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Business
Rite Aid Will Close Stores In Mass, Connecticut After Filing For Bankruptcy Rite Aid Will Close Stores In Mass, Connecticut After Filing For Bankruptcy
Rite Aid Will Close Stores In Mass, Connecticut After Filing For Bankruptcy Rite Aid, the pharmacy giant that filed for bankruptcy on Sunday, Oct. 15, plans to close 154 underperforming stores nationwide, according to a new filing. Some of those closures will be in Massachusetts and Connecticut.  Related: Why Is Rite Aid Filing For Bankruptcy? Rite Aid announced earlier this week that declining sales and rising debt forced the company's hand in filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The chain has more than 2,100 stores nationwide, and reducing rent costs will play a large part in bringing its balance sheet back into the black.  The only store in Massachusetts…

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by Josh Lanier
Weather
'Super' El Niño Could Be Forming: What It Means For Snowfall, Temperatures This Winter 'Super' El Niño Could Be Forming: What It Means For Snowfall, Temperatures This Winter
'Super' El Niño Could Be Forming: What It Means For Snowfall, Temperatures This Winter The presence of El Niño this winter will have a significant impact on the type and frequency of weather to expect, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). El Niño events, which usually form every three to four years, are triggered by warmer surface water in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, with warmer water leading to stronger El Niños. In a report released this week, NOAA said "El Niño is anticipated to continue through the Northern Hemisphere winter," with a greater than 95 percent chance through January-March 2024. There's a 30-percent chance, accordin…

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by Joe Lombardi
Business
New Ice Cream Recall Issued Due To Listeria Fears New Ice Cream Recall Issued Due To Listeria Fears
New Ice Cream Recall Issued Due To Listeria Fears A new ice cream recall has been issued because of Listeria concerns. The Life Raft Treats products were shipped by GoldBelly.com to 40 states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. The recall covered these products: "Not Fried Chicken" - 64-ounce bucket (No UPC) and 2.5 oz. bar (UPC 8 60006 18210 6) "Life is Peachy"- 6-count box (No UPC) To view product packaging photos from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), click here and scroll down. The company was notified last week by the South Carolina Department of Health and …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
COVID-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Now Identified In 10 States COVID-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Now Identified In 10 States
Covid-19: Highly Mutated Pirola Variant Now Identified In 10 States A newly identified COVID-19 strain with around 30 mutations has now been identified in 10 states. Cases of the BA.2.86 strain, known as Pirola, have been confirmed in:  Colorado, Maryland, Michigan, New York,  Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Washington. The Michigan case, the first in the US, was an older woman who had recently returned from Japan who reportedly had mild symptoms. Related story - COVID-19: These Are Most Likely Symptoms Of New Pirola Variant Spreading In US At a World Health Organization (WHO) news briefing late last month, authorities said …

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Search For Fugitive Northeast Killer Now 'Nationwide' Manhunt, Police Say Search For Fugitive Northeast Killer Now 'Nationwide' Manhunt, Police Say
Search For Fugitive Northeast Killer Now 'Nationwide' Manhunt, Police Say Danelo Cavalcante has somehow slipped by the hundreds of law enforcement officers in Pennsylvania and neighboring states searching for him in the Longwood Gardens, and though authorities believe he is still in Pennsylvania, they are now describing the search as a "nationwide" manhunt.  The 34-year-old fugitive killer was captured on home surveillance footage on the porch of a residence in northern Chester County near Phoenixville, sometime late Saturday, Sept. 9, Pennsylvania State Police said. By Sunday morning, Sept. 10, troopers said they had received leads that Cavalcante was no longer…

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by Cecilia Levine and Mac Bullock
News
Restaurants, Stores Warned Not To Sell Contaminated Oysters From This Area In Northeast Restaurants, Stores Warned Not To Sell Contaminated Oysters From This Area In Northeast
Restaurants, Stores Warned Not To Sell Contaminated Oysters From This Area In Northeast Federal officials are warning restaurants and stores across the Northeast to stop selling oysters harvested from an area in Connecticut, as they may be contaminated with pathogens that cause food poisoning.  The US Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers, restaurants, and retailers across several states in the Northeast to dispose of raw oysters harvested from the Groton Approved Area in New London County between Monday, Aug. 28 and Wednesday, Aug. 30, officials announced on Tuesday, Sept. 5.  The affected raw oysters were sent to retailers and distributors in Connectic…

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by Ben Crnic
Business
NY-Based Ice Cream Company Recalls All 91 Products Due To Possible Listeria Contamination NY-Based Ice Cream Company Recalls All 91 Products Due To Possible Listeria Contamination
Ny-based Ice Cream Company Recalls All 91 Products Due To Possible Listeria Contamination A popular New York-based ice cream company has recalled nearly all 100 of its products due to possible Listeria contamination. Click here for a related story - New Ice Cream Recall Issued Due To Undeclared Ingredient The Ice Cream House, located in Brooklyn, is voluntarily recalling all 91 of its dairy ice cream products and non-dairy (parve) frozen dessert products, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The recall is related to the Soft Serve on the go cups which had been previously recalled by Real Kosher Ice Cream, Inc. where two cases of illnesses have been r…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Hospitalizations Lead To Ice Cream Recall In 19 States, Including NY: FDA Hospitalizations Lead To Ice Cream Recall In 19 States, Including NY: FDA
Hospitalizations Lead To Ice Cream Recall In 19 States, Including NY: FDA Hospitalizations have led a New York-based company to recall its packages of soft-serve ice cream — in 19 states, according to the Food and Drug Administration.  Two people have reported becoming ill in New York and Pennsylvania after consuming Soft Serve On The Go by Real Kosher Ice Cream of Brooklyn, according to the FDA recall notice issued on Wednesday, Aug. 9.  "Both individuals were hospitalized, but no deaths have been reported to date," the FDA said. After the first patient in Pennsylvania became ill, the state's Department of Agriculture tested samples of the product and found Li…

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by Jillian Pikora
Police & Fire
Anti-Semitic Notes Left In Bags Of Rice At Mass Homes: Police Anti-Semitic Notes Left In Bags Of Rice At Mass Homes: Police
Anti-Semitic Notes Left In Bags Of Rice At Mass Homes: Police Several Jewish residents in Worcester County have started receiving strange items on their front door steps: bags of rice with anti-semitic fliers hidden inside. Sadly, this is not uncommon, as bags like these have shown up across the country for years, according to news reports.  The West Brookfield Police Department posted about the incidents on Facebook and said they are investigating their origins, but they believe they have a suspect in the case. They did not disclose what the flyers in the bag said.  On August 8, 2023, we received reports from individuals within our community who rec…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
CT Man Returned $300K Of Items To Home Depots That He Never Paid For: Feds CT Man Returned $300K Of Items To Home Depots That He Never Paid For: Feds
CT Man Returned $300K Of Items To Home Depots That He Never Paid For: Feds A Connecticut man is accused of ripping off nearly $300,000 from more than two dozen Home Depot stores across eight states, including Massachusetts and Connecticut, authorities said.  Henrique Costa-Mota, age 26, of West Hartford, is charged with conspiracy and wire fraud in the scheme that he allegedly ran from June 2021 until February 202, the US Attorney for Rhode Island said.  Costa-Mota is accused of going to Home Depot locations across the Northeast dressed as a contractor. He would walk in empty-handed, take several doors from the back of the store, and then "return" them t…

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by Josh Lanier
Weather
New Rounds Of Storms With Downpours, Flash Flood Risk Threaten Region New Rounds Of Storms With Downpours, Flash Flood Risk Threaten Region
New Rounds Of Storms With Downpours, Flash Flood Risk Threaten Region New rounds of storms with localized downpours and risks of flash flooding are taking aim at the region. The time frame for the first system is Thursday night, July 13 into Friday, July 14 with the approach of a frontal system, according to the National Weather Service. Rainfall of about 1 inch with locally higher amounts of around 2 inches is possible. "The strongest thunderstorms during this time may also be capable of producing damaging wind gusts," according to the weather service. The stormy pattern is expected to linger through Tuesday, July 18. "While a setup ex…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Eye Drops Tainted With Bacteria Now Linked To 4 Deaths, Dozens Of Infections, CDC Says Eye Drops Tainted With Bacteria Now Linked To 4 Deaths, Dozens Of Infections, CDC Says
Eye Drops Tainted With Bacteria Now Linked To 4 Deaths, Dozens Of Infections, CDC Says The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says four deaths and dozens of infections have now been linked to eye drops tainted with bacteria. Patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears and Delsam Pharma artificial ointment and who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection should seek medical care immediately, the CDC said.  A total of 81 patients have been identified in 18 states as of Monday, May 15. At this time, there is no recommendation for testing of those who have used those products and who are not experiencing any signs or symptoms of infec…

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by Joe Lombardi