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EEE is still a threat in Massachusetts, horse tests positive: ‘People shouldn’t let their guard down’

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EEE is still a threat in Massachusetts, horse tests positive: ‘People shouldn’t let their guard down’


With October only a few days away, EEE remains a threat in the Bay State.

That’s the message from health officials after another horse in Massachusetts tested positive for Eastern Equine Encephalitis.

Four people in the state have been infected with the rare but serious and potentially fatal disease during this busy year of mosquito-borne illnesses. A man in New Hampshire died from EEE.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health on Thursday announced a third confirmed case of EEE in a horse this year. The horse was exposed to EEE in Carver, an area in Plymouth County that’s already at high risk for EEE.

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“This latest animal case of EEE confirms that even this late in the season, the risk for spread of EEE virus from infected mosquitoes is still present,” said Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein.

“With more people going outside to enjoy the mild fall weather, we continue to recommend that residents take steps to protect themselves from mosquito bites until the first hard frost,” Goldstein added.

There have been 96 EEE-positive mosquito samples in Massachusetts this year.

Infected mosquitoes have been found in Barnstable, Bristol, Essex, Norfolk, Middlesex, Plymouth, and Worcester counties.

EEE is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. The last outbreak of EEE in Massachusetts occurred in 2019-2020, and resulted in 17 human cases with seven deaths, and nine animal cases.

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There were no human or animal cases of EEE in Massachusetts in 2021, 2022, or 2023.

“Cooler temperatures will start to reduce mosquito activity, but people shouldn’t let their guard down yet,” said State Epidemiologist Catherine Brown. “We continue to strongly advise that everyone in areas at high and critical risk for EEE reschedule evening outdoor activities to avoid peak mosquito biting hours.”

DPH continues to urge people to use bug spray, and to wear long sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors.



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Massachusetts

Part of I-90 Westbound closed in Chicopee, Massachusetts due to brush fire

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Part of I-90 Westbound closed in Chicopee, Massachusetts due to brush fire


CHICOPEE, Mass. (WFSB) – Part of I-90 westbound is currently closed in Chicopee, Massachusetts due to a brush fire.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation says the brush fire is north of I-90 at mile marker 50.

Traffic is currently being detoured off of I-90 westbound at exit 51.

They warned drivers that due to wind gusts, lane closures may fluctuate to keep drivers safe.

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Closures may also be necessary on I-90 eastbound.



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Keller: Republican shift in Massachusetts shows voters fed up with

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Keller: Republican shift in Massachusetts shows voters fed up with


Keller: Here’s why 11 Massachusetts communities flipped for Trump

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Keller: Here’s why 11 Massachusetts communities flipped for Trump

01:19

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The opinions expressed below are Jon Keller’s, not those of WBZ-TV, CBS News or Paramount Global.

BOSTON – Massachusetts has long been known as a Democratic state, but the 2024 election showed a Republican shift.

Presidential election

Vice President Kamala Harris won the state’s 11 electoral votes Tuesday, but former president Donald Trump improved his vote total from 2020. Trump won in 75 cities and towns in Massachusetts. Eleven of those communities voted for Democrat Joe Biden four years ago.

So what’s behind the shift?

Saugus, one of those towns that flipped for Trump, is a great example of a longstanding reality here in Massachusetts. We may be a reliably Democratic state in federal elections, but independents are the dominant voters, and plenty of them, as well as a significant number of Democrats, are to the right of our liberal elected officials.

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“In this two-year cycle we will have gained two state senate seats. We did that in a presidential election year which is often very difficult for the Republican Party,” MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale told WBZ-TV.

trump.jpg
Donald Trump supporters dance during a Massachusetts for Trump 2024 election night watch party in Westport on Nov. 5, 2024.

Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images


Massachusetts Trump voters

It’s no accident that voters in Massachusetts have elected Republican governors in seven of the last ten elections. Voters of all kinds have been feeling the pinch of inflation lately. And this year, controversial subjects like the influx of migrants into Saugus public schools, surely drove some local voters to vote for Trump, who made immigration his signature issue.

One thing’s for sure – voters here and elsewhere are fed up with extraneous so-called “wokeness,” policies that may be well-intentioned but often strike people as gratuitous political correctness. Real or imagined and exaggerated, that sort of thing is catnip to politicians like Trump who brand themselves as the antidote to wokeness. 

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What’s open and closed on Veterans Day 2024 in Massachusetts – The Boston Globe

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What’s open and closed on Veterans Day 2024 in Massachusetts – The Boston Globe


Here’s a look at how the federal holiday might impact your plans, from altered store hours and train schedules to heavier traffic and shifts in local services on Monday.

Holiday observed: Monday.

Retail stores: Open at owners’ discretion after 1 p.m., unless retailer obtains permit to open earlier.

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Liquor stores: Closed until 1 p.m. Monday.

Supermarkets: Open at owner’s discretion.

Convenience stores: Open at owners’ discretion.

Taverns, bars: Open at owners’ discretion.

Banks: Closed.

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Municipal buildings: Closed.

Libraries: Closed.

Schools: Closed.

Mail: Post offices closed. UPS and FedEx will operate as usual.

MBTA: All modes of public transit will operate on a regular schedule.

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Boston traffic rules: Parking meters are free with no time limit. All other parking rules apply.

Trash/recycling collection: Collections will be delayed in some neighborhoods.


Kiera McDonald can be reached at kiera.mcdonald@globe.com.





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