EXTRA...

Delahunt dumping campaign chest on family; Special Prosecutor to look at Bishop killing here; Patti Page gets a road; NStar moves ahead with herbicide spraying

TODAY's quote: "Bobrov is excellent at what he does. He's a great guy.
Everything is totally proper. Totally legal."
- Mark Forest.

U.S. Rep. William Delahunt shells out $500G from coffers, mostly to family, and fun
Ex-wife pulled down $48,000 as receptionist, daughter, son-in-law also paid

Daughter Kara Delahunt, who recently bought a $620,000 Milton manse with Bobrov, pocketed hundreds in campaign cash as a "freelance photographer," records show. Delahunt's PAC also paid her $421 for photography services last month.

U.S. Rep. William Delahunt blew nearly $560,000 in campaign cash last year - much of it on lavish meals and a family-friendly payroll that includes his ex-wife, son-in-law and daughter - stoking speculation the Quincy Democrat is emptying his war chest and won't seek re-election.

Nickolai Bobrov, who is married to Delahunt's daughter Kara, has raked in $47,732 since landing on the payroll as the congressman's campaign manager in July, including a $10,000 payment that month marked retroactive for "consulting services April-July," according to campaign finance records.

All told, Delahunt's campaign committee doled out $558,354 last year, leaving his war chest with less than $570,000, records show. The seven-term congressman raised a paltry $42,000 last year... Herald.
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A.G. Coakley approve request for Special Prosecutor on Amy Bishop case
Judge to review Bishop brother's death; district attorney initiates inquest

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley issued the following statement regarding Norfolk District Attorney William Keating's announcement that his office will initiate an inquest into the 1986 death of Seth Bishop in Braintree:

"Over the past several weeks it has become clear that there was a need for an independent third party review of what happened at the Bishop home in Braintree in December 1986. A Massachusetts statute allows for the District Attorney or the Attorney General to call for an inquest by the District Court. We are pleased that District Attorney Keating has initiated this inquest and believe it is the appropriate course of action, particularly since his office, in cooperation with the State Police, has already commenced an investigation into the facts and circumstances of this tragic shooting."

 See Globe story here.

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Singer Patti Page gets her own road on Cape Cod

Patti Page, who once sang about the "sand dunes and salty air" and "quaint little villages here and there" of Cape Cod is being honored with her own road on the vacation haven.

A ceremony is scheduled for Friday to rename a street in Hyannis "Patti Page Way."

Page is scheduled to attend the dedication ceremony run in conjunction with the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce and the town of Barnstable.

The 1957 song "Old Cape Cod" that also mentions "lobster stew" and "church bells chimin' on a Sunday morn" is one of 111 charted singles Page has had in a seven-decade recording career, including the No. 1 hits "Tennessee Waltz" and "Doggie in the Window"... Herald.
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TIME'S UP: After a delay, NStar moves ahead with herbicide plans
Public health concerns and potential threats to wells

After agreeing in 2009 to temporarily delay its controversial herbicide treatments along power line easements in Orleans, Eastham and Wellfleet, NStar is set to begin the vegetation-control program on or around June 1, utility spokesman Michael Durand told The Cape Codder this week...

The utility also recently notified Brewster and Harwich that spraying would begin this spring in those towns, too. The goal is to maintain access to the power lines and to prevent interference from trees, shrubs and other vegetation.  Citizens last year loudly protested the utility's plan to use herbicides, saying the Cape's fragile ecosystem shouldn't be subject to more chemicals in its soil. They also cited public health concerns and potential threats to wells... The Cape Codder.