Nahant/Saugus
Former town official sentenced in fraud case
Andrew Bisignani, 70, pleaded guilty Thursday to 12 counts of procurement fraud, destroying public records, municipal bid-rigging, and other crimes related to his position as Town Manager of Saugus and Nahant from January 1, 2009 to June 30, 2014, according to the Essex District Attorney’s office. Salem Superior Court Judge Timothy Feeley sentenced him to two years of probation including six months of home confinement to begin after the federal home confinement sentence he is currently serving for an unrelated income tax case is completed in January, 2018. Judge Feeley also imposed a $60,000 fine. In a statement, Bisignani said, “My concerns and priorities were always the health, safety, and well-being of the community I served, never my own self-interest. I was not charged with, nor did I plead guilty to, any act of personal gain . . . My hope is that the citizens of the communities I served know that I always acted in what I believed to be their best interests.’’
Rye, N.H.
Off-duty trooper catches big tuna
A state trooper reeled in a big fish — a massive 650-pound tuna. Nick Cyr says he was reading a book on his boat with two lines out Tuesday in Rye when he got a bite. He tells WBZ-TV he could immediately tell it was a big fish, the biggest he’s reeled in in a decade of tuna fishing. Cyr says the fish spun the boat in circles and dragged it for about 2 miles. After a 90-minute tug-of-war, Cyr managed to reel in the 9-foot Atlantic bluefin tuna. (AP)
Carlisle
Civil War-era artillery removed from library
Two live Civil War-era artillery shells were safely removed from a library in Carlisle Thursday morning, town police said. The antique munitions were discovered at Gleason Public Library at by new director Abby Noland. Noland had just started her job Monday when she stumbled across the shells while cleaning her new office. “I came in early to rearrange my closet and there was a little bin on the floor,’’ Noland said. The box was marked with a label explaining that its contents had been “inspected by a munitions historical expert, and they could be live,’’ Noland said. After opening the box and realizing what she had on her hands, Noland called the police who she said responded almost immediately.
Portland
City asks residents to leave turtle traps alone
Maine’s largest city is telling its residents to stop vandalizing traps that are designed to help move turtles to a pond. The city’s official Twitter account says Thursday that traps at Evergreen Cemetery are part of a project to transport turtles from the cemetery back to Capisic Pond. The city says some of the traps have been vandalized, presumably because people thought the traps were designed to harm animals. The city assures residents the traps ‘‘are a good thing.’’ (AP)
