The Latest
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City taking legal action with Leominster birthing center set to close Saturday
The birthing center at UMass Memorial Hospital in Leominster, Massachusetts, is slated to close at 7 a.m. on Saturday, despite major pushback from local leaders and community activists, including a legal challenge from the city. It appears vigils, protests and public pressure were not enough to keep the facility open. Staff at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester are bracing…
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Convicted Pedophile, Former Mass. Priest Paul Shanley Dead: Police
One of the most notorious figures in the Boston clergy sex abuse scandal has died, police said Friday. He was 89. Paul Shanley, a former Massachusetts priest who served 12 years in prison after he was convicted of raping a boy at a Newton church in the 1980s, died late last month, Ware police confirmed. A cause of death was…
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Mass. Bus Monitor ‘Potentially Exposes' 20 Students to COVID-19
Twenty Massachusetts students are quarantining at home after Auburn Public Schools notified them they were “potentially exposed” to a bus monitor who tested positive for the novel coronavirus. School officials sent a letter home to parents Friday that explained the students involved may have been in the presence of the bus monitor during morning and afternoon bus rides between Sept….
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Educators in Grafton Voice Concerns Over Hybrid Learning Plan
Educators in one Massachusetts community are voicing their concerns with the district’s fall learning plan amid the coronavirus pandemic. Grafton Public Schools started the year with a hybrid learning plan that school officials believe is one of the most ambitious in the Commonwealth. “I think we’re one of the few districts that are five days on and five days...
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Holy Cross Off-Campus Party Tied to at Least 1 Coronavirus Case
At least one case of coronavirus has been linked to an off-campus party at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts, according to officials — and results are pending on several other potential cases. College safety officers broke up the party Saturday night at an off-campus apartment rented by Holy Cross students. There were more than 25 people…
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Mass. Teachers Unions Rally for Safe School Reopening
Teachers demanding action from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker to safely reopen schools rallied at the state house and across the Commonwealth Wednesday. Organized by their unions, they called on Baker to “take action in support of safe and healthy public schools and colleges,” in a push for adequate HVAC systems and rapid coronavirus testing for K-12 schools. “We don’t...
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Hosts Admit House Party Was ‘Irresponsible,' Deny It Was ‘COVID Party'
Police are investigating after an alleged underage drinking party was held over the weekend in a central Massachusetts town, potentially exposing dozens of young people to the coronavirus. Police say the party, with at least 30 people between the ages of 16 and 23 in attendance, was held on the night of July 24 in Spencer, a town of just…
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Congresswoman Unveils $10B Bill to Help Mass. Child Care Facilities Reopen
As child care centers in Massachusetts continue to struggle to meet the new COVID-19 guidelines for reopening, a congresswoman has introduced a new bill to financially assist them. Somerville child care center owner Sarah Sian is one of the thousands of providers across the state who has been hit hard financially after being closed due to the pandemic. “We operate…
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‘He Was a Good Kid': Carjacking Suspect's Family Heartbroken After He Was Shot Dead By Police
The family of the man who was shot and killed by police at a Newbury gas station Sunday night says they are heartbroken and haunted with unanswered questions. Authorities Monday identified the deceased suspect connected to carjackings in Massachusetts and New Hampshire as 31-year-old Thomas Murray, of Dracut. “You can’t imagine what goes through your mind, what led up...
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Pregnant Woman, 21, Shot to Death in Worcester; Man Arrested
A man has been arrested in connection with the shooting death of 21-year-old Suheill Ortiz in Worcester, Massachusetts, local police said. Djarflo Irving, 37, was arrested on manslaughter and carrying a firearm and ammunition without a license charges, according to Worcester police. He is scheduled to face a judge Wednesday, a day after allegedly shooting the pregnant woman remembered by…
