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Crime
Gov. Maura Healey announced a $14 million safety grant following several so-called street takeovers this month.
Healey’s press conference on Thursday was in response to violent car meetups that occurred in several cities on Oct. 4, which allegedly saw a crowd use fireworks to ignite a police cruiser in the South End.
“We have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior,” Healey said. “It poses a real significant threat to public safety and certainly harms quality of life in our neighborhoods and communities.”
“These illegal car meetups, street takeovers have negatively impacted our residents, our businesses and our city as a whole, damaging personal and real property, … creating serious risk of personal injury to onlookers, pedestrians, passengers, and even injuring one of my officers,” Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez said.
“These are organized groups whose purpose is to cause chaos and disruption, to create public disturbance, and to draw attention from both the communities they harass and the police want to protect those communities, and they have succeeded in gaining our attention,” said Fall River Police Chief Kelly Furtado.
In response to these meetups, State Police worked with local departments to prevent other meetups that were advertised online. On Oct. 11, law enforcement across the state issued 232 civil citations, 74 warnings, and 20 criminal summons, arrested seven people, towed 15 vehicles, seized two vehicles under the Controlled Substances Act, and recovered one stolen car as part of the prevention work, Healey said.
During Saturday’s efforts, some of the involved motorists fled the scene and State Police are continuing to work to identify the suspects, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.
To continue these prevention efforts, Healey issued a $14 million safety grant.. The grant includes $6.2 million from the Municipal Road Safety Grant Program for 210 local police departments, $7.1 million from the State Agency Traffic Safety Grant Program for nine state agencies, and $613,900 from the State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements Program to strengthen crash data collection and reporting, according to a press release.
“Every resident of our state deserves to live in a community with a high quality of life and where public safety is assured, and the men and women working across police departments are out there every day trying to do just that,” she said.
Healey said her office will continue to work with law enforcement to monitor online channels and prevent further dangerous meet ups. She urged the public to report any advertisements of such meetups to the authorities.
“The two operations the governor highlighted today illustrate the power of collaboration, the power of working together to meet the evolving needs of the Commonwealth, to make our community safer beyond any one mission,” Noble said.
Although street takeovers are new to the state, State Police and its partners have been tracking similar events across the country for several years, Noble said.
The street takeovers seem to be an escalation of the increase of road races seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, Healey added.
The takeovers in Massachusetts caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday he would prevent the 2026 World Cup games from taking place in Foxborough if he feels it is unsafe.
In addition to Massachusetts being one of the safest states in the nation, “I think that Robert Kraft and the team have safety well in hand,” Healey said when asked about Trump’s comments about the World Cup.
“That’s just more political theater,” Healey continued. “Another day, another Donald Trump comment.”
While public safety is a priority for Healey, she is also “dealing with and trying to mitigate against some of the serious, serious harm by the Trump administration and the reconciliation bill that has cut, effectively, [$3.7 billion] from our budget over the next couple of years,” she said.
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BOSTON, MA — An international restaurant group with locations across the globe is preparing to open its first Massachusetts restaurant this year.
LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera-inspired restaurant founded in London, is set to open on the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in Back Bay, according to Four Seasons. The hotel lists the restaurant as “Opening Summer 2026,” while the Boston Business Journal reported the restaurant plans to open in September.
The Boston restaurant will mark LPM’s debut in the Northeast and its third U.S. outpost, following locations in Miami and Las Vegas, according to a Four Seasons announcement.
LPM, also known as La Petite Maison, was founded in London in 2007 and is known for French-Mediterranean food, Mediterranean ingredients and dining rooms influenced by Belle Époque design.
The business operates locations in London, Dubai, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Limassol, Doha, Mykonos, Kuwait, Boston, Maldives and Bangkok.
Four Seasons said LPM will take over the space that formerly housed One Dalton’s breakfast concept, One + One. The restaurant will join other dining options at the hotel, including Zuma and Trifecta.
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A Massachusetts high school is under investigation after “several” teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions.
The state Department of Public Health is set to visit Uxbridge High School on Thursday to “conduct a series of air quality tests,” to determine whether the multiple cases are potentially connected.
Superintendent David Ljungberg and Principal Michael Rubin alerted families and district staff on Monday of the “sombering news,” after Uxbridge High School’s graduation over the weekend.
“We are writing to inform you about a concern we are investigating at Uxbridge High School,” Ljungberg and Rubin stated in the letter. “Several female teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions over the past few years.”
“It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another,” the leaders added, “but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses.”
The 123,000-square-foot school, with an enrollment of roughly 600, was constructed in 2012 at a cost of $45 million, including a $22-million state reimbursement.
Uxbridge school leaders say they notified the state Department of Health and local health board as soon as they became aware of the cases, seeking “counsel about how best to proceed.”
“Massachusetts DPH officials have indicated that there is no evidence of immediate danger in the building and no reason to limit access to or use of the facility at this time,” they wrote in their letter. “In fact, the public health officials have commended our decision to approach them with these concerns, our readiness to partner with them in support of the evaluation process.”
Health officials are assessing the school’s interior and exterior to “ensure there are no issues with the infrastructure that would present risks (including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, and other systems)” and the indoor and outdoor air quality on campus.
The superintendent and principal said that state officials have ruled out water supply as a “risk factor” after “thorough testing.”
“The team has reached out to the women who have been diagnosed, requesting data to evaluate whether there may be a connection among their cases,” Ljungberg and Rubin wrote. “We are grateful for their cooperation.”
They added that the state has said discovering an environmental “smoking gun” is “rare” in workplace investigations.
“However, even if a direct causal link is not established,” the leaders wrote, “the administration is utilizing this process to rigorously test the building and guarantee that it meets all safety standards moving forward.”
Local News
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow cities and towns to temporarily extend bar and restaurant hours during the summer, as the state prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches and celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The legislation (H.5465) filed by state Rep. Carole Fiola, would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026. The bill would also allow communities to establish designated public consumption districts where alcohol could be consumed in approved public spaces.
In a press release announcing the bill, Fiola said the summer’s threefold events lineup — the World Cup, Tall Ships, and July 4th — is an economically significant moment that the state should take advantage of.
“We should capitalize on these events that will generate economic benefits for small businesses and the state as a whole. It’s a local opt-in idea worth exploring that’s being done in other states,” Fiola said.
The proposal has received support from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most recently Gov. Maura Healey, who submitted written testimony Monday to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies urging lawmakers to advance the measure.
“Massachusetts is planning for a once-in-a-generation summer,” Healey wrote, according to the Boston Globe. “In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, welcome tall ships from around the world to Boston Harbor for Sail Boston, and host seven FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough, along with watch parties across the Commonwealth.”
The governor argued that the added flexibility could help local economies benefit from an influx of visitors.
“That flexibility can help communities capture more visitor spending, support jobs, keep downtowns active, and strengthen Massachusetts’ image as a dynamic destination ready to host the world and a place our residents, including our young professionals, are proud to call home,” Healey wrote.
She also urged lawmakers to move the legislation forward, saying it will “help Massachusetts meet the full economic and cultural opportunities for the summer ahead.”
In Rhode Island, a similar bill to allow bars and restaurants to remain open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup was signed into law on Friday.
Fiola’s bill remains before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Any final version would require approval from both the House and Senate before reaching Healey’s desk.
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