A Massachusetts man attending college is among 4 killed in a fiery wrong-way highway crash.

According to Connecticut State Police, on Thursday at approximately 1:45 a.m., Troop G dispatch received 911 calls of a wrong way driver traveling on RT. 15 South, south of exit 53. Troop G dispatch was then notified the vehicle was involved in a head on collision and was engulfed in flames.

Preliminary investigation revealed that a vehicle occupied by Steven Rowland, 65, Thomas Lucian Vitale, 80, and Olga Vitale, 81 (all from Easton), was traveling on Route 15 South, in the right lane. 21-year-old Alexander Dennis of Wayland, MA was traveling northbound in the southbound travel lanes (wrong way), resulting in a head on collision. The vehicle being driven by Dennis became fully engulfed in flames.

All 4 occupants died at the scene. Dennis’ body was so unrecognizable, he wasn’t identified until today.

According to Fairfield University, Dennis had just completed his junior year on campus and was traveling home to Massachusetts for the summer when the car accident occurred. As a student in the College of Arts and Sciences, Alex was a visual and performing arts major with a special interest in film.

“At a time of year when we are actively engaged in the celebration of our students and their accomplishments, a loss like this seems inconceivable. Those who knew and loved Alex will be especially impacted by his passing, and his loss will be felt across campus. Our Jesuit colleagues are available to our community, as are staff members from Campus Ministry and the Counseling Center. For employees, the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) may also be a helpful resource at this time.” -President Mark R. Nemec PhD

C.A.R.S., Stratford Fire Department, Trumbull Fire Department, Stratford E.M.S. and D.O.T. assisted on scene.

Route 15 South was closed for approximately seven hours.

The case is currently being investigated. Contact Troop G at (203) 696-2500 if you witnessed this collision. 

WESTBOROUGH, MA — Scores of turtles will converge on Westborough on Wednesday.

Why? To celebrate the 40th year of one of the longest-running conservation efforts in the U.S. to reinvigorate the endangered red-bellied cooter species.

Starting in 1984, the state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife embarked on an effort to increase the cooter population from a low of 300. Part of that effort involved a “head start” program where schools, museums and research groups helped raise the turtles in captivity for their eventual release.

Many of those conservation partners will head to the MassWildlife headquarters in Westborough on Wednesday to deliver their red-bellied cooters. The state expects to tag the 5,000th turtle raised in the head start program. The celebration will also mark Endangered Species Day, which will officially be observed Friday.

“Over the past forty years, MassWildlife has ‘headstarted’ over 5,000 turtles. As a result, the estimated population of northern red-bellied cooters in Massachusetts has grown from just 300 in the 1980s to over 2,000 adults today,” the agency said in a news release.

Massachusetts has the only population of red-bellied cooters in New England, with the next closest group in New Jersey. The turtles, which can live up to 50 years, and are still listed as endangered by state and federal governments.

Wednesday’s event will feature remarks by federal and state conservation officials, the Massachusetts state herpetologist Mike Jones and participants in the head start program. The event begins at 10 a.m. Wednesday at the MassWildlife headquarters, 1 Rabbit Hill Road, Westborough.

PEABODY – The migrant crisis in Massachusetts has added about 2,000 students to schools in 74 different districts this academic year, according to the state. 

That means there are about 242 districts still not facing the issue of having a sudden, unexpected influx of migrant children in their systems.

“A small handful of communities can’t take on this burden and do it well,” Peabody Superintendent Josh Vadala told WBZ-TV. His district is one of the 74. They’ve added 80 students to Peabody schools since September.

“We’ve been talking to the state. You know, enough is enough,” Vadala said. “We’ve taken on our share and we are doing a good job. If you continue to pile on, we’re worried that we’re not going to be able to provide the same service and then it all falls apart.”

Massachusetts response to migrant student crisis

“We believe deeply that every single student, regardless of circumstance, should have a high-quality education. Every student deserves that,” Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler told WBZ.

Tutwiler said the state is giving those 74 communities what they need, including $105 per student, per day.

“Language barrier is definitely a challenge. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) very quickly stood up translation supports. Mental health is also a significant challenge where we’re seeing really clear manifestations of the hardships that families experience coming here (and) situations where students are not familiar with the typical school routines and that takes a lot of patience,” Tutwiler said.

What’s worked so far? 

The state has a task force to find solutions and determine what works, Tutwiler said.

“There are so many heartening stories around how districts have really met the moment and really transitioned and welcomed families in robust ways,” he told WBZ.

Tutwiler specifically mentioned Peabody and what Vadala has done there. He has used the whole community to help the whole family, from field trips to experiences outside the classroom. 

Getting to know the families outside the school walls is paying off inside the classroom, according to Vadala.

“I’ve not seen models as robust as what we are doing. It’s not a competition but we are doing our level best to meet the needs of families here,” Tutwiler told WBZ. He said they key to all of this is more money from the federal government.