Springfield
Child deemed cause of fire that killed three
A child playing with matches sparked the March 18 Springfield apartment fire that killed a man and his two children, officials said Wednesday. Fire officials identified the man as Aden Abdakadr and his children as Ahmet, 2, and Fatumo Ahmed,1, according to a statement from the state fire marshal’s office. They were found dead in their second-floor apartment at 49 Belmont Ave. after Abdakadr ran back into the building to save his son and daughter. His wife and third child both made it out of the apartment. “Every fire starts small; and every fire has the ability to take a life, which is why adults need to take every use of fire by children and youth seriously,’’ state Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey said in the statement.
Orleans
Ordnance believed to be from WWII ship
Officials believe two large pieces of military ordnance discovered at a town dock came from a storied target ship built during World War II. Orleans Fire Chief Anthony Pike said the devices were “apparently accidentally caught by fishing boats and deposited on the dock they unload on.’’ He said there was “no word on who left them.’’ US Navy bomb technicians determined one of the devices, which was 10 feet long, was a missile used in testing, Pike said. When removing the device, investigators found a second piece of military ordnance nearby, Pike said. The State Police bomb squard also responded. State fire marshal’s spokeswoman Jennifer Mieth said the second device was a 5-foot “military projectile.’’ The devices are both believed to have originated from the SS James Longstreet, a ship whose rusted remnants remain in Cape Cod Bay, Pike said.
Manchester, N.H.
O’Malley to deliver St. Anselm’s address
Cardinal Seán Patrick O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston will deliver Saint Anselm College’s commencement address on Sunday, May 20, the school announced Wednesday. “This promises to be a special and memorable day — both for our graduating students and the entire Saint Anselm community,’’ Steven R. DiSalvo, president of the Benedictine college, said. O’Malley, the Boston archbishop since 2003, was ordained a priest of the Capuchin Franciscan Order in 1970. He was appointed a cardinal in 2006 by Pope Benedict XVI. He now serves on the Council of Cardinals as a special advisor to Pope Francis. St. Anselm College will also award honorary degrees at the May 20 ceremony to Richard L. Bready, a businessman and philanthropist who graduated from the school in 1965, and Eileen M. Stuart-Shor, a 1971 graduate, lecturer at University of Massachusetts Boston, and nurse practitioner at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. John F. Romps, Jr., a forensic economist and professor emeritus of the school, will also receive an honorary degree.
Smithfield, R.I.
Bulldog mascot to get red-carpet welcome
Bryant University’s new mascot will make his official debut in a red carpet ceremony. School president Ronald Matchley says the mascot has all the traits of ‘‘the best damn bulldog in the country.’’ The private university welcomes Tupper II on Thursday. The 12-week-old pup was chosen from a Maryland breeder after an extensive search. The school’s first official bulldog mascot, Ironclad Tupper I, collapsed and died of an apparent stroke during the college’s Festival of Lights in December. (AP)
