A man was flown to a local hospital Wednesday after he was struck by a car in Taunton, Massachusetts, according to police, who asked anyone who may be able to help identify the victim to contact detectives.
Taunton police say they responded to…
Massachusetts
High-end heist: Boston police seek woman who stole $250K in jewels from spa
Boston police are asking for the public’s help identifying a woman who allegedly stole hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of jewelry from a day spa in the city’s Back Bay neighborhood this week.
The larceny occurred around 2:33…
Woman dies after being hit by SUV near Weymouth shopping plaza
A woman was killed by an SUV near a shopping plaza in Weymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, officials said.
The 78-year-old was rushed to South Shore Hospital from the area of Fox Plaza on Washington Street after being hit about 1:10 p.m., the Weymouth District Attorney’s Office said. She was pronounced dead about 1:40 p.m.
Her name wasn’t immediately being released.
The driver stayed at the scene of the crash and no charges were immediately filed, authorities said. State and local police were investigating what happened.
Weymouth police had urged the public to avoid the area around Fox Plaza during the investigation.
How did this raccoon get quills in its face if the Cape has no porcupines?
Wildlife experts are puzzled by the discovery of a dead racoon on Cape Cod with porcupine quills.
“It was very odd,” said Stephanie Ellis, director of Wild Care Wildlife Rehab Center. “The racoon had, like, a wash cloth on its rump, but even more interestingly, its muzzle and arms were filled with porcupine quills.”
The racoon was found Sunday afternoon on Smith Lane, down the road from the rehab center in Eastham. Ellis said those porcupine quills raise red flags for a couple reasons.
“Porcupines haven’t been documented on Cape Cod for about 15 years and so immediately we were thinking this animal has been dumped,” said Ellis.
She explained the quills may also be a sign that the racoon had rabies when it clashed with a porcupine.
“A healthy racoon would not mess with a porcupine, so they think that raccoons that have rabies and are behaving abnormally they then might approach a porcupine, get the quills in the face.”
According to the Cape Cod and South East Massachusetts Rabies Task Force, raccoon variant rabies has not been detected on Cape Cod since 2021. And prior to that, it had not been detected since 2013.
“This is very alarming because, thanks to USDA and the Cape Cod Rabies Task Force, they’ve been doing rabies vaccine baiting on Cape Cod for many years and have kept Cape Cod rabies variant-free,” Ellis said.
On Wednesday, the raccoon tested positive for rabies.
“If someone out there did place this raccoon there for whatever reason, we’re looking for them to contact the rabies program so that we can get information, but they should also follow up with their physician just to make sure they are well protected,” said Zak Mertz, CEO of New England Wildlife Centers and co-chair of the Rabies Task Force. “There is still no cure. If you are vaccinated quickly after exposure, there is a really high efficacy of the vaccine — it works really well and it’s important that you seek intervention right after this time of exposure.”
The task force is seeking information about the raccoon and how it ended up on the side of Smith Lane in Eastham. Tips can be submitted anonymously to Brian Bjorklund, the Cape Cod Rabies Program coordinator, at 413-537-9394 or via email to CARE@capecod.gov.
***PLEASE READ: PUBLIC ASSISTANCE NEEDED to gather info. about a deceased raccoon was found in Eastham with porcupine quills in its muzzle and arm. Rabies testing and results are pending. More info. at https://t.co/OIsmed6G3w #capecodgov @rabiesprevention pic.twitter.com/KeBGBukabs
— Barnstable County Government (@CapeCodGov) November 19, 2024
Beverly mom says son ‘falling behind’ as North Shore teacher strikes continue
Students in three Massachusetts communities have been out of school for nearly two weeks as teachers remain on strike.
Melissa Wiley’s 9-year-old son, Nazayah, is ready to get back to class in Beverly, but schools in the city are empty — as are schools in Gloucester and Marblehead.
Teachers in all three communities are demanding better pay, benefits and paid parental leave. The strike is impacting some 10,000 students across the region.
Beverly and Gloucester have missed eight days of school, while Marblehead has missed seven. Parents on the North Shore like Wiley are worried about learning loss as negotiations drag into a third school week.
“He’s on an IEP at the school, so all his academics and stuff like that – he’s falling behind,” Wiley said. “It’s just really difficult on these kids, and I would like to see them resolve this as soon as possible.”
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Beverly and Gloucester are on Day 13 of the strikes, and Marblehead is on Day 9. The Beverly School Committee is considering making up some of those days during February or April vacation, while Gloucester is adding days on to the end of the school year. Instead of getting out on June 17, the last day of school in Gloucester is now June 30.
“It’s so hard right now on our kids, it’s so hard on parents,” Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey said Wednesday. “I really strongly encourage both sides to work this out in each of the communities, and let’s get these children back in school.”
Since teacher strikes are illegal in Massachusetts, the unions continue to incur tens of thousands of dollars in fines each day the strike continues. When any of these strikes will end remains to be seen.
More on the North Shore teacher strikes
Worcester police investigate spray-painting of man’s face during city council meeting
A person was spray-painted in the face Tuesday during a city council meeting in Worcester, Massachusetts.
City Manager Eric Batista said Wednesday that the incident occurred around the start of a meeting at Worcester City Hall.
Police respo…
