Massachusetts
Massachusetts town warns parents, students of dangerous ‘galaxy gas’ trend
Medfield’s school district warned parents and students about a viral TikTok trend that could be deadly in the most severe cases.
Galaxy Gas, a brand of canned Nitrous Oxide for culinary use, has taken social media by storm. Young adults can be seen inhaling the gas that causes lightheadedness, dizziness, and weakness.
Medfield’s Social Emotional Learning department said they haven’t dealt with a case at any district schools.
“A lot of this is preventative medicine,” said Dr. Dave Worthley, director of the Social Emotional Learning department.
He works daily with students at the high school to catch onto the latest trends.
He asks the student body questions like, “What kinds of stuff are you seeing online? What kinds of stuff are you exposed to? What do you see as far as your friends? What do you see in other communities?”
Dr. Worthley and the district issued a statement to parents this week about the TikTok trend that can cause long-term damage.
The statement about Galaxy read in part:
· It is easy to get.
· It is legal to purchase over 18
· It is technically for culinary purposes only
· It is being packaged in bright, fun colors and designs to appeal to kids
· It is in all area Vape shops
· It is extremely dangerous and can lead to brain injury, cardiac injury, and death.
· Galaxy Gas may have paused distribution (on Friday) but many other brands are selling Nitrous Oxide, and Vape shops, Walmart, and other places have lots of stock, as well as Amazon.
Worthley told Boston 25 Thursday, “I’ve had a lot of parent responses saying, ‘Thank you. I hadn’t heard of this. I never knew this existed. I’ll go home and talk to my kids right now.’”
David Richards, CEO of Fish Public Relations and a professor at Emerson College, said this is the latest of many social media trends.
“Parents are 10 steps behind,” he said.
Richards blamed young adults with easy access to social media as the root cause of the viral trend.
He added, “It’s exposing children to all kinds of issues and problems and bad behaviors.”
Galaxy Gas reportedly halted their sales Friday after the social media craze.
A statement on their website reads in part:
“Products containing nitrous oxide are sold solely as a food processing propellant for whipped cream and culinary food use only. It is unlawful for a person to purchase products containing nitrous oxide for any purpose not intended herein and legally authorized.”
The district is asking parents in Medfield and across the state to have tough conversations with their children to safeguard them from dangerous substances.
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Massachusetts
Maps show icing threat across Massachusetts on Saturday; winter weather advisory issued
BOSTON – The WBZ-TV weather team has issued a NEXT weather alert for the threat of ice on the roads in Massachusetts on Saturday.
New England saw a precursor to the weekend weather on Friday morning when people awoke to patchy black ice.
Some might say that the timing of the ice seems to work in our favor, as most of the weather activity is expected to occur prior to 7 a.m. Saturday morning. However, any lingering minor instances of ice could pose a big concern for roads, walking, running, etc.
Ice and scattered showers for Saturday
Confidence for slick spots is greatest in western and central Mass, where there is a higher chance of ice accumulation. A much lesser possibility of ice remains for areas east of Route 495 and I-95.
However, given that temperatures are expected to slip below freezing yet again, everyone should be careful when heading out on the roads Saturday.
By mid-morning, warm air will begin to move into the region, all but stalling any remaining ice conditions. This will allow “warmth” to elevate temperatures into the mid-to-upper 30s, just as our first round of weekend rain moves in by noon.
This storm system heading our way has already had a mean streak, causing severe weather down south. However, the storm will lose its energy for severe weather by the time it reaches us and New England will just have to contend with scattered showers and light winds.
Timing of weekend storms
Many people in western and central Massachusetts will see spots of black ice before sunrise on Saturday, which could be made worse by additional freezing rain.
As for Boston the chance of ice falls significantly below 10% on Saturday. And if you’re heading to Foxboro for the Chargers-Patriots game, we recommend bundling up and bringing rain gear. This will be a dreary, gray and soggy game.
Massachusetts
Fallen police officer remembered by Massachusetts community 14 years after fatal robbery
WOBURN – For 14 years and counting, a Massachusetts community has come together to remember a fallen officer who gave his life to protect his community the day after Christmas.
Killed while responding to robbery
The town of Woburn remembered Officer Jack Maguire with a police procession and a Christmas tree draped in blue lights. The tree overlooks the tragedy.
Maguire was shot and killed while responding to a robbery at Kohl’s on Dec. 26, 2010. He wasn’t even supposed to work that evening.
“Jack had enough seniority to take Christmas off, but he worked, so the younger people with younger kids could spend it with their family,” remembered former Woburn Police Chief Robert Ferullo. He was there the night that Maguire died but at the time he was a lieutenant on the force. “It was a miserable blizzard, it was a horrible night, Jack didn’t need to be here. Jack was right over there. Jack got out of his car, and engaged. And did what he was trained to do.”
Maguire exchanged gunfire with one of the men involved, Dominic Cinelli, who was out of jail on parole. He died from gunshot wounds sustained during the incident.
“A good officer”
“Jack was always a friend, a role model, a mentor, somebody I spent my entire career with,” said Ferullo.
“Jack was a really hard-working cop, grinding it out. He would work on all of the details. He would work all of the time,” said Maguire’s brother, Chuck Maguire.
That night, Chuck Maguire got a call from his cousin telling him that his brother had been shot. It wasn’t until he got to the hospital and started asking questions that he heard the final news.
“Then as I turned my head, they announce the code that he had died,” said Chuck Maguire. “It’s sad that he died just after turning 60, and just after he announced he was going to retire. We miss him. His kids miss him. My kids don’t see him.”
Chuck Maguire is thankful for the years of community support. People lined Washington Street in Woburn Thursday to watch the police cars pass by the tree in his brother’s honor.
“He was a great guy, a good family man, a good officer,” remembered Bruce Hildebrandt, a Woburn resident who takes the time every year to make sure the tree and its ornaments remain in place. “I pick them up, freezing my fingers off pinching the hooks, but that was not much of a suffering for me compared to what Jack gave for us.”
BROOKLINE – A massive fire tore through a mansion in Brookline, Massachusetts Thursday morning which resulted in part of the home’s roof collapsing.
It happened at 10:40 a.m. at a home on Sargent Road. Firefighters said they received a 911 call about smoke coming from the home’s attic. Heavy smoke could be seen coming from the attic when firefighters arrived.
The fire spread and part of the roof collapsed at one point. Firefighters from several departments, including Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Newton ended up responding and were on the scene for more than two hours.
All five people in the home got out safely and no one was hurt.
The cause of the fire is under investigation but firefighters said it does not appear to be suspicious.
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