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UMass Lowell student arraigned in mother’s brutal beating death

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

A 23-year-old University of Massachusetts at Lowell student is facing multiple assault charges after authorities say they found his mother dead inside a condo in Lowell on Monday morning.In a joint-statement, both the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office and Lowell Police Department said Elena Vainer, 51, of Reading, was found dead inside a Middlesex Street condo after officers were contacted early Monday morning.Authorities said they responded to the condo after receiving a 911 call reporting that a woman had been beaten and was “barely breathing.” Police then arrived to find Vainer deceased and with “obvious bruising to her face and other apparent trauma.”“The preliminary investigation suggests that the victim had been in Lowell visiting her son Michael Belous, 23, at his Middlesex Street condominium over the weekend,” the statement read.Officials said that, at some point during the visit, “a physical altercation occurred that allege...

Wildfire Smoke Returns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

Editor’s Note: This blog post was written by 7News meteorological intern Tyler Hughes.Today was a much-needed dry day across New England, but the lack of rainfall came with a different, yet familiar twist: wildfire smoke. Wildfires continue to burn in Alberta and Western Canada, and a dip in the jet stream has “trapped” a plume of wildfire smoke in between two frontal boundaries. This means we’ll continue to see a smoky haze in the sky tomorrow.In fact, an Air Quality Alert is in effect for Southern NH, Worcester County and points west until tomorrow at midnight for ground-level smoke that approaches unhealthy levels. The thickest plume of smoke should stay to the west of Metro Boston, but there will still be a noticeable haze in the air. The smoke will be pushed out tomorrow evening by an approaching cold front, which will also bring a chance of showers/storms with it. I don’t think any storms will become as severe as we saw Sunday (in part due to wild...

32-year-old woman who enrolled in Boston high schools arraigned on criminal charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

A 32-year-old woman who officials say fraudulently enrolled in multiple Boston high schools as a student was arraigned on criminal charges on Monday.Shelby Hewitt is licensed social worker accused of creating fake paperwork to enroll in the schools. School officials say that at various points during the 2022-2023 school year, Hewitt attended the Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Brighton High School, and English High School, utilizing the student transfer process and enrolling under multiple pseudonyms.Prosecutors say the reason for her enrollment remains under investigation.Her attorney said she did not enroll for sinister reasons and the situation was the result of ongoing mental health issues.She was released on $5,000 cash bail and ordered to stay away from Boston Public Schools.

Bomb squad called in after possible military ordinance found during home clean-out in Plymouth

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

The State Police Bomb Squad is assisting the Plymouth Fire Department with what appears to be military ordnance that was found during a home clean-out. The item was taken to the Plymouth Fire Department Monday afternoon, a spokesman for the Department of Fire Services said. No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Dracut school resource officer on leave amid investigation into alleged inappropriate contact with student

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

A Dracut Public Schools resource officer is on paid administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation into allegations he had inappropriate contact with a Dracut High School student.In a statement Monday, Dracut Police and Dracut Public Schools announced they’ve become aware of the allegation and that School Resource Officer Sunny Nguyen will be on leave. .No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Mets see positive indicators with struggling right fielder Starling Marte: ‘ I think there are better times ahead’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

Starling Marte was so crucial to the Mets’ success last season that when he went on the injured list with a broken finger last September, the team went 14-10 without him. He was an All-Star for the second time in his career and he received NL MVP votes.But this season, it’s a different story. In the second year of a four-year contract, the Mets’ right fielder has looked like a different player. He’s hitting .254 with an OPS of .640 and an OPS+ of only 80, 20 points below average.His sprint speed is down in the outfield. His four outs above average is considered poor by Statcast’s metrics and he’s cost the Mets seven runs in the outfield this season, according to Fangraphs, after saving four last season.“Some good. Some flashes of the level he spoiled us with last year,” manager Buck Showalter said. “There’s still a lot of time left. You go through a period where you really think he is going to get it going for an extended p...

Housing market doldrums: Prices rise across state as inventory dwindles

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

The start of summer wasn’t quite enough to heat up the state’s housing market, a Massachusetts Association of Realtors report on June housing data released Monday indicated, with prices still on the rise and inventory sinking.“Inventory continues to hamper any year-over-year growth, despite the monthly growth we have seen in sales,” said MAR President and realtor David McCarthy.The median price for a single-family home bought in June hit $650,000, a 4% increase compared to June 2022, while condominium prices remained flat, the report stated. New listings dropped by 33.2% for single family homes and by 28.7% for condominiums compared to last year.The number of closed sales did increase for the fourth month in a row but remained well below last year’s. Single-family home sales hit 4,440 for the month, a 23.2% drop off from June 2022.Despite the monthly uptick in sales, McCarthy said, many realtors are forecasting the second half of the year will remain si...

Yankees seeking improvement from Luis Severino after tweaks and time off

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

ANAHEIM — Whether it was rehabbing a lat injury or withstanding several shellings on the mound, the first half of the 2023 season was not kind to Luis Severino. The pitcher — and the Yankees — are praying that the second half brings a fresh start and better results.Severino, who will start Monday night against the Angels in Anaheim, owns a 7.78 ERA over nine starts and 42.2 innings this year. And while the former Cy Young finalist pitched well in his first two starts and on June 24, he’s allowed a whopping 53 hits, 33 earned runs and 10 home runs over his last seven starts. That stretch includes 31.1 innings, and Severino has a 9.48 ERA over that span.Severino most recently surrendered seven earned runs over 2.2 innings against the Orioles on July 6. Afterward, he said, “I’m not doing my job right now.” He’s shared similar sentiments after other poor performances this season.Severino also said that he wanted to use some of the All-Star...

Healey admin names 7 recipients of $3.5 million in workforce development grants

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey announced $3.5 million in grants for workforce development programs aimed at matching unfilled jobs with skilled workers in the state, a problem haunting economies across the country.Seven initiatives were chosen as the recipients of a Senator Kenneth J. Donnelly Workforce Success Grant, Healey announced in Andover at the Greater Lawrence Technical School on Monday, alongside Labor and Workforce Development Secretary Lauren Jones and U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan.“We were just down the way at Raytheon, actually,” Healey said. “And one of the things they talked about was the need, the real need, for this pipeline of workforce and talent.”Funded through the state’s Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, the grants are awarded to organizations striving to increase residents’ access to steady, good paying jobs. The program specifically aims to remove barriers for those who might otherwise not be eligible or able to join skilled training programs, like adult students and t...

Pour House memories hit the auction block

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:11:22 GMT

Patrons of the Back Bay’s long-standing bar, the Pour House, may remember the wide array of vintage signs, memorabilia and even a six-foot tall female pirate statue.On Wednesday, those items and others from the shuttered Boylston Street establishment hit the auction block.The Paul E. Saperstein Company will be holding the online auction, scheduled for Wednesday at 11 a.m., through BidSpotter.com. Nearly 200 souvenirs that lined the Pour House walls for more than three decades will be auctioned off.Michael Saperstein, executive vice president of the firm, said they had been holding onto the Pour House relics following the bar’s 2020 closure. BidSpotter, he said, allows for an international audience to take part in the auction, with some people from various parts of the country already asking about some assets.“A lot of people have memories from this bar and it pulls on the heartstrings sometimes,” Saperstein told the Herald. “People who want to see some of the assets are able to come...