News in brief

Hub fire chief faces rape charges
BOSTON. A Boston deputy fire chief has been arrested after a Brockton woman accused him of forcing her to perform sexual acts at gunpoint. Bridget Norton Middleton, a spokeswoman for the Plymouth County District Attorney, said 51-year-old Peter Pearson of East Bridgewater will be arraigned today on charges of aggravated rape, assault with a deadly weapon, and other charges. He is being held without bail.               AP

MBTA rescinds raises
BOSTON. The head of the cash-strapped MBTA has rescinded a 9 percent raise given to executives and nonunion workers hours after state Transportation Secretary Bernard Cohen pressed him to reverse the pay hike. MBTA General Manager Daniel Grabauskas previously said the raises matched a salary increase given union employees.                 AP

 Judge throws out Marzilli civil case
BOSTON. A judge has denied a request for an unusual civil rights injunction against state Sen. James Marzilli to bar him from harassing all women in Massachusetts.
Attorney Wendy Murphy had sought the civil rights protection after three women she represents claimed the Arlington Democrat accosted them. A civil rights violation would have carried a stiff penalty of up to 10 years in prison.  AP

Bodybuilder argues case to BFD panel
BOSTON. Hub firefighter turned bodybuilder Albert Arroyo has been given 48 hours to corroborate his claim that he is too injured to return to work.

Arroyo appeared before a Boston Fire Department panel yesterday to appeal a decision to fire him from his job.
Arroyo participated in a national bodybuilding competition in May, six weeks after claiming a career-ending back injury and filing for permanent disability.

Arroyo was ordered to return to work last month, but did not.                        AP

Bay State schools dominate Forbes rankings
BOSTON.
Four Massachusetts schools finished in the top eight in Forbes' annual ranking of America's Best Colleges. Harvard was ranked third, behind only Princeton and California Institute of Technology. Williams College was ranked fifth overall, and Amherst and Wellesley were seventh and eighth, respectively.
METRO/TL

Everett woman held in third bank robbery
BOSTON. A "petite blonde" Everett woman already facing charges she robbed two banks in Cambridge was arraigned yesterday on one count of armed robbery in connection with an alleged heist in Charlestown, Suffolk County prosecutors announced. Kelli Dolaher, 29, allegedly handed a note to a teller at Citizens Bank on Austin Street during a March 27 incident, claiming she had a gun and to give her "all the money in the drawer." She was arrested five days later after allegedly robbing a bank in Inman Square in Cambridge, and later admitted to the Charlestown heist in interviews with investigators, officials said.
METRO/TL