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Boston man charged in alleged rampage through sacred, historic sites

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An unhinged suspect vandalized some of the city’s most-revered historical stops along the Freedom Trail, with a judge refusing to let him back out on the street.

Lawrence Hawkins, 46, of Boston, was arraigned Monday after leaving the alleged path of destruction overnight Saturday, including damage to the Holocaust Memorial and even Paul Revere’s grave.

Police arrested Hawkins at the Southampton Street shelter and charged him in multiple acts of vandalism after reviewing video surveillance that traced his alleged spree of destruction along sites closely aligned with the Freedom Trail.

Hawkins was arraigned in Boston Municipal Court on Monday morning, during which he rambled and was chastised by the judge several times. The judge ordered Hawkins to be evaluated by a doctor ahead of a dangerousness hearing and held the suspect on $22,500 bail.

Hawkins previously spent time in Bridgewater State Hospital and suffers from mental health and substance abuse disorders, lawyers said.

Police received an initial report of a breaking and entering at Charles Street South just before midnight on Saturday. Upon arrival, police found the front door smashed and a brick inside the business.

There was video surveillance from that incident and police broadcast the clip of the suspect.

Shortly after midnight, an officer reporting for duty arrived at his cruiser and found his front windshield smashed. Again, there was video of the suspect, and police broadcast a description.

Another report came in for a business damaged at Sudbury Street, again, officers found a broken window.

Following video surveillance of the area, police were able to observe further acts of vandalism including at the Holocaust Memorial, where they saw Hawkins throw an unknown object at the hallowed site, according to BPD.

At the site, they found a brick on the ground and damage to the sacred memorial.

Further damage, again in the form of smashed windows, was reported at Court Square and on Washington Street. More video surveillance was recovered showing the same suspect from prior incidents, according to police.

Hawkins was tracked and eventually seen entering the the shelter at 112 Southampton Street.  A supervisor there confirmed he was inside and Hawkins was arrested at approximately 4:30 a.m.

Later, at around 10:30 Sunday morning, police received a report of numerous toppled graves and smashed headstones at the historic Granary Burying Ground in the area of Tremont and Bromfield.

Upon investigation, police found 14 gravestones pulled from the ground or smashed, including that of the revolutionary figure Paul Revere.

More destruction was found at the nearby King’s Chapel Burying Ground, including one tombstone completely wrenched from the ground.

Police again consulted video surveillance of the area and were able to observe a suspect matching Hawkins description.

The National Park Service has been notified of the investigation and damage at the historic settings.

Lawrence Hawkins, who seemed uninterested in court, is accused of leaving a trail of destruction. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Breast cancer survivor to dance in ‘Nutcracker’

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LUNENBURG — Melissa Dupuis has a lot to be thankful for these days.

The former longtime professional ballet dancer is grateful to once again be taking the stage next weekend after a years-long hiatus; a milestone made that much sweeter as she is now in remission from breast cancer.

“I never really thought about my mortality until I got diagnosed,” Dupuis said about being diagnosed with Stage 2 HER2+ breast cancer in January of 2022 at the age of 38, shortly after her daughter’s first birthday. “I thought I had a clogged duct, turns out it was cancer. My family and I were planning on possibly having a second child, perhaps moving to a bigger home, and our life came to a screeching halt. I realized that we are all so fragile and life can change in an instant.”

Fast forward to today, after six rounds of chemotherapy and 25 rounds of radiation, losing all her hair, and undergoing a double mastectomy with reconstruction, all within a year, the tumor is gone, and Dupuis is now cancer free. And she is looking forward to performing once again in “The Nutcracker” following a pandemic and illness related interruption.

The Dupuis family - Sage, 3, Melissa, and Jake. (COURTESY MELISSA DUPUIS)
The Dupuis family – Sage, 3, Melissa, and Jake. (COURTESY MELISSA DUPUIS)

Dupuis grew up in Lunenburg and lived there through her childhood and until going off to college.

“It was a great place to grow up and I have many fond memories living there,” she said of her hometown.

She and her husband Jake and their 3-year-old daughter Sage and Australian Shephard Stanlee recently moved to Newbury after living in the Boston area for 15 years. She was a professional ballet dancer for over 15 years dancing with a small company in Boston – until the pandemic arrived.

“Once Covid hit we all had to stop dancing, then I got sick so I couldn’t participate in ‘The Nutcracker’ as I usually do,” Dupuis said. “This year will be my first year back dancing with North Central Youth Ballet and I’ll be their Sugar Plum Fairy. Why am I sharing this? I think it’s important to not only raise awareness for our youth to get checked out if they feel something is not right, but also and perhaps more importantly that you can rise above challenges and accomplish anything you put your mind to. In my case, it was surviving cancer and getting back on the stage!”

Dupuis said she hopes people will find her story “inspiring” and that she is happy to share it. When asked how her cancer diagnosis changed her life, she expressed that she is one of those people who does “all the right things.”

“I eat really healthy, I exercise daily, I am in tune with my mental health, I drink water and I practice good sleep hygiene. And yet, I still got sick,” Dupuis said. “My diagnosis rocked me. I immediately thought of my family and leaving them behind. I never really took life and happiness for granted, I’ve always been a happy person, but after my diagnosis this escalated. I really started to be present even more. I got rid of any toxicity in my life, I focused on the people, places and things that brought me joy and made my life full. The little things became the big things. Life is so precious, and short. It’s so important that we focus on joy and happiness.”

She said she “went through a loft of trauma” during treatments and that it wasn’t until they stopped that she “could finally come up for air.”

“I felt like I got hit by a brick. What. Just. Happened. To. Me.,” Dupuis said.

Besides the physical and emotional toll that the treatments brought, there was also another challenging aspect she had to face.

“I unfortunately had to stay very isolated from people as Covid was still showing it’s terrible face,” Dupuis said. “It was lonely, but my support system made me feel so loved. I am so blessed to have an enormous support system and I wouldn’t have gotten through this as gracefully without them. My husband was my caregiver, he saw me at my worst and was my rock the entire time. He took on all the responsibilities of our home with grace, allowing me to focus on healing and surviving. It’s not every day you meet someone and can survive a global pandemic and cancer all in the first three years of marriage. He’s amazing and I am so grateful.”

Lunenburg native and former professional ballet dancer Melissa Dupuis is returning to the stage on Dec. 1 and 2 in the North Central Youth Ballet production of “The Nutcracker” at the North Middlesex Regional High School theater in Townsend. (COURTESY MELISSA DUPUIS)

Sage and other family members also brought love and light to her during those challenging times — and continue to do so.

“My daughter was my constant present moment,” Dupuis said. “She was only one when I was diagnosed, so she didn’t really know what was going on, but she helped me stay present and happy even on my darkest day. My sister and my mom were there constantly. Coordinating food trains, caring for Sage, or just sitting with me while I slept. My in laws were incredible taking care of my daughter every day as we had to pull her from daycare. My dad, although far away, always made me feel loved and cared for in his own way. And then my army of friends who are my family.”

One of the most meaningful things someone did for Dupuis was her sister making bracelets for her whole family, each one with a different number representing her six chemo treatments.

“After each treatment we’d all FaceTime and cut one off. It was a way for us all to be together,” Dupuis shared. “I now have these bracelets in an ornament on my Christmas tree. I am so blessed to have an incredible support system that helped me fight the biggest battle of my life. I love you all!”

Dupuis was officially done with cancer treatments in January of this year. She said “it feels really good” to be done with that chapter and that she is “grateful” she doesn’t have to be on any medications.

“Although the physical part of treatment is over, the mental hurdle is just beginning. Survivorship is extremely difficult and when people say ‘it’s over’ it’s unfortunately not true. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of cancer. If I get a pain anywhere, a simple headache or muscle ache, my brain immediately goes to cancer.

“Overall, I am doing great,” she continued. “I am healthy, I am alive, I am finding myself again. But this journey is long, and I am learning who I am. You are not the same after cancer. So, I am learning my new ‘self,’ what it’s capable of, and healing and loving my body and mind.”

Nowadays she is a Pilates instructor and Chief Wellbeing Officer at Boston-based Vos – and is thrilled to be dancing again in the iconic ballet, an opportunity she does not take for granted.

“I stopped dancing right when the pandemic hit, then I got pregnant, and then I got sick, so I haven’t been able to dance for three years,” Dupuis said. “Putting my pointe shoes on and dancing again is freedom. Ballet is my therapy, it’s my space to just be free. After all I’ve been through, I’m so grateful that my body can still move and dance freely. I feel like myself when I dance, and I am so excited to share the stage again with my dance family.”

When asked what she is looking forward to most about the two shows, she was very specific.

“That moment when the curtain opens and I am standing there for the first time in years,” Dupuis said of what she envisions. “I am proof that you can do hard things. You can come out on top. You can get back to the things that you love. I am dancing for myself, and I am showing my daughter that you can do hard things and to always follow your heart and do what makes you happy. Always remember that life is a gift, don’t take it and those in it for granted. The universe has many ways to show you that, so be present, get off your phone, and enjoy this beautiful life that you’ve been given.”

Dupuis is dancing in the role as the Sugar Plum Fairy in the North Central Youth Ballet production.

“The Nutcracker” has three shows coming up; Dec. 1 at 6 p.m. and Dec. 2 at noon and 6 p.m. at the North Middlesex Regional High School theater, 19 Main St., Townsend.

Tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the door or reserved by emailing ncyballet@gmail.com. For more information follow North Central Youth Ballet on Facebook and Instagram.

Blue Devils run past Red Raiders at Fenway

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BOSTON — With the backdrop of the Green Monster behind them and the splendor of Fenway Park laid out before them, it would have been easy for the Leominster High football team to get caught up in the grandeur of playing at such a historic venue.

A slow start would have been understandable.

But as they have throughout the second half of the 2023 season, the Blue Devils came out ready to play Wednesday night. The end result was a 59-7 drubbing of Fitchburg High in the 117th Thanksgiving meeting of the Twin City rivals.

“We got here early and the energy as soon as we walked in, it kind of caught me off-guard. We immediately snapped into gear and the guys were pretty much dialed in from that point on,” said Leominster head coach Devin Gates, whose team finishes the season 6-5. “They were ready to go and excited for the opportunity. The whole mystique hit us right in the face, but when the game started, they were ready.”

Ready might be an understatement. On Leominster’s first play from scrimmage, Osiris Lopez found Ryan Ricker streaking down the right side for a 72-yard scoring strike. It was one of four TD tosses for Lopez and the first of two to be hauled in by Ricker.

Daniel Thompson’s extra point gave Leominster a 7-0 lead just 19 seconds in.

Leominster and Fitchbrug face off in the 117th Thanksgiving Classic at Fenway Park on Wednesday. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Ashley Green)
Leominster and Fitchbrug face off in the 117th Thanksgiving Classic at Fenway Park on Wednesday. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Ashley Green)

With the tone set, Leominster took control early. By the end of the first quarter, the lead had grown to 20-0 and expanded to 39-0 by halftime.

“We knew coming in that they were a good team,” Fitchburg head coach Paul DiGeronimo said. “We’re not going to take anything away from them, but our kids played to the best of their abilities and left it all on the field. They had a great experience and we have a lot to build on.”

Leominster’s victory was an exercise in efficiency. Lopez finished the game 9-for-11 passing, throwing for 217 yards and four touchdowns. In addition to Ricker’s two touchdown receptions, Jaidis Delgado hauled in a pair of scoring strikes.

Even more impressively, senior running back Christopher Hatch carried the ball just twice, but found the end zone each time, scoring on runs of 74 and 32 yards.

The Blue Devil defense was equally impressive, holding Fitchburg (0-11) to 179 yards of total offense in the game and scoring a pair of touchdowns of its own. Memi Elias recorded an 87-yard interception to pay dirt in the first quarter before Jaden Jenkins had a pick-six of his own from 46 yards in the third quarter.

The Red Raiders got on the scoreboard in the third quarter, briefly cutting the Leominster lead to 30-7. A long pass from Lucas Beaulac to Richard Salomon put Fitchburg at the LHS two and two plays later, Shea Gonynor punched in a 1-yard yard run.

Melvin De Leon booted the PAT try through the uprights for the Red Raiders.

On the night, Beaulac was Fitchburg’s most productive offensive player tallying 82 yards on 20 carries. The senior also caught a pair of passes and was 1-for-1 passing for 42 yards through the air.

The Blue Devils capped the scoring in the final minute as senior Kaiden Calderon closed out a long drive with a 1-yard run. With time running, no extra point was attempted following Calderon’s touchdown.

Tea Time: Boston prepares for 250th anniversary of pivotal harbor dumping

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Tea bags are coming in from all over the U.S. for a semiquincentennial bash in  Boston.

Dec. 16 marks the Boston Tea Party’s 250th Anniversary, with reenactments, retrospectives, and, of course, the dumping of British tea into the Boston Harbor.

Spearheading these efforts is Revolution 250, a consortium of more than 70 Massachusetts organizations working to make all of the day’s events.

The Old South Meeting House, Downtown Crossing, Harborwalk and Faneuil Hall will be flooded with Bostonians and those visiting to commemorate the occasion, according to Revolution 250 Executive Director Jonathan Lane.

Lane told the Herald that the reenactments and celebrating a pivotal point of our nation’s history should not solely be focused on Boston, with other communities within the state playing a vital role in gaining independence.

“When we talk about the revolution, we want to talk about not just about the Boston Tea Party, and Lexington and Concord, we want to talk about the people of Great Barrington, Worcester and Bristol County,” Lane said. “Every community has a stake in this narrative, and we want every community to feel like they have a story to tell we want to work with them to tell that story.”

Evan O’Brien, creative manager for the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, said that they have received tea from all 50 states and other parts of the world sent in for a variety of reasons to be dumped.

“Some people want to have their tea sent in to participate and receive a certificate, which is a great reason to do it, but others are using this opportunity to talk about causes that matter to them, whether personal or political,” he said. “We even received 250 pounds of tea from the East India Company, still in London.”

Whether the bulk send comes as a tongue-in-cheek gesture or not, O’Brien said, there is a wide array of reasons people of all ages and backgrounds wish to partake in this demonstration from all over the world.

O’Brien said the story of the American Revolution and its events is not a “dead story” and is something the public should always keep in their minds when thinking about present-day America.

A direct descendant of Sons of Liberty member William Breck, Lane expressed what leading the charge of this commemoration means to him, his family and the families of other Sons of Liberty descendants.

“In talking about my ancestors, there is an element of humble pride,” Lane admitted. “I am very proud of the fact that they recognized their rights and liberties in the same way I feel about people who decided to emigrate to America.”

Lane explained that America is going through a different type of revolution now compared to America’s Bicentennial in 1976. A divisive nation just out of the Vietnam War and recovering from the political scandal that was Watergate was riddled with racial disdain and economic uncertainty.

His perspective of the Bicentennial as a 10-year-old on the South Shore of the Bay State, he said, was a point in time that took a break from the chaos of everyday life and focused on how these communities comprised of ordinary people made up this nation celebrating 200 years of freedom from British rule.

“You really can, through public service, public charity and nonprofit support, build a strong and vibrant community without being president of the United States,” Lane said.  “I think that’s really something that I would love to see come out of the 250th anniversary.”

Shawn Ford, executive director of the Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum, emphasized Lane’s point, noting that the revolt in Boston and many other critical moments leading up to the Declaration of Independence were fueled by average citizens doing extraordinary things.

“Who of us today would be willing to throw our livelihood, our families, our fortunes at property out the window, based on an idea that had a 100% chance of failure,” Ford said. “People today don’t always understand the significance of what happened 250 years ago.”

Ford emphasized that the public should also realize that the Boston Tea Party had nothing to do with taxation or tea, but rather had everything to do with representation. Without the Tea Party occurring and those ordinary citizens making their opposition towards the British known, he said, who knows what present-day “America” would look like?

“We could still be British today,” Ford said. “That’s unfathomable to think about. We could still be part of the British empire if the Tea Party didn’t happen. The fact is, what happened in Boston 250 years ago and what continues to happen here in Boston today, changes the world.”

Fitchburg, Leominster ready for big stage

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In 1994, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder sang the following lines on the song “Corduroy” off the band’s third album, “Vitalogy”: “The waiting drove me mad. You’re finally here and I’m a mess.”

He may very well have been describing the build toward Wednesday night’s rivalry tilt between Leominster High (5-5) and Fitchburg High (0-10) at Fenway Park. The anticipation has been growing for over a month now and with rain in the forecast throughout the day, the grass of Fenway could very well be the aforementioned mess.

Field conditions will do nothing to sully the emotions of the rivalry, going strong for 129 years. And this 117th Thanksgiving Classic is already a unique entry into the history books, regardless out the contest’s outcome, simply because of the venue in which it will be played.

“We’re excited for the entire experience. We worked on the Xs and Os this week and we talked logistics on Monday,” Leominster head coach Devin Gates said. “Where we’re getting ready, what to expect when we get (to Fenway). … All that stuff will work itself out and it should be a pretty cool experience.”

Fitchburg will be the home team in a contest taking place some 40 miles from its home field, agreeing with its archrival to add a new venue to a historic series previously played only on fields in the Twin Cities.

Devanni Deleon, right, and Richard Salomon celebrate after Solomon's touchdown reception during an Oct. 20 game against Nashoba Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Gary Fournier)
Devanni Deleon, right, and Richard Salomon celebrate after Solomon’s touchdown reception during an Oct. 20 game against Nashoba Regional. (Sentinel & Enterprise / Gary Fournier)

“I think they’re all very excited to be playing at Fenway,” Fitchburg head coach Paul DiGeronimo said. “From the first time it was presented to our team, it was a unanimous yes. From the seniors playing their last Thanksgiving game to the freshmen playing in their first, it was something we wanted to be a part of.”

The opportunity to play at Fenway was presented to both programs months ago, with the idea of giving one of the state’s most storied rivalries a chance to shine on a grand stage. With road work on Main Street and River Street continuing to limit access to Crocker Field, the decision to play at Fenway was a fairly easy one, according to administrators from both schools.

And though some fans opposed the relocation at first, it seems as though minds have shifted. Fitchburg alone is slated to send 11 buses of spectators to the game, showing a softened resistance to the temporary move.

For those not making the trip to Boston, both Leominster TV and Fitchburg Access TV will be broadcasting and streaming the contest.

Afforded the unique opportunity to play at the country’s oldest operating Major League ballpark, both coaches hope their teams will embrace the history they’re making while giving their all once the game kicks off.

“I think we’ll be ready for it. We talk about being in the moment a lot. In that play, in that rep. … These kids have good heads on their shoulders,” Gates said. “At the same time, I want them to enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I want them to soak in when we’re warming up, but also be ready to go.”

The wait is almost over. Let the fun begin.

After parts of Massachusetts see snow, a rainy and windy travel day before a sunny Thanksgiving

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Travelers trying to get an early start on the day before Thanksgiving should expect some rainy and blustery conditions on the roads before conditions clear out for a sunny Turkey Day.

After some parts of Massachusetts were under a “Winter Weather Advisory” for up to 4 inches of snow and slippery conditions Tuesday night, all areas of the Bay State will be dealing with periods of rain on Wednesday.

Fairly gusty winds are also in store for the busy travel day, with the strongest winds expected along Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha’s Vineyard and Cape Ann. Wind gusts up to 50 mph will be possible, in addition to downed tree branches and isolated power outages.

“It will definitely be a rainy and blustery morning for those heading on out,” Torry Dooley, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service’s Boston office, told the Herald.

“By the early afternoon, we’ll see improvements from west to east with rain showers coming to an end,” he added.

The “Winter Weather Advisory” Tuesday night was for parts of western Massachusetts in the higher terrains of the Berkshires and in Franklin and Hampshire counties.

Conditions should be clear for Thanksgiving, as the National Weather Service forecasts a mostly sunny and cool day. Football games in the morning will be cold in the 30s and 40s. By the early afternoon, it should be close to 50 degrees in most locations, ideal for backyard football games on the holiday.

Shoppers heading out for Black Friday should also enjoy some pretty quiet conditions. It will be colder than Thanksgiving, however, with high temps expected in the 40s.

Dooley said, “It’s definitely going to feel like that time of the year for all the holiday shopping.”