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Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is moving to close a state-run hospital in Canton to cut costs. Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children is home to dozens of kids with special needs.
Families and staff say they were never consulted about the relocation plan and are fighting back. They say what happens at Pappas is pure magic.
Nurse Maureen Arnstein has been working at the hospital for 17 years. “They make progress, and you see it and you celebrate it,” Arnstein said.
Built more than a century ago to aid disabled children and young adults, Pappas is a more than a rehabilitation hospital. It has a school with real classrooms, a handicapped accessible pool and therapies like horseback riding, all designed to help kids like Billy Alish gain independence.
Billy’s mom Alma says he wouldn’t be where he is now if he was living at home. “He is able to express himself, he can talk, and socially he has friends,” Alma Alish said.
Born with cerebral palsy Billy can’t walk but that does not stop him from achieving his goals including writing a book. At 11 he accomplished the goal, publishing a book about his dad who passed away.
He dictated the book using speech therapy. Since then, Billy has learned to use his eyes to control his computer. With the help of a device, Billy can read, listen to music, surf the web and do what most kids do online.
Despite success stories like Billy’s, last month as part of budget cuts, Governor Healey put Pappas on the chopping block, claiming closing it will save millions. “I think of it as a redirecting of services of care,” Healey said.
But that is not how families and staff see it. Arnstein says she feels betrayed. “To think they’re just a budget issue will never sit well with me,” Arnstein said. “They’re more than a line on a budget. They are human beings that just do things in a different way.”
Teachers and nurses tell the I-Team they were blindsided. They had no idea the Healey administration was planning on relocating the kids to a hospital in the western part of the state, far from their doctors at Children’s Hospital and their caregivers who will not be moving with them.
Angry, they are now banding together. Kathryn Reynolds a long-time teacher at the school.
“There are humans behind those numbers. There’s people and they’re people that deserved to be loved and appreciated and accepted and to have a place that is theirs, not a place they can be put in as an afterthought,” Reynolds said. “Pappas was again built for them.”
Their passion is catching the attention of political leaders who announced the governor was reconsidering closing the hospital. Congressman Stephen Lynch said he spoke to Gov. Healey and that, “perhaps an immediate closure is not warranted,” Lynch said. “So that is good news in the very short term.”
But it is the long-term families are worried about, vowing to continue the fight to save Pappas. “The people who are making the decision to get rid of this, I don’t think they know what they’re talking about,” Alma Alish said. “Who are you to make the decision? don’t you think we should decide on this as a community?”
On Wednesday Senate and House leaders said they were caught off guard by the plans and pledged to scrutinize the proposal.
The I-Team reached out to the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. In a statement a spokesperson said, “Our administration appreciates the feedback we’ve received from patients, families, employees, labor and elected officials. We all share the same goal of ensuring high-quality, modernized and specialized care for the young people we serve, as well as supporting our hardworking employees. We look forward to continued collaboration on the path forward to provide the best setting for these children.”
BOSTON, MA — An international restaurant group with locations across the globe is preparing to open its first Massachusetts restaurant this year.
LPM Restaurant & Bar, a French Riviera-inspired restaurant founded in London, is set to open on the second floor of the Four Seasons Hotel One Dalton Street in Back Bay, according to Four Seasons. The hotel lists the restaurant as “Opening Summer 2026,” while the Boston Business Journal reported the restaurant plans to open in September.
The Boston restaurant will mark LPM’s debut in the Northeast and its third U.S. outpost, following locations in Miami and Las Vegas, according to a Four Seasons announcement.
LPM, also known as La Petite Maison, was founded in London in 2007 and is known for French-Mediterranean food, Mediterranean ingredients and dining rooms influenced by Belle Époque design.
The business operates locations in London, Dubai, Miami, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Riyadh, Limassol, Doha, Mykonos, Kuwait, Boston, Maldives and Bangkok.
Four Seasons said LPM will take over the space that formerly housed One Dalton’s breakfast concept, One + One. The restaurant will join other dining options at the hotel, including Zuma and Trifecta.
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A Massachusetts high school is under investigation after “several” teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions.
The state Department of Public Health is set to visit Uxbridge High School on Thursday to “conduct a series of air quality tests,” to determine whether the multiple cases are potentially connected.
Superintendent David Ljungberg and Principal Michael Rubin alerted families and district staff on Monday of the “sombering news,” after Uxbridge High School’s graduation over the weekend.
“We are writing to inform you about a concern we are investigating at Uxbridge High School,” Ljungberg and Rubin stated in the letter. “Several female teachers have been diagnosed with breast cancer or precancerous conditions over the past few years.”
“It is, of course, possible that these multiple cases are not connected to one another,” the leaders added, “but out of abundance of caution, we are looking into any environmental factors at the school that may be a factor in their diagnoses.”
The 123,000-square-foot school, with an enrollment of roughly 600, was constructed in 2012 at a cost of $45 million, including a $22-million state reimbursement.
Uxbridge school leaders say they notified the state Department of Health and local health board as soon as they became aware of the cases, seeking “counsel about how best to proceed.”
“Massachusetts DPH officials have indicated that there is no evidence of immediate danger in the building and no reason to limit access to or use of the facility at this time,” they wrote in their letter. “In fact, the public health officials have commended our decision to approach them with these concerns, our readiness to partner with them in support of the evaluation process.”
Health officials are assessing the school’s interior and exterior to “ensure there are no issues with the infrastructure that would present risks (including electrical, plumbing, mechanical, HVAC, and other systems)” and the indoor and outdoor air quality on campus.
The superintendent and principal said that state officials have ruled out water supply as a “risk factor” after “thorough testing.”
“The team has reached out to the women who have been diagnosed, requesting data to evaluate whether there may be a connection among their cases,” Ljungberg and Rubin wrote. “We are grateful for their cooperation.”
They added that the state has said discovering an environmental “smoking gun” is “rare” in workplace investigations.
“However, even if a direct causal link is not established,” the leaders wrote, “the administration is utilizing this process to rigorously test the building and guarantee that it meets all safety standards moving forward.”
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Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a measure that would allow cities and towns to temporarily extend bar and restaurant hours during the summer, as the state prepares to host FIFA World Cup matches and celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary.
The legislation (H.5465) filed by state Rep. Carole Fiola, would allow licensed establishments to sell alcohol one hour later than their normal closing time, up to 3 a.m., between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2026. The bill would also allow communities to establish designated public consumption districts where alcohol could be consumed in approved public spaces.
In a press release announcing the bill, Fiola said the summer’s threefold events lineup — the World Cup, Tall Ships, and July 4th — is an economically significant moment that the state should take advantage of.
“We should capitalize on these events that will generate economic benefits for small businesses and the state as a whole. It’s a local opt-in idea worth exploring that’s being done in other states,” Fiola said.
The proposal has received support from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and most recently Gov. Maura Healey, who submitted written testimony Monday to the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies urging lawmakers to advance the measure.
“Massachusetts is planning for a once-in-a-generation summer,” Healey wrote, according to the Boston Globe. “In 2026, we will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding, welcome tall ships from around the world to Boston Harbor for Sail Boston, and host seven FIFA World Cup matches in Foxborough, along with watch parties across the Commonwealth.”
The governor argued that the added flexibility could help local economies benefit from an influx of visitors.
“That flexibility can help communities capture more visitor spending, support jobs, keep downtowns active, and strengthen Massachusetts’ image as a dynamic destination ready to host the world and a place our residents, including our young professionals, are proud to call home,” Healey wrote.
She also urged lawmakers to move the legislation forward, saying it will “help Massachusetts meet the full economic and cultural opportunities for the summer ahead.”
In Rhode Island, a similar bill to allow bars and restaurants to remain open until 4 a.m. during the World Cup was signed into law on Friday.
Fiola’s bill remains before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. Any final version would require approval from both the House and Senate before reaching Healey’s desk.
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