Flames could be seen bursting through the roof of a home in Newton, Massachusetts, Wednesday.
NBC10 Boston has reached out for more details on the fire on Central Avenue, which was sending flames and plumes of smoke into the air around noon on Mond…
post
Rain, slight chance of isolated t-storms Wednesday afternoon followed by temperature drop
Unlike days prior, Wednesday morning has started with overcast skies instead of sun. Because of the pattern, the clouds won’t be enough to keep temperatures down though. Highs Wednesday will near 60°.
The air is a bit more humid, too, as mois…
Shoppers warned after rash of wallet thefts at Norwell stores
Shoppers on the South Shore are being warned by police to stay on their guard while shopping. That message comes after a rash of stolen wallets.
“I’m always in here. I shop here all the time and I just see women leaving their wallets and their pocketbooks in their wagon all the time and I always say to them, ‘Don’t leave that unattended, someone’s going to grab it right out and sure enough, it’s happening,” said Carol Greene, a shopper.
And it’s been happening enough that police in Norwell, Massachusetts, are trying to identify multiple people after several reports of wallets being stolen from purses while shopping in stores.
“I meet a lot of nice people when I’m shopping, so I’m very surprised that people would be targeting this store in Norwell,” said Denise Lynch.
Norwell police say the incidents have occurred at different locations.
“When I shop, I always put it like this around my neck and I don’t have to worry about it. Don’t make it easy for someone to grab it,” said Greene.
Someone’s been grabbing the wallets from victims’ purses before they’re able to realize their wallet’s been stolen because their purse is still in the shopping cart, police said.
“I think I am kind of lackadaisical about that because I will wander around and have my purse in front of the cart,” said Lisa Coyne.
Police say the suspects have had enough time to leave the store and charge items at different locations before the victim is aware their wallet is missing.
“They turn and they get distracted, and they start looking for sizes and you never know. A lot of women carry the larger bags and it’s easy. They’re open for somebody to go in and just grab the wallet,” said Lynch.
While the exact number of stolen wallets wasn’t immediately known, police are asking residents to be aware of their surroundings and not to leave their purses.
Grasshopper Vegan Restaurant in Allston is closing
[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.]
An Asian dining spot that features vegan food is shutting down, though it could be reborn in a new space.
According to multiple sources, including a poster within the Friends of Boston’…
Marshfield reportedly rejects rezoning for MBTA housing law; AG reacts
Marshfield appears unlikely to draw a state lawsuit right away after its Town Meeting on Monday reportedly rejected a plan that would have complied with new zoning requirements for communities near MBTA service.
Town Meeting shot down an 84-acre zoning change by a 169-289 vote, according to The Patriot Ledger, which reported that Marshfield’s town counsel told residents he expected to be “sued immediately” for failure to comply with the MBTA Communities Act.
Attorney General Andrea Campbell, whose office is already suing Milton over its refusal to embrace zoning changes required by that law, said Tuesday that Marshfield still has seven-plus months to change course, potentially at another Town Meeting later in the year.
“Marshfield, like other municipalities categorized as ‘commuter rail’ and ‘adjacent’ towns under the MBTA Communities Law, has until the end of 2024 to come into compliance with the law,” Campbell said in a statement. “I applaud Marshfield’s officials for taking proactive steps toward compliance well before their deadline and encourage the town to consider another MBTA Communities zoning article at another town meeting prior to the end of the year. My office stands ready to assist Marshfield and other towns in achieving compliance by their required deadline.”
Milton is defined as a “rapid transit” community under the MBTA Communities Act due to its proximity to the Mattapan Trolley, and rapid transit communities faced a deadline of Dec. 31, 2023 to submit a zoning ordinance or bylaw that complies with the new requirements, according to guidance from the attorney general’s office.
Most other communities affected by the law because of commuter rail, bus or ferry service — including Marshfield — have until Dec. 31, 2024 to come into compliance.
Shortly after Milton voters rejected a rezoning plan that would have complied with the law, the Healey administration revoked its eligibility for a $140,800 seawall grant and Campbell sued the town. That lawsuit is expected to go before the Supreme Judicial Court later this year.
Officials and supporters of the mandatory zoning changes argue they are necessary to generate more housing production and drive down sky-high prices straining families across the state.
Nearly three dozen other communities have approved zoning changes aimed at complying with the MBTA Communities Act, including several of Marshfield’s neighbors.
Jury selection resumes in Karen Read trial
Jury selection will resume Wednesday in the Karen Read trial, one of Massachusetts’ most closely watched legal sagas.
The jury that will eventually serve will involve 16 people: 12 jurors and four alternates. With 12 selected last week, only four more were needed to fill out the quota.
Seven more jurors were selected Monday, bringing the total seated to 19. But due to some jurors expressing hardships of some form, empanelment will continue Wednesday.
The defense said Wednesday was the only other day of court on the schedule this week, which suggested opening statements in the trial may not be presented until next week.
Meanwhile, the battle continues between Karen Read supporters and the state after the court-ordered that a buffer zone be put in place, keeping demonstrators 200 feet away from the courthouse as well as from holding signs and wearing pro-Karen Read clothes.
The lawyer who filed the petition argues that the order violates the First Amendment. The state has until Wednesday to submit their case before the Supreme Judicial Court can make a final decision.
There appeared to be 91 jurors for questioning in the Dedham courtroom Monday, the largest pool of prospective jurists yet. Of the group, 78 said they had seen, heard or talked about the case, 32 said they had expressed or formed an interest in the case and more than a dozen were biased in favor or against Read, who is accused of fatally hitting her boyfriend John O’Keefe, a former Boston police officer, with her SUV after a night out in Canton.
Legal jousting continued ahead of trial as well, with prosecutors responding to the defense on two issues: whether the jury box should be moved to give some jurors a better view of witnesses and whether District Attorney Michael Morrissey should be called as a witness in the case.
We got new insight last week on how the people who will eventually consider the high-profile charges are being screened.
NBC10 Boston obtained the jury questionnaire from the clerk’s office of the Norfolk Superior Court.
The questionnaire includes 29 questions, starting with one that summarizes the case:
“It is alleged that on January 29, 2022, while intoxicated and operating her motor vehicle in Canton, MA, the defendant, Karen Read, killed her boyfriend, John O’Keefe, an off-duty Boston Police officer. Is there anything about the description of the case, the charges, or the that the victim was an off-duty police officer, that causes you to believe that you cannot be fair and impartial in this case?”
Potential jurors have the option to respond yes, no or not sure to that and the other questions, which cover religious beliefs, law enforcement, media attention and if they think Read should have to prove her innocence.
Read the full document here:
Prior to the start of jury selection Tuesday, Judge Beverly Cannone announced that she’s not going to exclude the defense from using a third-party culprit defense during the trial.
Prosecutors had filed a motion seeking to prevent the defense from making such an argument.
“I’m going to give you a chance to develop it through relevant, competent, admissible evidence,” she said. “But you cannot open with it.”
Read is accused of killing O’Keefe in January of 2022. Prosecutors say she hit him with her SUV and left him in a blizzard, but her attorneys say she’s being framed as part of a massive coverup. The defense claims O’Keefe was attacked inside the home.
Cannone has said she expects the Read trial to last somewhere between 6-8 weeks once a jury is seated. She said the schedule will include full days on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and half days on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
More on the Karen Read case
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
