MONTPELIER — The state of Vermont is reminding all Vermonters to boat safely this coming Fourth of July weekend.

Recently released 2023 U.S. Coast Guard data show that alcohol use remains the primary known contributing factor in recreational boater deaths. In addition, 85 percent of people who drowned in a recreational boating incident were not wearing a life jacket.

The Vermont Warden Service, Vermont State Police and other local law enforcement agencies will be partnering with the National Association of Boating Law Administrators and the U.S. Coast Guard by participating in Operation Dry Water heightened awareness and enforcement weekend which takes place July 4-6.

Operation Dry Water is a national awareness and enforcement campaign focused on reducing the number of alcohol- and drug-related incidents and fatalities and fostering a stronger, more visible deterrent to alcohol and drug use on the water.

“It’s always important to remind people that operating a vessel under the influence of drugs or alcohol is illegal and can lead to serious injuries, death, property damage and legal consequences,” Game Warden Sgt. Jenna Reed said.

“The July Fourth holiday means time on the water for boaters in Vermont and across the United States. With an increased public presence on the water, the data show an increase in the number of boating incidents and fatalities that take place during this time. We want everyone to be safe and responsible while having a good time on Vermont’s waterways,” she added.

“Wearing a properly fitting, Coast Guard-approved life jacket is one of the easiest steps you can take to improving your safety on the water,” said Vermont State Police Boating Law Administrator Al Johnson. “New life jackets are much more comfortable, lightweight and stylish than the bulky orange PFDs of the past. There are also innovative options such as inflatable life jackets that improve mobility and flexibility for activities including boating, fishing, paddling or hunting, and the new styles are much cooler in the warmer weather.”

VSP and the Warden Service encourage residents and visitors to enjoy Vermont’s beautiful and diverse waterways this summer. While you’re out there, take pictures, make memories, and for your safety, boat sober and wear your life jacket.

Migrants sleeping on the floors of Boston’s Logan International Airport will soon be banned from doing so and Massachusetts officials are telling migrants currently at the southern border that its shelter system is out of space.

More than 100 migrants have been using the facility as a shelter — lining the floors of Boston’s main air hub with makeshift beds and air mattresses — but they will be prohibited from doing so from July 9 and instead be offered free tax-payer-funded accommodation at a former minimum-security dorm-like facility in Norfolk, Gov. Maura Healey announced Friday.

The state has refurbished Massachusetts’ Bay State Correctional Center, a former minimum-security dorm-like facility, which opened last week and can accommodate 140 migrants and homeless families, or about 450 people. The facility is located on the grounds of Massachusetts Correctional Institution (MCI), a medium-security prison. 

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The migrants will also be offered transfers to other new “safety-net” sites, the Healey administration said. 

“The administration has worked diligently in recent months to increase the number of families leaving shelter into more stable housing,” the state’s emergency assistance director, Scott Rice, said in a statement.

“With this progress… we are now in a position to end the practice of families staying overnight in the airport. This is in the best interest of families and travelers and staff at Logan, as the airport is not an appropriate place for people to seek shelter.”

Norfolk has a population of about 11,500 and some residents fumed last month when they heard about the facility being turned into a migrant shelter. The town voted heavily in favor of President Joe Biden in 2020. 

The move comes after the administration says it sent a state delegation to the border to tell border officials, NGOs and migrants that Massachusetts is out of shelter space.

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The migrants are to be offered free tax-payer-funded accommodation at a former minimum-security dorm-like facility in Norfolk. (Google Maps)

The Healy administration says it is also putting out flyers in English, Spanish and Haitian-Creole to let new migrants know that they will have to plan for housing in Massachusetts that does not include Logan Airport or the state’s shelter system.

Healey last summer declared a state of emergency over the surge of migrants into the state and the Bay State has struggled to get a grip on the crisis. The state has previously said that it is obliged to cater to the migrants because of its 1983 sanctuary city law which was passed to deal with the relatively small number of homeless families and pregnant women, although critics have said the law does not apply to migrants who are not U.S. citizens.

The administration said Friday it has been increasing its efforts to provide migrants with housing assistance, work authorization applications, job placements and English classes.

As a result, more than 300 families have left the facilities since May, the administration said.

These numbers are expected to increase as the administration implements a nine-month length of stay limit for emergency shelters, which was passed by the Legislature and was signed by Healey. She also implemented 30-day engagement requirements, where migrants have to demonstrate they are taking action toward getting work permits, jobs and housing.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey delivers her inaugural address in the House Chamber at the Statehouse on Jan. 5, 2023, in Boston. She has announced migrants will no longer be allowed to stay at Logan Airport.  (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Rice told Fox News Digital last month that families at the Norfolk site will have access to showers and bathrooms on each floor. The facility also has a cafeteria, a gymnasium, a large common room and offices that will be used for case management and administrative activities. 

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Rice added that play areas for children were being set up along with classroom spaces for adults to learn English and get job training. 

The site is staffed 24/7 by a contracted service provider and families are provided with transportation on and off site. The razor wire on the fence surrounding the facility was removed and the gates are to remain open, so families are free to exit and return as needed, the governor’s office says. 

It is unclear how much the entire operation will cost the taxpayer. 

Justin Timberlake’s DWI joke

During his Boston concert stop, the SexyBack singer, took a moment to address his recent Driving while intoxicated arrest. The 43-year-old singer was mid-tour, performing at the TD Garden when a fan captured a video of him making a joke about the incident. In the clip, Timberlake asks the crowd, “So uhhh, is there anyone here tonight that is driving?” as the crowd erupted in cheers and noise, he quickly added, “No, I’m just kidding.”

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After his playful jab about the DUI arrest, Timberlake swiftly steered the conversation back on track. He jumped in with, “Is there anyone here tonight, that it’s your first time here to the show? Is there anybody here that you’ve been to 1, 2, 3, maybe 4 of our shows?,” he said before adding, “For all of you that it’s your first time tonight — on a serious note — I hope that you feel the fellowship and the love.”

Justin Timberlake was feeling ‘remorseful, ashamed’

Timberlake first addressed the situation at Chicago’s United Center, expressing gratitude to fans who supported him, stating, “I’m here … I know sometimes I’m hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back. Thank you so much.”

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According to a source speaking to ET, the DWI arrest has “taken a toll on him, but he is trying to view it as a way to reset himself.” The insider further claimed that Timberlake is “feeling remorseful, ashamed, and humiliated, taking the situation seriously and acknowledging its potential impact on his family dynamic as a husband and father, as well as on his fans.”

The singer was arrested on June 18 and reportedly spent a night in custody, where he panicked over the situation. The pop star was detained by a young police officer who was unaware of the singer’s identity and asked him to undergo a breathalyzer test, which he refused. Timberlake, with red and glassy eyes, was pulled over on suspicion of running a stop sign and swerving out of his lane in the Hamptons. He subsequently failed a sobriety test. The 43-year-old, who had spent the evening at the American Hotel in Sag Harbor, Long Island, confessed to consuming just one martini before choosing to get behind the wheel.