Massachusetts
Catholics in Massachusetts, New York urged to oppose assisted suicide bills
The bill also could become a “slippery slope,” MCFL said, adding that “it invites a broader acceptance of euthanasia, eroding moral and legal boundaries.”
MCFL said the bill has “inadequate safeguards” that could lead to abuse and added that the legislation could impact “vulnerable populations” such as the disabled and those with limited health care access.
“The bill clashes with cultural, religious, and philosophical beliefs against intentionally ending human life,” the email said.
The legislation was the subject of a bicameral legislative hearing in October 2023 but never reached the floor for a vote.
The bishops of Massachusetts, who have opposed the bill since it was first introduced in 2021, again raised their voices against the legislation ahead of the hearing last year.
“When it’s a topic of discussion amongst legislators, the Church needs to make loud and clear that our voice is heard on the issue,” Massachusetts Catholic Conference President Jim Driscoll told the Boston Pilot at the time.
“The bishops are always going to be on the side of life, including in the precious times that life is ending,” he added.
A statement put out by the conference called the bills “deeply troubling” and added that “the Catholic bishops of Massachusetts stand united in our strong opposition to physician assisted suicide.”
“It is an affront to life and a dangerous precedent for determining end-of-life issues. Physicians are trained to care for the ill, not to hasten death,” the statement said.
At the annual Cardinal O’Connor Conference on Life in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, archbishop of Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said: “A society that allows parents to kill their children will eventually allow children to kill their parents,” according to OSV News.
“The situation in Canada is alarming. There are proposals to promote euthanasia for the mentally ill. Once human life is no longer sacred and the government can continuously move the goalposts, more and more people are in danger,” he said.
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Massachusetts
Seven takeaways from Friday’s high school basketball quarterfinals, including another Feehan thriller – The Boston Globe
There was no doubt which of Friday’s 24 MIAA basketball tournament quarterfinals served as the game of the night, as the Shamrocks rode their post prince’s 36 points and 18 rebounds to a 65-60 double-overtime win over No. 6 Bridgewater-Raynham, despite trailing by 7 midway through the fouth quarter.
That was one of two upsets on a night that saw 23 teams punch their semifinal ticket, with another 13 slated for Saturday, alongside five hockey semifinals.
Find all of Friday’s scores here, sign up for Varsity News here, prep for New England wrestling with beat writer AJ Traub’s preview, read Bob Hohler’s latest on a Sharon football player’s catastrophic brain injury, and check out everything we wrote:
Whitman-Hanson senior Dylan Hurley got her 1,000th point out of the way early so she could focus on beating Oliver Ames in the Division 2 quarterfinals. Hurley entered Friday needing just 2 points to reach the mark, and she did so less than eight minutes into an eventual 51-47 victory.
Hurley, who is committed to Saint Anselm, finished with 17, including the tying bucket with 29 seconds left, plus two key free throws, giving her 17 points on the night and 1,015 for her career, putting her fourth in program history.
All 13 girls’ games went to chalk, but there were a pair of lower seeds winning on the boys’ side. We already covered No. 14 Bishop Feehan taking out No. 6 Bridgewater-Raynham, just two days after the Spartans eliminated No. 3 Needham. Thus far, they are the lowest-seeded team to reach the semifinals in any division across basketball and hockey, with a baker’s dozen basketball quarterfinals still to be played Saturday.
Also pulling off a quarterfinal upset was No. 6 Lynn Classical, which knocked off No. 3 Tewksbury, 68-59, in the Division 3 bracket, led by 29 points from senior DJ Reynolds and elite defense from seniors Shyheim Babb and Deshawn Rucker.
Abby Broderick, Medfield — The sophomore exploded for 31 points and five rebounds as the top-seeded Warriors took care of business against No. 8 Norwood, 66-46.
Grace Higgins, Millis — The senior wasn’t the team’s leading scorer (Ella Maher had 17) but she made her presence known in the paint, blocking eight shots to go with 9 points and nine rebounds.
Jimmy Farrell, Masconomet — The senior captain chipped in everywhere, spreading out his impact with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 2 blocks in a 61-25 win over Burlington in Division 1.
Brody Bumila, Bishop Fehan — Where to start? The 6-foot-9-inch senior was absolutely dominant in a 65-60 two-overtime upset of Bridgewater-Raynham, scoring 18 of his team’s 22 points in the fourth quarter and overtime to finish with 36 points and 18 rebounds. Committed to play baseball at Texas, Bumila has 117 points and 55 rebounds over three playoff games, which have featured six overtime periods and two Shamrocks wins.
4. Hockey semifinal brackets breakdown
Six observations as we enter the MIAA boys’ and girls’ hockey semifinals Saturday and Sunday. Find the full schedule here.
- The lowest seeds remaining are No. 9 St. Bernard’s in Division 4 boys and No. 9 Medfield in D2 girls. No double-digit seeds made it out of the quarterfinals.
- Only one of the top five seeds made the Division 1 boys’ final foursome, which is a 50-50 split between public (No. 4 Arlington, No. 6 Hingham) and private schools (No. 7 Pope Francis, No. 8 St. John’s).
- The other three boys’ divisions feature 11 public schools and one private: St. Bernard’s, bringing the boys’ total to 13 publics and three privates.
- The final eight girls’ teams include three privates, all in D1 (No. 1 Notre Dame-Hingham, No. 2 St. Mary’s, No. 5 Archbishop Williams) and five publics.
- Of the 24 remaining teams, 18 are public and six are private.
- Of the six divisions, only three No. 1 seeds reached the semifinals, with Catholic Memorial (D1 boys), Stoneham (D4 boys), and Westwood (D2 girls) getting eliminated. Yet five of the six No. 2 seeds are still dancing (the exception, Xaverian in D1 boys)
Milton Academy senior wide receiver Kash Kelly, who hails form Northampton, announced he will play football at Amherst. The 5-foot-11-inch, 180-pounder averaged 21 yards per catch
Blessed and grateful to announce my commitment to the admissions process at Amherst College. First, I want to thank God for blessing me with this opportunity. Thank you to my family, coaches, and teammates who helped me along the way. #GoMammoths🦣 pic.twitter.com/6inyu0hUae
— Kash Kelly (@Kash13Kelly) March 6, 2026
▪ Southern California sophomore Ellie Thomas, a Needham graduate, was selected as Big 10 Defensive Player of the Week for women’s lacrosse. She went wire-to-wire in the cage, producing a career-high 16 saves, including seven in the fourth quarter, during a 16-14 road win at Arizona State. She also picked up two ground balls.
▪ Northeastern freshman Xavier Abreu, a Phillips Andover graduate from Lynn who was the 2025 A Shot for Life Challenge champion, was named to the All-CAA Rookie Team. Abreu set the Northeastern freshman scoring record, averaging 12.3 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the field.
▪ Brandeis senior Ragini Kannan, a Westford Academy graduate, opened her season with a five-inning no-hitter of Emmanuel for her first career no-no. She struck out four and issued one walk in a 14-0 win in Clermont, Fla.
▪ Brandeis senior Hannah Du, a Winchester graduate, make the All-Northeast Fencing Conference women’s second team for the first time. She led Brandeis with 12 wins at the NFC Meet, and finished the season with 39 victories, good for second on the team.
7. Basketball leaderboard
Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 36
Abby Broderick, Medfield, 31
Anna Freeman, Medway, 29
J’Dore Reece, Renaissance, 29
DJ Reynolds, Lynn Classical, 29
Josh Roux, Andover, 27
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 26
Lily Denomme, Douglas, 23
Cece Levrault, Apponequet, 23
Logan Volkringer, Plymouth South, 23
Caprese Conyers, Pittsfield, 22
Addie Harrington, Frontier, 22
Ryan Nikiforow, Millbury, 21
Rolky Brea-Arias, St. Mary’s, 20
Thomas Denton, Andover, 20
Dylan Hurley, Whitman-Hanson, 20
Maliah Pierre, Whitman-Hanson, 20
Brody Bumila, Bishop Feehan, 18
Lamar Valentina Jr., West Bridgewater, 15
Thomas Denton, Andover, 12
Tyrese Wanliss, Roxbury Prep, 12
Avery Teixeira, Bishop Feehan, 11
Tamia Darling, Cathedral, 10
Jag Garces, West Bridgewater, 10
Emma Smith, Bishop Feehan, 7
Jimmy Farrell, Andover, 3
Naya Annigeri, Medfield, 5
Mollie Mullen, Bishop Feehan, 4
Grace Higgins, Millis, 8
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
163 surrendered rats seek new homes in Massachusetts
Attention all non-traditional pet lovers! A non-profit organization in Massachusetts received a boatload of pet rats in need of new homes.
An individual in northeastern Massachusetts surrendered 163 rats in early February. That’s almost 60 percent more than the total number of rats that were adopted from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell (MSPCA-Angell) in 2025 alone.
“A well-meaning person got into a tough spot, and we were able to help,” Mike Keiley, Vice President of the MSPCA-Angell’s Animal Protection Division, said in a statement. “As a humane law enforcement department, we want to work with people who love their animals to make sure those animals are getting the care they need.Sometimes that means helping with resources, other times it means facilitating a surrender, which was the case here.”
MSPCA-Angell must have also found itself in need of a hand, because the sheer size of the rat surrender prompted the organization to request support from adopters as well as other animal welfare organizations. Ultimately, MSPCA-Angell kept 53 rats, increasing the total number of rats the organization is caring for to over 70, which is almost 75 percent of all the rats they adopted out last year.
Massachusetts’ Dakin Humane Society, Lowell Humane Society, Berkshire Humane Society, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston, and New Hampshire SPCA and the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire also took in rats from the surrender.
“Taking in so many of one kind of small animal or bird really taxes resources,” Keiley said. “It pulls our attention to accommodating one species when we’re caring for so many at the same time.This kind of surrender wouldn’t be possible without the amazing support we’ve received from other shelters—and we’re hoping we get a similar level of amazing support from the community!”
MSPCA-Angell’s plans to bring the rats to their four shelters—Boston, Salem, Methuen, and Centerville—despite the fact that the Salem location normally only hosts cats and dogs. This surrender was so big that the organization had to use every location.
So if you’re looking for a pet rat—or just a small furry animal—now is your time. Keep an eye on the websites of MSPCA-Angell, Dakin Humane, Lowell Humane, Berkshire Humane, ARL Boston, NHSPCA, and ARL New Hampshire for information on where there are rats up for adoption, and stop by during open hours to adopt the next member of your family.
“Rats have a bad reputation, but they actually make really great companion pets,” Keiley pointed out. “They’re smart and clean. They also form deep bonds with their owners,” he continued. “We’re hoping that rat lovers—and anyone looking for a less conventional small pet—comes out and gives these great animals the happy homes they deserve!”
Massachusetts
School closings and delays for Massachusetts on Friday, March 6
Several school districts in Massachusetts have delayed the start of classes for Friday, March 6 because of a mix of sleet, freezing rain and snow.
Take a look below for the full list of school closings and delays.
The list displays all public schools in alphabetical order, followed by private schools and then colleges and universities.
Delays on this page are current as of
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