Schools in Revere will be Massachusetts’ first to install new a new locking system on classroom doors to keep students safe in the event of an active shooter situation.
The district is spending about $200,000 on a Flip Lok system. By the end …
Massachusetts
Lawsuit against Worcester pregnancy crisis center can move forward, judge rules
The high-profile lawsuit against a pregnancy crisis center in Worcester has taken a step forward.
Clearway Clinic had asked the judge to throw the case out, but it’s been denied.
Clearway is a pregnancy resource center in Worcester that’s been accused of misleading a pregnant woman who was seeking medical advice.
Clearway had argued that since it’s a nonprofit, it cannot be sued under Massachusetts business laws like deceptive advertising.
But the judge says the lawsuit can proceed.
“This is a significant decision because it opens the way to bringing false advertising and misleading advertising claims to so-called crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts,” said attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan, who says her client was told she had a healthy pregnancy when she visited the clinic, but was misdiagnosed. Weeks later her life was in jeopardy and she had to have an emergency abortion.
“The allegations are very serious,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, the president of Reproductive Equity Now, which fights to expand access to abortion. “Anti-abortion centers are dangerous to people who are seeking unbiased medically accurate information about their options when they have an unintended pregnancy.”
But Sam Whiting from the Massachusetts Family Institute says Clearway has an excellent reputation and provides everything from ultrasounds to diapers for free.
“They do operate from a pro-life perspective,” said Whiting. “One of their main goals is to give women the resources they need to choose life for their children.”
Clearway has not responded to a request for comment.
More on abortion and reproductive rights
Avian flu found in Massachusetts
Highly pathogenic avian flu has been detected in a flock of birds in Essex County, Massachusetts, the state Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) said Tuesday.
Highly pathogenic avian flu is highly contagious in birds and often fatal. It is o…
New Mass. Lottery prize offers $1 million a year for life
How would you like to get $1 million a year for the rest of your life?
Well, now you can — for just $50.
Starting Tuesday, players can purchase a $50 “Lifetime Millions” scratch ticket for a chance to instantly win $1 million every y…
Outdoor dining in Boston is back this summer: Here’s what to know
It may be cold out, but Boston is already looking ahead to the 2024 outdoor dining season.
Restaurants will be able to open up for outdoor dining from May 1 through Oct. 31 this year, the city announced Tuesday, though, like last year, the North End won’t be involved
For 2023, the city limited restaurants in the North End to offering outdoor seating only on patios and sidewalks rather than on the street, citing the narrow streets, heavy foot traffic and scarce parking for residents, and required businesses to pay a fee of $458 for each parking space their external seating used.
As a result, business owners in the Italian neighborhood filed a lawsuit in March accusing the city of “unequal, unfair, and discriminatory treatment of Italian restaurants in Boston’s North End in its administration and operation of the City’s outdoor dining program in 2022 and 2023,” and requested a jury trial in January of this year.
The city said Tuesday that it plans keep the same guidelines in place and that it may create new ones for specific neighborhoods as the outdoor dining program expands.
Boston restaurants can begin applying for outdoor dining permits Tuesday for the beginning of the summer dining event that begins May 1, and the city has created a streamlined application process for businesses that were approved last season.
Similar to last year, businesses OKed to offer outdoor dining must pay a $399 monthly fee if they have a liquor license and a $199 monthly fee if they do not.
“Boston’s outdoor dining program reimagines how we can best use our streets, while setting clear requirements around accessibility,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement. “This year, we’re making it easier for new and previously approved businesses to take part in the program, creating spaces to gather together and enjoy the cuisine of our small businesses.”
Restaurants looking to apply can do so here.
The initiative began in 2020 as a response to the limitations COVID-19 placed on indoor dining.
More on outdoor dining in Boston
Yarmouth police officer injured by vehicle while working traffic detail
A police officer was hit by a vehicle in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, Tuesday morning on Route 28, the department said.
The officer was alert when he was taken to a hospital in the Boston area, police said. The driver stayed at the scene.
It wasn…
