Massachusetts
Massive fire destroys barn and garage in Massachusetts; horse rescued from barn euthanized
A fire destroyed a barn and garage Lancaster, Massachusetts Friday afternoon.
The fire started shortly before 4:45 p.m. at a barn on North Shirley Road. Heavy black smoke from the fire was visible from several miles away as firefighters responded.
When firefighters arrived, Chief Jon Belanger said they saw the fire had spread to a small garage nearby, which had almost completely burned to the ground.
A veterinarian also responded to the scene because there was six horses in the barn at the time of the fire. All six either made it out or were rescued but one of the horses had to be euthanized. Belanger said there was also “multiple fowls” around the barn but they weren’t injured in the fire.
Both buildings were deemed a total loss, estimated to be between $250,000 and $300,000. In addition to the fire destroying both buildings, multiple pieces of farm equipment, tools and tack were lost. An excavator was called in to raise the remains of the barn as the charred remains were deemed unstable and unsafe.
Multiple fire departments responded to the fire, including crews from Lancaster, Boylston, Leominster, Bolton, Harvard, Clinton, Sterling and Berlin. The scene was cleared by 9 p.m. Friday night.
No one was hurt in the fire. The cause of the fire remains under investigation but Belanger said it does not appear to be intentional.
Lancaster is a town in Worcester County and is located about 50 miles west of Boston.
BOSTON (WWLP) – Five Regional Transit Authorities and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) have secured $105.7 million in federal funding to modernize their bus fleets and facilities.
The funding, sourced from the Federal Transit Administration’s Low or No Emissions Grant Program and the Buses and Bus Facilities Program, will be used to purchase zero and low-emission buses and upgrade transit facilities across Massachusetts.
“Low and no emission buses deliver smoother rides, lower costs, and healthier air,” said Governor Maura Healey. “These funds will help regional transit authorities across the state purchase new buses and deliver the service that the people of Massachusetts deserve.”
The following projects received grant funding:
Low or No Emission Grant Program Awards (Total: $98,381,757):
- Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA): $78.6 million
- Merrimack Valley Transit Authority (MeVa): $7.2 million
- Lowell Regional Transit Authority (LRTA): $7.2 million
- Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA): $5.4 million
Buses & Bus Facilities Program Awards (Total: $7,475,955):
- Pioneer Valley Transit Authority (PVTA): $4.5 million
- Berkshire Regional Transit Authority (BRTA): $3 million
“PVTA is pleased to receive this significant award from the FTA’s Bus and Bus Facility Discretionary Grant Program,” said PVTA Administrator Sandra Sheehan. “This grant will enable us to maintain the Northampton Operations and Maintenance facility in a state of good repair, which is crucial for improving the safety, capacity, and reliability of our entire transit system as we work to meet growing demand as we expand service.”
Governor Healey expressed gratitude towards the team at MassDOT, the MBTA, regional transit authorities, and Senators Warren and Markey for their leadership in securing the funding.
The federal funding is expected to enhance public transportation in Massachusetts by providing cleaner, more efficient bus services, benefiting both commuters and the environment.
Local News Headlines
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Download the 22News Plus app on your TV to watch live-streaming newscasts and video on demand.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WWLP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WWLP staff before being published.
Massachusetts
Cape Cod lobsterman scores win in fight against local Massachusetts red tape: ‘This is politics’
A lifelong Cape Cod lobsterman has received overwhelming support in his fight for survival, helping him claw through bureaucratic red tape that could revive a nearly century-old family tradition of selling lobsters from his home.
Yarmouth resident Jon Tolley says he is still wary of whether town officials in the mid-Cape Cod town will allow him to reopen his shop next year at his home, even after residents approved a bylaw that opens the door for him to do so.
“The whole town was behind me,” Tolley told the Herald via phone on Friday. “I knew they were going to be. It’s a sad thing. One person complains, and then I have to go through all of this, get lawyers and everything. For what reason? For no reason.”
The 66-year-old has caught lobsters out of Sesuit Harbor in Dennis and sold the fresh crustaceans from his home in West Yarmouth for nearly his entire life. As a youngster, he helped his father, Fred, run the family business on the same property before he took over operations in 1975.
Despite Tolley’s success over the decades, town officials forced him to operate elsewhere this past season amid a controversy that blindsided the fisherman and his neighbors.
The battle with the town began in late August 2024 when Tolley received a violation notice that he said startled him. Zoning bylaws banned retail lobster sales in a residential district, the notice stated.
An unnamed West Yarmouth resident complained about a business sign Tolley put out on Route 28, the town’s main corridor, prompting the fight, according to town officials. Tolley has argued that the complaint came from a Yarmouth police officer.
Yarmouth allowed the retail sale of fish as a commercial use in the residential district by right and without further permission until 1982.
The Zoning Board of Appeals shot down Tolley’s two appeals for a variance, which would have let him continue selling the locally harvested lobster from where his father opened up shop in 1957.
Town officials and Tolley settled on a compromise for the 2025 season.
The lobsterman found a private vacant lot along Route 28 to sell his lobsters, from where he said he found reasonable success, while the Planning Board drafted an amendment to the zoning bylaw.
Residents at a Town Meeting this week eagerly raised their hands in support of the amendment, which allows fishermen to sell their legally caught live lobsters at their homes via a ZBA-issued special permit. Less than a handful of attendees disapproved.
“In theory, even though it is a bylaw now, they can still vote no,” Tolley said of the ZBA. “See what I mean? They can vote no, and of course, you take them to court, and you win in one second because it is a bylaw.”
“All of this is politics,” he added.
In a video previewing the Town Meeting, Town Manager Robert Whritenour called the lobster bylaw his “favorite” article that residents would be voting on. He described Tolley’s situation as “quite a kerfuffle.”
The bylaw, Whritenour said, will “provide a process to enable a fisherman to sell live lobsters out of a residential location, obviously under certain safeguards to protect the integrity of the neighborhood, but that addresses … concerns.”
Residents at the Town Meeting voiced their outrage over how lobster sales became controversial.
Resident Sally Johnson said she’s been a “very strong advocate” of Tolley’s. She pointed to how she felt the ZBA chairman was “very intimidating to his board and to the community in the building” during a meeting in April.
The chairman, Sean Igoe, blocked Tolley’s attorney, Jonathan Polloni, from arguing his client’s case and the dozens of residents in support, who flocked to Town Hall, from expressing how they viewed the business as not a detriment to the community.
Residents shouted out their sharp disappointment: “Read the room!” “Dictatorship!” “Generations are leaving Cape Cod!” “You will only have millionaires living here!”
“It is absolutely ridiculous that it’s gotten to this point,” Johnson said on Monday. “It has mushroomed into chaos.”
Tolley has sued the town over his battle, filing a complaint in land court. Following a July hearing, the court encouraged the lobsterman and officials to “consider the possibility of mediation or remand of this matter to avoid the time, expense, and risk of further litigation.”
As of Friday, the case wasn’t scheduled to be heard again until next March, according to records.
“It’s a shame Jon had to fight this battle,” resident Cheryl Ball, who leads the group, Cape Cod Concerned Citizens, told the Herald, “but I’m thankful our community and several board members stepped up to support him. We need to continue to defend Cape Cod’s culture before it’s completely eroded.”
Republican John Deaton is back in the political mix in Massachusetts following a failed bid to unseat Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren in 2024.
This time around, Deaton is running for the seat currently held by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey. He believes voters are ready for a change in political priorities.
“Polling suggests already that I could edge out Ed Markey … 1.35 million people voted for me last time, and now, I want to reach another million,” he said.
One obvious difference from 2024 is the competitive Democratic primary in 2026. Rep. Seth Moulton has already announced a primary challenge to Markey, while other Democrats like Rep. Ayanna Pressley are rumored to be considering a similar move.
“While Ed Markey and them are fighting it out in a primary, I’ll be able to bring that common-sense message,” Deaton said.
Deaton secured the endorsement of the Massachusetts Republican Party on Thursday. Some — like former Senate and gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl — have suggested that President Donald Trump is already backing Deaton’s candidacy.
“The White House hasn’t made any endorsement that I’m aware of, and I haven’t had any conversations,” said Deaton. “I don’t believe President Trump even knows that I exist.”
Deaton maintains he isn’t seeking endorsements from anyone, and when pressed on whether having Trump’s support would be helpful, he remained noncommittal.
“I don’t know if it would be helpful or not,” he said. “I really haven’t spent time thinking about it.”
While Deaton toes that line, he’s focusing on the issues and convincing voters why he is the best choice for Massachusetts in 2026.
“I got in this race because I see people losing faith,” said Deaton.
You can hear more from Deaton this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. during our @Issue Sit Down segment. Political Reporter Matt Prichard digs deeper into Deaton’s thoughts on Trump and his policies, plus how much of Deaton’s personal money is being funneled into his campaign.
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