BILLERICA – Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Billerica Chief of Police Roy Frost have confirmed that Sergeant Ian Taylor, 49, of the Billerica Police Department was killed today while working at a road construction site on Boston Road (Route 3A) in Billerica.

The preliminary information suggests that this afternoon, shortly before 2:00 p.m., Sergeant Taylor was struck by an excavator that was backing up on the construction site where he was working.  He was transported to Lahey Hospital where he later died.

Frost stated that he was a beloved member of the department.

“Every single one of the officers that worked with Ian loved him. Loved him like a brother. He loved, loved helping the people in this community. He was an unbelievable police officer.”

Frost stated that Taylor would go every week to meet with people suffering from opioid abuse and help them.

“His life had impact. It had meaning.”

Taylor leaves behind a wife and three children.

 The circumstances of this incident will be investigated by the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, Billerica Police and Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office. An investigation will also be conducted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Fresh off of helping Michigan win a national championship, cornerback Mike Sainristil is headed to the NFL.

Sainristil, a native of Everett, where he played for that city’s perennial powerhouse football program was taken by the Washington Commanders with the 18th pick of the second round and 50th overall of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The 5-foot-9, 182-senior was the eighth cornerback selected in the 2024 draft. He was ESPN’s No. 75 prospect. He’s expected to play nickel in the NFL.

ESPN liked the pick and wrote:

“A missing piece of the defense for new head coach Dan Quinn was the nickel cornerback position. Sainristil is the best in the class at locking up receivers from the slot. His physicality, toughness, playmaking ability and instincts will make him a favorite of the coaching staff in a hurry. Sainristil might lack great size, but his ability to diagnose the play and find a way to create opportunities on the ball was consistent for the Michigan defense. The Commanders get a potential star here.”

Sainristil was second-team All-Big Ten in 2023. He had six interceptions including two that he returned for touchdowns. He had 44 tackles (four for loss), one sack, six pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

He joins fellow Everett natives Lewis Cine and Isaiah Likely in the NFL.

A frost advisory was issued by the National Weather Service on Friday at 11:18 a.m. valid from 11 p.m. until Saturday 5 a.m. for Essex, Middlesex, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties.

The weather service adds, “Temperatures as low as 33 degrees will result in frost formation.”

“Frost could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation. Sensitive outdoor plants may be killed if left uncovered,” explains the weather service. “Take steps now to protect tender plants from the cold.”

What to do if there is a frost advisory

Frost advisories are issued from May to October (but can be extended if necessary) when temperatures, winds, and sky cover are favorable for frost development. This is most likely to happen when the temperature is 36 degrees or less. In some cases, the frost is severe enough to end the growing season and is then referred to as a ‘killing frost’.

According to the weather service, if a frost advisory is issued for your area, cover up sensitive plants before the sun sets so that it can help retain heat near the plants, or move the plants indoors for the night, if possible.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.