Lawmakers and nurses will gather in Ayer, Massachusetts, Tuesday morning to oppose the closure of Nashoba Valley Medical Center and to call on Gov. Maura Healey to enforce the state’s law that requires 120 days’ notice before closing a medi…
Massachusetts
FIRST ALERT: Flash flood emergency in effect for Saint Johnsbury, Vermont; flash flood warnings in northern NH and Vt
We’re back to summer mode Tuesday. Highs leap into the mid-80s with plenty of heat and humidity. There is the slightest chance of a pop-up shower this afternoon, but many of us will remain dry.
A Flash flood emergency has been issued for…
Stephen Nedoroscik inspires members of Sterling gym where he once trained
They say never forget where you came from. For gymnast Stephen Nedoroscik, who helped bring Team USA achieve something it hadn’t done since 2008, that’s a gym in Sterling, Massachusetts.
The Worcester native pommel horse specialist did his part Monday to earn bronze in the men’s team event — America’s first trip to the podium in 16 years.
The Sterling Academy of Gymnastics, where Nedoroscik was once a member, cheered him on at a watch party.
“My parents started this business in 1992 with the smallest of dreams,” said Matt Carbone. “But 32 years later, we now have an Olympic bronze medalist, and he’s still going on to compete in event finals on Saturday. It’s absolutely incredible.”
“They see the big, giant banner on the wall, they look up to it, they want to be like that,” boys gymnastics coach Jon Rydzefski said. “It shows if you work hard enough, you can potentially be doing what Stephen’s doing.”
It was at the academy that Nedoroscik had his humble beginnings.
“He was a typical goofy little boy that would play around on the equipment and get in trouble at times and just had fun with gymnastics,” Carbone said.
More from the Paris Olympics
That free spirit turned into an unstoppable force on the pommel horse.
“A lot of athletes will look up to the legends of their sports in basketball, baseball and football and all that. These guys don’t have a whole lot to look up to until the Olympics or the World Championships hit,” Carbone said. “And now one of their own teammates has made the world stage. He’s going to be incredible for them to look up to.”
His success is inspiring even the youngest of gymnasts as they grab the same handles as an Olympic medalist.
“He encourages me to, like, train hard,” said fifth-grader Alec Wild. “Work really hard. Eat healthy.”
“They loved it, they absolutely loved it. And now they’re all revved up and ready to train even harder, so that they can try to get there someday,” Carbone said.
Olympics shine light on Seine’s progress as advocates work to improve Charles River
The Seine, which runs through Paris, is playing a big role in the 2024 Olympics, reflecting a major cleanup effort akin to one going on in Boston.
First, we saw athletes ride on boats down the river for the first ever Opening Ceremony outside a stadium. Now, the hope is for Olympic events to take place in the Seine – where people haven’t been allowed to swim for 100 years.
It took a lot of work to clean up the river and make it swimmable. Similar work is being done in Massachusetts’ Charles River.
The Charles River Conservancy aims to improve the health of a river that doesn’t have the greatest reputation.
“The water quality has vastly improved since the, you know, the late 90s, and when the when the Charles was kind of known as ‘that dirty water,’” said Laura Jasinski, executive director of the conservancy. “And it still has a little bit of that PR problem, but the water is largely much cleaner.”
Jasinski says the Seine has had “some of the same challenges” as the Charles.
Paris has invested $1.5 billion to help prepare the Seine for the Olympics. It has a history of high E. Coli levels, making it dangerous for swimmers.
Mayor Anne Hidalgo doubled down on the Seine’s safety by going for a swim earlier this month.
More on the Seine at the Paris Olympics
The Charles River has its own problems, with algae blooms and sewage outfalls that can elevate levels of bacteria.
Some steps toward improvement have already happened.
“We’ve done a lot to improve the infrastructure by separating our stormwater pipes from our sewer pipes,” Jasinski said.
Still, there’s more work to be done, and the Seine serves as a symbol.
“It shows what is possible with investment and with advocacy,” Jasinski said. “It’s really inspiring to see. Hopefully, it will continue to motivate action here in Boston.”
As long as water testing comes back clear, the marathon swimming and triathlon competitions will both feature athletes swimming in the Seine.
How police got a Bitcoin ATM scam victim’s money back
Almost a year after being scammed into depositing thousands tens of thousands of dollars into a Bitcoin ATM, a Massachusetts woman got all her money back.
We were there when Winthrop police returned $34,400 to Peggy Herbert, 83.
“I’ve been saying my prayers, trust me,” she said.
Herbert had received an alert saying her crew card account had been hacked, ands he called what she thought was the company’s fraud department.
“He said, ‘Okay, go immediately to your bank,” she recalled. ‘”Don’t take any incoming calls, and go to the bank and withdraw the money.’”
“He said, ‘If you want your children to be safe, then do as I tell you,’” Herbert continued, sayings felt scared.
The man’s instructions? To go to a Bitcoin ATM — she went to one at a gas station in nearby Revere — and deposit lots of cash, which she did: “I was shaking and I had an envelope with a lot of money in it.”
Herbert is far from alone, and many others aren’t as lucky. People in Massachusetts reported losing $2.7 million in over 100 complaints filed with the FBI last year.
Another man we spoke to, whom we’re calling Derek to protect his identity, fed more than $20,000 into Bitcoin machines after after getting a call from people posing as federal agents who told him his identity had been stolen and there was a warrant for his arrest. This despite being on guard against scams.
“They just had an answer for everything,” he said.
These scams are on the rise in Essex County — victims are pouring thousands into Bitcoin ATMS and more machines are popping up, said Detectives Jim Carney, who works out of the Essex County District Attorney’s Office, and Shawn Desmond, of Beverly police.
“The machines are flourishing. They’re popping up everywhere and we have really no idea exactly how many machines are out there in the wild,” Carney said.
“It’s not just the elderly who are getting scammed,” Desmond said. “We’re getting teenagers, professional people that are highly educated. It’s all across the map. These guys are just experts at scamming.”
Once the money is pumped into the machine, it’s tough to get back. If police are notified quickly, they can try to seize the machine to get the cash before it’s emptied.
If that works, then it’s up to a judge to decide if the money goes back to the victim or to the Bitcoin company that already paid for the transaction.
Police were able to get the cash out of the machines in Herbert and Derek’s cases.
“It makes you feel pretty angry to know that these people are just out there, scamming innocent people,” Derek said.
Asked what she wants the public to know, Herbert said, “Hang up. Call someone in your family or call someone, a friend. Be careful of these sophisticated schemes.”
3rd person arrested in Worcester shooting that killed 17-year-old
A man has been arrested more than five months after a shooting that left a 17-year-old dead in Worcester, Massachusetts.
Police say 22-year-old Patrick Mathieu of Worcester was arrested Monday on charges of armed assault to murder, armed assau…
