Massachusetts
Measles exposure possible in Boston, Westborough, officials warn – The Boston Globe
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is working with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed, officials said.
“Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease,” Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein said in a statement. “This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities.”
While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, the United States has seen the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade – nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, which included three confirmed deaths from measles, Goldstein said.
“Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk,” Goldstein said. “Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever – they are safe, effective, and lifesaving.”
Officials said the exposures may have occurred at Logan Airport Terminal B on Dec. 11 from 2:30 p.m. to 4:45 p.m.; at the DoubleTree hotel in Westborough from 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 11 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 12; and at Logan Airport Terminal C from 6 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. on Dec. 12.
“Those who could have been exposed and begin to develop symptoms of measles should call their healthcare provider before visiting an office, clinic, or emergency department,” public health officials said in the statement. “Visiting a healthcare facility may put others at risk and should be avoided if possible.”
Those who have had measles in the past or have received two doses of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine are unlikely to develop measles even if they were exposed, officials said.
Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu also encouraged people to get vaccinated for measles.
“With multiple measles outbreaks across the country and increased travel around the holidays, now is an important time to ensure that you and your family are protected,” she said.
Ojikutu said two doses of MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective at preventing measles and provide protection against mumps and rubella. Children should receive the vaccine at 12-15 months of age and again before kindergarten, she said.
Children who are at least 6 months old and traveling internationally or to areas of the US with active outbreaks should receive an early dose of vaccine before traveling, Ojikutu said.
“It is never too late for children or adults to get the measles vaccine even if they are past the recommended age,” Ojikutu said.
Early symptoms of measles occur one to three weeks after exposure and may resemble a cold, with symptoms fever, cough, runny nose, and red eyes. A rash occurs on the skin two to four days after the initial symptoms develop and usually appears first on the head, officials said.
People with measles may be contagious up to four days before the rash appears and for four days after the rash starts, officials said.
State public health officials are urging anyone who has not been vaccinated or doesn’t know their measles immunization status to contact their healthcare provider to get vaccinated with at least one dose of the MMR vaccine.
“Measles vaccine given within 72 hours of exposure may prevent measles disease,” officials said in the statement. “Vaccination beyond this window will provide protection from subsequent exposures.”
Emily Sweeney can be reached at emily.sweeney@globe.com. Follow her @emilysweeney and on Instagram @emilysweeney22.
Following the tragic death of a Pennsylvania state trooper, Gov. Maura Healey is being asked to urge the state RMV to conduct an immediate review of all commercial driver’s licenses issued in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts House Republicans are calling for the audit to include a scan of non-domiciled CDLs, as the Bay State already faces federal heat for issuing a commercial driver’s license to the suspect, a Haitian illegal immigrant.
The review would “determine whether any current license holders are facing any pending suspensions, revocations, or other outstanding issues,” GOP leadership wrote in a letter to the governor this week.
Michael Bon, a 33-year-old Haitian living illegally in Brockton, has been charged with killing Michael Pahira, a 44-year-old state trooper, in a fiery crash on July 1 in Schuylkill County, Penn.
The Department of Homeland Security has said that Bon has been in the country illegally since June 2025 and that the Massachusetts RMV had issued his CDL. But the RMV has pointed its finger at the federal government, arguing that Bon was eligible for and received a non-domiciled commercial driver’s license under federal standards at the time of his application in March 2025.
In their Wednesday letter, House Republicans requested that Healey direct the RMV to review all commercial driver’s licenses within 30 days and submit details to the state Joint Committee on Transportation and the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security.
The GOP stated that the review could ultimately lead to safer roads.
“Due to the most recent tragedy in Pennsylvania and the uptick in wrong-way driving accidents in our Commonwealth,” GOP leaders wrote, “we call on you to take immediate action on this request to protect motorists and pedestrians on Massachusetts roadways and to ensure that the Commonwealth is in line with current federal roadway safety standards.”
A governor’s spokesperson deferred a Herald request for comment to the RMV.
An RMV spokesperson told the Herald Friday night that the agency is “preparing a thorough response to the letter.”
“We are confident that our programs for issuing commercial driving credentials,” the spokesperson said, “which are subject to annual review by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, are compliant with federal law.”
Bon arrived in the U.S. in early July 2024 as a parolee at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
That October, he filed an application for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under the Biden administration, which ultimately was never granted. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the federal government to end TPS for Haitian nationals earlier this month.
DHS has said that USCIS terminated Bon’s parole on June 13, 2025. Despite that, Bon has allegedly refused to leave the country and has remained in the U.S. illegally, settling in Brockton.
The RMV has described Pahira’s death as a “horrific and terrible tragedy,” calling for Bon to be “prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
At the same time, the agency has said that the non-domiciled CDL program is under federal purview, arguing Bon was “ruled eligible based on the Trump administration database and allowed to drive by federal law and Trump administration policies.”
Bon applied to renew his CDL in February 2026 and was again approved, the RMV has said, adding that he would not have been approved if he applied for renewal next year. The Trump administration implemented a new rule on March 16 directing states not to renew or issue new non-domiciled CDLs.
“These restrictions,” the House GOP wrote in its letter to Healey, “coupled with the reinstatement last year of federal English-language proficiency requirements for commercial truck drivers to ensure that they can read and understand traffic signs, represent ongoing efforts to enhance public safety on America’s roadways.”
The fiery crash happened on I-81 in Schuylkill County and resulted in Pahira’s death.
The Pennsylvania trooper was conducting a routine commercial inspection on another tractor-trailer at 7 a.m. on July 1. Authorities say both the tractor-trailer and Pahira’s police vehicle were pulled over on the right-hand shoulder of the highway.
Pahira had been speaking with the other driver, Walter Alfredo Reinoso, of New York, during the routine stop when Bon’s tractor-trailer suddenly veered into the right-hand shoulder and struck them.
ICE lodged a detainer request against Bon earlier this month. The illegal immigrant is being held in Schuylkill County Prison after failing to post his $700,000 bail.
At the federal level, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association – the largest national trade association representing small-business truckers and professional drivers – is demanding that Congress pass Dalilah’s Law to ensure that CDL holders are properly trained and meet safety standards, including proficiency in English.
Non-domiciled CDL holders are often unable to be vetted, whereas U.S. applicants have had their past 10 years of driving history reviewed.
“Had this legislation been previously signed into law,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer wrote in a Wednesday letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, “the driver responsible for Trooper Pahira’s death would not have been eligible to receive a CDL in the first place.”
Pa. State Police and WFMZ-TV photos
Pennsylvania State Trooper Michael Pahira Jr. was killed in a crash that police say was caused by Michael Bon, 33, of Brockton, Mass., who is in the country illegally. (Pa. State Police and WFMZ-TV photos)
Several chains and local shops are marking the July 19 holiday with giveaways, rewards offers and limited-time discounts. Some offers require an app or loyalty account, and participation may vary by location.
Here are some deals for National Ice Cream Day in Massachusetts:
New City Microcreamery: The Massachusetts scoop shop is giving away a $25 gift card for National Ice Cream Day. To enter, customers must like the giveaway post, comment with a favorite New City flavor and follow the shop on Facebook and Instagram. You can find the post here.
Following similar legislature in his native Vermont, singer-songwriter supports “The Great Divide Act” combating speculative tickets, resale fees, and more
Noah Kahan has thrown his support behind a new Massachusetts bill aimed at capping ticket resale prices.
Like other states in recent weeks — including Washington, D.C. just a day earlier — Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey has announced “An Act Relative to Closing the Great Divide between Ticket Prices and Affordability” — or “The Great Divide Act,” named in part after Kahan’s latest LP — a bill that would limit ticket resales prices, bar speculative tiket sales, and cut down on some ticket fees.
Kahan, who previously backed a similar bill in his native Vermont and is fresh off four sold-out shows at Boston’s Fenway Stadium, appeared via video at Healey’s press conference Thursday.
“I heard about what you’re announcing today and I just wanted to let you know how excited I am about it,” Kahan said. “The artist community and fans will greatly benefit from limiting ticket scalping and the sales of speculative tickets. I love my fans and want to protect them however I can. Artists alone could not tackle the market manipulation of secondary resellers. So, thank you so much for making this a priority in Massachusetts.”
Under the proposed Great Divide Act, concert tickets on the secondary market would be capped at 110 percent of their original face value, and secondary ticket sites would similarly only be allowed to take a 10 percent cut of resold tickets.
In the aftermath of the World Cup games at Gillette Stadium, where “speculative tickets” — or sellers offering tickets they don’t actually have — resulted in hundreds of people getting turned away from the soccer games, the Great Divide Act will also aim at prohibiting the practice. “Far too many Massachusetts residents have experienced the pain of being excited to buy tickets to see their favorite singer or sports team, only to realize that resale prices and fees have driven up the cost to outrageous levels,” Healey said Thursday.
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