Multiple arrests have been made in connection with a shooting that seriously injured a teenager last month in Stoughton, Massachusetts.
Stoughton police announced they arrested three people early Tuesday morning in connection to the Feb. 23 shootin…
Massachusetts
Healey administration appeals major disaster declaration after historic September rainfall
The Healey administration has formally appealed the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s denial of the governor’s request for a major disaster declaration to support recovery efforts from storms that ripped through Massachusetts in September, leaving several communities scrambling to rebuild roads, buildings, homes and other infrastructure devastated by flash flooding.
The storms from Sept. 11 through 13 dropped historic amounts of rain in parts of the state, including Worcester, Hampden and Bristol counties, prompting a state of emergency. Severe flash flooding trapped people in their cars, left behind buckled roads and even washed away MBTA commuter rail tracks.
In her appeal letter to President Joe Biden and FEMA Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich, Gov. Maura Healey said in part, “These storms were devastating for our communities. I saw the impacts firsthand – homes and businesses were destroyed, roadways and bridges were inaccessible, and some residents had to be evacuated. Six months later, they are still rebuilding. The state has done all that we can to support their recovery, but the needs far outpace our available resources.”
Healey said they have been appreciative of FEMA’s partnership throughout the process but are concerned that the agency’s assessment of the state’s request failed to include certain identified costs.
”Our communities must know that both their state and federal governments understand the severe challenges and stress they are facing, and that we are here to help. Their recovery is particularly daunting given the knowledge that the next severe storm could be around the corner, as we continue to see the escalating impacts of climate change,” Healey wrote. “I urge you to please reconsider our request and help us deliver the relief that Massachusetts cities and towns desperately need.”
Healey declared a state of emergency on Sept. 12, 2023. In her request for federal assistance, Healey said the extraordinarily heavy rainfall flooded thousands of homes and businesses, destroyed infrastructure, and required a significant public safety response.
Leominster was one of the hardest-hit areas, in which two dams had to be shored up after about the city saw around 7 inches of rainfall from one storm. At least 1,400 residents who had filed for FEMA assistance online said in February they were shocked to learn the agency had denied the state’s request for help.
Congressman Jame P. McGovern fired back at the federal agency’s decision at the time, saying, “FEMA’s recommendation to deny disaster relief for the City of Leominster is unacceptable and unconscionable. ”
The state response to the disaster has been ongoing.
A major disaster declaration provides federal funding for both individuals and public infrastructure through FEMA’s Public Assistance and Individual Assistance programs.
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Key hearing in Karen Read murder trial being held Tuesday
The Karen Read murder trial is scheduled to begin next month, but an important hearing will be held in the case on Tuesday.
Read — who is accused of killing her Boston police officer boyfriend in Canton, Massachusetts, back in 2022 — last appeared in court on Feb. 26 ,when Norfolk Superior Court Judge Beverly Cannone set a new trial date of April 16 after thousands of pages of new evidence were received from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts.
The Boston Globe reports that Read’s attorneys will seek to have the criminal charges dismissed Tuesday, while procecutors will push for her trial to proceed as scheduled next month.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Read would be in court for Tuesday’s hearing.
Read’s attorneys previously said they would likely need more time to comb through all 3,074 pages of evidence they received from federal prosecutors, and with a separate legal process to go through in the federal court system.
“An April 16 jury trial is not realistic,” attorney Alan Jackson said.
Cannone said she understood his position, but advised him to be ready for trial regardless.
While Jackson characterized the new evidence his team had time to review as being exculpatory for Read, and entirely new, prosecutor Laura McLaughlin disputed that characterization, saying that at least 90% of the evidence is consistent with prior testimony in the case.
The week prior, prosecutors said they have DNA evidence that links Read to John O’Keefe’s death.
Documents indicate that a piece of O’Keefe’s hair and pieces of the glass from the drink he was carrying were found stuck under Read’s SUV. The documents also paint a picture of relationship turmoil. They say Read was angry at O’Keefe for allegedly cheating on her.
