Northeast
Massachusetts couple volunteers to host migrants, four show up an hour later: ‘We really knew nothing’
A Massachusetts couple who volunteered to take in illegal immigrants was surprised when a family of four showed up at the doorstep less than an hour after signing up.
With state shelters hitting capacity and migrant families sleeping overnight inside Boston Logan International Airport, Colin and Jessica Stokes of Brookline, Massachusetts, decided to step up and try to make a difference.
“I was like, I have to get sheets on the beds. How many people are coming? Where are they from? What ages? We really knew nothing,” Jessica told WBZ News on Friday.
“The need is so clearly overwhelming,” Colin chimed in.
TRENDY BOSTON WATERFRONT DISTRICT COULD GET NEW MIGRANT SHELTER AS ROXBURY MAXES OUT: REPORTS
Jessica and Colin Stokes the migrant family that arrived at their home is “wonderful” and “appreciative.” (WBZ News (CBS Boston))
The family of four was one of the migrant groups that had been sleeping at the airport. The parents and two children had traveled all the way from Chile to Texas before heading to Massachusetts.
The two kids are currently waiting to be put in a school. The parents stressed that while they are looking to work, the proper authorization forms will likely take several months to be received and approved.
Jessica said it is incredible to observe how challenging the situation is from the front lines.
“The family is lovely. They are so appreciative. It has been wonderful,” she added.
The migrant crisis has been complex for Massachusetts. The state’s newest emergency shelter, located in Roxbury, a neighborhood in Boston, reached its capacity (400 people) in just one week.
MASSACHUSETTS CLOSES COMMUNITY CENTER TO PUBLIC TO SHELTER MIGRANTS, PROMPTING BACKLASH
Jessica and Colin Stokes said the need to help others amid the migrant crisis is overwhelming and the “dysfunction” is “disheartening.” (WBZ News (CBS Boston))
Gov. Maura Healey’s office said in late January the decision to move migrants into the state-owned Melnea Cass Recreation Center was “just born out of necessity” as other facilities in the state that have served as housing shelters, including the Logan Airport, have become overwhelmed.
“We just have to do what we have to do at this time,” she added.
Local officials are looking into a Boston Seaport office building as the location for another shelter, but Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn said the lack of running water at the site makes it a “non-starter.”
The Stokes hope that other families use them as a case study and decide to put migrants up in their own homes.
“Just the dysfunction is really disheartening, and I know that really well-intentioned people are working as hard as they can; it’s a state of emergency. But it is distressing to see the volume,” Jessica said.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Stokes family for an update.
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PORTLAND (WGME) – The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage.
CBS13 reached out to the Platner campaign for comment Monday but did not hear back.
According to multiple reports, Platner calls the stories “gossip.”
Amy Gertner, his wife of nearly three years, called the former staffer’s claims a “betrayal” and an “invasion of our privacy.”
Platner says the Wall Street Journal and New York Times ran stories without any evidence, based solely on gossip from a former staffer.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
He says claims made by that staffer, former State Representative Genevieve McDonald, are untrue.
Platner’s wife, Amy Gertner, says she trusted McDonald with the most private chapter of their lives.
“I confided deeply personal details about my marriage to someone I considered a friend. In the months since, I have had to watch as she spread malicious gossip to anyone who would take her call,” Gertner said.
“The situation he’s in right now that’s most uncomfortable, I think, is that he and his wife seem to be telling different versions of the story,” USM Political Science Professor Ron Schmidt said.
Gertner defended her husband in a video she posted.
“I find it really shameful that there’s a group of media outlets, and people who are willing to spread gossip, instead of talking about real issues that Graham is running on like healthcare and education and childcare,” Gertner said.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
She says being newly married while going through infertility and a Senate campaign is hard, but she says they are working on their marriage and mental health.
“I knew the man that I married had been through an immense amount of violent, active combat,” Gertner said. “No marriage is perfect, and I don’t want a perfect marriage. I want my marriage.”
“If this is a case of mistakes made early on in the marriage, and they’ve had marriage counseling, then the best thing to do is to say ‘I made a mistake. It was a while ago. It was related to something else, and it doesn’t have a bearing on where I am right now,’” Schmidt said.
A Platner supporter, who attended Sunday’s town hall meeting with the candidate, says the focus needs to be on policy, not personal matters.
“I think people should really continue to engage with Platner and the campaign around affordable housing, universal healthcare and issues that really matter to us,” Auburn Community Organizer Safiya Khalid said.
The wife of Democrat Graham Platner, who is running for U.S. Senate in Maine, is responding to stories in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times about sexually explicit text messages Platner allegedly sent to other women during their marriage. (WGME)
“Graham and I have a great marriage,” Gertner said. “And we love each other deeply. We deserve better. I think Mainers deserve better.”
Platner has apologized for other controversies like now-deleted Reddit posts calling himself a communist and blaming victims of rape, and a nazi-symbol skull tattoo his military unit got that he’s since covered up.
Through it all, he’s still leading in the polls.
Schmidt says Democratic voters like what Platner stands for, but he says the controversies are certainly a concern, especially with Senator Susan Collins, in his view, doing a good job distancing herself from President Donald Trump.
Massachusetts
Winners’ circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
Championship season is upon us, and we’re tracking every title winner in Massachusetts this spring.
From the golf sectionals in late May to championship weekend June 11-14, a four-day stretch in which 31 titlists will be crowned across boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys and girls’ tennis, boys’ and girls’ rugby, boys’ volleyball, softball, and baseball, we’ll have you covered.
Find all the dates, brackets, seedings, matchups, and links to our postseason previews here.
Follow us on X @GlobeSchools, Instagram @BGlobeSchools, and Facebook to stay up to date.
Over at Globe.com/Schools you’ll find our daily scoreboard, nightly Takeaways, game coverage, videos, live streams, and our weekly Varsity News newsletter (sign up for free) to keep you in the know.
Division 1: Lexington girls, St. John’s Prep boys
Lexington girls graduate to two-time Division 1 track champions, St. John’s Prep sprints to boys’ title
Division 2: Billerica girls, North Andover boys
Billerica girls unphazed by move up to Division 2, going back-to-back as North Andover boys dominate
Division 3: Canton girls, Walpole boys
Canton girls cap greatest season with first Division 3 track title, Walpole boys win by thinnest margin
Division 4: Duxbury girls, Newburyport boys
Historic win for Duxbury girls, Mohoric paces Newburyport boys to Division 4 outdoor track championship
Division 5: North Reading girls, Weston boys
It’s four in a row for North Reading girls, two straight for Weston boys at Division 5 track championships
Division 6: Ayer Shirley girls, Abington boys
Ayer Shirley girls pick up where they left off, Abington boys twinning at Division 6 track championships
Day 1, Divisions 1, 2, and 5: Lexington boys and girls setting the pace at Division 1 track & field championships
Day 1, Divisions 3, 4, and 6: Canton girls make a strong run to first at Division 3 track championships
South: Walpole | With Tori Adams as its driving force, Walpole scores third straight MIAA South girls’ golf championship
North/Central/West: Hopkinton | Concord-Carlisle’s Sophie Redmond, Hopkinton rule MIAA girls’ golf championship for North/Central/West
With titles for Natick and Peabody and smiles for all, MIAA unified track championship ‘beyond inspiring’
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
By JEFFREY HASTINGS, InDepthNH.org
A group gathered in front of the City Hall Annex for a short presentation by Manchester True Collaborative, US Senator Maggie Hassan’s representative and Manchester Mayor Jay Ruais’s representative.
The flag raising denotes the beginning of pride month in New Hampshire.
On June 27th, the annual Pride Parade will be held in downtown Manchester and an event held at Veterans Park.
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