Barnstable
Kennedy’s disorderly conduct charge dropped
A disorderly conduct charge was dismissed Tuesday against a son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, the Cape and Islands district attorney’s office said. Matthew Maxwell Kennedy, 52, was arrested in August after he allegedly argued with police officers who had responded to a loud party in Hyannis Port. On Tuesday, Kennedy appeared in Barnstable District Court, and the charge was dropped. He was found to have violated a Barnstable antinoise bylaw for the August incident and had to pay a $150 fine, a spokeswoman for prosecutors, Tara L. Miltimore, said. In a statement, Kennedy said he has the “utmost respect’’ for Barnstable police. “The department has been involved in many moments — both happy and sad — with my family over the years and I’m grateful for their service,’’ he said. Police had alleged that Kennedy threw himself into a wall, smashed a shelf full of glass objects, and refused to cooperate when officers tried to place him in handcuffs while responding to a party in the early hours of Aug. 20. But in his statement, Kennedy called the incident “just a noise violation’’ and said that “some reports blew the situation out of proportion.’’ Kennedy’s 22-year-old daughter, Caroline, was arrested after she opened the door of a police cruiser her father had been placed in, according to police. Her case is ongoing. The DA’s office said she is due in court Nov. 22.
Concord, N.H.
Panel to examine public boat access to lake
Governor Chris Sununu has signed an executive order establishing a commission to research public boat access at Lake Sunapee. The commission will evaluate ‘‘potential alternative opportunities’’ for development of what’s known as the 3.3-acre Wild Goose Site owned by the state and for expansion of public boat access at the lake. (AP)
Exeter, N.H.
Phillips Exeter, police in deal on abuse reporting
Police and a New Hampshire prep school that was the focus of sexual-assault allegations have reached an agreement that says suspected acts of sexual abuse involving children will be reported to police and to a state agency. The agreement with Phillips Exeter Academy says suspected abuse shall be reported to the state Division of Children, Youth and Families and then to the school’s director of student well-being, followed by oral and written reports to the agency and police from the school’s general counsel. Concerns about sex abuse at Exeter were raised following revelations last year about a former teacher who was forced to resign in 2011 after admitting misconduct dating to the 1970s. Another teacher was fired amid allegations he had sexual encounters with a student decades ago. (AP)
Middlebury, Vt.
Rowdy protest prompts speaker policy change
Middlebury College, the site of a rowdy protest of a guest speaker in March, has announced a policy for hosting such events. The guidelines follow a deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., and what it says are other threats to safety on campuses. They call for evaluating the safety risks of proposed events and say the school would consider canceling only those that cause imminent and credible threats that cannot be helped by changing the event plan. A March speech by Charles Murray, who co-wrote a book discussing racial differences in intelligence, prompted clashes. (AP)
