Massachusetts
163 surrendered rats seek new homes in Massachusetts
Attention all non-traditional pet lovers! A non-profit organization in Massachusetts received a boatload of pet rats in need of new homes.Ā
An individual in northeastern Massachusetts surrendered 163 rats in early February. Thatās almost 60 percent more than the total number of rats that were adopted from the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals-Angell (MSPCA-Angell) in 2025 alone.Ā
āA well-meaning person got into a tough spot, and we were able to help,ā Mike Keiley, Vice President of the MSPCA-Angellās Animal Protection Division, said in a statement. āAs a humane law enforcement department, we want to work with people who love their animals to make sure those animals are getting the care they need.Sometimes that means helping with resources, other times it means facilitating a surrender, which was the case here.ā
MSPCA-Angell must have also found itself in need of a hand, because the sheer size of the rat surrender prompted the organization to request support from adopters as well as other animal welfare organizations. Ultimately, MSPCA-Angell kept 53 rats, increasing the total number of rats the organization is caring for to over 70, which is almost 75 percent of all the rats they adopted out last year.Ā
Massachusettsā Dakin Humane Society, Lowell Humane Society, Berkshire Humane Society, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston, and New Hampshire SPCA and the Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire also took in rats from the surrender.Ā
āTaking in so many of one kind of small animal or bird really taxes resources,ā Keiley said. āIt pulls our attention to accommodating one species when weāre caring for so many at the same time.This kind of surrender wouldnāt be possible without the amazing support weāve received from other sheltersāand weāre hoping we get a similar level of amazing support from the community!ā
MSPCA-Angellās plans to bring the rats to their four sheltersāBoston, Salem, Methuen, and Centervilleādespite the fact that the Salem location normally only hosts cats and dogs. This surrender was so big that the organization had to use every location.Ā
So if youāre looking for a pet ratāor just a small furry animalānow is your time. Keep an eye on the websites of MSPCA-Angell, Dakin Humane, Lowell Humane, Berkshire Humane, ARL Boston, NHSPCA, and ARL New Hampshire for information on where there are rats up for adoption, and stop by during open hours to adopt the next member of your family.Ā
āRats have a bad reputation, but they actually make really great companion pets,ā Keiley pointed out. āTheyāre smart and clean. They also form deep bonds with their owners,ā he continued. āWeāre hoping that rat loversāand anyone looking for a less conventional small petācomes out and gives these great animals the happy homes they deserve!ā
Massachusetts
Winnersā circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
Championship season is upon us, and weāre 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 boysā and girlsā lacrosse, boys and girlsā tennis, boysā and girlsā rugby, boysā volleyball, softball, and baseball, weāll 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 youāll 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. Johnās Prep boys
Lexington girls graduate to two-time Division 1 track champions, St. Johnās Prep sprints to boysā 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
Itās 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 girlsā golf championship

North/Central/West: Hopkinton | Concord-Carlisleās Sophie Redmond, Hopkinton rule MIAA girlsā golf championship for North/Central/West

With titles for Natick and Peabody and smiles for all, MIAA unified track championship ābeyond inspiringā
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
Meteor Lands In Cape Cod + Bus Crash Kills 5 From MA + Wind Storm Knocks Out Power To Thousands: MA Weekend
MASSACHUSETTS ā Residents throughout New England were simultaneously startled as a meteor that landed in Cape Cod caused a sonic boom this past weekend.
Meanwhile, a bus driver is facing charges after five Massachusetts residents died in a crash on a highway in Virginia.
Plus, another State Trooper was caught handling a wrong-way driver situation on Route 1.
Mysterious Boom Heard Across MA Was An Exploding Meteor, Experts Say
The noises were heard around 2:11 p.m. Saturday, with people describing a sudden bang that rattled windows and even shook some homes. The American Meteor Society said that the booms heard were actually caused by a meteor about three feet wide entering the atmosphere near the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Residents as far as Ipswich and Johnston, Rhode Island, reported hearing and feeling the sensations. Meteorologist Nick Stewart shared satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, showing where the meteor entered the atmosphere and combusted while traveling at 75,000 miles per hour above the ocean.
Bus Driver Charged After MA Family Of 4, Worcester Woman Killed In VA Crash
Jing S. Dong, of Staten Island, New York, now faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the collision, which occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday on southbound I-95 near Quantico. Among those killed were a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts. All were in the Acura, which police said caught fire after the collisions. Police on Saturday evening identified the fifth person killed as Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who was riding in the Suburban struck by the bus.
In total, about 44 people were transported to area hospitals, including three with critical injuries.
State Trooper Hospitalized After Route 1 Wrong-Way Crash In Peabody
State Police said the trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after police acted in coordination to protect traffic and stop the driver, who was traveling southbound on Route 1 North in Peabody. The incident occurred not far from the location on Route 1 where State Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed when his cruiser was hit head-on in a wrong-way crash in Lynnfield last month. The driver in Sunday’s crash was also hospitalized and charged with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and driving the wrong way on a state highway.
Rapidly Expanding Grocery Chain Has Big Plans For MA
Sprouts Farmers Market is slated to launch up to 40 locations throughout the region in the coming years. Construction has begun for the first Massachusetts spot in Weymouth, which has an opening date of 2028. The Phoenix-based organic grocery chain has more than 480 stores in 25 states.
Saturdayās Meteorite Was āFishy Squisherā And NASA Knows Where To Find It In Cape Cod Bay
Data from NASA suggest fragments of the meteorite lie in waters from the middle of the bay to about 10 miles northeast of the town of Sandwich. The agency said late Saturday it picked up radar signatures of the fragments from four radar sites, and termed the strike a āfishy squisher.ā The meteorite entered Earthās atmosphere about 40 miles above the Bay State and southern New Hampshire, creating the sonic boom. Water in the bombarded portion of Cape Cod Bay is about 100 feet deep.
35K Without Power As Winter-Like Storm Pummels MA With 55+ MPH Winds
Massachusetts residents throughout the North Shore were without power on Saturday morning as a winter-like storm tore a path of tree damage, downpours, and fierce winds throughout New England. Widespread tree damage was reported across the state, with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reporting 34,228 customers without power as of 11:20 a.m. Wind speeds reached a high of 55 miles per hour. Temperatures dropped into the 40s with wind chills in the 30s as the storm arrived across the Bay State. The unsettled weather will continue through Monday and Tuesday before a warming trend takes hold later in the week.
See Also:
Cape Shoreline Named Among The Nationās 10 Best, According To āDr. Beachā
Massachusetts
Markey wins Mass. Dems’ endorsement as Moulton clears ballot hurdle in Senate race
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, a moderate Massachusetts Democrat, secured enough delegate support Saturday to appear on the stateās primary ballot as he challenges incumbent U.S. Sen. Ed Markey in this yearās Senate race.
Yet even though Moulton cleared a key hurdle to continue his Senate bid, it was Markey who won the partyās endorsement after winning more than 50% of the delegationās support.
āYou have a choice, you have to decide what the future looks like and what youāre going to demand,ā Markey said Saturday in front of more than 4,000 delegates.
Markey won nearly 73% of the delegatesā support, while Moulton won nearly 27% of the vote. Massachusetts Democratic Party rules require statewide candidates to get at least 15% of delegate support to appear on primary ballots.
In heavily Democratic Massachusetts, the Senate primary contest is one of the most closely watched in the country as Moulton, 47, has centered his campaign on changing the status quo and demanding a generational shift in leadership.
If reelected, Markey would be 80 before his third six-year term would begin. While Markey has touted his stamina and embrace of progressive policies, questions about age have continued to swirl around Democratic candidates as they fight to take back control of Congress.
Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey is leading Rep. Seth Moulton, but if Rep. Ayanna Pressley were to enter the Democratic primary, it would change the picture, according to a new poll from Suffolk University and The Boston Globe.
In his nomination speech, Moulton argued that the Democratic Party needed more than āincremental changeā and needed to start anew.
āItās time for the generation that grew up with the internet, and will have to live for decades with AI, to lead our way through it,ā Moulton said.
Moulton only addressed his opponent briefly during his nomination speech, giving a passing nod on not waiting another six years for generational change and later calling on Markey to participate in multiple debates before the September primary. Currently, the two candidates have agreed to participate in one debate later this summer.
Markey, instead, took a more critical approach by attacking Moultonās previous comments about transgender kids and accepting corporate PAC money.
āMassachusetts deserves better than a senator who scapegoats trans kids,ā Markey said to loud cheers.
In 2024, Moulton caught flak from some members of his party for saying he didnāt want his daughters playing in sports against transgender girls. Critics said Moulton echoed Trumpās talking points against allowing transgender athletes in girlsā and womenās sports.
Moulton has since said his intent with that statement āwas to point out that, as a party, we need to be willing to have difficult conversations.ā
Moulton, who enlisted in the Marines after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and served four tours of duty in Iraq, was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. He briefly launched a 2020 presidential campaign, but he dropped that bid after a few months.
Markey served as a Massachusetts congressman for nearly 40 years before winning the Senate seat in 2013. He fended off a challenge in 2020 from Rep. Joe Kennedy III in the Senate primary by turning to his progressive allies to overcome a challenge from a younger rival from Americaās most famous political family.
The Massachusetts primary is Sept. 1.
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