Northeast
NY Gov. Hochul says she’s considering a mask ban to reduce hate crimes, triggers COVID fearful X users
Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., said she was considering bringing back a ban on masks in her state to reduce crime, a proposal that was rejected by some social media accounts still fearful of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hochul spoke to CNN anchor Laura Coates on Wednesday night about potential measures she may take to reduce rampant crime in New York City, including reinstituting a previous mask ban. Jewish leaders have stated that the masks have made violent offenders less afraid to commit antisemitic hate crimes.
“But I absolutely will go back and take a look at this and see whether it can be restored because it is frightening to people,” Hochul said of the mask ban.
JILLIAN MICHAELS SAYS SHE LEFT CALIFORNIA BECAUSE OF NEWSOM’S LEADERSHIP, PRAISES HOW FLORIDA IS ‘LESS CRAZY’
Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y., told CNN Wednesday she was considering a mask ban in New York City to prevent crime. (Screenshot/CNN)
Coates brought Hochul on to talk about a 4% rise in antisemitic incidents throughout New York City. The anchor noted that the “tone” and the “aggressiveness” of the antisemitic crimes and vandalism “seem to have truly escalated and they are where commuters are and beyond.”
The governor described these acts as “textbook antisemitism” and that they “constitute hate crimes,” and touted her administration for reforming the bail laws so that suspects accused of committing hate crimes could be held on bail.
She added that her team listed “28 more offenses to our hate crime list,” “beefed up security at vulnerable places, particularly places of worship,” and worked to protect college campuses during commencement season.
Coates then brought up the potential mask ban, stating, “There‘s also a call some have talked about – some Jewish leaders actually in New York are calling tonight for a mask ban, saying that covering faces allows protesters to have some level of anonymity to be more aggressive, to be more entitled to say what they want because they don‘t fear repercussion the same way.”
“Would you support that endeavor?” the anchor asked.
The governor began by noting that there used to be a mask ban “before the pandemic, that you couldn’t have a face covering that didn’t serve a purpose… The pandemic removed that from our state law.”
She continued, noting she “absolutely will go back and take a look at this.”
“You‘re sitting on a subway train and someone puts on a mask like this… you don‘t know if they‘re going to be committing a crime, they‘re going to have a gun or whether they‘re just going to be threatening, intimidating you because you are Jewish, which is exactly what happened the other day. Absolutely unacceptable in the state of New York,” Hochul said.
HOUSE DEM WHO CHALLENGED BIDEN IN PRIMARY CALLS ON GOV. HOCHUL TO PARDON TRUMP FOR ‘GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul presents her 2025 executive state budget in the Red Room at the state Capitol on Jan. 16, 2024, in Albany, N.Y. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)
Multiple accounts on social media apprehensive about COVID-19 voiced their displeasure with a potential mask ban.
Public health commentator Dr. Lucky Tran posted, “UPDATE: NY Governor Kathy Hochul said on CNN last night that she is considering a ban on masks. @GovKathyHochul this is absolutely shameful! New York has suffered so much from COVID, and COVID is not over. We should be normalize[sic] and depoliticizing masks, not banning them.”
The account “COVID Advocacy NY” posted, “NY ACTION ALERT: @GovKathyHochul said on CNN that she is considering banning masks in NY. We need to all speak out against this!”
The account also provided details for how to contact the governor or her team.
Health policy activist Myra Batchelder commented, “I just called and spoke with Gov Hochul’s staff. I urge New Yorkers to call and message her office today and urge her not to ban masks in NY! A mask ban will endanger people’s lives and health. We cannot ban masks in NY.”
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Vermont
Vermont high school playoff scores, results, stats for Thursday, March 5
The 2025-2026 Vermont high school winter season has begun. See below for scores, schedules and game details (statistical leaders, game notes) from basketball, hockey, gymnastics, wrestling, Nordic/Alpine skiing and other winter sports.
TO REPORT SCORES
Coaches or team representatives are asked to report results ASAP after games by emailing sports@burlingtonfreepress.com. Please submit with a name/contact number.
▶ Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.
▶ Contact Judith Altneu at JAltneu@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.
THURSDAY’S H.S. PLAYOFF GAMES
D-III GIRLS BASKETBALL SEMIFINALS
At Barre Auditorium
No. 5 Vergennes (17-4) vs. No. 1 Hazen (18-2), 5:30 p.m.
No. 3 Oxbow (16-6) vs. No. 2 Windsor (16-6), 7:30 p.m.
Watch Vermont high school sports on NFHS Network
D-I BOYS BASKETBALL QUARTERFINALS
Games at 7 p.m. unless noted
No. 8 Mount Mansfield (10-11) at No. 1 Rice Memorial (17-3)
No. 12 Essex (5-16) at No. 4 Rutland (15-6)
No. 7 Burr and Burton (13-8) at No. 2 South Burlington (15-5), 6 p.m.
No. 6 BFA-St. Albans (13-8) vs. No. 3 Burlington (15-5) at Colchester, 7:30 p.m.
D-II GIRLS HOCKEY QUARTERFINALS
No. 8 Stowe (5-16) vs. No. 1 U-32 (13-6-1) at Kreitzberg Arena, 5 p.m.
(Subject to change)
Northeast
Rhode Island teacher accused of sexting, kissing high school boy
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A married high school physical education teacher has been indicted on two counts of third-degree sexual assault after being accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a male student.
Alisha Crins is accused of exchanging sexually suggestive messages and engaging in sexual contact with the student while he was enrolled at Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island as a 17-year-old, according to an affidavit cited by WPRI.
The investigation began after the former student filed a formal complaint with Rhode Island State Police in October, the documents obtained by WPRI show.
According to the affidavit, the student told investigators Crins began texting him while he was a sophomore after allegedly finding his cellphone number online.
A sign marks the main entrance to Ponaganset High School in Rhode Island. (Google Maps)
He said she initially asked him to do work for her while she was on vacation, but the two continued communicating through text messages and social media after that plan fell through.
The student alleged the relationship escalated during his junior year. He told investigators Crins frequently complimented his appearance and once asked to wear his jersey during a school pep rally.
He further alleged Crins invited him to meet near her Cranston home, where they kissed inside his vehicle. During a later encounter, she allegedly climbed into the back seat and engaged in sexual contact, according to the affidavit. The student denied having sexual intercourse with her.
The alleged assaults took place between April 1, 2024, and June 30, 2024, according to WJAR.
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL COACH CHARGED WITH RAPING FOSTER DAUGHTER, SERVING VICTIM TEQUILA SHOTS: REPORT
A Rhode Island State Police cruiser parked near a waterfront with boats visible in the background. (Rhode Island State Police Facebook)
When questioned by investigators, Crins denied “getting physical” beyond a single kiss but admitted to flirting and exchanging text messages that contained “sexual innuendos,” the affidavit states.
She also acknowledged sending photos and videos and told investigators the two discussed plans to have sex once he turned 18, though she said they never acted on those plans.
The Foster-Glocester Regional School District said Crins resigned from her role at the school Oct. 1, 2025, according to WJAR.
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File image of a woman texting. According to an affidavit, the student told investigators Crins began texting him while he was a sophomore after allegedly finding his cellphone number online. (iStock)
In a statement obtained by the outlet, the district said it is cooperating with authorities and referred further inquiries to state police.
Fox News Digital has reached out to state police for comment.
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Boston, MA
When did Southie get richy-rich? – The Boston Globe
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Born and raised in Southie, Heather Foley has seen her neighborhood morph over the past three decades of scrubbing, renovation, and new construction for higher-income new arrivals.
But even Foley was surprised to discover that her South Boston, where kids once went to the corner to buy milk and cigarettes for parents, has emerged with the city’s second-highest average income, even ahead of Charlestown and Beacon Hill.
Her first thought?: “I gotta start being nicer to my neighbors if that’s the kind of money they’re making.”
What’s a household?
Decades ago, when “Good Will Hunting” was filmed in the neighborhood and Southie was known as a working-class area, there were more kids around and maybe just a single breadwinner in some homes.
Since then, Southie saw more two-earner households, fewer kids, and spiffier rental units where three or four roommates could contribute to a “household.” The changes, along with spillover from the adjacent, pricier Seaport, or South Boston waterfront, are factors in Census data showing more than 40 percent of Southie households earn more than $200,000 a year.
Staying put
Foley, 46, a photo shoot producer, considers herself lucky. She didn’t move out to the South Shore like many neighborhood longtimers. She’s living in a family home on a block with residents — oldtimers and newer arrivals — who aren’t flipping properties for big bucks.
Another blessing, particularly valuable this winter? She has a driveway.
As a kid, she went to church and school at Gate of Heaven, St. Brigid, and St. Peter, and jokes that she’s “so sad I didn’t buy a three-decker with my First Communion money, because I probably could have.”
Waves of gentrification
She remembers the earlier waves of newcomers, when glassy sports bars like Stats Bar & Grille muscled in among longtime restaurants like Amrheins.
But now, even the popular Stats is moving out at the end of the month. The property owner is developing a five-story, mixed-use residential building at the site.
A small silver lining
Foley notes that some of the onetime “newcomers” have been here for three decades — and in some ways, have stabilized the place. Many have raised kids, who, like her son, may return to the neighborhood as young adults (albeit splitting a rented apartment with friends). Stats, the sports bar, says it will also return to the neighborhood’s thriving food scene.
“We have a lot of great restaurants now,” Foley says, “and everyone cleans up after their dog.”
Read: These maps show Boston’s wealthiest and most populous neighborhoods — plus other key trends.
🧩 6 Across: More scarce | 🌧️ 42° Another storm
Grand New Party: How do you build a statewide slate of Republicans in a Democratic state? Nearly half of the Mass. GOP candidates didn’t use to be Republicans.
Farewell advice: After nearly 15 years of health system leadership, the departing CEO of Beth Israel Lahey Health offers this advice to others.
Hitting the brakes? After an ambitious state law, Lexington welcomed a wave of new housing. Now, people there are having second thoughts.
Hyde Park fatal bus crash: The driver has been indicted.
Patriots, strippers, and hookahs: A downtown restaurant’s liquor license is in jeopardy after it allegedly hosted Patriots players and guests after their AFC Championship in January. A decision is expected today.
‘Culture of secrecy’: In a scathing report, R.I. authorities accused the Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence of decades of “inaction, concealment, and revictimization” in complaints of clergy sexual abuse of hundreds of children.
Centers of suffering, campaigning: Federal immigration facilities have become backdrops for Democratic politicians seeking to fight President Trump’s immigration policies.
‘The best time to remember God’: Amid crackdowns, the Somali community leans into faith during Ramadan.
When is a reno worth it? Here’s how to judge the return on a home investment.
🧸 ‘Ted’ talk: Seth MacFarlane and the “Ted” cast talk Massholes, potty-mouthed teddy bears, and why Boston may have “the worst accent”
🩰 A ‘Black Swan’ premiere: That’s among 30 sparkling arts events happening this spring around New England. Plus, why are more artists being banned from America?
🎥 Quiz: Test yourself with the Globe’s Academy Awards quiz.
⚽ Will $7.8 million stop the World Cup from coming here? Can Foxborough’s insistence on up-front security payments force the world’s soccer governing body to send matches somewhere else this summer?
♯ Teenage dreams: The future rock stars were teenagers when they wrote songs, influenced by David Bowie and Stevie Wonder, about a fictional nightclub. A half-century later, Squeeze has reworked and is releasing those songs.
💻 Death by chatbot? A new lawsuit alleges Google’s chatbot sent a man on missions to find an android body it could inhabit. When that failed, it set a suicide countdown clock for him. (WSJ)
🍕 And a red cup, please: Fans are tracking down the few Pizza Hut Classic red-roofed restaurants that remain in the 6,200-store chain. (NYT)
Thanks for reading Starting Point.
This newsletter was edited by Heather Ciras and produced by Ryan Orlecki.
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Dave Beard can be reached at dave.beard@gmail.com. Follow him on X @dabeard.
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