Massachusetts
Golf tournament held to benefit Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog
AGAWAM, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Local law enforcement and supporters joined together for the first Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog Memorial Fundraising Golf Tournament at Crestview Country Club in Agawam on Monday. The event honored Frankie, who was the first K-9 in Mass. State Police history to be killed while serving on July 26, 2022. He was also the first K-9 to receive emergency care under Nero’s Law, which was established following the injury of Yarmouth Police K-9 Nero in 2018.
“You know, I’m passionate about dogs. I love police canines and I don’t think people realize how instrumental canines are in law-enforcement,” said David Shilale, president of Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog.
All proceeds from the event will support the Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog general fund. Shilale told Western Mass News that Vest-A-Dog provides essential training and safety equipment for K-9 law enforcement teams across the state. He added that these canines are more than just furry friends on the force.
“They’re not just for bad guys, but for tracking lost people, tracking evidence for criminals, narcotics, explosives, and then, of course, the bad guys, finding the bad guys that are hiding somewhere,” Shilale explained.
He said the tournament is a wonderful way to honor K-9 Frankie and support the incredible work k-9 dogs and their handlers do every day.
“These handlers spend 24/7 with these dogs and the partnership is just unbelievable, so it’s something that we value and that we just want to support anyway we can,” Shilale noted.
Founded in 2000, the Massachusetts Vest-A-Dog non-profit organization has provided over 700 bulletproof vests and essential training equipment to law enforcement agencies across the state and Shilale said the local fundraiser in Agawam will add to that success.
“They’re just an incredible resource and the relationship and the bond that I’ve seen over the years I’ve been with Mass. Vest-A-Dog between the dog and the handler is second to none,” Shilale said.
Copyright 2024. Western Mass News (WGGB/WSHM). All rights reserved.
Massachusetts
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.
“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.
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.
Massachusetts
Composting can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Here’s how Mass. can become a leader. – The Boston Globe
Composting is a process that takes biodegradable materials such as discarded food scraps and garden waste and recycles them back into usable soil. Compost is capable of “reducing greenhouse gas emissions at landfills” and “promoting uptake of carbon dioxide by vegetation,” according to the US Composting Council.
Massachusetts has been a pioneer in sustainable waste management for decades. The state secured the first EPA recycling grants in 1976, which allowed the state to implement limited curbside collection programs and use the first residential recycling truck. But today, still only a handful of Massachusetts municipalities offer curbside composting. Sustainable waste management demands more than just recycling, so Massachusetts must broaden its composting efforts to continue its environmental leadership.
There is strong evidence that such policies would have a real impact. In the 1970s, when the recycling of paper products, glass, aluminum, and plastic was just becoming part of the mainstream environmental movement, the lack of practical and convenient ways to dispose of recyclable waste was the main obstacle to increasing recycling participation.
Consequently, when curbside recycling was offered, the result was dramatic: The percentage of total waste bound for landfills across the country decreased from 94 percent in 1960 to 52 percent in 2018. There is good reason to believe that the same would happen with food waste.
Yet despite the historical efficacy of curbside programs, only 5 out of the 351 cities and towns within Massachusetts currently employ city-run curbside programs for food waste. It is important that these programs are not only free and convenient but that they are implemented in all towns throughout the state.
As of right now in Massachusetts, only businesses face regulations on their disposal of food waste: They must compost instead of sending their waste to landfills if they generate more than 1 half-ton per week. While this is a commendable step, more food waste is generated by households (43 percent) than by grocery stores, restaurants, and food service companies combined (40 percent).
Why is participation in composting so limited? Cost continues to be a barrier. Alexis Schulman, a professor of environmental sciences at Drexel University, notes that free, citywide collection programs, along with a composting mandate “have absolutely seen the highest diversion” of the volume of food waste in American cities. For example, the first year of a mandatory residential composting program in Cambridge saw citywide trash cut by 8 percent. This eradicated an equivalent amount of emissions as driving 2.7 million miles.
Similarly, in July 2023, the town of Lexington launched a pilot program for curbside pickup of kitchen waste to 2,000 Lexington households at no charge. In July, the pilot program expanded to another 2,000 households. Since then, Lexington Public Schools Green Teams has reported that 2,000 of the town’s 11,000 households are composting — meaning just 200 are paying for curbside pickup. Clearly, having a free program increases participation by orders of magnitude.
For all these reasons, the state could be doing far more to move Massachusetts toward widespread composting. This could not be done overnight, as composting facilities would need to be expanded, local regulations would need to be written, and large apartment buildings might need to be adapted to accommodate waste.
But the Legislature could take several concrete steps to accelerate composting programs. It could start by offering financial incentives to municipalities to start free curbside pickup of food waste. It could write draft regulations for towns that include mandatory pilot programs. And it could expand educational programs to inform residents about the benefits of composting.
Composting has been proven to work across the world — San Francisco, Seattle, and Sweden are just a few examples of composting success. Massachusetts should be next to implement this vital service on a large scale. It will reduce the state’s carbon footprint. It will empower residents by giving them a way to personally contribute to mitigating climate change. And communities located near landfill sites will experience greater quality of life because of the decreased volume of waste entering the landfills.
The grass is always greener on the other side, but with today’s technology, we don’t have to wait or wish; we can make our own side green. What do we have to lose?
Sophie Shaw is a senior at Lexington High School.
Massachusetts
Trader Joe’s opening new location in Massachusetts
Trader Joe’s is preparing to open a new location in Massachusetts.
The popular California-based grocery chain confirmed in a post on its website that a new store in Milford will open its doors for business before the end of 2024.
“We’ve consulted our maps and compass and have found a terrific location for a store in Milford,” the post read. “We are proud to be joining the neighborhood, and to continue our commitment to providing nourishment to the surrounding communities through our Neighborhood Shares program.”
The new location is set to open at 230 Fortune Boulevard, according to the store’s online listing.
This embedded content is not available in your region.
An exact opening date for the Milford store wasn’t immediately known.
Trader Joe’s currently operates stores in Acton, Allston, Arlington, Boston, Brookline, Burlington, Cambridge, Foxboro, Framingham, Hadley, Hanover, Hingham, Hyannis, Needham, Peabody, Saugus, Shrewsbury, Somerville, and West Newton.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
-
News1 week ago
Secret Service Told Trump It Needs to Bolster Security if He Keeps Golfing
-
Business1 week ago
U.S. Steel C.E.O. Says Nippon Deal Will Strengthen National Security
-
Politics1 week ago
New House Freedom Caucus chair reveals GOP rebel group's next 'big fight'
-
News1 week ago
Toplines: September 2024 Inquirer/Times/Siena Poll of Pennsylvania Registered Voters
-
News1 week ago
Disney trips meant for homeless NYC students went to school employees' families
-
Politics1 week ago
Biden admin moves to reinstate Trump-era rule, delist gray wolves from endangered species list
-
Politics7 days ago
Dem lawmakers push bill to restore funding to UN agency with alleged ties to Hamas: 'So necessary'
-
World1 week ago
What’s South Africa’s new school language law and why is it controversial?