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‘The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be’: Massachusetts NASA astronaut calls the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from space

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‘The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be’: Massachusetts NASA astronaut calls the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular from space


Needham native Suni Williams should have been home from the International Space Station by now, but despite still being in orbit, the NASA astronaut made an early call to the Esplanade for the Fourth.

“Hi, everybody! I’m so happy to be here,” Williams said in a call with Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart. “The Fourth of July in Boston is the best place to be. It’s where it all started.”

The call came in around 12:45 p.m., less than an hour after gates opened for the 50th Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular.

Thousands of people from near and far – decked out in America’s colors – trickled in throughout the day, packing the oval in front of the Hatch Shell and banks of the Charles River hours before the patriotic concert and display.

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Williams called Lockhart alongside her five crewmates – all Americans – on the ISS. And even above the atmosphere, the Fourth of July provided a special meaning for the astronauts.

“We are having a lot of fun, being able to sleep in a little because it’s a holiday. We’re all Americans so …,” Williams said before the crew sang America the Beautiful.

Williams and crewmate Butch Wilmore on Tuesday climbed into Starliner at the ISS and worked with flight controllers and engineers during a power-up of the spacecraft, according to Boeing.

This week marks the fourth that Wiliams and Wilmore have been in orbit. The pair took off on a test drive of Boeing’s new capsule on June 5, and at the time, they expected to head home from the ISS in a week or so.

But equipment problems and helium leaks popped up on their way there, calling off three potential landing dates and putting their return flight on hold.

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“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space,” NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich said last week.

Williams and Wilmore can stay docked at the ISS through the end of July, while Boeing continues to test the Starliner.

Despite what could be an uneasy situation, Williams and her crewmates were in good spirits Thursday, with the Needham native looking forward to finding out whether she could see the fireworks from space.

“This is my first Fourth of July up in space so I am excited to stay up a little bit later, take a nap … and try to see them.”

A crewmate added: “Everything looks like fireworks when you’re up here.”

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Lockhart, speaking with reporters, called conducting the Boston Pops on the Fourth a “great responsibility and a great honor.” This is his 29th year leading the show.

While Lockhart said he’s looked to “keep traditions alive” such as Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture, the concert sees slight alterations each year.

“Somehow we try to make it reflective of America,” he said, “which is difficult this year because America is in a very strange place. … But we are trying to keep it light and hopeful and seek commonalities which is what this day is all about.”

Lou Spelios showed up at 3 a.m., nine hours before gates opened at noon – a tradition for the Back Bay resident. After reading about and watching the annual celebration on television since his childhood, he learned showing up before the crack of dawn is required to get a close seat.

“I love this concert,” Spelios told the Herald. “I love what it stands for – choice and our ability to function independently. That’s what we celebrate, just being able to control our own destiny.”

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After wet and wild weather interrupted the festivities for several hours before the skies cleared last year, Thursday featured similar muggy conditions with oppressive humidity.

Camilla Erices, a native of Chile, and her boyfriend Adam Provost, of Springfield, came out for their first Fourth at the Esplanade.

“It’s been awesome,” Erices, of Haverhill, said of living in America and celebrating the nation’s 248th birthday in Boston. “I’ve been having a great experience. I’ve been living here for the past three years, but honestly, I have nothing bad to say.”

Provost said he has been trying to visit “all of the nation’s original hotspots” for the holiday including Washington, D.C., New York City, and Philadelphia. Being in Boston, he said he felt like he was “reliving history.”

“I just feel proud,” Provost said of being an American. “I feel safe, I go home and feel safe each night, and I know a lot of people don’t get that, and I am glad I do.”

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The Associated Press contributed to this report

NASA astronaut Sunita “Suni” Williams of Needham made an early call to the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. (Herald file photo)



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Police Blotter: Cambridge meth chemist sentenced to prison; Boston firefighters make high-flying save

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Police Blotter: Cambridge meth chemist sentenced to prison; Boston firefighters make high-flying save


A “skilled” drug chemist who helped flood Greater Boston with methamphetamine will spend more than a decade in prison for his role in the enterprise.

U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV sentenced Schuyler Oppenheimer, who went by “SK” and conducted illicit trade with Chinese suppliers under the name “Michael Sylvain,” according to court documents, to 13 years in federal prison.

Oppenheimer, 35 of Cambridge, was arrested in July 2024 and pleaded guilty in January to one count of possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and two counts of wire fraud.

Authorities say that Oppenheimer’s drug business was partially funded through $40,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans.

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FBI Special Agent Eric Poalino described Oppenheimer repeatedly in a lengthy affidavit supporting the charges as a “skilled” drug chemist. A rap sheet included in court documents shows drug charges — convicted or otherwise — dating back to 2008 and at the time of his arrest on July 18, Oppenheimer was on pretrial release for three pending cases.

In addition to his own record, law enforcement was already on to him because he is suspected “to historically have been a technician for other large-scale pill producers in Massachusetts,” according to Poalino’s affidavit.

That includes working for North Shore fentanyl kingpin Vincent “Fatz” Caruso, who along with his mother in 2021 pleaded guilty to operating a large-scale drug trafficking organization specializing in pressed fentanyl pills and was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. Caruso and a lieutenant of his, Ernest “Yo Pesci” Johnson, who was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison, gained notoriety through posting photos of their lifestyles to social media.

High-stakes save

Boston Fire Department firefighters saved a crane operator stuck in his cab at Conley Terminal in South Boston Saturday, despite the dangerous weather conditions.

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The Department cheered the firefighters who worked “over 200 feet in the air under extreme weather conditions, high winds and heavy rain.” The department did not say how the crane got stuck.

Incident Summary

BPD responded to 249 incidents in the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. Saturday, according to the department’s incident log. Those included four robberies, one aggravated assault, two residential burglaries, three thefts from a car, two auto thefts, and 26 instances of miscellaneous larceny.

Arrests

All of the below-named defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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— Nicole Anderson, no address listed. Trespassing.

— Kesner Forestale, no address listed. Trespassing.

— Sean Ribeiro, 112 Southampton St., Boston. Trespassing.

— Peter Antonaros, 4 Doncaster St., Roslindale. Possession of Class C drugs.

— Korie Berry, 93-95 Hyde Park Ave., Jamaica Plain. Possession of Class A drugs.

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— Kaitlyn Quick, 39 Boylston St., Boston. Warrant.

— Marina Coelho, 35 Northampton St., Boston. Possession of Class B Drugs.

— Jason Toomer, 5 Toplift St., Dorchester. External warrant.

— Xavian Alvarado, 434 Georgetown Drive, Hyde Park. Shoplifting more than $250.

— Aidan Walsh, 20 Powell St., Boston. Shoplifting more than $250.

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— Suker Francois, 18 Livingstone St., Boston. Operating an uninsured motor vehicle.

— Donald Villard 151 Hallet St., Dorchester. Carrying a firearm without a license.

Courtesy/Boston Fire Department

Boston firefighters saved a trapped crane operator 200 feet in the air on Saturday. (Courtesy/Boston Fire Department)



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Stormy Saturday, slightly sunnier Sunday – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News

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Stormy Saturday, slightly sunnier Sunday – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News


It’s been a stormy start to the weekend, and we’re not even close to done just yet!

As a storm moves south through New England, we’ll have more rain, wind and March-like temperatures. Let’s start with the timing and the rain. Showers and some heavy rain will come in waves from north to south, and leave in the same direction. That means, the further north you live, the earlier you saw the rain this morning, but the sooner you’ll see the rain leave this afternoon.

In fact, folks in areas like Worcester County could even see some sunshine before sunset.

On the flip side, if you’re on the South Shore, South Coast, Cape & Islands, the rain takes longer to reach you, but won’t be gone until 3-5 PM or so, and the clouds will take longer to break as well. 

Now for the wind. We’ve already seen gusts in the 20s, 30s & 40s. But with the strength of this storm, we could see more up to 55 mph for most of the coast, and 65 mph for the Cape and Nantucket.

For that reason, we have a Wind Advisory and a High Wind Warning until 8 PM this evening. We could even see a few power outages because with the potential of winds blowing weak tree limbs onto power lines. 

Finally, the chill. Temperatures early this morning were largely in the low to mid 50s. Not the worst start for this time of year.

But as the cold air associated with this storm kicks in, temperatures go down instead of up. We’ll be in the 40s for most of the afternoon. 

If there’s a bright side to this forecast, it’s that the storm is gone and clouds clear in time for us to see the only blue moon of 2026! It will rise tonight, and peak illumination will be at 4:45 AM tomorrow morning! It will be a micromoon, meaning it’ll look smaller than normal, as the moon is at or near apogee, its farthest point in orbit from the earth. 

On the note of tomorrow morning… it’ll be beautiful! It’ll be a cold start with temps in the 40s. However, we’ll have some beautiful sunshine as well, and by the afternoon, temperatures will reach the mid to upper 60s and low 70s– not far from normal! That said, clouds increase in the afternoon and we’re keeping an eye out for a few spotty showers as well. 

We’ll keep a few showers around on Monday, though they’ll stay spotty. Temperatures will be cooler as a front comes through with highs in the low 60s. We’ll keep a shower around on Tuesday, with a mix of clouds and sun and a shower or two remaining. 

The weather finally takes a turn on Wednesday! We’ll be mostly to partly sunny, and the chance of a shower is incredibly slim. Highs will be in the upper 60s. Thursday is mostly sunny and even warmer, with highs in the mid to upper 70s!

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Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony suffers another injury setback

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Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony suffers another injury setback


It’s going to be a little while longer before Roman Anthony returns to action.

The Red Sox outfielder has suffered another setback in his recovery from a sprained right hand and will be shut down from swinging for a couple of days.

Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy told reporters in Cleveland that Anthony tried hitting off a tee Thursday for the first time since suffering his injury on May 4, but that he found doing so to be painful.



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