Police in Chelsea, Massachusetts, are searching for a missing 12-year-old boy who has autism.
Authorities say Susant Thapa ran away from his home Thursday night. They noted that he has run away before and has gravitated toward pools.
Thapa …
Massachusetts
Missing NH woman found dead in Mass., police say, asking for information
Authorities are asking anyone with information to come forward after a woman who was reported missing from Keene, New Hampshire, was found dead in Warwick, Massachusetts.
Justina Steffy, 31, was last heard from in early October, Keene police p…
Walking pneumonia cases have increased this year, especially among children: Here’s what to look for
Cases of walking pneumonia increased in the United States this year, with the largest increase among young children.
The lung infection is caused by a bacteria called Mycoplasma pneumoniae and the infections are generally mild, hence the name.
“People aren’t as sick, they might not be feeling 100%, but they’re still going about their daily business,” said Dr. Vandana Madhavan, clinical director of pediatric infectious disease at Mass General for Children. “They’re walking around, unlike people with typical bacterial pneumonia, who tend to be sicker, might need oxygen support, might be dehydrated, might need to be in the hospital, etc.”
“What’s interesting about mycoplasma is that it doesn’t just cause pneumonia, despite the name mycoplasma pneumoniae, but it can cause a number of different illnesses,” Madhavan continued. “There’s certain presentations with rashes and oral sores. It can even cause encephalitis and inflammation in the brain.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mycoplasma pneumoniae infections can occur at any age, but they most often occur among children ages 5–17 and young adults. Since late spring, the number of these infections has been increasing, especially among young children. The percentage grew from 1% to 7.2% among children ages 2–4 and from 3.6% to 7.4% among children ages 5–17 in that timeframe.
The increase in children ages 2–4 is notable because historically, Mycoplasma pneumoniae hasn’t been recognized as a leading cause of pneumonia in this age group.
“We have seen increased cases, not just of what we think about with walking pneumonia in school-age and teenage kids, but we’ve seen younger kids who are presenting, with pneumonia that’s not responding to typical pneumonia treatment,” said Madhavan. “It’s something that we definitely want people to be aware of. Especially as school years are in full swing, kids are in activities, we’re getting into our fall and winter holidays, where families gather, even if you’re sick with mild symptoms, being mindful of who you are in contact with if someone you know, is a younger child, an older adult, someone who has underlying issues that might make them have more severe disease from a respiratory illness.”
Walking pneumonia can be spread by respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. Madhavan recommends using measures to such as handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes to prevent these bacteria from spreading.
If someone does become sick, she encourages taking action when experiencing the following symptoms: “A persistently high fever, or a fever that goes away and then comes back, and then the signs of increased work of breathing, dehydration, lethargy, those would all be, you know, signs that, like my child, should be seen by someone.”
Feds say Pink House’s fate may be sealed, despite governor’s intervention
The day after Gov. Maura Healey promoted her office’s role in putting a hold on the demolition of a beloved historical landmark on the North Shore, the federal agency that owns the property said it is still planning to go forward with removing the structure, citing safety and environmental concerns.
The drama is unfolding over what has been dubbed the Pink House, an historical landmark on Plum Island built in 1925 that has been a favored subject of artists through the century that it’s stood on a precarious salt marsh.
The house has been abandoned for years, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife purchased the structure and 11 acres of adjacent salt marsh in 2011 to protect the area from development, according to refuge manager Matt Hillman. Salt marshes are a globally rare ecosystem that are increasingly vulnerable to sea level rise and more frequent and damaging storms, and provide a critical habitat for rare animal species.
Hillman said the agency wanted to protect the Pink House. Local folklore surrounds the landmark and how it came to be built. Most stories suggest the house’s uninhabitable location is the result of a spiteful divorce: the wife demanded she wanted an exact replica of her former home, but failed to specify where; her ex-husband built it on the outskirts of town in the marsh, where brackish water in its pipes made it unusable, myths say.
“There are folks in this community who value it, we’ve been working really closely with them for eight years to try to find a solution… This is not a decision that was made hastily. But it’s a safety concern, an environmental concern, and sea levels are rising. If we want to do the best for our wildlife and habitat, the best thing we can do is remove the structure,” Hillman said.
The agency has tried to find a solution other than demotion since 2016 — when the house fell into such disrepair it became unsafe to be near the premises. It was scheduled to come down this week.
Last week, its rear roof collapsed.
But at the last minute, the governor threw a Hail Mary.
Healey announced on Wednesday that she would halt the demolition of the Pink House while her office sat down with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “to chart the best path forward for The Pink House, the community and the environment.”
In that press release from the governor’s office, a number of elected officials were quoted celebrating the decision to halt the demolition, talking about the landmark’s significance to the region’s tourism economy and culture.
“Compelled by the unrelenting efforts of supporters from across the region and beyond, we have the opportunity to capture a win-win victory that expands the resources of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge AND preserves the Pink House. We must work together so that opportunity is not lost,” says a statement from Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, of Gloucester.
However, for U.S. Fish and Wildlife, there isn’t much time to deliberate. Hillman said they received the request from Healey’s office on Tuesday night to stop the demolition planned for this week. Out of respect for the governor and her office, he said, they did.
“But we are very concerned about the condition of this property. We don’t know how long we can hold,” he said. “We’re almost into November, it’s storm season and storms are worse and more frequent. It can’t be very long… We’ll see what they have to offer, see what some of their concerns are and hear them out. Then we’ll take it from there.”
The federal agency awarded a contract to a company in September to remove the asbestos from the house, which has led to the removal of most of the roof, siding and all of the windows.
“What we’re left with is a shell of a structure. It’s dangerous for me and my team to be out there near it,” Hillman said.
A statement from the federal agency sent to the News Service following Healey’s announcement said they would engage in discussions with the governor “in the next several days.”
It continues: “The dilapidated structure is a safety hazard. Perpetual maintenance of an abandoned structure within an increasingly active flood zone is not compatible with the refuge’s mission to conserve wildlife and their habitats. Therefore, the decision we made to remove the structure is in the best interest of our conservation mission.”
Neither of the two solutions the agency tried over the last eight years to save the house worked. Hillman said they tried to find a partner who was able to exchange their habitat lands for the Pink House property, but there are tight restrictions on what the federal government can do with a land exchange, and they ultimately couldn’t find a property that met the monetary value and legal criteria for an exchange.
Last summer, the agency listed the site for bids, for someone to relocate the house. They didn’t receive any bids, he said.
“There was a sentimentality or desire to commemorate the house’s memory,” Hillman said.
An anonymous donor pledged up to $1 million to save the structure last week, which community advocates called a “game changer” at the time.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s response, however, was that it wouldn’t change the serious safety, environmental and flooding concerns.
“While we appreciate the recent generous monetary offer to help maintain the Pink House, we do not believe it affects the current course of action,” a statement from the agency on Thursday agency said.
Asked to respond to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s comments about going forward with the demolition, and whether the governor had any power to stop it, a Healey spokesperson referred the News Service to the governor’s statement the day before.
“The Pink House is a beloved local landmark that makes valuable contributions to the North Shore economy by attracting tourists and artists from across the country,” the statement said. “I’m grateful for the strong leadership and advocacy of Senator Bruce Tarr, Representative Kristen Kassner, Support The Pink House and the community to save this historic building. We look forward to continued conversations with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to chart the best path forward for The Pink House, the community and the environment.”
Hillman said once the Pink House is removed the salt marsh will be restored to natural habitat. In its natural state, he said, it will be much more resilient to flooding and storms, and provide a safer habitat for the species that live there.
Additionally, he said the agency plans to open a small portion of the salt marsh to the public. It is currently completely off limits.
“We’ll be able to open up a safe site, a park-like setting where people can enjoy this unique natural environment,” he said.
Man arrested in Cohasset Trump sign swastika vandalism: ‘what took you so long?’
A man has been arrested for allegedly spray-painting a swastika on a political sign supporting former President Donald Trump at the home of a Republican official in Cohasset, Massachusetts.
Frederic Laidlaw was identified as the man who painted the Nazi symbol on the sign posted on Route 3 through a video shared with investigators from the social media site Nextdoor, according to a report from Cohasset police filed in Quincy District Court.
When officers arrived at his home in Cohasset Thursday morning, Laidlaw said, “Guilty,” then, “what took you so long?” according to the report.
Next to his car, which had been seen in the video, was a can of black spray paint, according to police.
Laidlaw allegedly apologized before being taken into custody on a charge of defacing property.
It wasn’t immediately clear if Laidlaw had an attorney who could speak to his arrest.
After discovering the hate symbol on his political sign Wednesday, Kevin O’Donnell, chair of the Cohasset Republican Town Committee, denounced its use.
“I just thought we were above that. I just thought that wouldn’t occur in this election, or any election — there’s no Nazis in America,” O’Donnell previously told NBC10 Boston.
Massachusetts Republican National Committeewoman Janet Fogarty said she was “very disappointed” to learn of the defacement, noting, “There’s a strong Jewish community on the South Shore, and it’s a very heavily-trafficked road.”
Steve Kerrigan, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, also denounced the vandalism.
“Even with such a hard-fought campaign, we must be able to conduct our elections free of any and all vandalism or violence,” Kerrigan said in a statement. “We are better than this.”
There has been an increase in sign thefts and vandalism in the leadup to the 2024 election across Massachusetts and across the political spectrum.
Earlier this month, lawn signs supporting three Democrats — Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jim McGovern — were set on fire in a Sterling yard.
Last month in Tyngsborough, Trump signs were cut up and tossed into the woods.
Back Bay Station tower on hold indefinitely, developer says
BXP Inc. does not anticipate starting construction on a Back Bay office tower in the next year because the rents it could fetch are not worth the borrowing and building costs, an executive said.
BXP President Douglas Linde spoke on the future…
