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Massachusetts town with state’s first EEE human case since 2020 urges sports to move indoors

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Massachusetts town with state’s first EEE human case since 2020 urges sports to move indoors


Days after learning it had recorded the state’s first human case of EEE in four years, a town outside of Worcester has recommended sports practices be held outside of evening hours and moved indoors if possible.

Oxford is one of the four towns where the state Department of Public Health raised the risk level for EEE to critical last Friday after an 80-year-old man was exposed to a mosquito infected with the disease.

Oxford’s neighboring towns of Sutton, Webster and Douglas are also at critical risk.

The recommendation to finish outdoor activities before “peak mosquito biting time” – before 6 p.m. through Sept. 30 and before 5 p.m. starting Oct. 1 until the first hard frost – came during a heated Board of Health meeting on Wednesday.

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Oxford schools will be following the recommendation, which health board Chairwoman Kerrie Singer and Director of Public Health Services Rike Sterrett stressed is not a ban on outdoor activities after those times.

“The hope is they, when able, will move the activities to those indoor locations or move practices up or move them to the weekend,” Sterrett said. “I understand this is not ideal for anybody, but we take this really seriously.”

Private and recreational leagues or organizations that decide to use town property and not follow recommendations must “complete and file an indemnification form with and provide proof of adequate insurance coverage to both the Recreation Commission and Town Manager’s Office.”

That’s according to a memo Town Manager Jennifer Callahan wrote to the Board of Health. In it, she explained she’s been in touch with a family member of the individual diagnosed twice within the past week. The man remains hospitalized, “courageously battling this virus,” she wrote.

“They want people to be aware this is an extremely serious disease with terrible physical and emotional consequences,” Callahan wrote of the family. “They want residents to take the public health recommendations … seriously.”

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Other recommendations to keep safe include applying insect repellent and mosquito-proofing homes, consistent with the state Department of Public Health. Sutton, Webster and Douglas have also implemented the guidelines.

Singer said the board learned about the EEE risk being raised to critical last Friday, and Wednesday’s meeting marked the first discussion on the development and protocols.

“I would ask that you give us the opportunity to please discuss this and not interrupt us during this meeting,” she said. “I think you would be very enlightened to hear what we have to say and be educated about this.”

Within minutes, Singer found herself in an exchange with a resident, repeatedly saying “I’m going to ask you to please sit as we continue.” The resident responded “Madam chair, I’m just asking to make sure that we will be heard tonight,” and then “Madam chair, I’m trying to be as professional as possible.”

Singer did not allow comments from the public, calling questions from residents an “open meeting violation.” The board chair recessed the meeting for roughly 10 minutes.

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Before Oxford became designated as a critical risk, the state had collected mosquito traps and sampling about every two weeks. Trapping is now being conducted much more often, Sterrett said.

Though rare, EEE is serious and a potentially fatal disease that can affect people of all ages, according to state health officials.

There were 12 human cases of EEE in Massachusetts in 2019 with six deaths, and five human cases with one death in 2020. There were no human cases of EEE in Massachusetts in 2021, 2022, or 2023.

The first symptoms include high fever, stiff neck and a lack of energy which typically occur within 3 to 10 days after being bitten by a mosquito infected with EEE, Sterrett said. Symptoms could progress to encephalitis, the swelling of the brain, she said, adding how 22 people have died in Massachusetts within the past couple of decades.

“Those who do survive Triple E will often be permanently disabled due to neurological damage,” Sterrett said. “Few people who get Triple E, who are diagnosed with it, recover completely. That’s why, knowing all of this … we do take this very seriously.”

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After Massachusetts gets some snow, could there be a White Christmas?

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After Massachusetts gets some snow, could there be a White Christmas?


Are you dreaming of a White Christmas?

You could be in luck if you live in certain spots of the Bay State.

A few rounds of snow showers in the days leading up to Dec. 25 means there’s a “decent chance” for a White Christmas in parts of Massachusetts, according to the National Weather Service’s Boston office.

The first round of snow is expected to come late Friday night into Saturday from an offshore coastal storm. Meteorologists are forecasting about 1 to 3 inches of snow, with the highest amounts across interior eastern Massachusetts.

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“… Not expecting much in the way of impacts from this wintry system, more of a festive pre-Christmas snowfall that will drop anywhere from a coating to an inch or two from Friday into Saturday afternoon,” reads the National Weather Service’s forecast discussion.

Following the snow, get ready to bundle up. It will get downright frigid over the weekend.

“It will be one of the coldest air masses we’ve seen so far in the early portion of these winter months,” Andrew Loconto,a  meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Boston office, told the Herald.

High temps on Saturday will be around freezing, and then the coldest air will be on Sunday when high temps will be in the low 20s — with wind chills around 10 to 15. The wind chills Sunday night could drop to five below zero.

Temps Monday should rebound into the upper 20s before ticking up for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

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But as far as precipitation goes for Christmas Eve and Day, there could be rain or snow depending on where you live. It’s looking more likely for rain in southeastern Massachusetts, and snowfall across the interior.

A White Christmas is defined as one inch of snow depth measured on Christmas morning.

“The areas with the best shot for an inch of snow is probably interior New England,” Loconto said. “There’s a decent chance (for a White Christmas) for those interior areas, and for northeastern Massachusetts.”



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What’s open and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Massachusetts – The Boston Globe

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What’s open and closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in Massachusetts – The Boston Globe


Convenience stores: Open at owners’ discretion on both days.

Taverns, bars: Open at owners’ discretion on both days.

Movie theaters: Open both days.

Drug stores: Open both days.

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Coffee Shops: Open at owners’ discretion both days.

Banks: Most are closed or open for limited hours both days.

Stock market: Closes at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.

Municipal, state, federal offices: Open on Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.

Libraries: Open with varying hours on Christmas Eve. Closed Christmas Day.

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Schools: Closed both days.

Mail: Post offices open with varying hours on Christmas Eve. Post offices closed Christmas Day; express delivery only.

MBTA: Subways, buses, commuter rail, the RIDE, and ferry routes will operate on regular weekday schedule on Christmas Eve. Silver Line service to and from Logan Airport will be increased.

On Christmas Day, subways, buses and the RIDE will operate on a Sunday schedule. Commuter rail will operate on a weekend schedule. There will be no ferry service. For more information, visit https://www.mbta.com/holidays.

Trash/recycling collection: Collections on Christmas Eve and no collections on Christmas Day in Boston. To monitor your neighborhood’s trash and recycling schedule, download the Trash Day App at: https://www.boston.gov/trash-day-schedule.

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Sources: boston.gov and mass.gov.

Correction: This story has been updated to correct the time the stock market closes on Christmas Eve.


Sabrina Lam can be reached at sabrina.lam@globe.com.





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Changes Coming to Mega Millions in 2025

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Changes Coming to Mega Millions in 2025


Mega Millions lottery tickets will more than double in 2025, but the Massachusetts Lottery says you’ll have a better chance of winning.

The Lottery says, “Mega Millions, the multi-state lottery game that has produced a record six jackpot wins exceeding $1 billion, is getting ready for a ‘mega’ overhaul with plans to be bigger and better than ever when the new and improved game launches in April of 2025.”

The Massachusetts Lottery promises “improved odds to win the jackpot, bigger jackpots more frequently, larger starting jackpots, faster-growing jackpots, a built-in multiplier on every play, automatically improving every non-jackpot win by 2X, 3X, 4X, 5X, or 10X – up to $10 million for matching the five white balls, and no breakeven prizes, meaning when a player wins they’ll always win more than the cost of the ticket.”

Five jackpot prizes have been paid out in Massachusetts since the Mega Millions game began in 2022.

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Forty-five states and two U.S. territories participate in the Mega Millions game.

Massachusetts Gamers To Pay More To Play Mega Millions in 2025

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The Associated Press quotes Christian Teja, the Massachusetts Lottery Director of Communications, as saying that “They’re constantly looking at ways to enhance the games, maybe make them a little bit different than Powerball.”

“You have probably heard about jackpot fatigue, it used to be $100 million and everybody was playing. Then it became $300 million,” Teja said. “Then it was $500 million. Now, it’s really approaching a billion dollars before you see the sales kick up.”

It currently costs $2 to play Mega Millions but the ticket price will increase to $5 in April 2025. Perhaps the lure of bigger prizes and better chances to win will overshadow the higher ticket cost.

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25 Times SouthCoasters Won $1 Million or More in the Massachusetts Lottery

Since 2006, the Massachusetts State Lottery has kept a record of every winning ticket of $1 million or more. Here are 25 sold on the SouthCoast.

Gallery Credit: Gazelle

America’s Top 10 States With The Most Lottery Wins

Just how lucky is your state? A new list has determined which states have won the most money from either the Powerball or MegaMillions in the last 10 years.

Gallery Credit: Jahna Michal





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