Green Light

Driving on Market Street is aggravating enough without some unnecessary, and potentially dangerous, traffic obstacles, say readers in Brighton. Richard Sullivan told GlobeWatch that Surrey Street was recently changed from a one-way to two-way street. The alteration coincided with the opening of a parking lot for the TD Bank branch at the corner of Surrey and Market streets. "Most drivers turning into Surrey Street will be surprised to see a car coming at them out of what was always a one-way street," Sullivan wrote in an e-mail.

PHILADELPHIA - When Doc Rivers was asked before Game 1 of the series what Sixer he would not want to have the ball in a clutch situation, he didn't hesitate. "Oh, Lou Williams," said the Celtics coach. But Williams, the first player since Dell Curry in 1993-94 to lead his team in scoring without making a single start, has grown cold in the second round. He scored 9 points in Game 1, and followed that up with 8 points in 39 minutes in Game 2. He had 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting in 27 minutes and 38 seconds in a 107-91 loss to the Celtics Wednesday.

By Justin A. Rice, Town Correspondent The federal and state government gave Salem the green light yesterday to begin construction on Salem Wharf — a long sought after economic boon that could expand cruise ship traffic as well as draw whale watching and fishing boats to the pier.    Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said the improvements have been sought for 20 years and she's been trying to secure funding for the project since she took office...

Albania's parliament has approved legislation granting the European Union permission to investigate claims that civilian captives from the 1998-99 Kosovo war were murdered by organ traffickers. American prosecutor John Clint Williamson, who heads an EU investigation task force, described Thursday's vote as "a strong statement of Albania's commitment to accountability and the rule of law. " A Council of Europe report by Swiss politician Dick Marty alleged that the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army ran detention centers on Albania's border during neighboring Kosovo's war for independence from...

Albania's parliament has approved legislation granting the European Union permission to investigate claims that civilian captives from the 1998-99 Kosovo war were murdered by organ traffickers. American prosecutor John Clint Williamson, who heads an EU investigation task force, described Thursday's vote as "a strong statement of Albania's commitment to accountability and the rule of law. " A Council of Europe report by Swiss politician Dick Marty alleged that the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army ran detention centers on Albania's border during neighboring Kosovo's war for independence from...

PROVIDENCE - Political, business, and union leaders in Rhode Island are urging the state to approve a proposed merger of a Boston-based hospital chain and a financially troubled medical center in Woonsocket. Woonsocket Mayor Leo Fontaine, US Representative David Cicilline, and others said at a news conference yesterday that state regulators should approve the purchase of Landmark Medical Center by Steward Health Care Systems. They said the medical center provides critical medical services and is an anchor to the Woonsocket economy.

Boston's Combat Zone, the former hotbed of adult entertainment and prostitution, is seldom fondly memorialized, particularly in high-end architecture. But in a small nod to the city's seedier past, the new subterranean bar at the W Hotel, called Descent, is recalling the Combat Zone through subtle design features. "It's not intended as a celebration," says Paul Bentel, part of the team from Bentel & Bentel Architects, which designed the new club. "But there is a memory of this place that is worthy of some kind of memorial.

PHILADELPHIA - When Doc Rivers was asked before Game 1 of the series what Sixer he would not want to have the ball in a clutch situation, he didn't hesitate. "Oh, Lou Williams," said the Celtics coach. But Williams, the first player since Dell Curry in 1993-94 to lead his team in scoring without making a single start, has grown cold in the second round. He scored 9 points in Game 1, and followed that up with 8 points in 39 minutes in Game 2. He had 13 points on 4-for-10 shooting in 27 minutes and 38 seconds in a 107-91 loss to the Celtics Wednesday.

CAMBRIDGE - A dispirited-looking man trudges into a dingy, cluttered purgatory of an office. He tries but fails to boot up his computer. Then, seemingly for want of anything better to do, he begins to read aloud from a paperback copy of “The Great Gatsby’’ that he finds on his desk. Doesn’t sound like an electrifying start to six hours of theater, does it? Well, it isn’t. Yet such is the steadily accumulating power of “Gatz,’’ the remarkable production by the theater ensemble Elevator Repair Service now playing at the American Repertory...

Lightning McQueen and friends are about to get the green light at Disneyland. The park announced Wednesday that Cars Land, based on the Disney-Pixar "Cars" movies, is the headliner of four new attractions opening June 15 at Disney California Adventure Park after a five-year expansion. Cars Land will be 12 acres of rides, shops and restaurants based on the movie's town of Radiator Springs. Along with rides based on "A Bug's Life," Monsters, Inc. " and "Toy Story," it further cements California Adventure as the Pixar park.

Any avid golfer with a time-consuming job, or young children, or a spouse who doesn't play or understand the game, knows how precious a weekday round can be. Nine holes? Just enough to scratch the itch. Eighteen? Very satisfying. Thirty-six? Rare, but heavenly. My single-day record is 46 holes, carefully targeted a few summers ago on a trip to Colorado, upping the personal best by one weary, sunset-cheating sprint down a short par 4, which was predictably butchered. It would have been more - 54 holes was the goal - but we were met with morning fog, a delay that my hands, legs, and feet were...

DETROIT - He's been managing forever, it seems, but 10 years removed from his last major league job with the Mets, Red Sox manager Bobby Valentine was a little nervous before Thursday's 3-2 walkoff loss to the Tigers on Opening Day. He was a little drained afterward. "I'm fine," he said. "You hate to lose a game like that where there were a lot of things I liked. But for the first game there were a lot of things going on and I think we made all the right choices. " He said he woke up very early Thursday morning.

Lightning McQueen and friends are about to get the green light at Disneyland. The park announced Wednesday that Cars Land, based on the Disney-Pixar "Cars" movies, is the headliner of four new attractions opening June 15 at Disney California Adventure Park after a five-year expansion. Cars Land will be 12 acres of rides, shops and restaurants based on the movie's town of Radiator Springs. Along with rides based on "A Bug's Life," Monsters, Inc. " and "Toy Story," it further cements California Adventure as the Pixar park.

Hockey dads, at least in stereotype, are a beleaguered lot. An incident this week is not likely to help their cause. In a head-shaking display of parental misconduct, the father of a Winthrop High School hockey player shined a laser pointer on the ice at a girls playoff game Wednesday night, in a bizarre attempt to distract players on the opposing team, state hockey officials and fans say. Fans, coaches, and players noticed the green light...

LOS ANGELES — Four days after his big win at Pebble Beach, Phil Mickelson keeps right on rolling. Mickelson hit driver off the deck from just under 300 yards on the par-5 11th that led to a two-putt birdie, and he ended a gorgeous afternoon Thursday at Riviera by chipping in from 35 feet for birdie. That gave him a 5-under 66 and a one-shot lead in the Northern Trust Open. Dating to the back nine of his second round at the Pebble Beach National Pro-Am, Mickelson has made birdie or eagle on one-third of the holes he has played.

One-third of the pupils enrolled at Bresnahan Elementary School learn in a modular classroom. At the Nock-Molin school, steel brackets hold together a concrete block wall in the gym. Less noticeable perhaps, but just as significant, are the issues facing Newburyport's seniors, who must shuttle to and from sites scattered throughout the city to receive services from the Council on Aging. Hoping to remedy these problems, local leaders have scheduled a referendum for June 5 on three comprehensive capital projects: construction of a new Bresnahan school, major renovations to...

One-third of the pupils enrolled at Bresnahan Elementary School learn in a modular classroom. At the Nock-Molin school, steel brackets hold together a concrete block wall in the gym. Less noticeable perhaps, but just as significant, are the issues facing Newburyport's seniors, who must shuttle to and from sites scattered throughout the city to receive services from the Council on Aging. Hoping to remedy these problems, local leaders have scheduled a referendum for June 5 on three comprehensive capital projects: construction of a new Bresnahan school, major renovations to the Nock/Molin...

Former Patriots receiver Randy Moss took to live video-chat website ustream.tv this morning to celebrate his 35th birthday and make an announcement: he wants to make a comeback. "I just wanna go to a team and play some football," Moss said. Moss' agent announced his retirement last offseason, and today the receiver, who is tied with Terrell Owens for the second-most receiving touchdowns all-time (they have 153; Jerry Rice had 197), said that he had to step away to handle personal matters.

After going dark more than four decades ago, the Great Captains Island lighthouse is shining once more. Situated on the eastern point of the island 1 ½ miles off the Greenwich coast, the 51-foot granite and cast iron tower now features a 4-second flashing green light, according to Superintendent of Building and Construction Alan Monelli. Maintained by the town, the light, which began operating in November, is ornamental and does not replace the Coast Guard "After a lot of phone calling back and forth to the Coast Guard, we applied for (the light)