The National Security Agency challenged the reporting behind a news story in USA Today that claimed the agency has been tracking the telephone calls of all Americans since shortly after 9/11. “The story was slipshod from the get-go,” said a spokesman for the spy agency. “The reporters never talked to those in a position to know, and those they did speak with had an axe to grind.” Asked how the agency could be sure about the reporters’ sourcing, the spokesman simply said, “We know.”
Meanwhile, the news media was reeling from the release of another set of grim circulation reports, this round showing that readership declined an average of 2.5 percent in the latest six-month reporting period. Newspaper executives promised a new and aggressive strategy to win back readers. Under the plan, the per-copy price of the typical newspaper would double and the companies simultaneously would make all news, graphics, and photos available for free on their web sites. “We feel sure that will bring people back into the fold,” said one executive.
In local news, police are investigating an apparent theft of a necklace from the home of Lillian Gertrud Asplund, the last American survivor of the Titanic disaster who died this week at her home in Shrewsbury, MA. Apslund’s grandson said the necklace, called “The Heart of the Ocean,” consisted of a string of diamonds approximately 18 inches long with a heart-shaped pendant made of an enormous 75-carat blue diamond. “Grams used to show it to us,” he recalled. “It was supposed to be part of our inheritance. Now, it’s just gone and we have no idea where it went.” The last time he saw it, he said, was several years ago shortly before Apslund went on “some sort of boat trip.”
The mayor and school committee of New Bedford announced plans to give “general diplomas” to students who fail the MCAS exam but meet other graduation requirements. Employers throughout the state said they were thrilled with the move, because it would provide them with an easy way to tell which high school graduates they shouldn’t even bother to interview.
In politics, state Senator Dianne Wilkerson denounced a conspiracy against her that required her to collect 300 signatures in order to appear on the ballot for the September primary. Wilkerson apparently fell short of the requirement by 37 signatures and will thus have to run a sticker campaign to preserve her seat. She told reporters she has been the victim of a series of nefarious conspiracies, of which the signature requirement is only the latest, that have targeted her both because of her race and for her outspoken advocacy. Last year, for example, she was the victim of a conspiracy by the Attorney General who sued her for $45,000 in missing campaign funds. Before then, there was a conspiracy by the IRS which won a criminal conviction against her for failing to pay income taxes for four years as well for failing even to file her tax returns in 1991 and 1992; a conspiracy to tag her personal automobile with over $1,300 in tickets; a conspiracy in 1998 by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance that said she illegally used campaign funds to cover personal expenses; a conspiracy by the state Ethics Commission which in 2001 fined her for failing to disclose $20,000 she’d received from the Boston Bank of Commerce for consulting services; and still another conspiracy by her condo association which sued her for failing to pay $4,671 in condo fees.
Massport officials announced they were changing the name of Boston Logan Airport to the Worcester-Manchester Logan Airport. The name change came in the wake of recent decisions by the Manchester, NH Airport and the Worcester Regional Airport to add the word “Boston” to their names. Citing recent US Census statistics which have showed a consistent decline in Boston’s population as residents flee for other locales, a Massport officials spokesman said, “We're sensing an opportunity here.”
And finally, after months of rumors about her unhappiness with her job, Boston Police Commissioner Kathleen O'Toole resigned Tuesday to take a job as chief inspector of Ireland’s national police force. O’Toole’s departure came as the crime rate in Boston has climbed rapidly, and capped a week of seven murders in seven days. O’Toole said she anticipated her new assignment would prove much more manageable. “Here in Boston, we’re dealing with violent gangs, blood feuds and drug lords,” she said. “In Ireland, the issues are different. The leprechauns are always worried that people are trying to steal their pots of gold, banshees disturb the peace with their incessant wailing, and the merrows are constantly harassing the young Irish lasses. All serious concerns, sure, but I really feel up to the task.”