in October.

The demand is so great that some homeless families from the Boston area are being placed in western Massachusetts hotels.

Aaron Gornstein, state undersecretary for housing, tells The Boston Globe (http://b.globe.com/1cMNAjG ) the surge has followed cuts in state and federal housing subsidies, soaring rents in the Boston area, and still-high rates of unemployment and underemployment among the poor.

In the past five years, state spending on motels has exploded to more than $46 million from about $1 million.

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Information from: The Boston Globe, http://www.bostonglobe.com

Conditions that can typically be treated at Noble Express Care include colds and flu, bumps and bruises, sore throat and cough, headaches, ear infections, rashes, minor trauma, sports physicals and pre-employment physicals, sprains and minor asthma attacks.

WESTFIELD — Noble Hospital and the Noble Health Network has opened a express care facility at 57 Union Street in Westfield.

Noble Express Care is open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday to Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekends.

According to a release, Noble Express Care serves patients if a primary care physician is unavailable, regular offices are closed, or for people who don't want to wait at the emergency room for a non-emergency.

The staff consists of qualified professionals and is headed by Dr. Brian Sutton, medical director, according to the release.

Conditions that can typically be treated at Noble Express Care include colds and flu, bumps and bruises, sore throat and cough, headaches, ear infections, rashes, minor trauma, sports physicals and pre-employment physicals, sprains and minor asthma attacks.

The state's gambling commission plans visits to the three communities that could play host to the first slots parlor in Massachusetts.

Commission chairman Stephen Crosby says the meetings will be the final opportunity for the panel to hear from local residents before awarding the only slots parlor license early next year.

The first meeting is scheduled for Tuesday in Leominster, where Cordish Cos. has proposed a $200 million facility near Interstate 190 and Route 117.

On Wednesday, the commissioners will visit Plainville to discuss Penn National Gaming's proposal to add slot machines at the Plainridge harness racetrack.

And on Thursday, the panel will be in Raynham, where the owners of Raynham Park have partnered with Greenwood Racing for a proposed slots parlor at the former dog racing track.

A member of the National Transportation Board says a second data recorder has been retrieved from the train involved in a fatal New York City derailment.

KILEY ARMSTRONG, VERENA DOBNIK
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A member of the National Transportation Board says a second data recorder has been retrieved from the train involved in a fatal New York City derailment.

The crash Sunday killed four people and injured more than 60 others.

Earl Weener said Monday at the crash site that the recorder was found in the train's front car and has been sent to Washington for analysis.

The other event recorder was found earlier in the rear locomotive.

Weener said investigators hope to download information from the memory cards from that recorder on Monday. They hope it can provide information on the speed of the train, how the brakes were applied and the throttle setting.

The driver of the vehicle, a 39-year-old Springfield woman, has not been identified by police.

SPRINGFIELD -- Police have identified a 57-year-old Wilbraham woman struck and killed by a vehicle as she crossed Allen Street on Sunday afternoon as Janet E. Carpluk.

Carpluk was leaving the Family Care Medical Center at 1515 Allen St. shortly after 12:30 p.m. when she was hit by a motor vehicle while crossing the road near the intersection of Bicentennial Highway, Sgt. John M. Delaney said.

The driver of the motor vehicle, a 39-year-old Springfield woman, stopped at the scene and cooperated with police, said Delaney, aide to Commissioner William J. Fitchet.

Carpluk, of Main Street, Wilbraham, was taken to Baystate Medical Center by ambulance. She was pronounced dead about 90 minutes after the accident, Delaney said.

Carpluk was not in a crosswalk at the time of the accident.

The accident is still under investigation by Officers Bobby Brown and Robert Kalin of the Traffic Bureau’s fatality squad.

The accident marked the city’s third traffic fatality in five days.

Allison Dwarska, 17, a senior at Sabis International Charter School, died Wednesday night in a car crash on Roosevelt Avenue. She was a passenger in the vehicle; police said the driver, who has not yet been identified, may face charges.

Max Moran, 23, was killed Thursday morning when he lost control of his car at about 4 a.m. and crashed into a fire hydrant at Parker Street and Ellendale Circle. Moran was a police cadet and Springfield Technical Community College student.

China launched its first rover mission to the moon Monday, sending a robotic craft named Jade Rabbit to trundle across the lunar landscape, examine its geology and beam images back to Earth.

BEIJING (AP) — China launched its first rover mission to the moon Monday, sending a robotic craft named Jade Rabbit to trundle across the lunar landscape, examine its geology and beam images back to Earth.

A rocket carrying the rover aboard an unmanned Chang'e 3 spaceship successfully blasted off early Monday from a launch center in southwestern China and was scheduled to arrive on the moon in mid-December, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

"We will strive for our space dream as part of the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation," Xichang Satellite Launch Center director Zhang Zhenzhong said.

If the Chang'e 3 successfully soft-lands on the moon, China will become the third country to do so, after the United States and the former Soviet Union. A soft landing does not damage the craft and the equipment it carries. An earlier Chinese craft orbited and collected data before intentionally crash-landing on the moon.

"Chang'e" is a mythical Chinese goddess of the moon, and "Yutu" — or "Jade Rabbit" — is her pet.

The solar-powered rover will survey the moon's geological structures and set up a telescope to survey the surface as well as observe the Earth's plasmasphere, a region of dense, cold plasma that surrounds the planet, Xinhua said.

China sent its first astronaut into space in 2003, becoming the third nation after Russia and the United States to achieve manned space travel independently. China has already said its eventual goals are to have a space station and put an astronaut on the moon.

The military-backed space program is a source of enormous national pride and has powered ahead in a series of well-funded, methodically timed steps. It has already made major breakthroughs in a relatively short time, although it lags far behind the United States and Russia in space technology and experience.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveils plans for delivery of Amazon packages by domestic drones.

There’s Amazon, Amazon Prime and, if Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has his way, there may one day be an Amazon Drone.

No, it’s not a cyber-Monday joke.

In an interview with CBS 60 Minutes correspondent Charlie Rose on Sunday, Bezos unveiled his futuristic proposal: using domestic drones to deliver packages from Amazon to your door.

Amazon released a YouTube video demonstrating its plans for the service - officially called “Amazon Prime Air.”

Fitchburg police said three people suffered non-life-threatening injuries early Sunday when they were stabbed at a house party.

All three were taken to a hospital in Leominster, and two were transported to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester for more treatment, the Telegram & Gazette reported. Their conditions were not known, but all were expected to survive.

The stabbings happened at a party on Bond Street in the northern Worcester County city, police said.

No arrests have been made, though Fitchburg police told the Telegram they have a suspect in mind. It was not immediately known what happened at the party leading up to the stabbings.

Site of the party, 62 Bond St., Fitchburg:

The five Boston stories you need to read this morning.

 Boston Marathon bombing scammer due in court Wednesday
Audrea Gause, 26, of Troy, N.Y. is accused of stealing $480,000 from the One Fund through fraudulent medical claims. She is due in a Suffolk Superior Court courtroom on Wednesday.

Whitey Bulger's belongings may go to auction
The belongings of convicted Boston mobster James "Whitey" Bulger may face the auction block. Among the items from his apartment that will be of interest: a Claddagh ring, a Stanley Cup ring, and a McCain/Palin campaign button from 2008. The money generated from the auction will go to Bulger's victims.

Karyn Polito gearing up for LG run
Former state representative and 2010 candidate for treasurer Karyn Polito is throwing her hat in the ring for the Republican nomination for lieutenant governor later this week. She brings both pluses and minuses to Charlie Baker's candidacy for governor.

The great turnaround at the Trotter Elementary School in Dorchester
The Trotter Elementary school in Dorchester has become one of the great success stories in Boston education over the last decade. The Boston Globe takes a deep dive into how it happened and what they are doing now to make sure it stays that way.

Big week for the Suffolk Downs casino project
The fate of the Suffolk Downs casino project will likely be determined this week when it goes before the Revere City Council and the Massachusetts Gaming Commission. The project, according to a report in the Boston Herald, will probably survive a vote by the Commission.

State police say a 21-year-old Massachusetts man has died and three other Ithaca College students were injured in an SUV crash caused when the driver swerved to avoid a deer.

COBLESKILL, N.Y. (AP) - State police say a 21-year-old Massachusetts man has died and three other Ithaca College students were injured in an SUV crash caused when the driver swerved to avoid a deer.

Troopers say the students were heading back to college from their Thanksgiving break on Interstate 88 when the accident happened shortly before 10 p.m. Sunday in Cobleskill, 35 miles west of Albany.

Police say the 2002 Santa Fe rolled several times after the driver lost control trying to avoid a deer that came from the center median.

Michael Clark of Boxborough, Mass., was pronounced dead at the scene. The three others were taken by ambulance to Albany Medical Center with various injuries.

Worcester's winter-long parking rules went into effect on December 1, and will last until April 30.

Worcester's winter-long parking rules went into effect on December 1, and will last until April 30.

The city's Department of Public Works has posted a database showing the specific rules in effect for every street in the city. Find the database here.

Some streets have a "permanent ban" that prohibits cars from parking for the entire winter. Others have a "declared ban", which goes into effect only during inclement weather.

Main arterials, streets on bus lines and other streets that are considered critical to traffic flow will have permanent bans. Parking on other streets is prohibited only during bad weather.

The city has a dedicated Twitter account, @SnowParkingBan, that will tweet when a parking ban is declared.

The ban in some neighborhoods covers only one side of the street, while the other will be safe for parking. Check the database for the rules for every street.

Cars parked where they shouldn't be face parking tickets and could be towed at the owner's expense.