News in brief

BOSTON. Two officials who challenged the reliability of electronic voting systems were honored Monday at the John F. Kennedy Library for their efforts to maintain the integrity of the vote in their respective states. California Secretary of State Debra Bowen and Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner were presented with Profile in Courage Awards.    AP

BOSTON. Gov. Deval Patrick’s incoming education secretary said today that the Readiness Project, slated for an early June release, would contain many “brand new” items, some of which could be immediately acted upon by the state’s boards of education, individual teachers or schools, or local communities on their own.    SHNS

WESTFIELD. The only Russian language newspaper published in western Massachusetts has ceased operations after putting out 48 issues in four years.    AP

BOSTON. Massachusetts’ labs allegedly lying about their experimentation on primates have made the Bay State the second worst state in the country in terms of such deception, according to a national audit released yesterday by the research watchdog group, SAEN. Local labs among the worst facilities in the country for deceitful reporting are Harvard, MIT, McLean Hospital, Mass General Hospital and Charles River Laboratories. According to the audit, the labs reported that only 64 of 22,564 primates — or 0.3 percent — in experimentation in the last five years in Massachusetts experienced any unrelieved pain or distress. Opponents of such work say the numbers are reduced so that the labs can “avoid stricter government regulations and closer public scrutiny.”    METRO/TL

WEST BOYLSTON. State police say a male driver and a female passenger were killed when their car went out of control and crashed on Route 190.    AP

SPRINGFIELD. Springfield police are investigating weekend shootings that injured three people — including a 73-year-old woman. Police said the woman was wounded in the leg by a stray bullet shortly after midnight Sunday outside a restaurant. Witnesses told police the bullet came from a passing car.    AP

BOSTON. A key state lawmaker has added his voice to those calling for the University of Massachusetts to revoke an honorary degree awarded to Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe. Rep. Kevin Murphy says continuing to honor Mugabe runs contrary to the values the university stands for. The Lowell Democrat co-chairs the Legislature’s Committee on Higher Education.        AP

PROVIDENCE. Several foam manufacturers have agreed to pay $30 million to settle lawsuits brought by survivors and family members of those who died in a 2003 nightclub fire that killed 100 people, according to court papers filed yesterday. The foam settlements bring to more than $100 million the amount of money offered so far to victims of the Feb. 20, 2003, fire at The Station nightclub from several companies, including Home Depot, Clear Channel Broadcasting and fireworks makers. The settlements must still be approved by those who sued as well as the federal judge overseeing the case.    AP

BOSTON. A former hedge fund manager from Waltham and his investment business have agreed to pay more than $1 million to settle an insider trading case.    AP