Massachusetts
Bankrupt Steward hopes to sell Massachusetts hospitals by end of June – The Boston Globe
At a virtual hearing in federal bankruptcy court Tuesday, Judge Christopher Lopez in Houston said he was focused on ensuring patient safety as the chain reckons with its crushing debts: ”Real people receiving real care in real time . . . are at the forefront of my mind today.”
The hearing was the start of a months-long process to get the hospitals on a sound financial footing. The court must sort through all of Steward’s financial transactions over the past few years and determine which creditors will be paid back, all while the hospitals continue serving thousands of patients.
During the hearing, Steward also disclosed that it is conducting an internal investigation into “any claims or causes of action of the company against insiders of the company,” according to a presentation from its lawyers. “This investigation is ongoing.”
The investigation is being overseen by a three-person committee that includes independent Steward board members Alan Carr and William Transier plus John Castellano, an investment banker from AlixPartners working on the company’s restructuring.
The group, called the transformation committee, also has “full and exclusive authority” to oversee financing, sales, and restructuring transactions, according to the presentation.
The aggressive timeline for sale of the hospitals was a condition of a $75 million loan Steward needs while it reorganizes its debts. The company owes more than $1 billion to “secured” lenders, who received collateral to protect their loans, and more than $7 billion on long-term leases and loans from its main landlord, Medical Properties Trust, according to the company’s presentation at the hearing. Steward also owes an additional $1 billion in unsecured debts to other service providers and contractors.
The latest loan obligates the company to conduct a rapid sale process, Ray Schrock, Steward’s lawyer, told Judge Lopez during the hearing.
Under the loan terms, Steward would have to take bids on all its hospitals except nine in Florida by June 25, with an auction to be held on June 28. Bids would be due on the nine Florida hospitals by July 26, with an auction on July 30. The company has already begun seeking potential buyers for all of its hospitals, Schrock said.
“I’m not going to say we are happy with the timeline,” Schrock said regarding the June deadline for the first group of sales. “It’s not feasible.” The later Florida deadline was “more realistic,” he said.
Steward had already received letters of interest from potential buyers offering to buy some of the hospitals, Schrock said. But he added that hospital sales typically require approval from state, local, and sometimes federal authorities.
Bankruptcy attorney Adam Ruttenberg, a partner at Beacon Law Group in Boston who is not working on the Steward case, said it was unlikely the hospitals could be sold by the end of the June because of the required regulatory approvals.
“It depends on what you mean by sell,” Ruttenberg said. “Are we talking about having a buyer identified? Seven weeks to get bidders and identify who your best bidders are, that’s not unrealistic. Or are we talking about having a sale approved and closed? That strikes me as wishful thinking.”
Boards often appoint special committees, such as the Steward transformation committee, with the power to authorize transactions and investigate insiders in bankruptcy cases, Ruttenberg said.
“It’s standard in any case where there are hints of wrongdoing,” he said.
While no allegations of wrongdoing have publicly been aired as part of the days-old bankruptcy case, the company has faced dozens of lawsuits, including allegations it has not met contractual obligations to various business partners and has failed to pay its bills.
In addition, Steward has been subjected to increasing criticism from public officials. Governor Maura Healey, for instance, has raised the possibility that Steward may have broken the law in its business dealings. “We don’t have enough to know what they’ve done, whether it’s criminal or illegal, but to me it really smells,” she told the Globe in February.
The sales timeline could be altered, particularly if Steward found a different lender. Steward is also seeking to sell its doctor network, Stewardship Health, but a deal with insurance giant UnitedHealth has been slowed by regulatory concerns. “We’re still working through that,” Schrock said.
In the end, the company may retain some of the hospitals, Schrock said. Healey wants Steward to sell all of its facilities in the state.
“We are going to look at reorganizing around a smaller footprint of hospitals,” Schrock said. The Florida hospitals are the “most profitable portion,” he said.
Andrew Troop, a lawyer at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who is representing Massachusetts, urged the judge to approve an order allowing doctors and other Steward employees to continue receiving their pay. “This is not a typical case,” Troop said. “Patients are waiting for the outcome of this hearing.”
Lopez said he planned to approve the order because he wanted doctors treating patients to “have nothing in the back of their minds.”
Steward did not assent to everything its lenders requested, Schrock said. Some lenders wanted Steward to issue notices under the US Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act that it could conduct mass layoffs at hospitals within 60 days. But Steward pushed back, Shrock said, because “we don’t think there’s going to be any closures.”
Since Steward’s cash crunch started last year, Medical Property Trust has deferred $166 million in rent and injected $141 million of cash into the hospital operator, Thomas Patterson, a lawyer for the real estate company said.
In Massachusetts, Steward’s hospitals include St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton, Carney Hospital in Dorchester, Good Samaritan in Brockton, Holy Family in Methuen and Haverhill, Morton Hospital in Taunton, Nashoba Valley in Ayer, and Saint Anne’s in Fall River. It also runs Norwood Hospital, which has been closed since 2020 due to flooding.
Aaron Pressman can be reached at aaron.pressman@globe.com. Follow him @ampressman. Robert Weisman can be reached at robert.weisman@globe.com.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth Announce Winners of 2024 Public Service Announcement Contest
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A screen capture from one of the winning public service announcements, “Make Self-Respect Stick” from Seekonk High School. (Courtesy Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth)
WAKEFIELD — Executive Director Margie Daniels and the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth (MPY) are pleased to announce the co-winners of the 2024 Public Service Announcement (PSA) Project.
MPY has hosted its annual Poster and Public Service project since 2009 to engage students on important topics and provide a platform for their voices. The project is open to all high school, middle school and elementary students from MPY member districts.
This year’s PSA Project had the theme “RESPECT. Give it. Get it.” The Poster and PSA projects drew 211 entries this year.
A panel of judges that included school administrators, visual arts and technology professionals, community members, and MPY staff selected two co-winners for this year’s PSA project. The winning entries were submitted by Seekonk High School and Newton North High School. Both winning teams will have their PSAs appear on WCAT in Wakefield.
A Newton North High School team consisting of students Neria Abbimutt, Julia Bartow Fuchs, Rowan Hood, and Rishi Prabhu submitted a PSA entitled “Self Respect.” To view their PSA, click here.
A Seekonk High School team consisting of students Lillie Hoskins, Addison Abreu, Tessa Deal, Zoe DiPippo, Abhi Patel, Katie Eklund, Kailyn Gridley-Craig, Alexcya Barber, Robert Gordon, Nathan High, and Keira Fecteau submitted a PSA entitled “Make Self-Respect Stick.” To view their PSA, click here.
This year’s entries presented the question, “What does respect mean to you?” Submissions centered around concepts of respecting your classmates, school & community, respecting yourself, respecting the environment, respecting opponents and officials in sports, respecting individual differences, and respecting personal styles. Judges were impressed by the PSA’s overall quality, creativity and positivity.
“Thank you to all the students, teachers and advisors from our member districts for showcasing your talents and helping to deliver positive messages about this year’s theme,’RESPECT. Give It. Get It,’” said Director Daniels.
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration, and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth. MPY programming reaches nearly 6,000 educators per year in Massachusetts, spread across approximately 300 districts, with more than 150 webinars and over a dozen conferences.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: https://massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com/.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts 911 dispatch reveals wild chase for suspected murderer after movie, McDonald's slash spree
A 911 dispatch revealed escalating dangers as civilians’ tips helped cops hunt down a suspect who was accused of going on a multi-state slashing spree.
After a stabbing inside a Plymouth, Massachusetts, McDonald’s, several law enforcement agencies converged on a black Porsche after a witness to the stabbing said the fugitive’s car was behind her, according to the audio.
The witness’ tip was one of several that police used to track down a suspect – later identified as Jared Ravizza – who allegedly stabbed six people in movie theater and a fast-food joint less than two hours apart.
About 30 minutes into the strategic police chase, dispatch warned pursuing officers, “Be advised. This is now a suspect in a murder out of Connecticut,” and there are knives in his car.
STABBING SPREE SUSPECT JARED RAVIZZA PLEADS NOT GUILTY IN PLYMOUTH REST STOP ATTACK
Jared Ravizza stands during his arraignment at Plymouth District Court in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. Ravizza was arraigned on assault charges. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)
The lengthy dispatch and chase pick up after two victims were stabbed in a McDonald’s in Plymouth.
One of the victims was stabbed in the arm and found in the back office, a responding officer told Cape Cod Public Safety dispatch.
MASSACHUSETTS STABBING SPREE SUSPECT JARED RAVIZZA WAS ‘LAUGHING’ DURING MOVIE THEATER ATTACK, MOTHER SAYS
“We have no known location on the assailant at this time,” the officer said, according to the audio. “The only description is a White male, long, blonde hair with a scratch on his face. No vehicle description, no clothing description at this time.”
It didn’t take long for tips from the public to funnel in.
“I have a caller on the line who witnessed the stabbing,” according to dispatch audio. “She said the vehicle is behind her right now on Route 3 southbound.”
Jared Ravizza is escorted by a court officer as he arrives for his arraignment at Plymouth District Court on Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)
That’s how police got the description of the alleged fugitive’s black Porsche with the license plate.
Using civilians’ tips, they tracked his potential escape from a distance as he traveled toward Cape Cod, a popular summer tourist destination.
SUSPECTED KILLER, CONVICTED CON MAN’S ART SCAM SPLIT FAMILY UP: ‘MY FATHER IS STILL RESENTFUL, AND WE DON’T TALK ANYMORE’
The tips painted a more detailed picture of the suspect: “White male, long blonde hair, and he’s wearing a baseball hat.”
By this time, they potentially had a suspect name and knew he lived in the town of Chilmark on the island of Martha’s Vineyard.
At this time, pursuing officers believed they were chasing a suspect who allegedly stabbed two people in a McDonald’s, but the threat escalated.
Jared Ravizza allegedly stabbed four young girls in a movie theater and two more victims in a Plymouth McDonald’s before his arrest in the town of Sandwich. (Google Maps)
LISTEN TO 911 DISPATCH:
Ravizza, 26, allegedly stabbed four girls between the ages of 9 and 17 in a Braintree, Massachusetts, movie theater, about a 40-minute drive south, around 6 p.m. Saturday, Braintree police said.
The alleged McDonald’s slashing happened “shortly after” and it “appears as though the crimes are related,” according to Braintree police, which didn’t divulge details about how or why they believe there’s a connection.
SUSPECTED MASSACHUSETTS WIFE KILLER THREW OUT HACKSAW WITH POTENTIAL VITAL EVIDENCE: DOCS
Another witness told police they spotted Ravizza’s Porsche. They were told to flip on their hazards to help police.
Tailing officers trailed behind from a distance without lights and sirens, with specific instructions, “Don’t light him up yet.”
Officers purposely waited for him to pass a particular exit so he couldn’t get off the highway, but the circumstances escalated again.
The motive for the alleged stabbings in Massachusetts is unclear (David Curran/Satellite News Service)
“Be advised. This is now a suspect in a murder out of Connecticut. Use caution,” dispatch warned police, according to the audio.
Every couple of minutes, pursuing police were reminded that this was a murder suspect.
He passed the exit, and it became a full-on, high-speed chase as sirens blared in the background. One officer told dispatch that state police joined the pursuit.
BOSTON COP MURDER TRIAL OR ELABORATE COVER-UP ENTERS WEEK 4: TOP MOMENTS AND A PUZZLING REQUEST
Ravizza finally crashed on Cotuit Road in the town of Sandwich, Massachusetts, on Cape Cod, between 7 and 7:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Images showed firefighters knocking down the flames emanating from the totaled car. Officers told dispatchers he was in custody.
“We have him in custody. They can stand down,” an officer responded.
WATCH JARED RAVIZZA ARRESTED AFTER POLICE CHASE, CRASH
Criminal charges filed
Ravizza pleaded not guilty to assault with intent to murder and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon in connection to the Plymouth rest stop McDonald’s attack during Monday’s court appearance, his lawyer told Fox News Digital.
The 26-year-old suspect faces at least six more charges for the alleged attack in the Braintree AMC movie theater.
PROSECUTORS FACE CHALLENGE WITH ‘UNDETERMINED’ CAUSE OF DEATH, EXPERT SAYS, AND WHAT HE’S LOOKING FOR
He is expected to be arraigned on several criminal charges in Quincy District Court in connection with the alleged movie theater slashing spree.
Prosecutors filed four counts of assault to murder as well as assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Fox News Digital.
READ THE MOVIE THEATER CHARGS BELOW. APP USERS: CLICK HERE
His attorney told Fox News Digital “no comment” when asked if he had a statement on behalf of Ravizza.
The murder investigation stems from an alleged fatal attack in Deep River, Connecticut, about a two-hour drive northeast along Interstate 95 to the Braintree movie theater, the same day as the Massachusetts slashings.
‘BOMBSHELL AFTER BOMBSHELL’ IN KAREN READ MURDER TRIAL
The victim in the Connecticut homicide was identified as Bruce Feldman, a 70-year-old West Hartford man, Connecticut State Police said.
Around 3:36 p.m. on Saturday, Ravizza allegedly threw a shovel through the front window during an argument. He was recognized and identified by neighbors.
Ravizza was arraigned on assault charges. (Steven Senne/AP Photo)
Responding officers found Feldman outside “with visible injuries” and pronounced him dead at the scene.
Criminal charges in Connecticut are pending, according to the state police.
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It’s unclear what prompted the four-hour rash of violence.
All law enforcement agencies said the investigations remain ongoing.
Fox News Digital’s Mitch Picasso and Greg Norman contributed to this report.
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