Massachusetts
Alex Bregman’s failed contract talks with Red Sox enter Massachusetts ambulance debate
Alex Bregman’s failed contract negotiations with the Red Sox have entered into a debate around a Massachusetts city’s selection of a new ambulance provider, ending a 25-year partnership with a previous company.
The city of Medford is set to transition to Cataldo Ambulance on Monday, following weeks of back-and-forth with the City Council, which requested that leaders pause the move until more information and transparency were provided.
City Councilor George Scarpelli has advocated for the city to stick with Armstrong Ambulance, a company that he says provided “impeccable” service for the past quarter century, instead of bringing in Cataldo.
During a meeting last week, Scarpelli compared the city’s discussions in selecting a new ambulance provider to Bregman’s contract negotiations with the Red Sox.
“Those people that follow the Red Sox — Alex Bregman was going back and forth while the Chicago Cubs gave a better deal. He’s gone now,” Scarpelli said. “Well, at least they went to the Red Sox and said, ‘What is it? Can you do this?’ And the Red Sox said, ‘No. We’re not gonna give you a no-trade clause. We’re not gonna put that in.’”
“It’s no different,” the city councilor added.
Bregman signed a five-year, $175 million deal with the Cubs last week, after he opted out of the three-year, $120 million contract that he signed with the Red Sox last February.
Unlike the Cubs, the Red Sox refused to offer Bregman, who turns 32 in March, a full no-trade clause. This was a top priority for the veteran third baseman, who sought a stable long-term home to raise his two young sons.
“Literally, the first second free agency really opened, it felt like we knew the Cubs wanted our family to be here,” Bregman told reporters in Chicago on Thursday. “We had a lot of conversations over the course of the first three months of the offseason. … It was pretty evident they wanted me to be here.”
In Medford, controversy swirled after Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and other officials announced before the new year that the city had entered into a three-year contract agreement with Cataldo, breaking away from Armstrong.
Officials reiterated that the city didn’t terminate a contract with Armstrong and that the last agreement with the company expired in November. Concerns ranged from inadequate response times to a claim that the company refused to pay $75,000 in annual reimbursements owed to the city.
Nina Nazarian, the mayor’s chief of staff, emphasized that officials continued talks with Armstrong while beginning negotiations with Cataldo last spring.
“Honestly, I wish we weren’t here today. I think you all know that,” Nazarian told councilors last Tuesday. “I want to state that we frankly just didn’t want this to drag on. I also want to state very clearly that we didn’t want to cast shade on Armstrong Ambulance, but here we are.”
City officials have also highlighted how they expect service to improve through Cataldo as the company provides resources in responding to mental health and substance use emergency calls.
Scarpelli said he found it “alarming” that contract negotiations reportedly didn’t involve the fire and police chiefs, the city’s dispatch supervisor, nor the mayor. He claimed that the city’s outside legal counsel, KP Law, spearheaded discussions.
“That’s all I ask for: Everybody sit back at the table. We wouldn’t be here right now,” Scarpelli said. “We would clarify and clean up certain issues.”
Life Care Center of Raynham has received a deficiency‑free inspection result from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, a distinction awarded to a small share of the state’s licensed nursing homes, according to a community announcement.
The inspection was conducted as part of the state’s routine, unannounced nursing home survey process overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. These comprehensive, multi‑day inspections evaluate multiple aspects of facility operations, including staffing levels, quality of care, medication management, cleanliness, food service and resident rights.
State survey records show that Life Care Center of Raynham met required standards during its most recent standard survey, with no deficiencies cited, based on publicly available state data.
The announcement states that fewer than 8% of Massachusetts nursing homes achieve deficiency‑free survey results. That figure could not be independently verified through state or federal data and is attributed to the announcement.
In addition to the state survey outcome, the facility is listed as a five‑star provider for quality measures on the federal Medicare Care Compare website. The five‑star quality measure rating reflects above‑average performance compared with other nursing homes nationwide, according to federal rating methodology.
Officials said the inspection results reflect ongoing compliance with state and federal standards designed to protect resident health and safety. According to the announcement, the outcome is attributed to staff performance and internal quality practices.
This story was created by Dave DeMille, ddemille@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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Massachusetts residents love their beach towns.
And Condé Nast Magazine loves two particular beach towns in the Bay State, but surprisingly didn’t pick a beach on Cape Cod.
That’s why the towns were included on the magazine’s 2025 list of the 17 best beach towns on the East Coast.
“Whether you’re looking to lay out on the sand in summer or prefer walking along the water spotting wildlife and collecting rocks, the shores of the East Coast have a little something for everyone,” Condé Nast stated on its website.
Here’s more about the magazine’s favorite beach towns in Massachusetts.
Oak Bluffs ranked No. 5 on the list
Coming in at number 5 is one of the most popular spots on Martha’s Vineyard – Oak Bluffs.
What they said: “The colorful gingerbread houses for which Oak Bluffs is known are straight out of a storybook. Visitors walk straight off their boats into Ocean Park, a circular green overlooking the sea, encircled by said houses, with a frothy, delicate gazebo sitting in the center. Oak Bluffs has a long history of welcoming Black visitors, and today it is home to the annual African-American Film Festival.”
Rockport ranked No. 4 on the list
Rockport is a town on the North Shore of the Bay State.
What they said: “The coastal region is known for its excellent seafood, beautiful beaches, and historic landmarks. Many a good film has been filmed here as well, such as Martin Scorsese’s ‘Shutter Island’ and Kenneth Lonergan’s ‘Manchester-by-the-Sea.’
“Forty miles north of Boston, (Rockport) has a can’t-miss natural gem in Halibut Point State Park, from which visitors can spot Maine in the distance 80 miles away. Rockport is also beloved by art history buffs: it is home to Motif Number 1, a fishing shack with the superlative ‘the most-often painted building in America.’ It was built in 1840, and was a popular subject because it represented New England’s nautical character.”
What other regions of New England are on the list?
According to Condé Nast, they include:
- Bar Harbor, Maine
- Kennebunkport, Maine
- Newport, Rhode Island
- Hampton Beach, New Hampshire
- Madison, Connecticut
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