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Healey: Mass. has ‘zero tolerance’ for street takeovers

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Healey: Mass. has ‘zero tolerance’ for street takeovers


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Seven people were arrested over the weekend and more than 200 citations were issued in response to a recent cluster of street takeovers, Healey said.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey addresses the public while surrounded by Texas state legislators during a press conference at the Massachusetts State House on Aug. 5, 2025. Ben Pennington/The Boston Globe

Gov. Maura Healey announced a $14 million safety grant following several so-called street takeovers this month.

Healey’s press conference on Thursday was in response to violent car meetups that occurred in several cities on Oct. 4, which allegedly saw a crowd use fireworks to ignite a police cruiser in the South End.

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  • ‘Burnouts, donuts, and illegal street racing’: Car meetups bring mayhem to Boston, other Mass. communities


  • 2 R.I. teens arrested after Boston police car torched by ‘violent’ crowd in South End, police say

“We have zero tolerance for this kind of behavior,” Healey said. “It poses a real significant threat to public safety and certainly harms quality of life in our neighborhoods and communities.”

“These illegal car meetups, street takeovers have negatively impacted our residents, our businesses and our city as a whole, damaging personal and real property, … creating serious risk of personal injury to onlookers, pedestrians, passengers, and even injuring one of my officers,” Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez said.

“These are organized groups whose purpose is to cause chaos and disruption, to create public disturbance, and to draw attention from both the communities they harass and the police want to protect those communities, and they have succeeded in gaining our attention,” said Fall River Police Chief Kelly Furtado.

In response to these meetups, State Police worked with local departments to prevent other meetups that were advertised online. On Oct. 11, law enforcement across the state issued 232 civil citations, 74 warnings, and 20 criminal summons, arrested seven people, towed 15 vehicles, seized two vehicles under the Controlled Substances Act, and recovered one stolen car as part of the prevention work, Healey said.

During Saturday’s efforts, some of the involved motorists fled the scene and State Police are continuing to work to identify the suspects, Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble said.

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To continue these prevention efforts, Healey issued a $14 million safety grant.. The grant includes $6.2 million from the Municipal Road Safety Grant Program for 210 local police departments, $7.1 million from the State Agency Traffic Safety Grant Program for nine state agencies, and $613,900 from the State Traffic Safety Information System Improvements Program to strengthen crash data collection and reporting, according to a press release.

“Every resident of our state deserves to live in a community with a high quality of life and where public safety is assured, and the men and women working across police departments are out there every day trying to do just that,” she said.

Healey said her office will continue to work with law enforcement to monitor online channels and prevent further dangerous meet ups. She urged the public to report any advertisements of such meetups to the authorities.

“The two operations the governor highlighted today illustrate the power of collaboration, the power of working together to meet the evolving needs of the Commonwealth, to make our community safer beyond any one mission,” Noble said.

Although street takeovers are new to the state, State Police and its partners have been tracking similar events across the country for several years, Noble said.

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The street takeovers seem to be an escalation of the increase of road races seen during the COVID-19 pandemic, Healey added.


  • Trump threatens to ‘take away’ World Cup games scheduled for Boston area

The takeovers in Massachusetts caught the attention of President Donald Trump, who said Tuesday he would prevent the 2026 World Cup games from taking place in Foxborough if he feels it is unsafe.

In addition to Massachusetts being one of the safest states in the nation, “I think that Robert Kraft and the team have safety well in hand,” Healey said when asked about Trump’s comments about the World Cup.

“That’s just more political theater,” Healey continued. “Another day, another Donald Trump comment.”

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While public safety is a priority for Healey, she is also “dealing with and trying to mitigate against some of the serious, serious harm by the Trump administration and the reconciliation bill that has cut, effectively, [$3.7 billion] from our budget over the next couple of years,” she said.





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Massachusetts

Two stabbed at Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods plant in Haverhill

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Two stabbed at Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods plant in Haverhill


Two people were seriously injured in a stabbing at the Cedar’s Mediterranean Foods manufacturing facility in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on Tuesday morning.

Haverhill police said they responded to the Cedar’s plan on Foundation Avenue around 10:30 a.m. for a report of a disturbance involving a weapon. When they arrived, they found two people suffering from apparent stab wounds.

Both people were provided with medical assistance on scene and taken to area hospitals with what police described as serious injuries. Their names have not been released, and no update on their conditions was immediately available.

Preliminary investigation determined that the two people knew each other, and police said there is no ongoing threat to the public. They said their investigation into the incident remains active.

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Injured Massachusetts teen thanks rescuers who

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Injured Massachusetts teen thanks rescuers who



Two Plymouth, Massachusetts teens were saved from the summit of Mount Washington after a leg injury stranded them.

Khang Nguyen,17, said he and his friend, 18-year-old Vaughn Webb, thought they were well prepared for their hike on Saturday. They brought trekking poles, layers, microspikes for their boots and more. 

But halfway up the trail, Nguyen feared the worst when his leg began to hurt. 

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“It was just incredibly painful to lift up my right leg,” he explained. “I told [Vaughn] to leave me behind so I could go on my own pace and for him to reach the summit to get help at first.” 

The pair managed to reach the top of the mountain but had to seek shelter next to a building as wind gusts increased, and the air temperature reached 38 degrees. Nguyen said they also ran out of food and water. The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department received the 911 call around 7:30 p.m. and quickly alerted a State Park employee who began to search for the two teens.

“Conservation Officers then began responding in four-wheel-drive pickup trucks to try and get to the summit and back ahead of incoming snow,” the game department said in a statement. 

After around 30 minutes of reaching both Webb and Nguyen were found. They were taken inside a building and Nguyen was being treated for his injury.

“The worker that was up there, [said] that they came in record time, and we appreciate their help a lot. It saved our lives potentially,” Nguyen explained. 

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The pair was successfully taken off the mountain by 10 p.m.  The two teens are now safely back in Massachusetts and are incredibly grateful to their rescuers. 



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Western Massachusetts libraries celebrating National Library Week – Athol Daily News

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Western Massachusetts libraries celebrating National Library Week – Athol Daily News


As libraries across western Massachusetts celebrate National Library Week from April 19 to April 25, they are honoring “the last real third space where everyone is welcome,” in the words of Greenfield Public Library Assistant Director Lisa Prolman.

According to the American Library Association, National Library Week is “an annual celebration highlighting the valuable role libraries and library professionals play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.” This year, several libraries in the region will be hosting events to highlight the roles they play in their communities.

The Athol Public Library is among the venues engaging in National Library Week festivities, with a whole host of events starting on Tuesday, April 21, with Silly Goose Story Time at 10:30 a.m. The library will hold multiple events each day, including “Free Book Friday” on April 24, which Assistant Director Robin Shtulman said is “really fantastic.”

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Shtulman said the week celebrates and emphasizes the “freedom to read, community outreach and celebrating the staff, without whom nothing would happen.”

The Athol Public Library said in an event announcement that “whatever brings you joy, the library has something for everyone,” and that aspect is being emphasized this National Library Week. To name a few of the events on tap, on Tuesday, April 21, from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m., there’s a volunteer opportunity where teens will make greeting cards for senior citizens; “A Minecraft Movie” will be shown at the same date and time; and on Thursday, April 23, the library will host Scavenger Hunt Bingo for all ages. For a full list of events at the Athol Public Library, visit atholpubliclibrary.com.

In Shelburne Falls, the Arms Library will feature a gallery from the Carlos Heiligmann Collection, a series of photos of public libraries across western Massachusetts. Also in collaboration with the Arms Library, Pothole Pictures and the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club will partner for a screening of “Free For All: The Public Library” on Saturday, April 25, at 2 p.m. at the Shelburne Falls Theater at Memorial Hall.

The documentary focuses on the evolution of the public library from its origins in the 19th century and the challenges it faces today, with modern-day issues such as book bans, funding cuts and debates over censorship.

It also explores the role that women’s clubs, like the one in Shelburne Falls, played in creating the modern library system. To serve their communities, women’s clubs took the lead in fundraising, collecting books and advocating for library legislation.

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“Our women’s club in this town started with a group of 60 women who were gathering for lessons. … Because of the support of women in the U.S., we established over 80% of the public libraries [in the country],” said Christin Couture, program chair for the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club. “This film … I hear it’s so fascinating.”

Following the film’s screening, there will be a panel of local librarians who will engage in “lively conversation” about the history and future of public libraries. Tickets are $6, though school-age children will be admitted for free.

In Charlemont, Tyler Memorial Library will host an open house on Saturday, April 25, from noon to 2 p.m. featuring refreshments, a tour of the library and sun catcher crafting.

The Greenfield Public Library, meanwhile, is taking National Library Week in a bit of a different direction, as it is offering a book repair demonstration with Tom Hutcheson on Thursday, April 23, at 3:30 p.m. The day marks William Shakespeare’s birthday.

Although the book repair session required registration and is currently full, those who are interested may be placed on a waiting list at greenfieldpl.libcal.com/event/16460179.

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Greenfield Public Library Director Anna Bognolo recognized the hard work that everyone has put into making the library a success, offering a “huge thank you” to the volunteers and staff who make its varied offerings possible.

“Stop by and support your library,” Bognolo said.

“Libraries, especially in this economy, are more important than ever,” Prolman said. Referencing the library’s role as a place where community members can go that is not work or home, she added, “They are the last real third space where everyone is welcome, and we don’t charge you for being here.”



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