Massachusetts
90-day notices going out to families in Mass. emergency shelters
BOSTON (WPRI) — A nine-month cap on families entering Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system will soon go into effect, after the state reported an influx in migrants over the last year.
On Wednesday, Gov. Maura Healey announced 90-day notices will start going out to families in the shelter system in July. The administration plans to limit the number of notices to 150 families a week.
Massachusetts is the only state in the country that has a right to shelter law, which was established in the 1980s to offer shelter to families and pregnant women.
But over the last year, the Healey administration said it has seen an increase in migrants, many from Haiti who are fleeing violence. Hotels, airports, and even a prison have all been identified as temporary housing for migrants entering the state.
In the fall of 2023, Healey announced a cap on the number of families in the emergency shelter system, at 7,500.
Still, families remained on the waiting list, leading to a push for a cap that reached the State House. In April the General Assembly passed a nine-month limit on families in the shelter system.
On Wednesday, the Healey administration laid out the the policy affecting all families within the emergency shelter system, about half of whom are homeless Massachusetts families, according to the governor’s office.
“This policy is a responsible measure to address the capacity and fiscal constraints of our state’s emergency assistance system,” Healey wrote in a statement Wednesday.
Families will be able to apply for up to two 90-day extensions, which can be granted for reasons ranging from having a baby to being in a job-training program. People can also apply for a hardship waiver.
Wednesday’s announcement also gave insight into how many migrants have received work authorizations, a challenge Healey has repeatedly called on the federal government to address.
According to the press release, 3,716 immigrants have applied for work authorizations since November and “it is expected the vast majority have been approved.”
The administration also announced progress in helping people exit the shelter system. According to data provided by the state, the number of families leaving Massachusetts went from 168 in November to 331 in May.
The nine-month policy is expected to remain in effect until the number of families in the shelter system gets below 7,500.
Kate Wilkinson (kwilkinson@wpri.com) is a Target 12 investigative reporter for 12 News. Connect with her on Twitter and Facebook.
A body part was found in a pond in Shirley, Massachusetts and investigators said foul play is suspected.
It was discovered around 5:30 p.m. Wednesday as a group of people were walking along Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.
Police said the group noticed something suspicious in the water of Phoenix Pond. The Middlesex District Attorney confirmed that the item was a body part, but would not elaborate.
Police shut down the road and divers could be seen exploring the pond late Wednesday. Authorities were back at the scene Thursday morning.
No other information is available at this point in the investigation.
Phoenix Pond connects to the Catacoonamug Brook, which flows into the Nashua River. It’s also connected to Lake Shirley.
Shirley, Massachusetts is about 44 miles northwest of Boston and around 13 miles from the New Hampshire border.
Human remains were discovered Wednesday in the water in Shirley, Massachusetts, and authorities suspect foul play.
Police in Shirley said in a social media post at 7:15 p.m. that they responded to “a suspicious object in the water near the Maritime Veterans Memorial Bridge on Shaker Road.” Massachusetts State Police later said the object was believed to be human remains.
The bridge crosses Catacoonamug Brook near Phoenix Pond.
The office of Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said a group of young people was walking in the area around 5:30 p.m. and “reported seeing what appeared to be something consistent with a body part in the water.”
Foul play is suspected, Ryan’s office said.
Authorities will continue investigating overnight into Thursday, and an increased police presence is expected in the area.
No further information was immediately available.
Massachusetts
Ice covered highways, streets and sidewalks in Boston area rattled nerves during morning commute: “I’m ready for the thaw”
It was a treacherous commute for drivers across Massachusetts Wednesday morning. Ice on roads and highways caused several crashes during rush hour.
In Danvers, 22 miles north of Boston, the ramp from Interstate 95 to Route 1 north was covered in ice, leading to three separate crashes involving twelve cars. Three people were taken to local hospitals.
In Revere, just seven miles north of the city, two tractor-trailers collided on North Shore Road. Police said it will be shut down for most of the day. It’s unclear if this crash was caused by icy conditions.
Forty-four miles west of Boston, a tractor-trailer ran off the westbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike in Westboro. One person was taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester with what were described by the fire department as “non-life threatening injuries.”
The ice wasn’t just a problem for drivers. People walking around Boston were also slipping and sliding Wednesday morning.
“I almost fell at least five times but I didn’t. I don’t know how. I screamed and caught edges,” Swapna Vantzelfde told CBS News Boston about her walk to work in the South End. It took longer than usual.
“The internal streets they just don’t get plowed, the little ones that people live on and then these arteries, the big streets, they’re cleaned a lot better,” she said.
Those on two legs and four were all stepping gingerly across slick spots.
“A little treacherous. Very slick and icy out here,” said a father pushing a stroller. “Sometimes you have something to hold on to, which helps.”
With plenty of snow piled along sidewalks and between parking spots, most people are done with winter.
“I’m over it. I’m ready for the thaw,” said one man.
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