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Tire-Slashing Confrontation Turns Deadly: Central Mass Man Convicted In 2020 Murder Tire-Slashing Confrontation Turns Deadly: Central Mass Man Convicted In 2020 Murder
Tire-Slashing Confrontation Turns Deadly: Central Mass Man Convicted In 2020 Murder A confrontation over slashed tires in a Worcester neighborhood ended in a deadly stabbing, and a jury has now convicted the man responsible. Benjamin Willie, 26, was found guilty Friday, July 17, of second-degree murder in the 2020 killing of 29-year-old Josue Rios, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. announced. The fatal stabbing happened on June 30, 2020, in Worcester's Grafton Hill neighborhood. Prosecutors said Rios confronted Willie after catching him slashing the tires of vehicles parked in the area. During the confrontation, Willie stabbed Rios. Rios was taken to…

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by Josh Lanier
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Police ID Springfield Man Who Died After Being Found Shot In Wooded Area Police ID Springfield Man Who Died After Being Found Shot In Wooded Area
Police ID Springfield Man Who Died After Being Found Shot In Wooded Area A man found with a gunshot wound in a wooded area in Springfield earlier this week has been identified as police continue searching for answers. Sean Pendergrast, 49, of Springfield, was found around 2:40 a.m. Monday, July 13, in the 200 block of Parker Street after officers responded to a report of shots fired, the Hampden District Attorney's Office said Friday. Paramedics took Pendergrast to Baystate Medical Center, where he later died from his injuries. The Springfield Police Homicide Unit, under the direction of Captain Trent Duda, is investigating the killing alongside the Hampden Dis…

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by Josh Lanier
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Man Asleep In Uber Wakes Up To Multiple Criminal Charges In Central Mass: Police Man Asleep In Uber Wakes Up To Multiple Criminal Charges In Central Mass: Police
Man Asleep In Uber Wakes Up To Multiple Criminal Charges In Central Mass: Police A routine Uber disturbance ended with the seizure of dozens of grams of suspected fentanyl and the arrest of a Southbridge man wanted on serious criminal warrants, police said. Giovanni Taboado, 28, of Southbridge, was identified as the passenger after officers responded around 2:46 a.m. Tuesday, July 7, to Cohasse Street for a report of an Uber rider who refused to get out of the vehicle. When officers arrived, they found Taboado unconscious in the back seat. Officers safely removed him from the vehicle. During the encounter, police said they found a large amount of suspected drugs package…

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by Josh Lanier
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Mass-Native Journalist Says Phones Seized After Iran Trip, Emergency Court Fight Begins Mass-Native Journalist Says Phones Seized After Iran Trip, Emergency Court Fight Begins
Mass-Native Journalist Says Phones Seized After Iran Trip, Emergency Court Fight Begins A Boston-born journalist Max Blumenthal is asking a federal court to order the return of two smartphones seized by US Customs and Border Protection, arguing the government violated his constitutional rights and put confidential sources at risk. The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee filed the emergency motion in the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia on Blumenthal's behalf. The filing seeks the return of both phones and any information copied from them. Blumenthal was detained for about two and a half hours after returning to the United States on July 10 from a…

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by Josh Lanier
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Witnesses Unable To Save Pilot After Plane Crashes Into Massachusetts State Forest Pond Witnesses Unable To Save Pilot After Plane Crashes Into Massachusetts State Forest Pond
Witnesses Unable To Save Pilot After Plane Crashes Into Massachusetts State Forest Pond A pilot was killed after a small plane crashed into Curlew Pond in Myles Standish State Forest, prompting a rescue effort by first responders and nearby good Samaritans. Authorities have identified the pilot as 81-year-old Richard Carrara of Kingston.  The crash happened around 7:45 a.m. Thursday, July 16, when Plymouth Police received a report of a plane down in Curlew Pond in the Plymouth state forest. The vessel was overturned in the water, with the pilot trapped inside just off the shoreline.  Plymouth police, firefighters, and several good Samaritans rushed into th…

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by Josh Lanier
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'Deeply Loved By So Many': Family Remembers Central Mass Motorcyclist Killed In Crash 'Deeply Loved By So Many': Family Remembers Central Mass Motorcyclist Killed In Crash
'Deeply Loved By So Many': Family Remembers Central Mass Motorcyclist Killed In Crash Authorities have identified the motorcyclist killed in a weekend motorcycle crash in Central Massachusetts as a 44-year-old Fitchburg resident. Shawn Clapper was identified as the rider who died in a crash on Ashby State Road on Saturday afternoon, July 11. The Office of Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. confirmed his identity on Tuesday. The crash remains under investigation, but Clapper's family said he was much more than the victim of a headline. Clapper's sister, Wendy Lopez, created a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of his memorial and funeral services she said he…

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by Josh Lanier
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Single Mom Shot 3 Times While Shielding Children At Massachusetts World Cup Party, Friends Say Single Mom Shot 3 Times While Shielding Children At Massachusetts World Cup Party, Friends Say
Single Mom Shot 3 Times While Shielding Children At Massachusetts World Cup Party, Friends Say A Massachusetts single mother is facing months without income after she was shot three times while trying to protect her children during a community celebration. But the Brockton community she calls home will not let her face this alone.  Ninamarie Mendes was shot three times last month after a Cabo Verde World Cup watch party, according to two GoFundMe fundraisers created to support her and her family. The fundraisers say Mendes and her two children joined an impromptu street celebration after the watch party. As people danced with their community, gunfire erupted. Mendes was hit thre…

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by Josh Lanier
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Missing CT Man Believed Found Dead In Connecticut River In Northampton: DA Missing CT Man Believed Found Dead In Connecticut River In Northampton: DA
Missing CT Man Believed Found Dead In Connecticut River In Northampton: DA Police believe they have recovered the body of a 36-year-old Connecticut man from the Connecticut River in Massachusetts on Tuesday, July 15, after he disappeared last week. Jonathan Maxwell, of Wolcott, Connecticut, was reported missing after he was last seen in the area known as "The Meadows" in Northampton, Massachusetts, around 11 p.m. Saturday, according to the Northwestern District Attorney's Office. A bystander found the body near Shepherds Island and Middle Meadow Road around 3 p.m. Tuesday. The man was pronounced dead at the scene. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has…

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by Josh Lanier
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Woman Dead After Being Crushed In Nantucket Parking Lot Crash: Police Woman Dead After Being Crushed In Nantucket Parking Lot Crash: Police
Woman Dead After Being Crushed In Nantucket Parking Lot Crash: Police A Long Island woman has died following a car crash in a parking lot on Nantucket in Massachusetts, authorities said. Stacey J. Rosen, 62, of Atlantic Beach, was walking through a parking lot outside a Stop & Shop grocery store in downtown Nantucket on Monday, June 29 when she was struck, the local police department said. Rosen died later from her injuries, the Nantucket Police Department announced Friday, July 10. Katherine Featherston, 62, of Fairfield, CT, was arrested and charged with motor vehicle homicide by negligent operation, police said. The charge is a misdemeanor under state…

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by Joe Wilkinson
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Boston Skydiver Dies After Wind Gust Disrupts Parachute In Western Massachusetts Boston Skydiver Dies After Wind Gust Disrupts Parachute In Western Massachusetts
Boston Skydiver Dies After Wind Gust Disrupts Parachute In Western Massachusetts A 28-year-old Boston man died over the weekend in a freak skydiving accident in Western Massachusetts, authorities said.  Update: Authorities Have ID'd The 28-Year-Old Software Engineer Killed In Parachuting Accident  Police in Orange were called to the popular Jumptown Skydiving in Orange around 4 p.m. on Sunday, July 12, to reports of a serious incident.  A preliminary investigation found the man fell about 30 feet when a sudden gust of wind interfered with his parachute during landing. Paramedics took him to Athol Hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Police hav…

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by Josh Lanier
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Hero Dog Fights Bear To Save Owner In Connecticut, Now Family Needs Help To Save Him Hero Dog Fights Bear To Save Owner In Connecticut, Now Family Needs Help To Save Him
Hero Dog Fights Bear To Save Owner In Connecticut, Now Family Needs Help To Save Him A Connecticut dog is being called a hero after putting himself in danger to protect his owner from a charging bear. The attack left the dog critically injured, and his family is now asking for help to cover his medical care. Kobe, a beagle mix in Torrington, was mauled around 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, July 8. Kobe's owner, Richard Hubbard, said in a GoFundMe campaign that he was taking out the trash when he spotted a large bear behind a dumpster. "I tried to get us back inside quickly, but Kobe’s leash slipped from my hand," Hubbard wrote in the fundraising campaign. "He bravely ran and barked …

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by Josh Lanier
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'Explosive' Diarrhea Parasite On The Rise In New England As Infections Reported In 17 States 'Explosive' Diarrhea Parasite On The Rise In New England As Infections Reported In 17 States
'Explosive' Diarrhea Parasite On The Rise In New England As Infections Reported In 17 States The number of people in Connecticut diagnosed with a parasitic infection that can cause "explosive" diarrhea and other severe gastrointestinal symptoms continues to grow. The news comes as the number of cases across the United States has surged over the past several weeks. More than 1,000 people have been diagnosed with cyclosporiasis since May, with the largest outbreaks reported in Michigan and Ohio. In Connecticut, 23 people had contracted the infection as of July 1, according to the Connecticut Department of Public Health. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cyclosporias…

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by Josh Lanier