Yesterday, the researcher behind University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth studies supportive of the proposed Harrah's-Narragansett Indian casino was mentioned in a Political Scene blog item about his plans to speak at a Harrah's-backed conference in Las Vegas next month.

Today, Clyde W. Barrow, 50, director of the UMass Center for Policy Analysis, pleaded not guilty in Fall River District Court to charges of assault and battery, intimidating a witness and marijuana possession.

Barrow was arrested over the weekend at his apartment, after he was accused of assaulting a woman after what Barrow described as a dispute over marriage.

-- With reports from Journal staff writer C. Eugene Emery Jr.