--Boston 911 operators are under scrutiny again because a call taker's error led to a delay in the arrival of police as a 76-year-old man was being beaten. [Boston Globe]

--Smokers aren't too happy about the Senate's approval of a $1 rise in cigarette taxes. [Boston Herald]

--Speaking of tax increases, Brookline voters approved a tax override. [Boston Globe]

--In the "brass balls" department, the mayor of Newton, David Cohen, wants a pay raise. It wouldn't be a big deal if it was for cost of living, but we're talking 28%, even as cuts loom over the city. [Boston Globe]

--Massachusetts has a horse-cruelty case of its own. A man went to court because he refuses to euthanize his 29-year-old horse, whom activists say is suffering. The decision on the case has been postponed six weeks. [Boston Herald]

--A student group from Northeastern is fighting to get the school's janitors a raise. [Northeastern News]

Image of the Christian Science Center by Chris Kantos from photos tagged "Bostonist" on Flickr.