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Natick, MA

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Pride Flags Pulled Down At Natick Churches, Anti-LGBTQ Letters Left Behind Pride Flags Pulled Down At Natick Churches, Anti-LGBTQ Letters Left Behind
Pride Flags Pulled Down At Natick Churches, Anti-lgbtq Letters Left Behind Two Natick churches said they had flags showing support of the LGBTQ community torn down and replaced with banners proclaiming "Jesus Is King" over the weekend. Anti-gay letters were also left behind at the houses of worship.  Christ Lutheran Church and First Congregational Church of Natick posted on Facebook about the incidents that happened late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, July 27-28.  First Congregational Rev. Cindy Worthington-Berry posted that the church's pride, transgender, and mental health flags were all removed and thrown under some nearby bushes.&n…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Holliston Lottery Winner Dreamt Of Winning Jackpot, 6 Months Later She Did Holliston Lottery Winner Dreamt Of Winning Jackpot, 6 Months Later She Did
Holliston Lottery Winner Dreamt Of Winning Jackpot, 6 Months Later She Did Don't let anyone tell you your dreams can't come true. A Middlesex County woman is hundreds of thousands of dollars richer after she dreamt of winning the lottery and then did it. Patricia Harris, of Holliston, won $25,000 a year for life in the Massachusetts State Lottery's  "Lucky For Life" drawing.  She won the drawing in September 2023 but didn't claim her prize until Thursday, March 14. Perhaps it took some time for the dream to sink in.  Related: Worcester Man Wins $1M Jackpot Trying To Make Change For $20  Harris chose to take the lump sum payment of $390,000 (b…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Lottery Payday: Springfield Man Wins $25K A Year For Life Lottery Payday: Springfield Man Wins $25K A Year For Life
Lottery Payday: Springfield Man Wins $25K A Year For Life A Springfield man said he knew exactly how he plans to spend the money he won playing the Massachusetts State Lottery.  Michael Wesley won $25,000 a year for life in the multi-state Lucky for Life game on Friday, March 8. He claimed his prize on Monday.  Wesley chose to take the one-time payment of $390,000 rather than the annuity. When lottery officials asked him how he would spend that money he replied, "That's the easiest question:" his kids.  Wesley bought the ticket at Valero at 491 Allen St. in Springfield. The store will receive a $5,000 bonus.  Another $25…

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by Josh Lanier
Lifestyle
Study Finds 10 Safest Places To Drive In Mass Study Finds 10 Safest Places To Drive In Mass
Study Finds 10 Safest Places To Drive In Mass Icy roads make driving hard during winter, but a new study revealed the safest places to drive in Mass, with Marblehead taking the top spot. The study by Boston-based Jason Stone Injury Lawyers looked at 218 locations from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and found places that had at least 500 crashes between 2019 and 2023. Marblehead landed in first place with 1,117 crashes with only one being fatal. Williamstown took the second spot with 603 crashes and 83 of them having non-fatal injuries. The town also has the lowest number of people injured in a crash at 171, according t…

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by Khier Casino
Police & Fire
eBay To Pay $3M After Ex-Employees Put Mass Couple Through 'Pure Hell': Feds eBay To Pay $3M After Ex-Employees Put Mass Couple Through 'Pure Hell': Feds
eBay To Pay $3M After Ex-Employees Put Mass Couple Through 'Pure Hell': Feds eBay has agreed to pay $3 million in criminal penalties after several former employees targeted a Middlesex County couple in a campaign of harassment that included sending live cockroaches and funeral wreaths to their home in Natick, federal authorities said.  Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said the employee's actions put the couple through "pure hell" and said eBay's conduct was "absolutely horrific." eBay engaged in absolutely horrific, criminal conduct. The company’s employees and contractors involved in this campaign put the victims through pure hell, in a petrifying …

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by Josh Lanier
Lifestyle
Mass Boy's Dream Treehouse Marks 'Perfect' 10,000th Wish For Make-A-Wish Mass Boy's Dream Treehouse Marks 'Perfect' 10,000th Wish For Make-A-Wish
Mass Boy's Dream Treehouse Marks 'Perfect' 10,000th Wish For Make-a-wish The Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island celebrated a historic milestone last week when they granted their 10,000th wish to a little boy in Central Massachusetts battling cancer. Kyle Osterman is a 9-year-old boy from North Grafton and Sutton who is on year two of his three-year-long treatment for acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Make-A-Wish says.  Kyle has always wanted his own treehouse and his care team at UMass Memorial Health referred Kyle to Make-A-Wish to help make his dream a reality.  "Kyle's Krib," as it was called, was designed with specific input from Kyle himself and built…

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by David Cifarelli
Business
'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds 'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds
'Cheated': Recovery Centers Across Mass Close, Operators Charged With Millions In Fraud: Feds Instead of fostering recovery, the operator of a chain of addiction treatment centers used his position to launder money, steal millions of dollars, and write prescriptions under doctors' names without permission, said the US attorney's office.  Michael Brier, of Newton, used his position as operator of Recovery Connections Centers of America to rake in millions of dollars from Medicare, Medicaid, and other such organizations by falsifying healthcare claims, back-dating documents, and writing prescriptions using the names of doctors without their permission, according to Unite…

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by Morgan Gonzales
Police & Fire
Ex-eBay Execs Who Sent Live Roaches, Fetal Pig To Natick Couple Sentenced To Prison: Feds Ex-eBay Execs Who Sent Live Roaches, Fetal Pig To Natick Couple Sentenced To Prison: Feds
Ex-eBay Execs Who Sent Live Roaches, Fetal Pig To Natick Couple Sentenced To Prison: Feds Two former eBay executives who pleaded guilty to sending live insects, a funeral wreath, and a bloody Halloween mask to intimidate a Natick couple are going to prison.  Federal prosecutors said James Baugh, age 47, of San Jose, CA, and David Harville, 50, of Las Vegas, "weaponized" the online auction giant's power and security services to silence the couple, but it didn't work.  Baugh, eBay's former senior director of safety and security, will serve 57 months in prison and pay a $40,000 fine, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Baugh pleaded guilty to …

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by Josh Lanier
News
Former Official In Massachusetts Sentenced For $2.3 Million Fraud Scheme Former Official In Massachusetts Sentenced For $2.3 Million Fraud Scheme
Former Official In Massachusetts Sentenced For $2.3 Million Fraud Scheme A former employee of a Massachusetts city's housing development office was sentenced for her role in a $2.3 million property development fraud scheme. Jacklyn Sutcivni, age 48, of the Middlesex County town of Dracut, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and three years of supervised release for wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and false claims, the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Monday, March 28. She was convicted of the charges on Aug. 4. Sutcivni was an employee of the City of Worcester’s Housi…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
Former Massachusetts Official Convicted of Fraud Charges Former Massachusetts Official Convicted of Fraud Charges
Former Massachusetts Official Convicted of Fraud Charges A former housing official in Massachusetts has been convicted in connection with a $2.3 million fraud scheme. Worcester County resident Jacklyn Sutcivni, age 47, of Dracut, was convicted of wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and false claims, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Wednesday, Aug. 4.  The district attorney's office said Sutcivni used her position as an employee of the City of Worcester’s Housing Development Office and Executive Office of Economic Development for the scheme.  S…

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by Nicole Valinote
News
Website Lists Every MA School That Reported Positive COVID-19 Cases - Link Updated Website Lists Every MA School That Reported Positive COVID-19 Cases - Link Updated
Website Lists Every MA School That Reported Positive Covid-19 Cases - Link Updated In Massachusetts, 96 confirmed incidents of COVID-19 infections among elementary and secondary school students, faculty, and staff have been reported since the start of the pandemic. So far, Worcester has had the most wide-reaching outbreak, but the virus only spread to faculty and staff. No Worcester students have reported contracting COVID-19 at school. About 50 Massachusetts school districts have had to contend with infections and the aftermath, which can include sterilization and quarantine. The numbers come from the National Education Association, which is tracking reports of school-…

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by Kristin Palpini
Business
Millionaires Shun Western/Central Massachusetts According to New Ranking Millionaires Shun Western/Central Massachusetts According to New Ranking
Millionaires Shun Western/Central Massachusetts According to New Ranking Showing a sharp divide between the financial influence of the Eastern and Western sides of Massachusetts, a ranking of communities with the most millionaires didn’t come within 50 miles of Western Massachusetts. Heck, the wealth didn’t even extend into Worcester County. A recent Boston Business Journal ranking of the top 25 Massachusetts municipalities with the most million-dollar earners didn’t include any communities from Western or Central Massachusetts. This matters because where there is wealth, there is influence and Western Massachusetts has a long history of paying the price of th…

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by Kristin Palpini
Police & Fire
Milford Addiction Specialist Accused Of Selling Illegal Drugs To Patients Milford Addiction Specialist Accused Of Selling Illegal Drugs To Patients
Milford Addiction Specialist Accused Of Selling Illegal Drugs To Patients The owner of Novel Psychopharmacology in Milford - a psychiatrist who treats opioid and alcohol addiction - is being charged in an international money laundering scheme involving the importation of illegal drugs. Rahim Shafa, 62, and his wife Nahid “Nina” Tormosi Shafa, 62, were each indicted on Friday, Aug. 7, on charges of international money laundering conspiracy. Rahim Shafa was also charged with three counts of money laundering, receiving and delivering misbranded drugs with an intent to defraud and mislead, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and three counts of importing merchan…

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by Kristin Palpini