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This Hour: Latest Massachusetts news, sports, business and entertainment

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MASSACHUSETTS SENATE

Markey, Gomez heading into final campaign stretch

BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts's special U.S. Senate election is heading into its final stretch after Republican Gabriel Gomez and Democratic U.S. Rep. Edward Markey engaged in some testy exchanges during their final debate.

1 of Tuesday's sharpest confrontations came on the question of term limits.

Gomez said he told veteran Republican Sen. John McCain, who campaigned for Gomez last month, that he should leave the Senate at the end of his term.

When Markey challenged Gomez, saying he did not tell McCain that this should be his last term, Gomez said that conversation "absolutely did happen."

The two also sparred on gun control, taxes and Markey's record in Congress and Gomez's background in business.

The WGBH-TV debate, sponsored by a Boston media consortium, came less than one week before the June 25 election.

AMTRAK-FUNDING

Amtrak: Subsidy cuts would jeopardize service

WASHINGTON (AP) - Amtrak's president says long-distance trains and some short-haul routes would be jeopardized and service in the busy Northeast corridor might have to be slowed if federal subsidy cuts proposed by a House subcommittee are realized.

Iowa Republican Rep. Tom Latham is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee's transportation subcommittee. He proposed a fiscal 2014 transportation budget Tuesday that includes $950 million in operating and capital subsidies for Amtrak, nearly a third less than the railroad received last year.

Amtrak's Joseph Boardman says the House has decided the nation should be connected by train service but doesn't want to pay for the money-losing routes to needed to achieve that.

He says Amtrak lost $558 million on long-distance service last year but profited from its high-speed Acela service in the Northeast.

CAPE WIND

Cape Wind gets $200M investment from Danish fund

BOSTON (AP) - The Cape Wind offshore wind project has secured a $200 million investment from a Danish pension fund in what its president says is a milestone for the proposed 130-turbine project.

The $2.6 billion Cape Wind project aims to be the nation's first offshore wind farm. But Cape Wind has been delayed by lengthy reviews and entrenched opponents since it was proposed in 2001 and has been looking for financing.

In March, Cape Wind announced The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ would coordinate its financing, and also invest in the project itself, but no specific dollar commitment was given.

In a statement, PensionDanmark said it has already invested in two offshore wind farm projects in Denmark, and was "delighted" to participate in Cape Wind.

Cape Wind president Jim Gordon welcomed PensionDanmark's decision and called it a "milestone" for Cape Wind.

CASINO GAMBLING

Casino games begin at Twin River

LINCOLN, R.I. (AP) - Bettors will soon be able to play blackjack, roulette and craps at the Twin River Casino as Rhode Island moves to get a head start on neighboring Massachusetts.

Twin River will open 65 new tables offering Las Vegas-style games with a ribbon cutting Wednesday morning. The Lincoln, R.I., facility won voter approval last fall to expand from a slot parlor into a full-fledged casino.

On a recent tour of the new tables, Twin River chairman John Taylor said the facility has hired some 400 new employees to support the expansion.

Supporters say the expansion will protect state gambling revenue from competition from Massachusetts, where casinos have been authorized but not yet built.

Those who prefer Twin River's slots can rest easy: Twin River still has more than 4,500 slot machines.

BLACK BOX BILL

US Rep. Capuano bill would limit car "black boxes"

BOSTON (AP) - U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano is co-sponsoring a bill he says will give car owners more control over so-called "black box" recorders.

The legislation would require manufacturers to let consumers known if a recorder is installed in their car and what kind of information the recorder is collecting.

The bill also requires car makers to provide information about how the data may be used.

The bill would also put ownership of the data in the hands of the car owner and require permission before the information can be accessed. Under the bill, consumers would have the option of controlling the recording function in future automobiles or motorcycles.

Capuano called the bill "a basic issue of privacy" and said car owners "should have control over the information collected by event data recorders in their own vehicles."

WHITEY BULGER

Ex-Bulger cohort to spend 3rd day on witness stand

BOSTON (AP) - A former enforcer for James "Whitey" Bulger is expected to face more tough cross-examination by Bulger's lawyers when he returns to the witness stand for a third day.

James Martorano, who admitted killing 20 people, is set to continue testifying Wednesday.

On Monday and Tuesday, Martorano described a string of killings he said Bulger either ordered or participated in, including the 1982 killing of Boston businessman John Callahan, who Martorano described as a close friend.

Martorano said he reluctantly agreed to kill Callahan at the insistence of Flemmi and Bulger, who said Callahan would likely finger the gang in the 1981 killing of Tulsa, Okla., businessman Roger Wheeler. He said Bulger and Flemmi said Callahan had to be killed because he wouldn't hold up if questioned about Wheeler's killing.

Martorano said he stopped killing people after he fatally shot Callahan in 1982.

HERNANDEZ-POLICE

Police visit home of Patriots TE Aaron Hernandez

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. (AP) - State and local police spent hours at the home of New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez on Tuesday night as another group of officers searched an industrial park about a mile away where a body was discovered the day before.

Police at the scene and prosecutors would not comment on the actions while Sports Illustrated, citing an unidentified source, reported that Hernandez was not believed to be a suspect in what was being treated as a possible homicide. The magazine says police have spoken with Hernandez.

Sports Illustrated reports that the link between Hernandez and the case was a rented Chevrolet Suburban with Rhode Island plates that police had been searching for. The Sun Chronicle of Attleboro, Mass., says the SUV was registered to Enterprise and investigators wanted to analyze it for fingerprints.

The Associated Press could not independently confirm the reports.

No cause of death had been released for the body found about 5:30 p.m. Monday.

BOLIVIA-DOG ATTACK

Bolivian girl mauled by dog to fly to US for help

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) - Doctors in Bolivia say a 4-year-old girl who was unconscious for nearly three weeks after being mauled in the face and body by a Rottweiler is conscious and ready to fly to Boston for reconstructive surgery.

The case of Rosalia has been closely watched by Bolivians. Doctors say it also drew the attention of the Boston Children's Hospital, which offered to send a plane to pick up the girl.

Rosalia was unconscious following the May 24 attack until last Wednesday, when she woke up and asked for her mother.

Dr. Alfredo Rodriguez at the Bolivian children's hospital said Tuesday that Rosalia is out of the most critical stage and is ready to travel.

Authorities in Bolivia say they expect the plane from the Boston hospital to arrive Thursday.

ENDANGERED HISTORIC PLACES-MASS

Mass. lighthouse on endangered places list

AQUINNAH, Mass. (AP) - A Martha's Vineyard lighthouse that's in danger of tumbling off the cliffs it was built on in the 1800s has been named 1 of the country's most endangered historic places.

The Gay Head Lighthouse in Aquinnah has stood on the Gay Head Cliffs since 1856, and a lighthouse has been in its spot since 1799.

But on Wednesday, the National Trust for Historic Preservation placed the lighthouse on its 2013 Most Endangered Historic Places list.

Erosion is eating away the clay cliffs. The lighthouse is about 50 feet from the edge, and it won't be long before there's too little cliff left to safely move the lighthouse.

A town committee is leading efforts to raise $3 million to move the lighthouse to a spot nearby, where it hopes the lighthouse will stand for another century.

BOSTON MARATHON-MEDAL GIFT

Boston Marathon winner giving medal to city

BOSTON (AP) - Boston Marathon winner Lelisa Desisa is giving his medal to the City of Boston as a tribute to the victims and families affected by the twin bombing near the race's finish line.

The Ethiopian will present the medal to Mayor Thomas Menino on Sunday on Boston Common.

Desisa announced his intention to give up the medal at a meeting last month with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, the longtime senator from Massachusetts.

In a statement, Desisa said his joy at winning turned to sorrow after the bombs went off less than two hours after he crossed the finish line.

He said he's giving up the medal as a gesture of solidarity with the victims and in memory of those who suffered and those who died that day.

STANLEY CUP-RATINGS

Stanley Cup Game 3 draws record viewers for NBCSN

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - The Stanley Cup finals' Game 3 drew the most viewers for the NHL on NBC Sports Network since the cable channel started televising the league in 2006.

The Bruins' 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Monday night averaged just over 4 million viewers, topping the 3.96 million for Boston's overtime victory in Game 2. It's nearly double the close to 2.1 million for the second finals game on the network last year, Game 4 between the Devils and Kings.

STANLEY CUP-BRUINS

Penalty-killer Paille steps up offense for Bruins

BOSTON (AP) - His teammates always knew Daniel Paille was more than a speedy penalty killer who specialized in defense for the Boston Bruins.

Given his chance on a rebuilt line, he's spreading the news in the Stanley Cup finals.

Paille scored the winning goal in the Bruins' 2-1 overtime victory in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup finals against the Chicago Blackhawks, then picked up Game 3's first goal in a 2-0 win Monday night.

His next chance comes Wednesday night when Boston will try to improve on its 2-1 lead in the best-of-7 series.

Right wing Shawn Thornton has played on the fourth line with Paille all season and says he's been a great player for the Bruins.

Hard to argue these days.

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