Massachusetts
Battenfeld: Have Massachusetts voters finally had enough of soft on crime?
Could Massachusetts be in danger of becoming the nation’s first lawless society – where criminals roam the streets without fear of being imprisoned?
Shootings. Street takeovers. Open drug use. Urban terrorism. Road rage. Rampant shoplifting. It’s become acceptable behavior.
It’s a state where you can essentially get away with attempted murder.
The state’s all liberal political hierarchy has allowed it for years, and now it’s coming to fruition. Will Massachusetts be the first state in the country where laws don’t matter?
Scores of hardened, dangerous criminals are being paroled every year thanks to the Massachusetts Parole Board appointed by liberal Democrat Maura Healey.
Liberal judges are giving lenient sentences to violent offenders like the accused Memorial Drive shooter against the wishes of prosecutors.
When will voters say enough is enough?
The terrifying mass shooting on Memorial Drive only cemented the feeling of citizens that they could be targeted next. That could have been them running for their lives, cowering under their cars while a gunman with an assault rifle sprayed dozens of shots.
The alleged gunman shot at police multiple times back in 2020, and was charged with assault with intent to murder. The judge rejected the Suffolk District Attorney’s recommendation of 12 years and cut it in half, enraging prosecutors.
There’s no doubt the alleged shooter should not have been on the street this week. Two innocent people nearly lost their lives.
Maybe now the line has been crossed where people looking at the shooting think: That could have been me on Memorial Drive, running for my life.
The fear of crime is a powerful political factor that could now play a role in this year’s gubernatorial race.
Incumbent Healey has to answer for her pathetic Parole Board and any judges she’s appointed that also have the same liberal bent that’s been part of the problem.
Voters fed up with high profile crimes and shootings – along with the high cost of living – may be part of the reason that Healey’s job approval numbers are tanking and could give life to Republicans’ hopes of stealing back the Corner Office.
Healey’s numbers are particularly bad among men and independent voters, according to a new MassINC poll of 800 registered Bay State voters. The only politician faring worse than Healey is President Trump.
Meanwhile, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu keeps repeating her claim that Boston is the safest major city in the country, but it doesn’t appear that way.
Wu was just reelected overwhelmingly, but Healey might be in some trouble.
Maybe it’s now time that voters might start demanding accountability from their political leaders.
But no, let’s keep focusing on Trump and the Epstein files. That’s the real problem.
Massachusetts
Mass stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Cape Cod said to be largest in Massachusetts history
Rescuers were working to save around 30 bottlenose dolphins that got stranded off the coast of Cape Cod early Monday morning. It is the largest known stranding of bottlenose dolphins off Massachusetts, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
The dolphins had become stranded between First Light and Ellis Landing in Brewster at about 5:30 a.m. when they came in with the tide. A woman noticed the animals and reported it. The IFAW quickly responded to the area, but five to six of the marine mammals died before help arrived.
The IFAW worked throughout the day on Monday to get the mammals away from the shoreline before the next low tide at 5:13 p.m. They said late Monday afternoon that they were still successfully being steered away.
“Our team remains in the area to monitor and herd the animals away from shore,” an IFAW spokesperson said. “We know these events can sometimes repeat in the coming hours and days, but we remain hopeful.”
The organization said it had seen an uptick in bottlenose dolphins becoming stranded off Cape Cod in the last few years.
“Bottlenose dolphins are typically an offshore species,” the spokesperson said.
They asked that anyone who encounters a stranded or distressed marine mammal not get close and never drag or push the animal back into the water.
“Similar to a person involved in a car accident, dolphins can become injured and exhausted during a stranding event,” the IFAW said.
Instead, they recommend calling their IFAW stranding hotline at 508-743-9548.
A man has died following an apparent drowning at a pond in Randolph, Massachusetts, on Sunday.
The Randolph police and fire departments received a 911 call at around 4 p.m. for a swimmer in distress in the water on Pond Street, according to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office..
Firefighters located the man a short time later, officials added, and he was taken by ambulance to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead.
The Kingston Fire Department had said just before 4 p.m. that their dive team was activated for a missing swimmer in Randolph, but that the activation was canceled after the swimmer was located.
Further information is not being released at this time, including the man’s name.
Massachusetts State Police detectives and the Randolph Police Department are investigating.
Firefighters in Lawrence, Massachusetts are working to contain a fire that damaged at least three buildings on Sunday afternoon.
Lawrence Fire Chief Patrick Delaney said they received multiple 911 calls about the buildings on fire at the intersection of Haverhill and Margin Street at about 12:45 p.m.
When firefighters arrived, there were three occupied multi-family buildings with heavy fire.
“Crews did an excellent job once they arrived on scene to make sure we did a primary search of all three buildings, make sure everybody was out,” Chief Delaney said.
No injuries have been reported. It is unclear how many people have been displaced from the three buildings that were on fire.
Chief Delaney said the firefighters were impacted by the hot weather.
“The crews are working extremely hard, they’re taking a lot of heat in all three fire buildings and we’re trying to get crews in here to make sure that they’re safe and give them some relief,” Chief Delaney said.
Investigators are working to determine the cause of the fire. Firefighters from other nearby communities responded for mutual aid.
“We’re at a fourth alarm which brings a lot of resources to our city, but they’re well needed in a fire like this,” Chief Delaney said.
Police are asking residents to avoid the area of Haverhill Street at Margin Street because of the fire.
Lawrence, Massachusetts is a city about 30 miles north of Boston.
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