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66°
Monday, jun 15
Tag:
Foster Care
Lifestyle
New England Genealogist Reunites PA Woman With Childhood Best Friend Separated By Foster Care
A New England genealogist has helped reunite two women who were separated by foster care while attending elementary school in Abington in the late 1980s. Elizabeth Crompton, who grew up in Abington, shared on Facebook that she had been searching for her childhood best friend for decades. The two attended Glenside Weldon Elementary School just outside of Philadelphia, where Crompton, then known as Liz, spent nearly every day with her best friend. “She was the sweetest girl ever, red curly hair and the warmest smile,” Crompton wrote, recalling how her friend’s social worker once gave her litt…
News
MA's Foster Care System Ranked In Nation's Bottom Half, New Study Says: Here's Why
Northeast and mid-Atlantic states showed wide disparities in foster care quality, with some ranking among the nation's best and others falling behind, according to a new study. SmileHub released its 2025 list of States With the Best Foster Care Systems on Tuesday, April 29. The study analyzed every state using 19 key foster care metrics, from adoption timelines and high school graduation rates to monthly stipends. The ranking used a weighted scoring system across three categories: foster youth baselines, community environment and support systems, and legal support. …
Obituaries
Friends Want To Give Western Mass's 'Favorite Red Head' Fitting Sendoff
Friends of a former foster child who was shot and killed last week in Springfield say he was a kind and loving person, and they want to provide him with the funeral he deserves. Daniel Romero, 21, of Springfield, was found shot at Marengo Park at 10:45 p.m. on Monday, July 17, Springfield police said. He was sitting in a car when officers arrived, and they gave him first aid until paramedics could rush him to the hospital. He died of his wounds soon after at Baystate Medical Center, authorities said. Related: Springfield Police ID 21-Year-Old Fatal Shooting Victim Police ar…
Police & Fire
Central Mass Foster Mom Under Investigation Over Incident Involving Baby Boy
Authorities are investigating an incident at a home in Templeton, where a 6-month-old baby nearly died last week, officials and news sources said. According to Boston25, the child stopped breathing for 15 minutes after choking on his vomit Friday, May 19. The foster mother allegedly did not attempt CPR while the child struggled the breath, the report said. The condition of the child is unknown. The Department of Children and Families and Worcester County District Attorney's Office are not releasing much information about the investigation. The DCF said th…
Neighbors
Boston Entrepreneur Launches 'Project F' To Offer Foster Kids Family Through Fitness
Jesse Setaro has built big, broad shoulders from his years as a personal trainer and gym owner, and now he wants to use them to lift up a forgotten group of children. Setaro, who owns North End Fitness in Boston, grew up in the foster care system and wants to provide the next generation of foster children a place to build a community and find a passion. He calls it calls Project F. "As a kid, I didn't have a sense of direction, and I didn't think anyone cared whether I made it in life or wound up in jail," he wrote in a GoFundMe campaign. "That changed when a great mentor came into my li…
Police & Fire
DCF Worker Nabbed For Protecting CT Mother Wanted For Child Sex Trafficking, Police Say
A Connecticut Department of Children and Families worker has been charged with helping a mother who is wanted on child sex trafficking offenses, escape being arrested. The incident began in Hartford around 4 p.m., Friday, Aug. 12, when police were notified the wanted mother was at the DCF offices. The mother, who was not named by police to protect the child's identity, was visiting with her 4-year-old child when officers arrived to arrest her, said Aaron Boisvert, of the Hartford Police. Responding officers developed information confirming that the woman with the felony warrant was in …
Police & Fire
New England Attorney Once On People's 'Top 50 Bachelors' List Charged With Rape
A Massachusetts attorney who was once People’s list of “America’s Top 50 Bachelors” has been charged multiple times with rape. Gary Zerola, 49, was arraigned on Jan. 15 on charges of rape and breaking and entering with felony intent, according to the NY Post. Zerola, a Boston defense attorney and former assistant district attorney in Essex and Suffolk counties, appeared in People’s national list of top single men in 2001 alongside “eye-candy” Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, and Ben Affleck. In his write up, People described Zerola as a foster care advocate who earned a dual degree in law and p…
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