Danny’s mom, Nancy Doherty, who had encouraged her son to start the stand as long as he donated half of the proceeds to charity, also was taken aback.

“Somebody complained. That was the most disappointing part for us was that somebody thought it necessary to complain about a child’s stand,” she said. “It seemed a little, you know, crazy if you ask me.”

Rather than give up, Danny decided to give away the ice cream and accept donations for the Boston Bear Cubs, a team featuring players with physical and developmental disabilities — including his brother, who is autistic.

That’s when the neighborhood fundraiser blew up and became the talk of Norwood, a suburban town about an hour from Boston.

The first day they gave away the ice cream, supplies ran out in 10 minutes and $1,000 was raised. Then, word began to spread about the fundraiser and Danny’s clash with the town. Local media ran stories about the stand, prompting scores of local businesses to hold their own fundraisers for the hockey team.

Among them was Furlong’s Candies, which teamed up with Boston radio station WWBX-FM to hold a fundraiser in their parking lot. They raised $3,600 on a day when lines stretched out the door.

“Danny was trying to do a good thing for his brother’s team — and it’s not just a regular hockey team,” Nancy Thrasher, the store’s co-owner said. “They need a lot more equipment … We were like this is a perfect situation for us to get involved in.”

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Thrasher said she understood why the stand had to be shut down but she still felt bad.

“My heart broke for the kid. He was just trying to do good for his brother’s team,” she said.

Town officials, meanwhile, said they received hate mail and death threats over the dispute, which they suggested has been badly mischaracterized in the media.

They argued the family had sold their homemade ice cream before and even promoted it on social media. The letter, officials said, was only sent after the town received several complaints and unsuccessfully tried to contact the family — something the Doherty’s dispute.

“We had to deal with staff who were upset that they were being threatened. People had gone online and found their addresses simply for sending a letter after having reached out to somebody and said, look, there’s a violation here,” said Tony Mazzucco, Norwood’s town manager. It’s the “first time in recent memory” that the town has shut down an ice cream stand, he said, adding that Massachusetts law allows for things like lemonade stands and bakes sales but not homemade ice cream.

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Mazzucco also said there was a “legitimate health concern” since homemade ice cream can be contaminated with listeria monocytogenes or other bacteria.

Danny’s situation is not altogether unusual. Youth elsewhere have also seen their lemonade stands or pop-up bake sales shuttered — often for failing to have a business or health permit. Several states have responded by moving to lessen restrictions on such ventures.

Nancy Doherty said it was “distressing” to hear the town employees had received threats. She said the family had never sold ice cream before but acknowledged that Danny created an Instagram account to promote the stand.

“I’m not upset with the town for responding to a complaint,” she said. “I’m shocked someone complained. This was a tiny operation. Us serving 20 friends, family and neighbors isn’t a public health action. That is someone complaining to be a complainer.”

For Danny, all the attention has been a little unnerving. “There were so many people and then they started chanting my name,” he said of the fundraiser at Furlong’s. “I didn’t like it, so I ran away. All the attention was on me and I didn’t like it.”

In the end, about $20,000 was raised for the hockey team — more than the amount the club spends in an entire year. The infusion of funds should ensure the club will be on “sound financial footing” for the next decade or more.

“The community response has overwhelmed us,” said John Quill, the director and coach of the Boston Bear Cubs, as he accepted a check from an auto group at the Dohertys’ house.

“There are a lot of good people out there,” Quill added. “Danny inspired a whole lot of people to do good and to be kind and to help us out.”

Dozens of migrant families spent the night outside the Wollaston MBTA station in Quincy, Massachusetts, on Monday.

Charitable groups said it’s a symptom of the lack of shelter space in the state and the result of new rules that went into effect earlier this month.

The Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network (BIJAN) said 47 people – about half of them children – were sleeping outside on the concrete floor, benches and on a lawn nearby.

It happened after the BIJAN ran out of money and were no longer able to sponsor their hotel rooms as they had for the past few nights.

“There’s no space for us. You don’t do that. For me you don’t do that, it’s a lack of respect,” said Eisner Dervil, an immigrant from Haiti.

“Police got here early this morning and woke us up, telling us we couldn’t stay here,” said Wisler Sol, another Haitian immigrant.

Their presence was noticed by those passing by and living in the area.

“Somebody needs to do something,” said one neighbor who asked not to be identified. “You have to care because this is a problem; children are involved.”

Fahema Rahman, an immigrant herself, learned about the families and decided to help out by donating food. She said she expects more from local leaders.

“Anyone’s babies should not be sleeping on the ground in America,” she said. “There are the smartest people in the country here we should be able to solve any problem.”

Last month the governor put an end to families sleeping at Logan Airport.

The area that housed nearly 50 migrant families at one point at Boston Logan International Airport is now empty. The last few families staying there were told by Gov. Maura Healey they had to evacuate by Tuesday.

At the beginning of the month, she introduced tighter measures to ease the burden on the shelter system – which her office said has helped, helping 3,800 families receive work permits leading to an average of 330 families being able to leave the shelters. But it has also pushed out more than 200 families who aren’t considered priority.

“Unfortunately, it’s turned out that it’s really become really relying on volunteer support,” said BIJAN’s Annie Gonzalez.

Gonzalez said BIJAN used grant money and donations to place dozens of families who were pushed out of the state shelters into hotels for a few nights until their funds ran dry on Monday.

“There is a rainy day fund for emergencies that the state of Massachusetts has and I don’t know what else they think constitutes an emergency, but to me, this seems like one,” she said.

The governor’s office issued this statement, saying: “It’s terrible that families slept outside last night. We have asked the nonprofit assisting them to bring them to our family welcome centers today so that they can be referred to a temporary respite center.”

But with no immediate lasting relief in sight, worry and the cooler weather are creeping in.

After months of unsuccessful negotiations over wages and workloads, hotel workers in Boston are preparing for a potential strike at 35 hotels, the union representing the city’s hotel workers said Tuesday.

Plans for a potential strike comes less than a week before contracts expire, UNITE HERE Local 26, the union representing hotel workers in Boston, said in a statement.

Hotels that could see a potential strike include the Hilton Boston Park Plaza, the Hilton Boston Logan Airport, and the Fairmont Copley Plaza. Hotel workers are registering for strike benefits, signing up for picket duty, and assembling “On Strike” signs, the union said.

These actions come after an overwhelming 99% vote to authorize a historic citywide strike, which could happen anytime after contracts expire on August 31st.

Note: Workers and union officials are available for interviews at 26 West Street in Boston, 7am to 7pm, through Friday August 30th. Please call to coordinate.

“I’m ready to strike because we’re all struggling to pay our monthly bills,” Susana Coelho, a PBX Operator at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport Hotel for 21 years, said in a statement. “Groceries, even basic items like eggs and pasta, are three times more expensive than before. Many of my co-workers are facing the same problems, and they’re getting ready to strike, too.”

“We’ve been in negotiations for months, but the hotels don’t want to help us out in these hard times,” Coelho said. “I’m ready to show the hotel that I’m serious about winning a livable wage and securing a better future for myself and my daughter.”

“Hotel workers are preparing in earnest for a historic Citywide strike in Boston and across the U.S.,” Carlos Aramayo, president of UNITE HERE Local 26, said in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that hotel workers often struggle to afford basic necessities despite working for a big brand like Hilton or Marriott. Our work of providing high quality guest services and amenities should be protected, and guests should know they can expect the same experience that they had before Covid-19. After months of unsuccessful negotiations, hotel workers are ready to fight for what we deserve, and we’re going to win.”

Hotel workers across the U.S. are calling for higher wages, fair staffing and workloads, and the reversal of COVID-era cuts, according to the union. Many hotel workers are struggling to make ends meet with insufficient pay, often juggling multiple jobs to support their families.

Union officials said that too many hotels took advantage of the pandemic by cutting staffing and suspending guest services that were never restored, causing workers to lose jobs and income – and creating painful working conditions for those who carry the increased workload.

Last year, UNITE HERE members won record contracts after rolling strikes at Los Angeles hotels and a 47-day strike at Detroit casinos, union officials said.

UNITE HERE Local 26 has a history of successful labor strikes, including a 22-day strike at Harvard in 2016, a 46-day strike at Marriott hotels in 2018, and a 79-day strike at the Battery Wharf hotel in 2019, union officials said.

In June 2023, casino workers at Encore Boston Harbor in Everett voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike; it was averted when a tentative agreement was reached less than two days before the strike deadline.

UNITE HERE Local 26 represents workers in the hospitality industries of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Its members work in Boston and Providence’s best hotels, restaurants, and university dining halls in addition to the Boston Convention Centers, Fenway Park, and Logan International Airport.

“We clean hotel rooms, greet guests, and prepare and serve food for hundreds of thousands of travelers to Boston and the northeast,” union officials said in its statement.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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