Massachusetts
Massachusetts grappling with growing problem of impaired driving: ‘100% preventable’
Federal data shows that driving under the influence in Massachusetts is a growing problem.
The number of drivers under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication at the time of a fatal crash “increased steadily” from 2020 to 2023 in the Bay State, according to AAA Northeast, citing the latest available data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Over the four years, the Commonwealth recorded 141 total such incidents, increasing from 17 in 2020 to 55 in 2023, according to data in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
Mary Kate DePamphilis, program director for the Massachusetts chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, says that one death is too many because of impaired driving, and fatality numbers “don’t consider the many others who have been injured; some severely.”
Dozens of community members gathered in Franklin on Thursday for a vigil in memory of the state’s most recent victims of impaired driving: 5-year-old girl Krisha Patel and her 38-year-old mother, Minaben Patel.
Suspect James Blanchard, 21, of Franklin, is accused of drinking Tito’s Vodka straight out of a 1.75-liter bottle behind the wheel when he plowed a pickup truck head-on into a sedan driven by Atulkumar Patel, Krisha’s father and Minaben’s husband, the evening of May 24.
“MADD is heartbroken over the Memorial Day crash that happened in Franklin,” DePamphilis told the Herald. “An innocent child and her mother are no longer with us because of someone’s careless decision to drink and drive.
“Impaired driving crashes are 100% preventable,” she added, “which makes this even more tragic.”
Locally, DePamphilis said her organization is working “every day to prevent these senseless deaths” in partnership with law enforcement, by providing education in schools for children and parents, while “working on strengthening impaired driving legislation.”
Mothers Against Drunk Driving is also “working diligently” to advocate for the federal HALT Act, legislation that would mandate impaired driving prevention technology in all new cars, DePamphilis said.
Reducing the number of impaired driving incidents in the Bay State is also the mission of traffic safety grants awarded through the state Office of Grants and Research. This fiscal year, the program issued more than $12 million in federal funding to nonprofits, municipal police and state agencies to bolster safety for all users of the road.
Data provided to the Herald shows that the Massachusetts State Police conducted 26 sobriety checkpoints and 40 saturation patrols between December 2023 and September 2024, totaling 7,187 hours of enforcement activity and issuing over 11,000 citations and written warnings to drivers.
“Every day, we serve victims of impaired driving, free of charge,” DePamphilis said of Mothers Against Drunk Driving. “We are there for families in their darkest days to help navigate through grief and the criminal justice system, eventually getting to a place in their healing journey where they can cope. I urge anyone who has been a victim of impaired driving to reach out to 1-800-MADD-HELP.”
Massachusetts
Is it really going to snow in New England tomorrow? Here’s what to expect from storm
We’re still on the good side of the forecast today. We’ll see a good supply of sun to start, then the clouds will increase and a few showers will sink down from the north in the afternoon. We still manage to make it near 70. (Yay.)
Tomorrow’s high temperatures, however, comes after midnight tonight — before falling toward Saturday morning. If you think that’s confusing, try explaining the snow that’ll be flying in the higher elevations across New England (with solid accumulation above 4k feet).
Yes, the weather is upside down for late May.
We can blame an intense, compact upper-level pool of cold air that broke loose from a larger pool near the Arctic Circle days ago.

The pattern across North America has dropped it in our laps for a day, with cold, rainy, windy consequences.
Rain, wind and… snow?
This will be a sneaky storm. Early on, there might even be a calm, bright sky (very) early Saturday morning. Then the clouds move in and the wind intensifies from the northeast. Gust will briefly peak at 50+ along the coast (40+ inland).
Rain will mix with snow in northern New England, and perhaps in the highest elevations of southern New Hampshire and central Massachusetts.
This also depends on the intensity of the precipitation. Heavier bursts of rain can drag down colder air aloft, helping the snowflakes make it from cloud base to your home place (if you live above 1k feet).
Ironically, we’re not expecting a deluge from this storm. Most spots keep near a half inch, with higher amounts near an inch in northeast Mass./southern NH.
And then just like that, it’s over. The storm pulls away Saturday evening, the skies clear and we’re back to sun Sunday. Highs recover to near 70 with the slightest chance for a shower late day.
Better chances – and cooler temps – come both Monday and Tuesday.
Will summer ever take hold? We know from past years that June can really struggle. It appears that the start of the month may not live up to expectations. Although we are at least climbing back to the 80s late next week.
Have a good weekend.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts Top Cop Off the Hook for Secret Recording Program
The head of the Massachusetts State Police can’t be sued for an alleged program that secretly recorded officers’ phone conversations with civilians and used them to bring criminal charges, the First Circuit said Thursday.
A group of Massachusetts residents filed a putative class against against Superintendent Geoffrey Noble, as well as Motorola and other companies, over the secret recordings, which were used to propose criminal charges in at least 181 cases without prosecutors’ knowledge, the three judge panel said.
The opinion by Circuit Judge Seth Aframe said the residents, led by Jason Courtemanche, failed to show how they’d be directly …
Massachusetts
How Hard Health Care Hits MA Family Budgets
Massachusetts families are spending 8% of their monthly income on health care, according to a new study. That puts the Bay State toward the higher end of the scale, coming in at No. 12 in the country.
The analysis from personal finance website WalletHub examined where people are spending the most and the least on health care.
Alaska was No. 1 in the U.S., spending over 10% of their income on health care. On the other end of the scale, Utah residents spend 5% of their income on health care.
“Sharp increases in health care costs in recent years have made it difficult for some people to seek essential care,” WalletHub Analyst Chip Lupo said. “Even in states with lower-than-average health care prices, residents’ incomes may not be enough to keep up with the cost, especially since virtually every part of Americans’ budgets have been impacted by inflation over the past few years.”
To determine how much families are spending, WalletHub analyzed the prices of five key health care components across all 50 states, then combined those costs and compared them with each state’s median household income.
Read more: 1 MA Town Among 250 Best Places To Live In US News Ranking
Massachusetts spends the most on health care compared to other states in the region, according to the study. Vermont is the next-highest state in the Northeast, ranking at No. 14 with residents spending 7.98% of their income on health care.
Here are the top 10 states where people are spending the most on health care:
- Alaska
- Oregon
- Maine
- Mississippi
- West Virginia
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- Montana
- South Dakota
- Louisiana
Check out the full study at WalletHub.
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