Massachusetts
Massachusetts fired its elder affairs chief. Now she’s taking the state to court. – The Boston Globe
The civil suit against the state Executive Office of Health and Human Services and Kate Walsh, the state’s former health secretary alleges racial discrimination, retaliation, coercion, intimidation, and threats. Other named defendants are Christopher Harding, the agency’s chief of staff, and Sonia Bryan, director of human resources.
A spokesperson for HHS said Wednesday that the agency cannot comment on pending litigation.
Walsh did not respond to a request for comment. Walsh left HHS in July 2025.
Chen was appointed to lead elder affairs during the Charlie Baker administration. Turnover in top executive positions isn’t unusual when a new administration begins, but the suit notes that the only other HHS department or office head removed near the start of Healey’s administration, Mary Truong, who led the Office for Refugees and Immigrants, was also Asian.
Truong, who stayed with ORI in a subordinate position for several months, said in an interview Wednesday she did feel mistreated but was not certain that her race played any role. She noted that her interactions with Walsh were generally positive and HHS leadership never questioned her performance, saying only the migrant crisis in Massachusetts at the time meant ORI required leadership with more experience with issues related to homelessness.
“I feel so bad for her,” Truong said of Chen. “She was very outspoken and she was respected for her position and she was hard working.”
Chen emigrated to the United States from Taiwan in 1971. The lawsuit noted she still recalled being called racial slurs after being bused to a predominantly white neighborhood in 1974.
Before leading elder affairs, she worked as an assistant commissioner in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, served as president and trustee of the New England College of Optometry and New England Eye Institute, and president and chief executive of the biotech companies Circe Biomedical and Marathon Biopharmaceuticals. Chen was paid $146,623 last year, according to state records.
The lawsuit detailed how Chen’s deteriorating situation at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services began with a meeting that sparked concerns about discrimination and ended with Chen’s dismissal, despite efforts to meet Walsh’s performance standards.
The lawsuit lays out the sequence of events.
In a November 2023 meeting, Walsh raised serious concerns about Chen, saying she had excellent academic credentials but lacked sufficient leadership qualities for a job that was “too big” for her, criticisms the suit claims echo stereotypes about people of Asian descent. Walsh listed concerns about Chen’s performance, including elder affairs’ worker turnover and staffing, criticisms from former employees, and negative feedback from a legislator. Chen felt many of the criticisms were misplaced or inaccurate, but she agreed to professional coaching with the understanding that completing it successfully could allow her to keep her job.
The suit noted that meeting happened shortly after Walsh and Chen attended an event at a senior center in Boston’s Chinatown where Chen spoke Cantonese and Mandarin and was warmly received.
Through the first months of 2024, HHS executives assured Chen that she would be given the opportunity to show improvement, and that requiring coaching was not a disciplinary act.
It concerned Chen, though, that she was subjected to a comprehensive performance review, something no other HHS department head had received at that time, the suit states.
Still, Chen received assurances from Harding, the chief of staff, that if Walsh wanted her gone, she would have fired her in November 2023.
The coaching ended in April 2024 with a roadmap for improvement, which included benchmarks for Chen to meet. Shortly after, though, Walsh told Chen she was being let go.
In the month that followed, Chen attempted to get an explanation for why she was not given a chance to meet the standards in the improvement plan. She wrote a letter to Walsh stating that she felt she was “torn down” for being an Asian woman in a position of leadership, and noted a lack of direct communication and clear planning.
“When we talked in November, you should have been direct about your plan,” Chen wrote, according to a passage from the letter included in the lawsuit. “Instead, you were vague and presented mixed messages and questioned my competence and leadership.”
Chen was shocked when the secretary abruptly altered one of the terms of departure Chen expected at a meeting in May.
Chen left the elder affairs job on June 1, 2024.
The suit states HHS has also made it difficult for Chen to obtain public records requested for her defense, something subject to a second lawsuit from Chen.
The state’s elder affairs office, now called the Executive Office of Aging and Independence, serves roughly 1.7 million seniors, according to the most recent annual report, and is now led by Robin Lipson. Its services are in growing demand as Massachusetts’ population ages. The agency contracts with 24 regional Aging Services Access Points, nonprofits that offer services including meal delivery and home care. The office also oversees assisted-living facilities, home care, and supports people caring for elderly relatives.
Jason Laughlin can be reached at jason.laughlin@globe.com. Follow him @jasmlaughlin.
The meteor responsible for a loud boom heard in Rhode Island and Massachusetts Saturday afternoon was approximately 5 feet in diameter and weighed more than 12,000 pounds, according to NASA.
The object entered Earth’s atmosphere at roughly 42,000 mph, a NASA spokesperson said. It then traveled through the atmosphere from northwest to southeast for 26 miles before breaking up and producing a meteorite fall into Cape Cod Bay.
The energy released when the object broke up at an altitude of 31 miles is estimated to be equivalent to about 230 tons of TNT, according to NASA.
Professor Ralph Milliken of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University spoke with NBC 10’s Mike Cerullo. (WJAR)
While it’s not very common to experience a 5-foot-wide meteorite, there is a significant amount of debris from space that reaches Earth.
“The estimates are that we probably have about 5,000 tons of cosmic dust and material and meteorites landing on Earth. The vast majority of that is super tiny stuff, we’re talking things that are smaller than a grain of sand, or the thickness of a human hair,” said Professor Ralph Milliken of the Department of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences at Brown University. “For something of this size a few feet across, it’s not that common, but a few a year. Most of these would occur over uninhabited areas, over the ocean, and we wouldn’t be able to see them, but they are detected.”
Because of its size, a meteorite with a 5-foot diameter is difficult to track before it enter Earth’s atmosphere.
“It’s virtually impossible to kind of know in advance of this size object coming,” Milliken said.
The area where a meteorite crashed in Cape Cod Bay. (WJAR)
Scientists are, however, able to track much larger space objects. NASA has been developing technology to try to deflect larger objects if needed.
Events like what occurred in New England over the weekend are recorded. Although other fireballs enter Earth’s atmosphere throughout the year, many of them materialize over water and uninhabited areas.
Massachusetts
Winners’ circle: Tracking every 2026 spring high school championship – The Boston Globe
Championship season is upon us, and we’re tracking every title winner in Massachusetts this spring.
From the golf sectionals in late May to championship weekend June 11-14, a four-day stretch in which 31 titlists will be crowned across boys’ and girls’ lacrosse, boys and girls’ tennis, boys’ and girls’ rugby, boys’ volleyball, softball, and baseball, we’ll have you covered.
Find all the dates, brackets, seedings, matchups, and links to our postseason previews here.
Follow us on X @GlobeSchools, Instagram @BGlobeSchools, and Facebook to stay up to date.
Over at Globe.com/Schools you’ll find our daily scoreboard, nightly Takeaways, game coverage, videos, live streams, and our weekly Varsity News newsletter (sign up for free) to keep you in the know.
Division 1: Lexington girls, St. John’s Prep boys
Lexington girls graduate to two-time Division 1 track champions, St. John’s Prep sprints to boys’ title
Division 2: Billerica girls, North Andover boys
Billerica girls unphazed by move up to Division 2, going back-to-back as North Andover boys dominate
Division 3: Canton girls, Walpole boys
Canton girls cap greatest season with first Division 3 track title, Walpole boys win by thinnest margin
Division 4: Duxbury girls, Newburyport boys
Historic win for Duxbury girls, Mohoric paces Newburyport boys to Division 4 outdoor track championship
Division 5: North Reading girls, Weston boys
It’s four in a row for North Reading girls, two straight for Weston boys at Division 5 track championships
Division 6: Ayer Shirley girls, Abington boys
Ayer Shirley girls pick up where they left off, Abington boys twinning at Division 6 track championships
Day 1, Divisions 1, 2, and 5: Lexington boys and girls setting the pace at Division 1 track & field championships
Day 1, Divisions 3, 4, and 6: Canton girls make a strong run to first at Division 3 track championships
South: Walpole | With Tori Adams as its driving force, Walpole scores third straight MIAA South girls’ golf championship
North/Central/West: Hopkinton | Concord-Carlisle’s Sophie Redmond, Hopkinton rule MIAA girls’ golf championship for North/Central/West
With titles for Natick and Peabody and smiles for all, MIAA unified track championship ‘beyond inspiring’
Brendan Kurie can be reached at brendan.kurie@globe.com. Follow him on X @BrendanKurie.
Massachusetts
Meteor Lands In Cape Cod + Bus Crash Kills 5 From MA + Wind Storm Knocks Out Power To Thousands: MA Weekend
MASSACHUSETTS — Residents throughout New England were simultaneously startled as a meteor that landed in Cape Cod caused a sonic boom this past weekend.
Meanwhile, a bus driver is facing charges after five Massachusetts residents died in a crash on a highway in Virginia.
Plus, another State Trooper was caught handling a wrong-way driver situation on Route 1.
Mysterious Boom Heard Across MA Was An Exploding Meteor, Experts Say
The noises were heard around 2:11 p.m. Saturday, with people describing a sudden bang that rattled windows and even shook some homes. The American Meteor Society said that the booms heard were actually caused by a meteor about three feet wide entering the atmosphere near the border of Massachusetts and New Hampshire.
Residents as far as Ipswich and Johnston, Rhode Island, reported hearing and feeling the sensations. Meteorologist Nick Stewart shared satellite images from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, showing where the meteor entered the atmosphere and combusted while traveling at 75,000 miles per hour above the ocean.
Bus Driver Charged After MA Family Of 4, Worcester Woman Killed In VA Crash
Jing S. Dong, of Staten Island, New York, now faces two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the collision, which occurred around 2:35 a.m. Friday on southbound I-95 near Quantico. Among those killed were a 45-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy, all from Greenfield, Massachusetts. All were in the Acura, which police said caught fire after the collisions. Police on Saturday evening identified the fifth person killed as Priscilla R. Mafalda, 25, of Worcester, Massachusetts, who was riding in the Suburban struck by the bus.
In total, about 44 people were transported to area hospitals, including three with critical injuries.
State Trooper Hospitalized After Route 1 Wrong-Way Crash In Peabody
State Police said the trooper was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries after police acted in coordination to protect traffic and stop the driver, who was traveling southbound on Route 1 North in Peabody. The incident occurred not far from the location on Route 1 where State Trooper Kevin Trainor was killed when his cruiser was hit head-on in a wrong-way crash in Lynnfield last month. The driver in Sunday’s crash was also hospitalized and charged with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, and driving the wrong way on a state highway.
Rapidly Expanding Grocery Chain Has Big Plans For MA
Sprouts Farmers Market is slated to launch up to 40 locations throughout the region in the coming years. Construction has begun for the first Massachusetts spot in Weymouth, which has an opening date of 2028. The Phoenix-based organic grocery chain has more than 480 stores in 25 states.
Saturday’s Meteorite Was ‘Fishy Squisher’ And NASA Knows Where To Find It In Cape Cod Bay
Data from NASA suggest fragments of the meteorite lie in waters from the middle of the bay to about 10 miles northeast of the town of Sandwich. The agency said late Saturday it picked up radar signatures of the fragments from four radar sites, and termed the strike a “fishy squisher.” The meteorite entered Earth’s atmosphere about 40 miles above the Bay State and southern New Hampshire, creating the sonic boom. Water in the bombarded portion of Cape Cod Bay is about 100 feet deep.
35K Without Power As Winter-Like Storm Pummels MA With 55+ MPH Winds
Massachusetts residents throughout the North Shore were without power on Saturday morning as a winter-like storm tore a path of tree damage, downpours, and fierce winds throughout New England. Widespread tree damage was reported across the state, with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency reporting 34,228 customers without power as of 11:20 a.m. Wind speeds reached a high of 55 miles per hour. Temperatures dropped into the 40s with wind chills in the 30s as the storm arrived across the Bay State. The unsettled weather will continue through Monday and Tuesday before a warming trend takes hold later in the week.
See Also:
Cape Shoreline Named Among The Nation’s 10 Best, According To ‘Dr. Beach’
-
Los Angeles, Ca7 minutes ago2 women killed after being struck by BMW in Orange County intersection
-
Detroit, MI25 minutes agoAfter 12 years in downtown Detroit, Wright & Company calls it quits
-
San Francisco, CA37 minutes agoSan Francisco voters to decide on dueling measures on Top Executive Pay Tax changes
-
Dallas, TX39 minutes agoDallas Cowboys’ Path To NFC East Crown Gets Easier After June 1 NFL Trade Frenzy
-
Miami, FL45 minutes agoDevelopers pay off $115M in Miami construction loans as condos near sellout
-
Boston, MA52 minutes agoUpdating Red Sox’s Playoff Chances: Numbers Never Lie | NESN
-
Denver, CO55 minutes agoDenver City Council approves $15.5 million tax break for Rossonian Hotel development
-
Seattle, WA60 minutes agoMelinda French Gates is done ‘cheering on Seattle from the sidelines’ — she’s buying into the bet to bring the Sonics back | Fortune
