A Massachusetts city with one of the nation’s largest Cape Verdean communities has imposed a temporary curfew ahead of Friday’s historic World Cup match between the West African nation and Argentina.

The curfew will be in effect in Brockton, just south of Boston, from 10 p.m. Friday until 5 a.m. Saturday. 

City officials said the decision follows recent World Cup celebrations that led to dangerous and unlawful behavior. 

“World Cup celebrations have resulted in incidents of reckless driving, illegal street gatherings, vandalism, assaults, fireworks violations, disorderly conduct and other criminal activities,” the city said. 

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Brockton is home to one of the largest Cape Verdean communities in the United States, with nearly one in four residents identifying as Cape Verdean, according to local outlet The Enterprise.

Friday’s match was expected to draw large celebrations, as the 2026 tournament marks the first time the African island nation has qualified for the FIFA World Cup.

Following previous World Cup matches, Brockton police said several people were injured in shootings that erupted during postgame celebrations, according to local outlet Boston 25 News — prompting city officials to impose the temporary curfew ahead of Friday’s matchup. 

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Under the curfew order, no one will be permitted to enter establishments serving alcohol after 7 p.m.

Patrons already inside will be allowed to remain until 10 p.m., but “last calls” for alcoholic beverages must end by 9:30 p.m. 

The city said only limited exceptions to the curfew will be permitted.

Such cases include law enforcement officers and other first responders, individuals traveling directly to or from lawful employment, those seeking medical care, and those responding to emergencies. 

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Brockton officials described the measure as a public safety measure intended to preserve public order. 

“The purpose of this curfew is to protect public safety, reduce criminal activity associated with post-match celebrations, and enable police, fire, and emergency personnel to effectively maintain order and respond to emergencies,” the city said. 

“Residents and visitors are urged to celebrate responsibly, obey all laws, avoid unlawful gatherings, and cooperate with public safety officials to ensure that all World Cup celebrations remain peaceful and safe.” 

A sergeant who served in the New Hampshire State Police for 19 years has died, authorities announced.

Sgt. Brian J. Ross, of Greenland, New Hampshire, died Monday at 41 years old, according to his obituary. 

“Our hearts are broken by this loss,” State Police said in a Facebook post. “Sgt. Ross served the people of New Hampshire with courage and integrity, and all of us will miss him greatly.”

Ross began his career as a patrol trooper and later fulfilled other roles, including working with the Major Crime Unit, Special Events Response Team, and Motorcycle Unit. He recently served as the commander of the Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Unit, according to State Police.

“We ask everyone to join us in offering his family, including his wife and three children, the support and privacy they deserve at this time,” State Police said. 

State Police added that a fund has been established for Ross’ family. 

“Brian was a devoted husband, proud father of three beautiful children, dedicated Trooper, and beloved coach,” the fund states. “His family is now facing a future they never imagined.” 

A walk-through for police officers and other public safety personnel is scheduled for 3 p.m. on July 6 at the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home-Crematory in Hampton, according to the obituary. 

Public visiting hours are expected to take place from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the funeral home. Services will be at 1 p.m. on July 7 at the United Church of Christ in North Hampton, the obituary states. 

Authorities did not specify the cause of death, but said it was “unexpected.” 

State Police noted that resources are available for anyone struggling with a mental health crisis. 

“Anyone can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8 for free and confidential support for themselves, a friend or a loved one,” State Police said.

Four-minute read

While you’re sitting around the grill this July 4 holiday, raise a glass to William Sharp, who caught the mother of all New Jersey lobsters on this day in 2003.

He was diving on the sunken remains of the Almirante, an old banana boat that everyone knows as the “flour wreck,” which is a story unto itself. The 378-foot freighter belonged to the United Fruit Co. and was steaming from New York City to Colon, Panama, with a full cargo hold.

At 2 a.m., Sept. 6, 1918, a Navy tanker slammed into the ship in rough seas and heavy fog off the South Jersey coast. The Almirante went down in four minutes; five of its 105 crewmembers and passengers didn’t make it out and its entire cargo load was lost. For days after the wreck, a white frothy foam washed up onto the shore, leading people to falsely believe the ship was carrying flour to the banana plantations. Its manifold said it was carrying produce.

As if that’s not enough, during a submarine patrol in July 1942 in the early days of World War II, a blimp spotted the shape of the wreck from the air and reported it as a possible German U-boat. A Coast Guard cutter dropped five depth charges on the wreck, blowing it to pieces. It now lays in scattered pieces of steel in 70 feet of water, nine miles outside Absecon Inlet.  

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It was under one of those twisted, steel plates that Sharp, a retired Navy shipyard worker, had his standoff with what would turn out to be a New Jersey state record lobster.

“It’s so confusing down there. You can only see 15 feet, 30 feet in front of you on a good day,” said Sharp, who’s 71 today and living where he always has, on a lagoon in the Mystic Islands section of Little Egg Harbor, or “the end of the world,” as he puts it.

Sharp spotted the lobster in its hiding spot with a flashlight. But he was out of air. So he cut the rope to his dive reel, and tied it off at the lobster’s location. He then followed his anchor rope back to his boat called Kitchen Table, aptly named because that’s where his friends all sat around in the winter, planning their dives and fishing trips.

Forty minutes later and with a fresh tank of air, Sharp went back down, following the line on his dive reel. The lobster was still there. He turned the light off, because a bright light can spook the crustacean. Then he reached in with his hand and grabbed hold of the giant lobster, trying not to get pinched by one of its massive claws.

“The lobster will stand up in defense and just get itself stuck in there,” Sharp said. “You have to dig the sand out from under it.”

With the water cloudy with floating sand particles, Sharp won his tug of water and surfaced with the biggest lobster ever caught by a diver in New Jersey waters since the state started keeping records.

The lobster weighed 15 pounds, 3 ounces; it’s carapace, or body, measured 7½ inches. The state’s Fish & Wildlife sent a marine scientist to Scott’s Bait & Tackle, where the lobster was certified, to investigate. A month later, Sharp’s find was anointed king of the lobsters.

Ok, maybe not king of all the lobsters, but his catch became the official state record lobster landed by a recreational fisherman or diver. The record may never be broken either. New Jersey’s Fish & Wildlife retired the lobster category because lobsters that size are illegal to catch recreationally these days. The carapace can’t be bigger than 5¼ inches.

While Sharp’s 15 pounder is the biggest ever recorded by the state for a diver, American lobsters can get bigger, though it’s not common. The largest American lobster was 44 pounds and captured off Nova Scotia in 1977. There is also a Maine legend of a 51.5-pound lobster caught in 1926, but the mount was lost after it got smashed during transportation.

There are New Jersey divers too, that have claimed bigger lobsters, but they just never got them certified. Retired diver Mike Schwartz of Millville said the late Tom Conley caught a 20.4-pound lobster on the wreck Morand, which he said is 30 miles in the ocean from Cape May.

The year was 2001. Schwartz and Conley were diving off of the late Capt. Sam Still’s boat Samar III. Schwartz, who is 77 today, said it never dawned on them to certify the lobster for a record.

“We caught so many big lobsters back then, I don’t think we even thought about records,” Schwartz said.

As far as the fate of the Sharp’s lobster goes, he ate it. But it was too big to cook all at once. It took him and a friend a week to finish it off.

“I didn’t have a pot big enough. I had to eat it one claw at a time. I saved the parts,” Sharp said.

He had the lobster’s carapace, head and claws mounted. He keeps it on shelf with other nautical items. It’s red color long faded out, the lobster mount is now beige.

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; 732-643-4072; dradel@gannettnj.com.