Massachusetts
Strong wind, rain could impact holiday displays in Massachusetts
ATTLEBORO – It’s that time of year when the twinkling lights glow in the dark of the dazzling display. Over a million lights and hundreds of standing trees, angels and stars illuminate La Salette Shrine in Attleboro for the holidays.
“It’s magical, we always try to get a nice night, grab a hot chocolate it’s just part of our tradition for Christmas,” said visitor Diane Faria.
But when Mother Nature is threatening to blow away the holiday cheer with strong winds and heavy rain, it’ll be a game time decision.
Shrine may close if it’s raining
The preliminary plan is to close if it’s pouring rain, and hopefully the wind gusts won’t topple the well-anchored exhibits Brother Ron Taylor and his team have put in place.
“I just don’t have that magic ball, but we’ll just wait and see what the Lord sends us and hopefully it won’t be too bad,” said Brother Ron with La Salette Shrine. “If it’s heavy, heavy rains and winds, hey, stay home folks, we’ll open up the next day. We don’t want anyone risking their lives to get here you know what I mean.”
Even though it is a little foggy, for families like the Emersons it’s a lucky night over the rain to still celebrate their Christmas tradition.
“We try to plan a day all the kids can come, and we picked tonight and thankfully it’s a good night without any rain,” said Laura Emerson.
In Waltham, with a storm on the way, the Vankeuren family’s famous giant balloon display must be deflated after learning the hard way that even ropes might not match up to Mother Nature.
“My husband would like to keep them up full time, I like to make sure they survive,” said Maple Vankeuren.
Back in Attleboro, whatever happens-they hope to keep sharing the light like they have since 1953.
“We’re trying to hope that people will be able to have a little Christ in their life as they go on,” said Brother Ron.
National Grid says they’ll have extra crews around the region ready to respond to downed trees and powerlines.
The South Shore Celebration of Lights posted that the lights will be closed on Wednesday due to severe inclement weather.
Fire broke out at an apartment building in North Attleborough, Massachusetts, on Monday afternoon, sending a column of smoke high into the air.
NBC affiliate WJAR-TV reports the smoke was visible from miles away from the building on Juniper Road.
More details were not immediately available.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Life Care Center of Raynham has received a deficiency‑free inspection result from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, a distinction awarded to a small share of the state’s licensed nursing homes, according to a community announcement.
The inspection was conducted as part of the state’s routine, unannounced nursing home survey process overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. These comprehensive, multi‑day inspections evaluate multiple aspects of facility operations, including staffing levels, quality of care, medication management, cleanliness, food service and resident rights.
State survey records show that Life Care Center of Raynham met required standards during its most recent standard survey, with no deficiencies cited, based on publicly available state data.
The announcement states that fewer than 8% of Massachusetts nursing homes achieve deficiency‑free survey results. That figure could not be independently verified through state or federal data and is attributed to the announcement.
In addition to the state survey outcome, the facility is listed as a five‑star provider for quality measures on the federal Medicare Care Compare website. The five‑star quality measure rating reflects above‑average performance compared with other nursing homes nationwide, according to federal rating methodology.
Officials said the inspection results reflect ongoing compliance with state and federal standards designed to protect resident health and safety. According to the announcement, the outcome is attributed to staff performance and internal quality practices.
This story was created by Dave DeMille, ddemille@gannett.com, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.
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