A police K9 that was previously handled by a fallen Massachusetts officer has died.

The Yarmouth Police Department expressed their sadness in reporting the passing of retired Yarmouth PD K9 Thor. K9 Thor was the first YPD dedicated narcotics K9 and Sgt. Sean Gannon’s first K9.

Gannon was shot and killed attempting to serve an arrest warrant for a probation violation.

According to Yarmouth Police, Thor was one of a litter of 13 and was rescued from a Quincy animal shelter. Thor and Sgt. Gannon worked together to take countless amounts of drugs off the street. Thor and Sgt. Gannon were always a crowd favorite at K9 events, schools, and anywhere they could engage with members of the community.

Thor retired young in 2017 because of the legalization of marijuana which he was trained to detect.

Thor and his engaging demeanor lived the rest of his life under the care and love of Sean and Dara Gannon until his suffering ended Thursday.

YPD extended their condolences to the Gannon family.

“He passed in peace in the presence of Dara and Denise Gannon as well as Kathy and Dean Bryan. The Gannon family has lost yet another beautiful piece of their family. YPD wishes them strength and resilience through this very personal loss.”

Yarmouth Police Department photo.

“On Wednesday afternoon and evening, multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the woods behind the Southeastern Regional Vocational High School in Easton to search for two missing teenage boys, who were believed to be lost in the thick woods.

More than 30 first responders searched for the teens during a four-hour rescue operation. The Massachusetts State Police Air Wing launched Air 2, one of the unit’s helicopters, to assist in the search.

The crew flying MSP Air 2 that shift, pilot Sergeant Gregg Spooner and Tactical Flight Officers Trooper Timothy Hunt and Trooper Brian LeClair, got on station and used numerous tools to locate the teens, including their public address speaker, color camera, and FLIR (Forward Looking InfraRed) camera. At 5:50 PM the flight crew, using the FLIR, which detects heat signatures, located the missing teens in dense woods and directed ground units to their location and then guided them out of the woods.

The wood cover and vegetation in the area was so dense that the rescue team on the ground had to use chain saws to cut their way into and out of the woods and the rescuers and teens had to navigate through deep mud several times. The teens, who were missing for approximately six hours, were suffering from dehydration.

The Air Wing flight crew displayed an excellent command of their skills and the aircraft’s capabilities in successfully assisting in the rescue operation.

This is the Air Wing video showing the moment when the flight crew located the teens.” -Massachusetts State Police.

“ROADWORK NOTICE:

The City’s Department of Public Infrastructure and contractors will be conducting overnight road surfacing on major city roads from Aug. 31 into early September.

The schedule has been adjusted due to weather from the dates shown on the attached notice, which was distributed earlier this month to affected residents and businesses.

The following roads are scheduled for a preventative maintenance treatment known as microsurface paving during night work from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the following dates:

• East Rodney French Boulevard (Cove St. to Butler St.) – 8/31 & 9/1
• Nash Road (Mt. Pleasant St. to Acushnet Ave.) – 8/31 & 9/1
• Rockdale Ave. ( Grape St. to Cove Road) – 9/5 & 9/6
• Acushnet Ave. (Victoria St. to Monmouth St.) – 9/5 to 9/8
• Mt. Pleasant St. (Route 140 to New Plainville Road) – 9/7 & 9/8.

Read full details here.” -City of New Bedford.

Coyotes can thrive close to humans in a variety of habitats. Make your property less attractive to coyotes by following these tips.

Feeding coyotes
Keep wildlife wild! Never deliberately provide food for coyotes to attract them to your property. Feeding, whether direct or indirect, can cause coyotes to act tame and may lead to bold behavior. Coyotes that rely on natural foods remain wild and wary of humans. Remember to share these tips with your neighbors; your efforts will be futile if neighbors provide food or shelter or fail to act boldly towards coyotes.

Secure your garbage
Coyotes raid open trash materials and compost piles. Secure your garbage in tough plastic containers with tight fitting lids and keep them in secure buildings when possible. Take out trash when the morning pick up is scheduled, not the previous night. Keep compost in secure, vented containers, and keep barbecue grills clean to reduce attractive odors.

Keep bird feeder areas clean
Use feeders designed to keep seed off the ground and clean spilled seed daily, as bird seed attracts many small mammals coyotes prey upon. Remove feeders if coyotes are regularly seen around your yard.

Protect produce and livestock
Clear fallen fruit from around fruit trees. Use fencing to protect livestock from coyotes. Coyotes can jump over or dig under fences that are improperly built. Fencing should be at least 6 feet high and extend into the ground. You may also install PVC pipe that is free to spin around a tight wire at the top of the fence or have an outward overhang of fence wire to make it more difficult for the coyote to grip and get over the fence.

Feed pets indoors
Outdoor feeding can attract many wild animals.

• Eliminating shelter for coyotes
• Close off crawl spaces
• Coyotes will use areas under porches and sheds for resting and raising young. Close these areas off to prevent animals from using them.

Cut back brushy edges
Be sure to keep brushy edges in your yard trimmed, as these areas provide cover for coyotes and their prey.

Protecting pets from coyotes
Although free roaming pets are more likely to be killed by automobiles than by wild animals, coyotes do view cats and small dogs as potential food, and larger dogs as competition. For the safety of your pets, keep them leashed and under your supervision at all times. Also remember to feed your pets indoors to avoid attracting wildlife.

Habituated coyotes
The presence of a coyote alone is not cause for concern, as coyotes are naturally afraid of people. Help keep coyotes wild by scaring or threatening coyotes in your yard with loud noises, bright lights, or water sprayed from a hose. Coyotes that have become dependent on human-associated food can become habituated and exhibit bold behavior toward people. A habituated coyote:

• Does not run off when harassed or chased.
• Approaches pets on a leash.
• Approaches and follows people.

If an immediate threat to human safety exists, MassWildlife, Animal Control Officers, police departments, and the Environmental Police have the authority to respond to and dispatch the animal as stipulated in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations (CMR) 2.14 that pertain to handling problem animals. This includes animals exhibiting clear signs of rabies. If possible, MassWildlife should first be contacted to authorize the lethal taking of a coyote.

“On August 25, 2022, Westport Police Detectives submitted a criminal complaint to Fall River District Court charging Pamela S. Laliberte with Criminal Harassment, Annoying Telephone/Electronic Communications and 2 counts of Intimidation of a Witness.

These charges stem from an investigation that began in April 2022. As a part of the investigation, detectives were granted a search warrant for an application used to disguise telephone numbers and a person’s identity. As a result of the search warrant detectives learned the calls and text messages were being placed by Ms. Liliberte’s cellphone.

An additional search warrant was granted to seize her phone and conduct a forensic download. Ms. Laliberte became aware of the investigation and contacted one of the victims in an attempt to have the investigation stopped.

The forensic download confirmed Ms. Laliberte allegedly sent the annoying calls and text messages.

Westport Police have no further comments.” -Westport Police Department.

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of August 29, 2022 – September 2, 2022, and they are as follows:

Eversource will be working on the street milling from gas main relays on:

• Main Relay on Phillips Rd. from Holly Tree Lane to Route 140
• Main Relay on Rockdale Ave & Allen St

Eversource will be working on the street milling from gas main relays on:

• Swift St from Dartmouth St to Bolton St
• Holden St from #25 to Felton St

Other:

• Contractor (Indus, Inc.) will be microsurfacing multiple streets beginning on Wednesday August 31st. There will be NO PARKING on the street to be treated that day- tow zone signs to be mounted on barrels and posted accordingly. While the microsurface is being placed and cured, no vehicle access to or from driveways or dead ends abutting the street will be allowed. The following roads are scheduled for night work (8:00pm to 6:00am) on the following dates. This work is weather dependent and may result in delays of the schedule. Please plan accordingly.

◦ East Rodney French Boulevard (Cove St to Butler St) – 8/31 & 9/1
◦ Nash Rd (Mt. Pleasant St to Acushnet Ave) – 8/31 & 9/1
◦ Rockdale Avenue ( Grape St to Cove Road) – 09/5 & 9/6
◦ Acushnet Avenue (Victoria St to Monmouth St) -09/5 to 9/8
◦ Mt. Pleasant St (Rte 140 to New Plainville Rd) – 9/7 & 9/8

• Contractor (PA Landers) will continue curb installation and sidewalk reconstruction along a portion of Phillips Rd from Holly Tree Ln to approximately 550’ north of Birchwood Dr.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on various curb and structure adjustments on Mt. Pleasant St from New Plainville Rd to Nash Rd and Rockdale Ave from Grape St to Orchard St
• Contractor (Eversource Energy) will be working at the MassDOT project, Kings Highway, new traffic signal operations and sign installations.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on various streets, citywide, completing minor repairs and installations.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on sidewalk reconstruction on Union St from Sixth St to County St
• Contractor (SCR Constructors) will continue site work at the future South Coast Rail station platform locations in the city. (Church St at Carlisle St and Wamsutta St at Acushnet Ave.) If you have questions, please email the project team at SouthCoastRail@dot.state.ma.us
• Contractor (C. Naughton Corp) will begin connecting house services to the new main along Clifford St between Acushnet Ave and Concord St. Traffic along this section of Clifford St will be restricted to local access during working hours. Which are Monday – Thursday 7:00am to 5:30pm. No scheduled work on Fridays.

“A fire alarm activation was received just before 10:00am yesterday morning. Firefighters were conducting fire inspections down at the Middle School at the time of the alarm. Engine 1 was first on the scene, staffed by an off-duty firefighter. Car 1, Car 2, Engine 2, Engine 3, Tower Ladder 1, and Ambulance 3 rounded out the response.

Crews made entry to investigate and encountered a smoke condition. Exiting workers reported smoke showing throughout the building. The source of the smoke was not yet known and the sprinkler system was confirmed to be flowing water.

The building is a 2-story structure with more than 300,000 ft² of floor space. The building houses 2 licensed marijuana grow operations and a seafood processing plant. It is protected throughout by a sprinkler system.

Chief O’Brien assumed command of the response and requested a working fire assignment from Plymouth County Control for our district 1. This request brought engine companies in on mutual aid from Middleboro and Raynham Fire Departments. Freetown Fire Department covered the station and would eventually respond to 2 additional EMS calls while in coverage. Providence Canteen responded to the scene and provided rehab for responders and the displaced workers.

Crews fanned out into the building, searching for the source of the smoke. The fire was located in a first-floor mechanical room, the sprinkler system had activated and knocked the fire down.

One firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion and was treated at the scene. He is currently resting back at home.

The building fire protection systems have been restored and the operators are working to clean up the damage. The Town’s building inspector and electrical inspector responded to the scene. Middleborough G & E secured power to the building.” -Lakeville, MA Fire Department.

Lakeville Fire Department photo.

Lakeville Fire Department photo.

Lakeville Fire Department photo.

Lakeville Fire Department photo.

“On Wednesday, August 24, 2022 about 6:35 pm, Officers assigned to the Boston Police Harbor Unit responded to a call for a boat taking on water and sinking off the coast of Graves Light in Boston Harbor.

At the time of the call, the officers were on patrol in the harbor on the “Robert Guiney” and were about eight minutes away.

On approach, the officers observed a vessel about 100 yards off the coast of Graves Light and could only see a small portion of the vessel “Glory Days” bow above water. As the officers got closer, they observed a blue object floating in the water, and moments later, observed two men floating holding on to a blue cooler.

The men reported to the officers that they were weak and were having difficulty keeping their heads above water. The officers rescued the men by pulling them from the water and on to the police boat. Later, the men reported their boat’s engine got tangled in lobster lines and began to take on water, eventually sinking and causing them to abandon ship.

Both victims were treated by officers and transported to berth 10 where Boston EMS was waiting to treat them. The victim’s boat was lifted and taken under tow to Thompson’s Island.” -Boston Police.

Boston Police Department photo.

In the U.S., 27% of adults ages 60 and older live alone, compared with 16% of adults in the 130 countries and territories studied. In many countries in the Asia-Pacific, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East-North Africa regions – such as Afghanistan, Mali and Algeria – fewer than 5% of seniors live alone.

“The New Bedford Police Department is looking for referrals for our elderly outreach program.

In collaboration with The Association for the Relief of Aged Women of New Bedford, our officers go out into the city on weeknights between 4-7 p.m. to check up on elderly women who live alone and may be isolated to check on them and address any needs they might have.

And thanks to Market Basket who graciously donated gift cards in honor of our program, every woman who is visited has been given one. We started this outreach a few weeks ago and we have already received amazing feedback!

If you know of anyone who could benefit from this program or is interested, please DM us.”-New Bedford Police Department.