BOSTON

MBTA still probing Red Line derailment

Investigators on Thursday were still trying to ­determine what caused a motor failure and ­derailment the day before on a Red Line train, which interrupted service for hours at three ­Boston MBTA stations.“The root cause of ­yesterday’s incident remains the focus of an ­ongoing investigation,’’ said Joe Pesaturo, an ­MBTA spokesman, in an e-mail Thursday ­afternoon. “Repairs to the ­area where the train derailed were made ­yesterday, and trains are ­operating at their regular speeds.’’ The T had said on Wednesday that the last car of the six-car train derailed as it ­headed north ­approaching Andrew Station around 9:20 a.m. The car then “re-railed itself as it entered ­Andrew Station before stopping,’’ the MBTA said in a statement. “Once stopped at Andrew, ­customers safely unloaded from the train; the train was immediately taken out of service and exited the station under its own power.’’ About 300 feet of third rail was damaged, but no ­injuries were reported.

BOSTON

Lawmaker from Western Mass. dies

A state lawmaker representing a western Massachusetts district has died. The death of ­Representative Peter Kocot, 61, was announced Thursday in an e-mail sent by House Speaker Robert DeLeo. DeLeo said Kocot died Thursday morning, but didn’t offer details on the cause of death. Kocot co-chaired the Committee on Health Care Financing and also served on the House Committee on Ethics. He was first elected to the House in a 2002 special election. Kocot’s district includes Hatfield, Northampton, Southampton, Westhampton, and Montgomery. (AP)

CONCORD, N.H.

House rejects guns on college campuses

House lawmakers on Thursday rejected an attempt to allow pistols and revolvers on public college campuses, while the Senate agreed to consider giving school boards explicit authority to ban guns. Lawmakers did not mention last week’s high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., during their debates, but it clearly was the motivation behind Senator Martha Hennessey’s effort to amend an education-related bill to give school boards the power to prohibit guns in designated safe school zones. The federal Gun-Free School Zones Act bans weapons within 1,000 feet of a school, but New Hampshire law gives the Legislature the sole authority to regulate guns. (AP)

AUGUSTA

Fentanyl drives up overdose deaths

The number of drug-induced deaths in Maine continued to rise last year although at a slower pace than the previous year, Maine’s attorney general said Thursday. There were 418 drug-induced deaths in the state last year, up 11 percent from the previous year, Attorney General Janet Mills said. The number of drug deaths rose by 40 percent from 2015 to 2016. The latest report comes as new data from the Centers for Disease Controlshow 14 states, including Massachusetts, saw a decline in drug overdose deaths in the 12-month period that ended July 2017. (AP)