Massachusetts

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― DNA evidence has linked an air conditioning repairman to the stabbing deaths of three women, including a former girlfriend of actor Ashton Kutcher, police said Friday.

Michael Gargiulo, 32, of Santa Monica has been in custody since July for a separate knife attack and could face murder charges as soon as next week, police said.

Santa Monica police Lt. Darrell Lowe said DNA collected from a crime scene last spring helped link Gargiulo to the stabbing deaths of women from Los Angeles, suburban Chicago and Monterey Park.

One of the cases involves 22-year-old Ashley Ellerin, Kutcher’s former girlfriend, who was found dead in February 2001 in her Hollywood Hills home.

Kutcher, who starred in the television series “That ’70s Show” and is married to actress Demi Moore, told police he went to pick up the fashion student-model for a post-Grammy Awards party, but she did not answer the door. (Read the full post about ‘Police: DNA Links Man To Murder Of Kutcher’s Ex’…)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Fuel prices have grounded an unexpected frequent-flyer: Diddy.

Sean “Diddy” Combs complained about the “… too high” price of gas and pleaded for free oil from his “Saudi Arabia brothers and sisters” in a YouTube video posted Wednesday.

The hip-hop mogul said he is now flying on commercial airlines instead of in private jets, which Combs said had previously cost him $200,000 and up for a roundtrip between New York and Los Angeles.

“I’m actually flying commercial,” Diddy said before walking onto an airplane, sitting in a first-class seat and flashing his boarding pass to the camera. “That’s how high gas prices are. I’m at the gate right now. (Read the full post about ‘‘Diddy’ Halts Private Jet Flights Over Fuel Prices’…)

NEW YORK (AP) ― Michael Jackson celebrated his 50th birthday Friday, but he’s still young at heart.

“I’ll just have a little cake with my children and we’ll probably watch some cartoons,” the pop star said in an interview with ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” Jackson talked by phone with ABC on Thursday.

Jackson, a twice-divorced father of three, said he aims to provide a normal life for his children.

“I am letting them enjoy their childhood as much as possible. … I let them go to the arcade and go to the movies and do things. I think that comes naturally. (Read the full post about ‘Michael Jackson, At 50, Says ‘Best Is Yet To Come’’…)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― Lindsay Lohan had words for her father on her blog.

The 22-year-old actress lashed out at father Michael by calling him a “public embarrassment” and a “bully” in a MySpace blog entry posted Thursday. Earlier in the week, Michael said in an interview with E! that Lohan gal pal Samantha Ronson was “using” his daughter.

Lohan’s publicist, Leslie Sloane-Zelnik, confirmed the post by Lohan was legitimate.

“If you have something to say to me, say it to my face — that’s what I have believed my whole life — don’t be a coward and say it to others first, let alone all the media in the world,” Lohan wrote.

The father and daughter have publicly quarreled for years. (Read the full post about ‘Lindsay Lohan Lashes Out At Dad On MySpace Blog’…)

LOS ANGELES (AP) ― David Duchovny, who plays a sex-obsessed character on Showtime’s “Californication,” has entered a rehabilitation facility for sex addiction.

The 48-year-old actor said he did so voluntarily, in a statement released Thursday by his lawyer, Stanton Stein. He added: “I ask for respect and privacy for my wife and children as we deal with this situation as a family.”

Duchovny’s publicist, Flo Grace, confirmed the report, which first appeared on the Web site People.com. She and Stein both declined further comment.

“All of us at Showtime wish David and his family the best during this very private time,” the network said in a statement.

The second season of “Californication” begins Sept. (Read the full post about ‘David Duchovny In Rehab For Sex Addiction’…)

MENDON (AP) ― Residents in the small town of Mendon are fighting what they see as a threat to their way of life: a 8,900-square-foot strip club.

Courts in Massachusetts have ruled that nude dancing is a protected form of expression and cities and towns can’t adopt outright bans.

Some towns like Mendon have reacted by creating adult entertainment zones to restrict where the clubs can locate.

But that has acted like a lure.

Mendon officials shot down one recent proposal for a strip club because the business was located just outside the zone.

But now residents say they want to block another proposed club, this one located inside the adult entertainment zone. (Read the full post about ‘Mass. Town Fights Strip Club Plan’…)

BOSTON (AP) ― Boston is bracing for the annual surge in its college student population.

The city says it will have extra trucks on the street to help collect packing debris and will have additional police on hand to help keep traffic flowing.

The city says it will also have extra housing inspectors available to make sure that apartments being rented are up to standards. Tenants can request on-the-spot inspections from the city.

Boston’s population typically swells each year as thousands of college students from across the country and the world stream into the city for the start of the new academic year.

(© 2008 The Associated Press.

(Read the full post about ‘Boston Braces For Annual College Student Surge’…)

BOSTON (WBZ) ― The National Football League suspended Patriots running back Kevin Faulk for the regular season opener for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Faulk was also fined two games’ pay.

Faulk pleaded no contest in July to misdemeanor marijuana charges. 

He will be eligible to return to the Patriots’ active roster on Sept. 8 following the team’s Sept. 7 opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. His suspension began Saturday.

Faulk was issued a misdemeanor summons for simple possession of marijuana at a Lil Wayne concert at the Cajundome in Lafayette, La., in February. (Read the full post about ‘NFL Suspends Faulk For Opener’…)

BOSTON (WBZ) ― The Patriots have placed two players on the reserve/injured list and on player on the reserve/non-football injury list. The team also released 14 players Saturday.

Tackle Oliver Ross was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list, while linebacker Bo Ruud and defensive lineman Kenny Smith were placed on the reserve/injured list. Ruud is recovering from an ankle injury while Smith is nursing an issue with his arm. (Read the full post about ‘Patriots Place 2 On Injured List, Release 14′…)

BRAINTREE (WBZ) ― In 2005, Barry Beaudoin began a year’s deployment in Kuwait with the Army National Guard.

“Luckily when I was overseas, because of my rank, my pay was comparable,” said Beaudoin. “But a lot of other people, their pay was not comparable and it’s a hardship on those families.”

In Braintree, where veteran memorials line a walkway in front of the town hall, officials have found a new way to help with that hardship on the home front. Some National Guard and Reserve members who’ve been sent overseas between 2002 and the present will receive property tax exemptions for the time of their deployment. (Read the full post about ‘Braintree Offers Veterans Property Tax Break’…)