HOLYOKE, Mass.

Judge rules church closing must be decided by Vatican

A Massachusetts judge says the future of a Holyoke church where parishioners have been holding a 24-hour vigil to protest its closure by the Springfield Diocese is up to the Vatican.

The Hampden Superior Court dismissed a trespassing lawsuit brought against Mater Dolorosa parishioners by Springfield Bishop Timothy McDonnell, and also dismissed countersuits by those in the vigil. The judge ruled Friday the dispute is a church matter not to be decided by American civil courts.

But the diocese said Monday it’s considering an appeal because the court is denying its rights as a property owner.

Attorney Victor Anop, a spokesman for parishioners in the vigil, called it a victory for religious freedom.

Parishioners have held the vigil since June, when the diocese closed the 115-year-old church, citing deep debt and a structurally unsound steeple.

WELLFLEET, Mass.

Four stranded dolphins get moved to open ocean

Animal welfare officials have rescued four more dolphins that stranded on Cape Cod over the weekend.

A spokeswoman for the International Fund for Animal Welfare says the dolphins got trapped Sunday in the Herring River in Wellfleet, but were successfully moved to the deeper, open waters off Province- town by about 8:30 p.m.

That came after two dolphins were rescued on Saturday.

The organization says 129 dolphins have stranded since Jan. 12. Of those, 92 have died and 37 have been successfully released.

Scientists are trying to figure out why so many dolphins are beaching in the Cape.

CONCORD, N.H.

Bill seeks to reduce level of noise from motorcycles

Seacoast-area state lawmakers are trying to lower noise levels with a bill that motorcyclists say takes the wrong approach.

The House bill would lower the legal noise level to 80 decibels for motorcycles or motorcycle exhaust systems built starting next year.

Motorcyclists say this would not fix the problem, which they say is an inability to enforce the current standard. Instead, the New Hampshire Motorcyclists’ Rights Organization advocates a new test from the Society of Automotive Engineers they say would help police field test for noise violations.

Bill sponsors, whose constituents complain about loud, motorcycle traffic in the summer, say they welcome anything resulting in lower noise levels. The House Transportation Committee is holding a hearing on the bill today