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Freetown man accused of beating woman to death with hammer appears in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

A Freetown man accused of beating a woman to death with a hammer appeared in court Wednesday, hours after officials said police found him hiding in a shed and arrested him. Matthew Lucas, 54, pleaded not guilty as prosecutors laid out new details in the case.The Bristol County District Attorney’s office in a prior statement said local police first responded to a scene on Chace Road between Pocasset Lane and Marie’s Way shortly before 4:30 a.m. Wednesday morning and found 44-year-old Heidi Chace dead in her home. The DA’s office said authorities identified Lucas as a suspect “after some investigation” and later found him hiding in a shed off nearby Burns Road around 8:40 a.m. Prosecutors on Wednesday afternoon said Lucas had been in a relationship with Chace and lived with her. Prosecutors said Lucas used a hammer in the alleged murder.“I knew my dad had issues but I didn’t think he would kill somebody,” Lucas’ daughter said outside the courthouse in Fall River.Lucas has a ...

Migrant crossings along the southern US border are rising, reaching more than 8,000 apprehensions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

(CNN) — Migrant crossings along the United States’ southern border are rising, reaching more than 8,000 apprehensions on Monday, according to a Department of Homeland Security official, straining federal resources and overwhelming already-crowded facilities.In May, ahead of the expiration of the Covid-era restriction known as Title 42, US Customs and Border Protection encountered more than 8,000 people daily and had around 25,000 migrants in custody, raising alarm within the Biden administration.But after Title 42 expired, numbers dropped dramatically – with daily border arrests hovering around 3,500 – as the administration levied consequences against those who crossed the border illegally.But crossings are ticking up again amid ongoing mass migration across the Western hemisphere.The latest number of daily encounters paints a grim outlook for the fall as President Joe Biden ramps up his reelection campaign and Republicans continue to hammer the administration over its han...

Fall foliage expert discusses expectations for 2023 fall season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

The leaves are going to be changing soon, creating the fall foliage that draws many people to New England. But it could be a different kind of fall this year. With the question of what we can expect, 7NEWS spoke with fall foliage expert Jim Salge who said recent weather will play a role.“The drought last year was one of the big factors we considered,” said Salge, an expert with Yankee Magazine. “Since then, there have been three really high impact days — we had the really cold Arctic day in February, we had the late frost and freeze in May and then the flooding rains in July.”In addition to individual days, Salge said this year’s rainy summer could also impact the color of leaves. “The interior forest looks good, but some of our tree-lined streets that people love in fall with those big golden sugar maples are definitely suffering a bit from all the wet weather,” he said. Northern New England can expect a late but long peak foliage season with a more muted ...

Transit police searching for person of interest in sexual assault at Braintree garage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

Transit police are searching for a man after a sexual assault at Braintree T station on Monday morning.Transit police are seeking the public’s help to identify the man who is a person of interest in the investigation, the agency shared on social media.Officials said the assault took place at the Braintree T station garage early Monday morning around 3 a.m.https://twitter.com/MBTATransitPD/status/1704550577743507713?s=20Transit police ask anyone with information to call 617-222-1050.

Sunshine Shines On

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

Aside from Monday this week has been (and will continue to be) picture perfect. Sunshine and blue skies continue for the next several days, taking us through the rest of the work week. Clear skies, light wind, and low dew points are the perfect recipe for temperatures to really fall off during the overnight hours and we’ll certainly do that tonight with temperatures falling into the 40s for many of us.So it’s a crisp start tomorrow morning but with the sunshine we’ll rebound nicely in the afternoon. Wind today was less than yesterday and tomorrow will be less than today. Temperatures will climb into the lower 70s again tomorrow, but make sure the kids have a layer for the bus stop in the morning!Friday will be another nice day to finish the week, but we’ll have some high clouds stream in later in the day Friday.The high clouds are ahead of thicker cloud cover that will move in for the weekend. Sadly the weekend does not look to be as bright as what we’v...

Brad Marchand should serve as a terrific Bruins’ captain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

Brad Marchand will be the first to tell you he never dreamed of being a captain of the Boston Bruins when he was rookie in 2010 toiling on the fourth line with Shawn Thornton and Gregory Campbell.“I don’t think Thorny and Soup would have let me think that was going to happen. They would have beat that out of me pretty quick,” said Marchand with a laugh.But Marchand is indeed the 27th captain of the Bruins, announced at the start of training camp on Wednesday. It has been a fascinating journey for a player who many across the league once dismissed as a rat but one who now is not only one of the best left wings in the game but one of the few who are esteemed enough to be named a captain in a sport in which the honor actually means something. And it’s clear it’s a responsibility Marchand does not take lightly.“It means more to me than I think anyone will ever know, to be able to wear the ‘C’ for this team,” said Marchand. “When you look at the leaders who&...

Tim Scott didn’t get the memo, gives a speech about policy devoid of insults

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

WINDHAM, N.H. — If the Republican presidential nominating contest were decided purely on the succinctness of a stump speech, then South Carolina’s junior senator would be well on his way to the White House.U.S. Sen. Tim Scott was in the Granite State Wednesday morning when he delivered an address so at odds with the new normal of Republican national politics — and so absent the sort of bombast a New Hampshire primary voter might expect from someone seeking the GOP nomination in this day and age — that it may be fair to call his presentation instructive.Scott, speaking in Windham for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics’ occasional speaker series titled “Politics and Eggs,” paced the floor in front of the podium as he spoke after explaining to the audience that he once dreamt of being a preacher.Delivering about a 10-minute speech that failed to include any insults directed at President Biden’s age or speech impediment, lacking entirely in long-winded tange...

Patriots captain: Defense off to ‘hell of a start’ preparing for Jets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

FOXBORO — Minutes after the Patriots’ loss to Miami last Sunday night, quarterback Mac Jones called for teammates to do more.According to captain and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley, that process is well underway.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots see increased participation from three players in practice New England Patriots | Patriots captain delivers important message to Demario Douglas after fumble New England Patriots | Mac Jones gets good news at Patriots practice ahead of Jets game New England Patriots | Callahan: The Patriots’ game plan for the Jets comes down to 3 words New England Patriots | Mac Jones taking simplistic approach in attempt to turn Patriots around “We obviously felt like we have to get back on track (after Sunday’s loss),” Bentley said. “We always say we’ve gotta focus on the next game and more attention to detail; just trying to iron out the cert...

Healey calls Red Line near misses ‘unacceptable,’ expresses confidence in Eng

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

A series of near misses between MBTA workers and trains on the Red Line over the past two weeks are “unacceptable,” Gov. Maura Healey said Wednesday as she expressed confidence in the agency’s general manager to address safety concerns.Workers performing repairs on northbound tracks between Harvard and Porter Stations told MBTA officials that a train approaching at 25 mph did not stop Monday when employees signaled the driver to do so, according to internal reports obtained by the Herald. It followed a similar incident a week earlier involving the same train driver, according to the documents.Speaking to reporters at an unrelated event Wednesday, Healey said MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng has been “empowered and has hired multiple new individuals” to address safety concerns. Healey said she met with the head of the Federal Transit Administration Tuesday.“We know what we need to do and we will work day in and day out to make sure that we are getting the resources in place to addres...

Patriots see increased participation from three players in practice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:42:12 GMT

The Patriots added defensive tackle Christian Barmore to the injury report Wednesday with a knee ailment.Barmore’s injury was the only ailment not known heading into the week.Cornerback Marcus Jones (shoulder) and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux (not injury related) didn’t practice ahead of Sunday’s game against the Jets. Jones didn’t finish Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins after injuring his shoulder in the first half. Godchaux’s fiancee gave birth to a baby girl on Tuesday.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots captain: Defense off to ‘hell of a start’ preparing for Jets New England Patriots | Patriots captain delivers important message to Demario Douglas after fumble New England Patriots | Mac Jones gets good news at Patriots practice ahead of Jets game New England Patriots | Callahan: The Patriots’ game plan for the Jets comes down to 3 words New England Patriots...