“Well this is a first!! 2 cleanups on the same day and same time.

43 total Volunteers.

Thank you to Asst Scoutmaster Tomas Tavares with Girl Scout Troop 24G Young Ladies and Boy Scout Troop 24B Young Men and their parents for a very thorough cleanup of Buttonwood Park. 33 bags and about 840 pounds of Trash and debris and a Propane Tank. Looks like a beautification project swept thru many acres of the Park. Including the basketball and tennis courts. And Playground area.

Thank you to Richard Leary from The Friends of Buttonwood Park for assisting the Scouts and cleaning out invasive plants.

Thank you to Operation Clean Sweep team member Lynn Amicucci for coordinating the cleanup for Buttonwood Park.

If you haven’t been to Buttonwood Park lately, you need to enjoy this beautiful Park.

Also the Clasky Common Park neighborhoods definitely got a “clean sweep”. Thank you to Taunton Federal Credit Union and their team for making a huge difference! All our

28 Volunteers cleaned up about 780 pounds of trash. From Purchase St to County St and all the streets in between, this neighborhood and Clasky Common Park now looks awesome. Shout out to the local residents that are making an obvious difference trying to keep the local neighborhood cleaner. It definitely shows.

Thank you to our City Drivers Carlos and first timer Andrea.

And introducing Jared the new City Street sweeper for completely filling up the container. Thank you Jared.

And of course our Operation Clean Seeep team Lorraine Sweeney, Lynn Coish, Sophie Wotton, Lynn Amicucci, and special help from Kayla who takes the bus and walks to help out with most cleanups.

And thanks to Doug Glassman of Servpro for hosting our location. We left the site “Like it Never Happened.”

And Thank You to Dominos for the best Pizza ever and to BASK for providing the coffee and donuts.”-Operation Clean Sweep.

All photos by Operation Clean Sweep:

UPDATE: Amilcar is not back home. Thank you to all who helped spread the word by liking, sharing, or commenting.

“My friend Ana Barreto had to file a missing person’s report on her brother, Amílcar Ricardo Soares Barreto, and was hoping you guys could post this poster to your instagram and Facebook accounts.

Please help spread the word!! He’s been missing for 3 days. “-Alexis Kazlauskas.

By Sam Drysdale, State House News Service

The largest veterans services organization in Massachusetts took a vote of no confidence in Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jon Santiago last month, calling for him to step down from the job.

The Massachusetts chapter of the American Legion, which represents more than 35,000 veterans in the Bay State, said Santiago has broken tradition with previous veterans affairs secretaries in not attending certain meetings, conventions and banquets when invited. Santiago represents the veterans services arm of Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.

Citing a “total lack of respect displayed by Secretary Santiago” for the organization, the Legion called for him to step down in a letter to Healey sent in mid-June.

The organization took the lack of confidence vote in at their state convention in Marlborough from June 5 through 7. A follow-up letter sent to Healey on Monday said the organization never received a response from the administration.

“Secretary Santiago has failed to address the American Legion Department of Massachusetts, the largest veteran’s organization in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Secretary Santiago has been invited to the last two Department Conventions, last two Department Commander’s Banquets, and the last two National Commander’s Banquets. All previous Secretaries of Veterans Services of the Commonwealth have accepted all invitations to speak to the American Legion Department of Massachusetts at every event invited to by our organization,” the letter to Healey from the Legion says.

It’s signed by Department Commander Sandra Davis, past national commanders of the Legion John Comer, Paul Morin, and Department Adjutant Lisa McPhee.

The Executive Office of Veterans Services asserted that Santiago has displayed an “extensive engagement with the veteran community.”

The office has attended at least 16 events and visits with the American Legion over the past 16 months, nine of which Santiago personally attended. This included the American Legion’s Memorial Day ceremony last May, and visits to Legion Posts in North Brookfield, Nantucket, Duxbury, Braintree, South Boston, Attleboro and Weymouth.

Deputy Secretary Andrea Gayle-Bennett attended the American Legion Memorial Day ceremony this year, as well as the organization’s 75th installation of officers ceremony in Chinatown and two Post visits in 2024.

EOVS says that of the six events mentioned in the letter, the office already had earlier scheduling conflicts, and their Office of Scheduling did not have a record of an invitation of two of the events.

“The total lack of respect displayed by Secretary Santiago towards the single largest veteran’s organization in the Commonwealth and the world, the 35-000-member strong Department of Massachusetts American Legion, requests you remove Secretary Santiago from his position of Secretary of Executive Office of Veterans Services,” says the letter from the Legion.

McPhee said in an interview Monday that the Legion has given the administration “heartburn” over one of its policy goals and connected Santiago’s non-attendance with their opposition to a measure proposed by Healey.

McPhee said the American Legion is one of the only organizations to oppose a piece of Healey’s so-called HERO Act, or An Act Honoring, Empowering and Recognizing Our Servicemembers and Veterans (H 4172).

The Legion supports almost all of the policies in the bill, McPhee said, except a provision that would waive license plate fees on specialty veteran license plates. There is a one-time $30 registration charge for these plates, plus a $40 special plate fee charged every two years.

Those dollars are sent directly to the Chelsea and Holyoke Soldiers’ Homes, into a fund earmarked specifically for recreation and personal care items. McPhee said the homes use those funds for toiletries, clocks for the bedrooms, new mattresses and whiteboards, as well as recreational activities like fishing trips or museum visits.

McPhee said the Legion has asked that if the HERO Act prevails with the fee waiver, that the administration adds a $1 million line item to the budget to continue to fund recreation activities and personal care items at the facilities.

Healey’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2025 included about a $5 million increase each for the operations of both soldiers’ homes.

“The secretary of veterans affairs should be addressing the largest veterans service organization in the state,” said McPhee. “We’re all trying to do the same thing, we have the same goal, but if we come to an impasse, don’t ignore us.”

In addition to serving as the veterans services secretary — a job that Healey elevated to a Cabinet-level position for the first time in the state’s history — Santiago works one day per week at Boston Medical Center’s emergency room, and is in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he has been deployed twice, to Syria and Kuwait, according to his LinkedIn.

“We understand that he’s busy, but if he can’t make it, send someone else who knows what’s going on,” McPhee said. “Let’s have a conversation. And we can’t have a conversation if you don’t show up.”

In a statement, EOVS said Santiago has been engaged with the Legion and other veterans service organizations.

“From day one, Secretary Santiago and the Executive Office of Veterans Services team have been committed to extensive engagement with the veteran community, including the American Legion,” the statement says. “We look forward to continuing our work to expand partnerships with all veteran service organizations in Massachusetts.”

“We had the distinct honor of welcoming Owen Costa to our firehouse family. Owen has been officially named an honorary Deputy Fire Chief by New Bedford Fire Department Fire Chief Scott Kruger and the members of Local 841 New Bedford Firefighters!

Owen, your bravery and courage inspires us all. You are a true hero, and we are honored to have you as an official member of our firehouse family.

Check out the video to see Owen officially join the firehouse family!”-IAFF Local 841 New Bedford Firefighters.

“BPD Community Alert: Detectives Assigned To District A-1/A-15 Seek The Public’s Help To Identify The Following Individual In Relation To An Armed Robbery In Charlestown”

Detectives assigned to District A-1/A-15 (Downtown/Charlestown) are seeking the public’s assistance to identify the pictured individual involved in an armed robbery (knife) incident that occurred at about 8:47 PM on Wednesday, July 17, 2024, in the area of 285 Main Street. The suspect is described as a white male with tattoos on his right forearm, wearing a blue t-shirt, gray running pants with dark stripes, and black sneakers.

The Boston Police Department is actively reviewing the facts and circumstances surrounding these incidents. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact District A-1/A-15 Detectives at (617) 343-4571.

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to help this investigation in an anonymous manner.”-Boston Police Department.

“LAKEVILLE — Chief Matthew Perkins reports that the Lakeville Police Department responded along with the Lakeville Fire Department to assist the Massachusetts Environmental Police during a fatal emergency on Long Pond Saturday afternoon.

Lakeville Police responded to Long Pond at 4:58 p.m. after receiving a request from the Environmental Police for Lakeville’s dive team and police boat to assist in the search for a man in his 60s who reportedly went missing in the pond earlier.

The missing person was located at 5:43 p.m. and was transferred to Lakeville Fire medics. Lifesaving measures were attempted, however the man was pronounced dead at a local hospital shortly after arrival.

All unattended deaths in Plymouth County are investigated by State Police Detectives assigned to the District Attorney’s Office. The Environmental Police was already on Long Pond when the person was reported missing.

Any additional media inquiries should be referred to the District Attorney’s Office.”-

“Congratulations to K9 Captain Jeff Williams and his partner K9 Tusko for graduating from their tracking and narcotics detection academy today!

The pair spent the last 12 weeks learning tracking patterns, scent detection, and strategic techniques to search motor vehicles, packages, and jail cells. Their efforts will ensure our facility remains safe for staff and inmates alike.

Congratulations Captain Williams and K9 Tusko. We are proud to have you on our team at the BCSO.”-Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.

All photos by the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office:

“BOSTON, July 18, 2024 – A Dartmouth man was arraigned Wednesday in East Boston BMC after another passenger reported seeing disturbing photos and videos of prepubescent children on his phone during a flight from Nashville to Boston, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.   

JED COHEN, 74, of Dartmouth was charged with possession of child pornography, disseminating photographs of sexual or intimate parts of a child and paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18. Judge Debra DelVecchio ordered Cohen held on $10,000 bail with home confinement including GPS monitoring if released. Cohen is due back in court on August 16 for a probable cause hearing.

At about 8:15 p.m. on Tuesday Massachusetts State Police were notified that a passenger on an inbound JetBlue flight from Nashville reported to flight crew that another passenger, later identified as Cohen, was viewing disturbing photos and having “sickening” text message conversations.

The witness said Cohen started this behavior before takeoff and was on his phone for most of the flight. Cohen was observed looking at multiple photos and videos of various girls, ranging from toddlers to around 10- and 11-year-olds.

The witness provided the flight crew with notes of his observations including “asking on WhatsApp: ‘how old a girl is’—’answer was 4’—‘how young is she?’—’she’s five dear, she’s all you need’—’how much does it cost to (expletive) her for a night?’”

A flight crew member also reported seeing two photos on Cohen’s phone. One showed a clothed girl, around 10, with pigtails. The second was of another girl, a little older, naked from the waist up.

Troopers met the plane at Logan Airport and spoke to Cohen, who provided the passcode to unlock his phone. Troopers observed messages consistent with the witness’s information.  They found photos of underage girls in sheer lingerie, including a photo of a naked underage girl. Troopers also found a photo of a prepubescent girl performing sexual acts on an adult male, to which Cohen sent a message saying, “I love her.”

Investigators found additional messages containing videos and photos of sexual acts between adult males and underaged girls. One message contained Cohen inquiring about sexual encounters with a three-year-old at his condo for a fee.

“To call these allegations disturbing is a vast understatement.  Sexual exploitation of any kind inflicts lifelong scars, and the harm increases exponentially when the victims are children. I thank this passenger for alerting the flight crew and I’m grateful for the crew’s swift action in notifying authorities,” Hayden said.

All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts.

The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.”-Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s Office.

“July 19, 2024: CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS) are collecting different types of data to identify the food source of a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections.

Epidemiologic information shows that many people in this outbreak report eating meats sliced at deli counters. We do not have information to show that people are getting sick from prepackaged deli meats.

Epidemiologic Data

As of July 19, 2024, a total of 28 people infected with the outbreak strain of Listeria have been reported from 12 states (see map). Sick people’s samples were collected from May 29, 2024, to July 5, 2024 (see timeline). Of 28 people with information available, all have been hospitalized. One person got sick during their pregnancy and remained pregnant after recovering. Two deaths have been reported, 1 in Illinois and 1 in New Jersey.

The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported, and the outbreak may not be limited to the states with known illnesses. This is because some people recover without medical care and are not tested for Listeria. In addition, recent illnesses may not yet be reported as it usually takes 3 to 4 weeks to determine if a sick person is part of an outbreak.

Public health officials collect many different types of information from sick people, including their age, race, ethnicity, other demographics, and the foods they ate in the month before they got sick. This information provides clues to help investigators identify the source of the outbreak.

The table below has information about sick people in this outbreak (“n” is the number of people with information available for each demographic).

State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the month before they got sick. People are reporting eating a variety of meats sliced at deli counters. Of the 18 people able to be interviewed, 16 (89%) reported eating meats sliced at a deli, most commonly deli-sliced turkey, liverwurst, and ham. Meats were sliced at a variety of supermarket and grocery store delis.

CDC conducted an analysis comparing foods reported by people in this outbreak to foods reported by people who got sick with Listeria but were not part of an outbreak. The analysis showed that people in this outbreak were more likely to eat deli-sliced turkey and liverwurst. This information suggests that meats sliced at the deli are a likely source of this outbreak. However, at this time CDC doesn’t have enough information to say which deli meats are the source of this outbreak.

Laboratory and Traceback Data

Public health investigators are using the PulseNet system to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. CDC PulseNet manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).

WGS showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak may have gotten sick from eating this food.

USDA-FSIS is working to identify the suppliers of deli meats, sliced at deli counters, purchased by people in this outbreak.

Public Health Actions

CDC advises people who are pregnant, aged 65 or older, or have a weakened immune system to contact their healthcare provider if they have any Listeria symptoms.  Additionally, CDC advises people to take steps to protect themselves from getting Listeria from deli meats by avoiding eating meats sliced at the deli unless they are heated before eating.”

A former Weymouth Police officer was sentenced today for assaulting a man in custody by punching the victim multiple times without legal justification. 

Massachusetts officer who punched a handcuffed man 13 times in the face gets 2 years supervised release, with the first 6 months under house arrest pic.twitter.com/iRmtgVvFCE

— Insane Reality Leaks (@InsaneRealitys) July 18, 2024

Justin Chappell, 43, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs to two years’ supervised release, with the first six months to be served in home confinement. Chappell was also ordered to complete 40 hours of community service per year of supervised release, for a total of 80 hours. In April 2024, Chappell pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of rights under color of law. 

On July 2, 2022, Chappell was a police officer for the Weymouth Police Department. While on duty, he responded to a call regarding an allegedly intoxicated man causing a disturbance at a home in Weymouth. Chappell placed the man under arrest, and while attempting to put the man in the police cruiser, Chappell punched the man approximately 13 times with a closed fist without legal justification. The punches caused obvious pain and visible injuries to the man’s head.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the Weymouth Police Department and the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Torey B. Cummings and Neil J. Gallagher Jr. of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.