In April Massachusetts Department of Revenue tax collectors hauled in more than $2 billion more than what was expected during the month, giving Gov. Charlie Baker cause to press his case for the Legislature to take up his proposals to provide roughly $700 million in tax relief to residents.

Collections last month added up to $6.941 billion, $3.076 billion or nearly 80 percent more than what was collected in April 2021 and $2.057 billion or just over 42 percent more than DOR’s own monthly benchmark.

Baker said it troubles him, for instance, that the threshold to pay income taxes is lower at the federal level than it is in Massachusetts. Part of his plan would exempt more low-income households from state income tax liability.

Baker also said that Massachusetts has “never been more protected against a downturn than we are right now,” with a “rainy day” fund that could potentially top $6 billion by the end of this fiscal year, with more expected to be deposited into reserves through the fiscal year 2023 budget under consideration.

Baker proposed a series of estate, capital gains, rent and senior property tax reforms that the Legislature has neither ruled in or out, but legislative Democrats have focused on investing and saving over-budget revenues and repeatedly rejected attempts to suspend the state’s gas tax during a period of high fuel prices and surging tax revenues.

In spite of this five South Coast Massachusetts representatives, Rep. Tony Cabral (D-New Bedford), Rep. Chris Hendricks (D-New Bedford), Rep. Carole Fiola (D-Fall River), Rep. Paul Schmid (D-Westport), and Rep. Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett) all voted against amendments to provide tax relief to Commonwealth taxpayers.

Rep. Alan Silvia (D-Fall River) supported amendments to the House budget proposal that would have given tax breaks to renters and seniors and suspended the Commonwealth’s 24 cents per gallon gas tax, something Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) also supports.

If you live on the South Coast you have been to Mirasol’s Cafe in Dartmouth a few million times. While many head there to get their “super-charged and dangerous caffeine lover’s dream, the Chippi,” just as many visit the cafe for their Latin-themed menu with breakfast as well as lunch options.

If you’ve been there you also know about their infamous queue which would often weave through the inside of the restaurant and even go outside the door wrapping around the building. That means that in spite of how efficient and speedy the staff is, you will not only have a wait, but you are unlikely to get a seat. It isn’t unusual for people to see the long queue and occupied tables, turn around and go elsewhere.

Wharfinger Building built in 1934.

Over the years people often asked why Mirasol’s Cafe didn’t open up another location especially considering their website had a section for anyone interested in opening up another Mirasol’s Cafe. People in New Bedford and Fall River suggested several locations throughout their respective cities.

Well, there is some good news for New Bedford residents: their suggestions have come to fruition and they’ll soon be able to skip the commute to Dartmouth. A second location will soon open on the New Bedford waterfront, specifically in the Wharfinger Building at 52 Fisherman’s Wharf located on Pier 3, downtown. The Wharfinger Building serves the Waterfront Visitor Center for the City of New Bedford and has a small exhibit on the fishing industry. The center is currently temporarily closed due to COVID-19.

“With the Black Whale, the Whale’s Tail Clam Bar, and Acushnet Creamery just steps away, this will be where diets come to an abrupt end,” said New Bedford Mayor Mitchell.

The location is expected to open mid to late June.

“Essex District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett announced today that after nearly 34 years, a suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder of 11-year-old Melissa Tremblay in 1988.

Last evening, Marvin C. McClendon, Jr., 74, (DOB: 7/3/1947), of Breman, Alabama, was placed under arrest and charged as a fugitive from justice based on an arrest warrant issued yesterday for the murder of Melissa Ann Tremblay of Salem, NH, on September 12, 1988. He is in the custody of the Cullman County Sheriff’s Office and will be arraigned in an Alabama court tomorrow. The timing of his return to Massachusetts is dependent on his decision to waive rendition. He is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

“I want to thank everyone involved in this investigation from beginning to end,” District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett said. “Their tireless pursuit of justice for Melissa has brought us to this moment. We never forgot about Melissa, nor did we give up on holding her killer accountable.”

On September 12, 1988, the body of 11-year-old Melissa Ann Tremblay (DOB: 3/1/1977) was discovered in the old Boston & Maine Railway Yard near Andover Street and South Broadway in Lawrence. She had been stabbed to death. Postmortem, her body was run over by a train car causing her left leg to be amputated.

An investigation ensued and police learned that Melissa Tremblay had accompanied her mother and mother’s boyfriend to the LaSalle Social Club at 397 Andover Street in Lawrence on Sunday, September 11, 1988. While her mother and mother’s boyfriend remained inside the club, Melissa played in the adjacent neighborhoods and was last seen by a railroad employee and pizza delivery driver during the late afternoon hours.

That night, Melissa’s mother and mother’s boyfriend frantically searched the area and then reported her missing to the Lawrence Police around 9:00 pm.

Over the years, scores of witnesses, suspects, and persons-of-interest were interviewed by police.

Assistant District Attorneys and State Police Detectives assigned to the Essex District Attorney’s Office specializing in cold cases have worked diligently on this case since 2014. Evidence recovered from the victim’s body was instrumental in solving the case.

The investigation found that the suspect lived in Chelmsford in 1988, and had multiple ties to Lawrence. Specifically, investigators learned that he worked and frequented establishments in the city of Lawrence including the Seventh Day Adventist Church on Salem Street.

Essex Victim Advocates contacted surviving members of Melissa’s family last night and again this morning.

DA Blodgett thanked Essex Chief Homicide Prosecutor Jessica Strasnick and Appeals Unit ADA Marina Moriarty; the Essex State Police Detective Unit, headed by Captain Steve McDonald and lead investigator Lieutenant Peter Sherber and Lawrence Police Detectives, both current and retired, particularly retired detective Thomas Murphy, for their tireless and relentless pursuit of justice for Melissa.

They were assisted by the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, the FBI, Tewksbury Police, the Cullman County Sheriff’s Department, and the Alabama State Bureau of Investigation.” -Massachusetts Essex District Attorney’s Office.

“Defendant’s alleged threats caused Merriam-Webster to close offices in Springfield and New York for approximately five business days.

A California man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with making threats to commit anti-LGBTQ violence against Springfield-based Merriam-Webster, Inc. and others.

Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, Calif., was indicted on one count of interstate communication of threatening communications to commit violence. The grand jury also charged Hanson with intentionally selecting Merriam-Webster, Inc., its property and its employees as the object of the threatening communications pertaining to one’s actual or perceived gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Hanson will appear in federal court in Springfield on May 13, 2022. On April 20, 2022, Hanson was arrested and charged by criminal complaint.

“We believe Mr. Hanson, motivated by hate and veiled by the assumed anonymity of the internet, made numerous threats of violence to instill fear in our communities,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Hateful and bigoted activity, like the conduct alleged here, is destructive on so many levels and will not be tolerated. Every individual has a right to feel safe in their community. My office will continue its relentless pursuit of those who seek to threaten, intimidate and divide us and hold them accountable.”

“Jeremy Hanson is accused of repeatedly making violent threats, motivated by hate, to intimidate others – even going as far as causing Merriam-Webster to shut down its offices for five days out of fear for their employees’ safety,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division. “Threatening violent action strikes at the heart of our fundamental right as Americans to live and work without fear, and this case underscores the FBI’s commitment to ensuring that everyone’s civil rights are protected, and those who try to infringe on them are brought to justice.”

According to the charging documents, between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021, Springfield-based Merriam-Webster, Inc. received various threatening messages and comments demonstrating bias against specific gender identities submitted through its website’s “Contact Us” page and in the comments section on its webpages that corresponded to the word entries for “Girl” and “Woman.” Authorities later identified the user as Hanson.

Specifically, it is alleged that on Oct. 2, 2021, Hanson used the handle “@anonYmous” to post the following comment on the dictionary’s website definition of “female”: “It is absolutely sickening that Merriam-Webster now tells blatant lies and promotes anti-science propaganda. There is no such thing as ‘gender identity.’ The imbecile who wrote this entry should be hunted down and shot.”

Hanson also allegedly sent the following threatening message via the website’s “Contact Us” page: “You [sic] headquarters should be shot up and bombed. It is sickening that you have caved to the cultural Marxist, anti-science tranny [sic] agenda and altered the definition of ‘female’ as part of the Left’s efforts to corrupt and degrade the English language and deny reality. You evil Marxists should all be killed. It would be poetic justice to have someone storm your offices and shoot up the place, leaving none of you commies alive.”

It is further alleged that on Oct. 8, 2021, Hanson posted another threatening comment on the dictionary’s website and a threatening message via the “Contact Us” page that read: “I am going to shoot up and bomb your offices for lying and creating fake definitions in order to pander to the tranny mafia. Boys aren’t girls, and girls aren’t boys. The only good Marxist is a dead Marxist. I will assassinate your top editor. You sickening, vile tranny freaks.” As a result of the threats, Merriam-Webster closed its offices in Springfield and New York City for approximately five business days.

The criminal complaint identified numerous related threats, including to the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes, Hasbro, Inc., IGN Entertainment, the President of the University of North Texas, two professors at Loyola Marymount University and a New York City rabbi.

Individuals or entities who believe they may be victims of this alleged crime should contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (888) 221-6023.

The charge of interstate transmission of threatening communications provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Rollins and FBI SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven H. Breslow of Rollins’ Springfield Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.

“SCAMBAG ALERT — PLEASE SHARE:

I received the attached phishing email this morning from a scambag posing as “Jeremiah Wimbush” from McAfee.

This scambag is attempting to reel people in by having them call the BS Customer Service number listed on the bottom of the email.

Once someone calls in, either ‘Wimbush,’ or one of the other idiots manning the phone, will then ask the person to provide them with the bogus Customer ID, and Receipt Number listed on the email, after which time, they will ask for additional personal information, such as their name, credit card number, date of birth, etc.

Some key things to look for:

• Wimbush used a Gmail address. A real McAfee representative will most likely use, oh, I don’t know, a McAfee email address ??‍♂️
• The English in this portion is so bad, that it speaks for itself; “If you are unaware of this subscription. Requesting to contact our customer support Kind regards.”
• The name “Jeremiah Wimbush” itself, sounds like the fictitious snobby bad guy in a B-rate movie about a conflicted teen who gets sent to a boarding school instead of juvenile detention. Once there, the conflicted teen eventually finds his way, while also falling madly in love with the wealthy girl who, ironically enough, used to date Jeremiah Winbush!

If you receive one of these emails, mark it as SPAM, and move on!” -Dartmouth Police Department.

Dartmouth Police Department photo.

“Massachusetts State Police Troopers Monteiro, Wong, Brown, and Tata, along with Trooper Tata’s K-9 partner Luna, were present at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School in Northampton for a Pizza with Police event.

The students were part of the school’s Criminal Justice program and enjoyed conversation with the Troopers, meeting K-9 Luna, and eating pizza for lunch. Both the students and the Troopers were able to learn about each other today, of note, one of the students, Jordan Dunham, was a gold medalist at the Skills USA state competition for Criminal Justice. She will advance to the National competition on June 20th in Atlanta, Ga.

Good luck Jordan!” -Massachusetts State Police.

All photos by the Massachusetts State Police:

“Shortly before midnight, one of our members, Trooper Skerritt from the H-9 Tunnels Barracks, was commuting home through Dorchester.

As he drove down Gallivan Boulevard he noticed a thick haze and rolled down his windows, immediately smelling smoke. Following the smoke, Trooper Skerritt located a house with heavy smoke and fire on Codman Hill Ave.

He immediately jumped into action while radioing for assistance. Trooper Skerritt, with assistance from a neighbor, helped two of the occupants of the house escape the blaze with only minor injuries.

The actions of Trooper Skerritt undoubtedly are heroic and a prime example of what it means to be a Massachusetts State Trooper.” -State Police Association of Massachusetts.

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of May 9, 2022 – May 13, 2022, and they are as follows

Eversource will be working on the gas main relays and services at:

• Main relay on Phillips Rd from Holly Tree Lane to Route 140
• Main relay on Belleville Ave from LIP Regulator Outlet to Sawyer St

Other:

• City crews (DPI) will be filling potholes on a continuous basis.
• City crews (DPI) will be conducting hydrant flushing from 7am-3pm in the following areas:  Sunday (5/5) in the downtown area bounded by Kempton Street to Walnut Street and JFK Blvd to County Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working at the MassDOT project, Kings Highway, for road and sidewalk reconstruction along portions of Kings Highway and Tarkiln Hill Rd.
• Contractor (JH Lynch) will continue work at MassDOT project, intersection improvements at Rockdale Ave and Allen Street. Detours may be in place at times. Signage and police details posted for detours.
• Contractor (KR Resendez) will continue work at the MASSDOT project, intersection improvements at Hathaway Rd and Nauset Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on sidewalk reconstruction along a portion of Cove Road from Padanaram Avenue to Orchard Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be conducting test pits on Cedar Street from Hillman Street to Mill Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will continue road reconstruction work on Orchard St from Arnold St to Union St.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on various streets, citywide, completing minor repairs and installations.
• 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 .

** Please note: Contractors will continue to follow guidelines and protocol regarding COVID-19 social distancing while conducting work in construction zone.

Commonwealth funding to continue the modernization of campus classrooms and laboratories.

Dartmouth, Ma. – May 6, 2022 – UMass Dartmouth announced $43M in new funding from the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) to continue upgrades planned to the campus’s main academic facilities, the Liberal Arts Building (LARTS). In addition to the recently awarded $30M, this funding will enhance classrooms, labs, office spaces, and student meeting spaces within the Liberal Arts Building and Campus Center Building that houses the auditorium and other instructional spaces.

“Our Administration’s capital plan invests in critical initiatives across the state and we are particularly pleased to provide significant support for improvements on the UMass Dartmouth campus,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “With these investments at UMass Dartmouth and others across the Commonwealth, this capital plan will make Massachusetts a better place to live, learn and work.”

“This historic $73 million investment in UMass Dartmouth and our students—the single largest investment in our history—will enable us to provide the learning spaces our students need to pursue their ambitions,” said UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark A. Fuller. “I am so appreciative of the Baker-Polito Administration’s continued support and recognition of our efforts to transform students’ lives on the SouthCoast and across Massachusetts.”

The project will address upgrades and deferred maintenance needs in the campus’s most trafficked building, which contains classrooms that support many programs in STEM fields, the humanities, social sciences, and student support centers. Renovations include changes to make the HVAC system more sustainable, upgrades to learning spaces and address electrical systems, window replacements, and building envelope improvements. The funding will also address deferred maintenance issues within the MacLean Campus Center and Main Auditorium.

Click here to learn more about the initial $30M in state funding to UMass Dartmouth.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn Untested Rape Kit Initiative has resulted in the first indictment related to previously untested rape kits. Scot Trudeau, 47, of Worcester has been indicted by a Bristol County Grand Jury on charges of Aggravated Rape and Assault and Battery connected to the cold case 2010 rape of a woman in New Bedford.

On March 18 2010, a 23-year-old woman was walking along Coffin Avenue in the north end of New Bedford when she was violently attacked by two men. She was struck in the head and then dragged to a secluded area, where one of the men (this defendant) raped her while the other one held her down. She could not see or identify them because they were wearing hooded sweatshirts. She gave a description of them to the police and was taken to St Luke’s Hospital for treatment. While at the hospital, the victim submitted to a sex assault evidence collection kit (Rape Kit).

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn photo.

That kit was one of more than 1,100 from Bristol County alone that was never fully tested by the state lab. However, after our office became aware of the scope and breadth of the problem with untested rape kits in Bristol County and throughout the state, we took action to obtain a federal grant. We then began the painstaking process of inventorying and prioritizing all untested rape kits in our county, and are now in the process of getting all 1,148 previously untested Bristol County rape kits fully tested by a private lab under the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) grant obtained by District Attorney Quinn in 2019.

In February of 2022, the rape kit connected to this case was tested and resulted in the recovery of a DNA profile, which in turn resulted in a CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) hit to Scot Trudeau, 47, of Worcester. If this victim’s rape kit had been fully tested in 2010, it would have matched to the defendant’s DNA sample provided after his federal conviction in 2015 for child sexual exploitation. Furthermore, if we had not undertaken this initiative and brought this issue to light statewide, the kit would likely never have been fully tested and the case would have remained unsolved. The statute of limitations on this case would have expired in March 2025. We are hopeful that this case will be the first of several to be solved thanks to our initiative.

“I am extremely pleased that our rape kit testing initiative has already resulted in indictments against this defendant for a cold case violent sexual assault committed more than a decade ago in New Bedford. This case demonstrates the importance of fully testing all sexual assault kits. If we did not obtain the grant to have all these kits fully tested, this case never would have been solved and the statute of limitations would have expired,” District Attorney Quinn said. “Victims who have been sexually assaulted have gone through a very traumatic experience and have a right to have these kits fully tested, especially when an assailant cannot be identified.”

Mr. Trudeau is currently on federal probation after serving a federal sentence for attempting to travel to engage in illicit sexual conduct with a minor.

A dangerousness hearing for this case is scheduled for Tuesday at 2pm in Superior Court at the Justice Center.

When informed about the indictment and the underlying issues regarding untested rape kits throughout the state, the victim in this case expressed shock about the rape kit never being tested, appreciation to our office for going through this meticulous process to revive her case and many others, and relief that the suspect has now been identified and will be prosecuted.

The revelation that so many rape kits throughout the state were not being fully tested began shortly after a defendant by the name of John Loflin was convicted in late 2013 for the cold case 2002 murder of Marlene Rose in New Bedford. Loflin had previously been charged with a 1997 New Bedford rape, but the case was eventually dismissed after the alleged victim left the country. The alleged victim in that case submitted to a rape kit.

That rape kit was sent up to the state lab three weeks after the rape, but unbeknownst to law enforcement, it had never been fully tested. After Marlene Rose was murdered in 2002, DNA evidence was collected and sent to the state lab for testing. If the 1997 rape kit had been fully tested at the time, the Marlene Rose DNA evidence would have matched to that 1997 case and Loflin would have been arrested in connection to the Marlene Rose homicide. Instead, Loflin was not identified as the murderer of Rose until 2011 when he was arrested in Tennessee on unrelated charges.

Loflin was compelled by Tennessee law to provide a DNA sample as a result of his criminal charges in that state. Once that DNA sample was uploaded to CODIS, it immediately matched with the 2002 DNA evidence connected to the murder of Marlene Rose. Loflin was then charged here in Bristol County with Marlene Rose’s murder and was eventually convicted and sentenced to life in prison in November of 2013.

After learning about the 1997 rape case and discovering that the rape kit in that case had never been tested, our office began looking into other cold case rapes and attempted to determine whether there were other rape kits that were also not fully tested by the state lab. District Attorney Quinn poured a number of resources and man hours into this review.

After inventorying many rape kits from all 20 of Bristol County’s cities and towns, it began to become clear that there were a great deal of rape kits that were not being fully tested. Our office then researched and applied for the federal SAKI grant. In October of 2018, our office was notified that our grant application was approved and that federal grant money would be awarded. In June of 2019, the federal grant money was deposited into the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office account. We immediately used that grant money to hire a retired Massachusetts State Police detective to assist staff members in our office with training, inventorying and prioritizing the untested rape kits. Our office is the first District Attorney’s office in the state to undertake this large-scale initiative and obtain the federal grant program.

After numerous delays due to Covid-19 and other issues with the state lab, the first batches of prioritized untested rape kits were sent to a private lab (Bode Laboratories) for testing in April of 2021. Although the testing got off to a slow start, we have been informed that all 1,148 previously untested rape kits will likely be fully tested by the private lab by the end of this year. Our office is optimistic that other cold case sexual assaults and other crimes will be solved as a result of this initiative.

“During the investigation of a cold case homicide we discovered that more than 1,100 rape kits in our county had not been fully tested. This was totally unacceptable, especially for victims, the public and law enforcement who believed these kits were being fully tested. I immediately dedicated office resources so that every rape kit would now be fully tested to help identify perpetrators who had remained uncharged,” District Attorney Quinn said. “I am optimistic there are other cases that will be solved as a result of our rape kit initiative. Our office discovered a major problem, took action and devoted an immense amount of resources to it, and is now in the process of solving it.”