Officers could be seen blocking the entrance to Angies Bodywork Spa at 383 Pleasant Street early Thursday afternoon. 

In a later update, the Worcester Police Department said officers first responded around 11:30 a.m. after receiving a report of a female “experiencing a possible medical issue.”

Police said a male individual soon flagged down arriving officers and brought them to an unconscious female. 

Officers rendered medical aid, according to police, until the unconscious female was pronounced dead.

“The death appears to be suspicious,” police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.

Police remained on scene around 9 p.m., with Angies Bodywork Spa still taped off. Neighbors reacted, in the meantime, describing the initial police response and sharing their thoughts on the situation. 

“I’m shocked,” said Richard Caballero. “Like, what happened in there?”

One other person said they saw “a whole bunch of cops and stuff.” 

Caballero said his children told him about the police cars and ambulances outside. 

“I was like, OK, what happened? Maybe a crash or something,” he said. 

“Now, we got to watch out whatever happened here,” he continued. 

Emergency crews were first called to the scene on Moody Street around 5:30 p.m. In all, officials said four buildings were damaged. Fifteen people were displaced. 

“It literally punched me in the face,” Leandro Paola said of the thick smoke that at one point filled the neighborhood. “Just the scent of burning woods, it was ridiculous.” 

Video shared with 7NEWS showed the entire back of one building engulfed in flames. The siding on one other building was visibly melted. 

One woman in the area said she saw two of her neighbors, 12-year-old girls, go door to door as the flames grew to tell their neighbors to get out of their buildings. 

“The house just caught fire super quick,” the woman said. “We saw it, just like paper, everything just started flying into the sky.” 

Crews from Cambridge, Newton and Waltham ultimately worked together to put the fire out, with dozens of firefighters working to get people to safety and douse flames. 

Several people were seen being taken away by paramedics. 

Later speaking with reporters, Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullen said crews experienced heavy fire conditions as they responded. 

“People were still inside. We were getting people out,” Mullen said. “They had to tackle the fire and full houses at the same time.”

As shock and sadness spread Thursday night, and despite the damage, there was a moment of thanks that no one was seriously hurt and no lives were lost in this Thanksgiving Day fire. 

“It’s just sad,” said the woman who saw her young neighbors sounding the alarm. “I just hope these people find shelter for right now and I’m just glad that everyone’s OK because, you know, material things we can recover.” 

Officials said one firefighter was injured and treated on the scene during this response. The firefighter is expected to be OK.

Though the fire had been extinguished, crews remained on scene around 9 p.m. Thursday. The Red Cross was also on scene to help people who were displaced. 

Chief Mullen said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

The Barnstable Police Department in a statement said police first responded around 5:30 p.m. to the area of Hamden Circle after they received a report of a woman with apparent gunshot injuries. 

An investigation got underway and the victim was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Police were seen working in the area of Hamden Circle Thursday night, taping off a home with crime scene tape. 

Authorities had left the scene as of around 10 p.m.

While the incident remained under investigation, police said it appeared to be targeted. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators by phone at 508-778-3874 or by email at 214@barnstablepolice.com.

This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Officials with the DA’s office said the victims were found early Thursday morning after officers were called to Central Square around 12:30 a.m.

According to authorities, while responding to 10 Magazine St., officers found two individuals suffering from gunshot wounds near a black Tesla in the roadway.

Both were taken to a Boston hospital where one of the victims, described as a 27-year-old female, was pronounced dead, while the other, a 26-year-old male, was treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

“It was really scary,” said a witness who lives nearby, who told 7NEWS she was woken up by the sound of gunshots outside her home. “I looked out from my window a few minutes later and I saw all of the police cars coming.”

“It’s horrifying – I feel sick about it,” Pam Curtis, a resident of 30 years, told reporters. “It’s upsetting – I raised my son here, we have people in the neighborhood with kids.”

“We walk through there every day and you don’t think anyone’s carrying a gun,” said resident Chris Brokaw.

As an investigation into the shooting continues, the DA’s office asks anyone with information contact the Cambridge Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Unit, or submit tips anonymously at 617-349-3370 or online at cambridgepolice.org/TIPS.

Officers responding to a reported shooting in the area of 165 Carl Ave. around 3 p.m. found the woman injured, according to police.

A detective located the suspect soon after and placed him in custody. His name has not been released.

The 39-year-old woman was taken to the hospital with what were considered non-life-threatening injuries.

This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Six officers already on the scene working as part of a detail were quickly alerted and worked to deescalate the situation.

Several individuals involved in the dispute were detained for questioning and to receive necessary medical treatment. Videos of the fight posted to social media show a chaotic scene and at least one individual with a bloody face.

No arrests were made, but Saugus Police said the investigation is ongoing and that charges may be forthcoming, particularly for one individual who was seen using a glass bottle in the fight, a felony offense.

“The Kowloon is a family friendly restaurant, unfortunately a few unruly patrons ruined a nice evening for many others,” Saugus Police Chief Michael Ricciardelli said in a statement. “A disturbance such as this on Thanksgiving Eve is unacceptable and disgusting.”

The restaurant and bar closed early following the conflict.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Saugus Police at 781-941-1199.

Catholic Charities Boston is the first organization to be awarded a grant to provide temporary rooms to extremely low-income families with children and pregnant individuals, the United Way of Massachusetts Bay announced this week.

The grant will pay for a site in the greater Boston area that opened on Tuesday evening and can accommodate up to 27 families, or about 81 people, as they wait to enter the state’s emergency shelter system, officials said.

Catholic Charities Boston will provide bedding, meals, staff, and security. The site is available to families eligible for the the state’s family shelter system but who could not be immediately placed in a shelter.

Democratic Gov. Maura Healey announced the $5 million grant program earlier this month.

Sarah Bartley of the United Way said the agency has already received several other grant applications. The grants are meant to support community gathering spaces with restrooms and heat, such as places of worship, community centers, and school buildings, to provide safe space for families to find short-term, congregate shelter, meals and other basic necessities, she said.

The flexible program will remain in place through the winter and spring, officials said.

On Monday, the state began letting homeless families stay overnight in the state transportation building in Boston. The space in the office building is large enough to provide overnight shelter for up to 25 families with cots and limited amenities and will only be used in the evening and overnight hours, officials said.

The space will be available to families determined eligible for emergency assistance and is expected to operate for about two weeks until additional safety net shelter sites are operational.

The spike in demand is being driven in part by migrant families entering the state. About half of the current shelter caseload are new arrivals to Massachusetts, according to the Healey administration.

As of last Friday, there were 92 families on the state’s waiting list for emergency shelter.

Shot in New England, “Good Burger 2” features nine-year-old Alexis Turner, of Dorchester, alongside stars Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell. In the film, Turner plays Ketchup, one of Mitchell’s on-screen daughters.

“I’m so excited to see it,” Turner said. “It was a great experience. I loved to be there, I had a really fun time.”

Turner told 7News some of her favorite parts of filming included scenes where she ate french fries, ran down hallways, and got into a pillow fight.

The young actress, who has been performing since age four, is supported in her career by her mother Antoinette Toney.

“I’m very proud,” Toney said. “She’s my best friend and I’m just going to always be there for her. As long as she wants to do it, I’m going to support her.”

Good Burger 2 is streaming now on Paramount+.

Emergency crews were first called to the scene on Moody Street around 5:30 p.m. In all, officials said four buildings were damaged. Fifteen people were displaced. 

“It literally punched me in the face,” Leandro Paola said of the thick smoke that at one point filled the neighborhood. “Just the scent of burning woods, it was ridiculous.” 

Video shared with 7NEWS showed the entire back of one building engulfed in flames. The siding on one other building was visibly melted. 

One woman in the area said she saw two of her neighbors, 12-year-old girls, go door to door as the flames grew to tell their neighbors to get out of their buildings. 

“The house just caught fire super quick,” the woman said. “We saw it, just like paper, everything just started flying into the sky.” 

Crews from Cambridge, Newton and Waltham ultimately worked together to put the fire out, with dozens of firefighters working to get people to safety and douse flames. 

Several people were seen being taken away by paramedics. 

Later speaking with reporters, Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullen said crews experienced heavy fire conditions as they responded. 

“People were still inside. We were getting people out,” Mullen said. “They had to tackle the fire and full houses at the same time.”

As shock and sadness spread Thursday night, and despite the damage, there was a moment of thanks that no one was seriously hurt and no lives were lost in this Thanksgiving Day fire. 

“It’s just sad,” said the woman who saw her young neighbors sounding the alarm. “I just hope these people find shelter for right now and I’m just glad that everyone’s OK because, you know, material things we can recover.” 

Officials said one firefighter was injured and treated on the scene during this response. The firefighter is expected to be OK.

Though the fire had been extinguished, crews remained on scene around 9 p.m. Thursday. The Red Cross was also on scene to help people who were displaced. 

Chief Mullen said the cause of the fire remained under investigation.

The Worcester Police Department had issued an arrest warrant for Santos-Padgett for Armed Assault to Murder and worked in conjunction with the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Squad and the Haverhill Police Department to apprehend the individual.

According to court documents, Santos-Padgett aimed a gun at the victim’s head and pulled the trigger, killing her.

Police identified the suspect through surveillance video and license plate readers, which caught his vehicle in the area where the shooting took place.

Worcester Police Department said officers first responded to the Angie’s Bodywork Spa at 383 Pleasant Street around 11:30 a.m. on Thursday after receiving a report of a female “experiencing a possible medical issue.”

Police said a male individual soon flagged down arriving officers and brought them to an unconscious female. 

Officers rendered medical aid, according to police, until the unconscious female was pronounced dead.

Authorities have not yet identified the victim or a potential motive.

This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Officers could be seen blocking the entrance to Angies Bodywork Spa at 383 Pleasant Street early Thursday afternoon. 

In a later update, the Worcester Police Department said officers first responded around 11:30 a.m. after receiving a report of a female “experiencing a possible medical issue.”

Police said a male individual soon flagged down arriving officers and brought them to an unconscious female. 

Officers rendered medical aid, according to police, until the unconscious female was pronounced dead.

“The death appears to be suspicious,” police said.

Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities.

Police remained on scene around 9 p.m., with Angies Bodywork Spa still taped off. Neighbors reacted, in the meantime, describing the initial police response and sharing their thoughts on the situation. 

“I’m shocked,” said Richard Caballero. “Like, what happened in there?”

One other person said they saw “a whole bunch of cops and stuff.” 

Caballero said his children told him about the police cars and ambulances outside. 

“I was like, OK, what happened? Maybe a crash or something,” he said. 

“Now, we got to watch out whatever happened here,” he continued. 

Lawyers for Han Lee and Junmyung Lee agreed to a voluntary order of detention during a brief court hearing two weeks after their arrest. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy in Worcester, Massachusetts, entered the order without prejudice, which means defense lawyers can move for their release at a later date.

Their attorneys declined to comment after the hearing.

Authorities have said the commercial sex ring in Massachusetts and northern Virginia catered to politicians, company executives, military officers, lawyers, professors and other well-connected clients.

Prosecutors have not publicly named any of the buyers and they have not been charged. But acting Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Josh Levy has said the investigation is ongoing and that prosecutors are committed to holding accountable both those who ran the scheme and those who fueled the demand.

Prosecutors have argued Han Lee and Junmyung Lee pose a risk of flight, pointing to their financial resources and lack of ties to the community. A Homeland Security Investigations agent said in court papers filed Wednesday that authorities believe Han Lee made an “astounding” amount of money as the leader of the operation.

It was run using websites that falsely claimed to advertise nude Asian models for professional photography, prosecutors allege. The operators rented high-end apartments to use as brothels in Watertown and Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Tysons and Fairfax, Virginia, prosecutors said.

Authorities say Han Lee recruited women and maintained the websites and brothels. She paid Junmyung Lee, who was one of her employees, between $6,000 to $8,000 in cash per month in exchange for his work booking appointments for the buyers and bringing women to the brothels, among other things, the agent wrote.

Prosecutors believe the operators raked in hundreds of dollars through the network, where men paid upwards of $600 per hour for services. Officials say Han Lee concealed more than $1 million in proceeds from the ring by converting the cash into money orders, among other things, to make it look legitimate.

Authorities seized from their apartments cash, ledgers detailing the activities of the brothels and phones believed to be used to communicate with the sex customers, according to court papers. The agent wrote investigators at Han Lee’s home also found items indicative of her “lavish and extravagant spending habits,” including luxury shoes and bags.

A third person charged in the case, James Lee, was arrested in California and was ordered by a judge there to remain behind bars while he awaits trial. He has yet to appear in court in Massachusetts.

Federal prosecutors announced a 28-count indictment against the Fitchburg resident alleging that after he departed the Massachusetts Senate in 2021, he collected $30,120 in pandemic unemployment benefits while also working as a paid consultant for a New Hampshire automotive parts company.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua Levy’s office also alleged that Tran, 48, failed to disclose more than $50,000 he earned from consulting for the company — which prosecutors did not identify — on his 2021 federal tax return as well as rental income he collected from tenants of a Fitchburg property.

“Dean Tran was once elected to serve taxpayers, but today we arrested him for allegedly cheating them out of tens of thousands of dollars in fraudulent unemployment benefits that were meant to be a lifeline for those struggling for survival as a result of the pandemic,” Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division, said in a statement. “This former state senator allegedly made the conscious decision to repeatedly lie about his employment status and underreport his rental property income so he could get a tax break. The FBI and our partners are working hard every day to shut down such fraud schemes and protect the public from being fleeced.”

An attorney who previously represented Tran did not immediately return a call Friday morning seeking a response to the latest indictment.

Tran, who in September was indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury on two counts of violating state ethics laws and in 2022 was indicted on charges related to the theft of a firearm from an elderly woman, now also faces 25 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns in a federal case, according to Levy’s office. He is due to appear in federal court in Boston at 1:30 p.m., officials said.

Federal prosecutors allege in the indictment that Tran submitted an online application for state unemployment insurance benefits on Jan. 6, 2021 — the day after his Senate tenure ended — but that his application was denied by the state because legislators are not eligible for the benefits under state law.

He accepted a consulting position with the automotive parts company on March 14, 2021, and the very next day applied for unemployment benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program retroactive to Jan. 9, 2021, allegedly checking a box “stating that he was unemployed, partially unemployed or unable or unavailable to work.” His application was accepted March 16, 2021.

In April, the Massachusetts Division of Unemployment Assistance denied Tran’s PUA claim due to an issue related to “employment substantiation” and stopped PUA payments to him. Tran appealed the decision and submitted what the feds called a “sham employment offer letter” backdated to December 29, 2020, purporting to be from the CEO of a New Hampshire-based company that produces and distributes Asian foods. The letter allegedly offered Tran a job and a $120,000 annual salary.

During an appeal hearing in May 2021, Tran allegedly made misleading statements and concealed the fact that he had been working for and being paid by the auto parts company. In June 2021, the state reversed its decision and declared Tran eligible for PUA benefits “beginning the week ending January 2, 2021, and indefinitely thereafter, if otherwise eligible.”

His PUA benefits were terminated after the week ending Sept. 4, 2021 and Tran became a W-2 employee of the auto parts company on Sept. 20, 2021, according to the indictment.

“If TRAN had become a W-2 employee of the Automotive Parts Company prior to September 2021, however, TRAN’s wages would have been reported to the state and, thus, the DUA would have disqualified TRAN from receiving PUA benefits. By remaining as a consultant for the Automotive Parts Company until early September 2021, TRAN was able to conceal his employment from the DUA while he simultaneously collected both pay from the Automotive Parts Company and PUA benefits,” the indictment says.

From March through December 2021, the feds allege, Tran collected $43,925 in PUA benefits while also being paid $82,602 by the auto parts company.

The feds also alleged Friday that Tran reported $14,100 in gross rental income on his 2020 tax return, but actually collected $27,544 in rental income that year. In 2021, prosecutors allege, he deposited $30,855 worth of rent payments into a bank account of his but reported only $15,600 in gross rental income. And in 2022, the indictment claims, Tran took in $31,200 from his rental properties but reported just $15,600 in gross rental income. He also allegedly did not report any of the $54,720 in income that he earned as a consultant for the auto parts company in 2021.

The federal charges unveiled Friday add to Tran’s legal troubles. He was indicted by then-Attorney General Maura Healey in July 2022 on charges that he stole a Colt .45 gun from an elderly constituent and then misled the investigation into the incident. And in September, Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced that Tran had been indicted for allegedly using “members of his Senate staff to campaign for him while those staff members were on state time, state payroll, and purportedly working for the Legislature” during campaigns in 2018 and 2020.

The Massachusetts Senate sanctioned Tran in 2020 after the Senate Ethics Committee found his office staff had been performing campaign work with public resources during business hours. He denied the charges. He was removed from his position as assistant minority whip and banned from interacting with his staff except through official emails.

Tran narrowly lost his 2020 reelection bid to Sen. John Cronin, a Democrat. Last year, he ran for Congress against U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan and garnered more than 88,500 votes in his loss.

His wife, Grace Kastel, told the Hollywood Reporter that he died of kidney and heart failure at a hospice facility.

According to Kastel’s website, “Roger got his first paying art job at the age of 15 doing industrial cartoons. He sold his first illustration in the early 1960s and illustrated paperback book covers and movie posters over the next forty years.”

“Roger’s painting of Jaws is included in the books, The Illustrator in American (sic) and 200 Years of American Illustration,” the website reads. “While Jaws and The Empire Strikes Back may be the most widely recognized of his work, Roger received multiple awards for various other illustrations and fine art.”

“Jaws” was a 1975 blockbuster thriller about a great white shark terrorizing a beach community. The film went on to be nominated for a best picture Oscar, and won three other Academy Awards. It was directed by Steven Spielberg and was based on the bestselling 1974 novel by Peter Benchley.

Kastel also provided the artwork for the paperback edition of the novel.

The school community at Dr. Gertrude Bailey Elementary School was gathered for their Thanksgiving Trot assembly. Later speaking with 7NEWS, Heather DeLucia described her response after she was initially told she had won a raffle and called up to the stage.

“When I went up to get my prize, our principal Ms. Kimberly Clements said ‘Bailey Bulldog, our school mascot, has a special surprise for Ms. DeLucia today,’” DeLucia said.

When she turned around, the mascot had appeared carrying a wrapped present.

Inside the costume, DeLucia’s soon-to-be fiance Nick Hoar was ready to propose.

“I was like, ‘No way!’” DeLucia said. “‘This is not happening right now.’” 

Hoar and the entire school came together to help make the proposal happen. 

A team effort, Hoar said the process was not entirely without challenges. One person, Hoar said, needed to guide him while he was in the costume since the costume itself obstructed part of his vision. 

DeLucia said she was surprised Hoar was brave enough to propose in front of 400 students. 

All those students, though, were thrilled. Some former students also came back to the school for the special moment. 

“They were just so happy for us so it was nice to see some former students come back and connect and say congratulations to us,” DeLucia said.

DeLucia and Hoar have been together for eight years and plan to get married next fall.

The Tewksbury Police Department said it has been investigating an armed robbery that happened Sunday night on Woburn Street. According to the department, it was just after 8:30 p.m. when officers were called to Andy’s Convenience Store for the incident.

Police said during the robbery, a suspect, believed to be a male in his mid-20s, entered the store with a large-capacity firearm and demanded cash and other items from an employee.

After the robbery, the suspect then ran across Woburn Street and into a wooded area.

Reviewing surveillance footage, police described the suspect as wearing a black sweatshirt with white stripes/strings, black pants, a navy blue backpack and white and black Nike sneakers with “an orange or red swoosh.”

The suspect was also believed to have shown a Tec9-style firearm with an extended magazine during the robbery.

Anyone with information on the suspect or incident is asked to call the police department at 978-851-7373 or to email tewks_detectives@tewksbury-ma.gov.

While the police investigation continued, community members shared their reactions Monday. 

“It’s just horrible,” said Sue Cipollo, a regular customer at Andy’s Convenience Store. “8:30 at night. What if someone came in? You just don’t expect it here.” 

Cipollo said the store is “a very busy location,” adding “They have a lot of regulars.”

“The guy was a good guy that was working, he’s always good, so I just feel bad,” Cipollo said. “I hope he’s OK.”

“I just hope they catch whoever did it or something,” said area resident James Belmore. “Hopefully they are not too shaken up. They are very nice people. No one deserves that.”

7NEWS learned the clerk who was working at the time of this incident is OK and is taking a few days off work.

The crash happened in the Elm Square area of Andover back in May. Olson’s parents spoke to 7NEWS on Friday, remembering their daughter and discussing their efforts to prevent similar tragedies. 

“I want Sidney’s life to really have meaning and for us, we think about her every day,” said Sidney’s mother, Mary Beth Ellis. “She’s in our hearts every day.” 

“I miss her hug attacks,” said Sidney’s father, Eric Olson. “She would just jump up and wrap around me and I would do anything for that.”

Sidney’s parents have created a charity in her honor. Dubbed the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund, the organization is a new partner of Andover’s annual Feaster Five Road Race, which will feature a colorful display paying tribute to Olson on Thanksgiving next month. 

The annual kids race on Thanksgiving day will also now be called “Sidney’s Rainbow Run,” recognizing the little girl who asked for a rainbow birthday party this year to include all her friend’s favorite colors.

“That was just who she was,” Eric Olson said. “I mean, she was just pure love and joy.”

“We really want to see Sidney’s spirit make an impact on the world and we’re sort of dedicating our lives to that,” Eric separately said. 

Prosecutors announced Friday that the driver of the truck involved in the crash that killed Sidney will not face criminal charges. 

Speaking later in the day, Eric Olson shared his thoughts. 

“The fact that truck was where it was, that it didn’t have the safety features that it needed, that the intersection had problems, that’s all changeable,” he said. 

The Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund now aims to support children’s access to education, sports and road safety, working to raise awareness over pedestrian safety.

Ellis said the charity is working on these topics “so that this doesn’t happen to another family and they don’t have to sign their daughter’s death certificate.” 

“We can’t bring Sidney back,” Ellis said. “But we can work, do our best and work to prevent any other children from being hit in an intersection.”

Moving forward, Sidney Olson remains a colorful spirit living on through the eyes of her parents and in the heartbeat of her community. 

“We’ve got kind of a band rainbow warriors that are out there and we’re just super grateful for that,” Eric Olson said.

The upcoming race now named for Sidney Olson is scheduled for Thursday in downtown Andover

Sunday, meanwhile, is World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. Sidney’s family said they are hoping people remember these victims are far more than just a number.

The DA’s office announced the decision on Friday as it described the end of its investigation into the death of 5-year-old Sidney Olson, who was hit by a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Elm Street and Route 28 on May 9.

Going over crash reconstruction analysis, video from inside the tractor-trailer and other evidence, authorities said there was “not sufficient evidence to seek criminal charges against the driver.”

According to the DA’s office, the driver was found to have stopped at the intersection and had started to move forward when a traffic light turned green before the crash.

“As he began to advance forward on the light turning green, he was unable to see Ms. Olson traveling on her scooter in the crosswalk below,” a news release from the DA’s office stated. “The driver was not impaired by any substances and immediately came to a controlled stop after the collision.”

The family of Sidney Olson previously said their daughter was on her way to an art class with family members when the crash occurred in downtown Andover. Following her death, Sidney’s family set up a scholarship in her memory.

“In the wake of their daughter Sidney Olson’s death – the Olson family has established a scholarship fund at Andover-based SHED Children’s Campus to provide a vehicle for those wanting to help the family and the community,” a news release from the family stated. “All donations will be used to fund enrollment to the school’s “curiosity-based” education for those who can’t afford it, including pre-K, kindergarten, and school-aged programs.”

More information on the scholarship fund can be found here.

Parties agreed on a new contract late Tuesday afternoon. Their deal came after union members voted to authorize a strike on Friday of last week. The strike vote, in turn, followed months of negotiations between the Andover Education Association and the Andover School Committee. 

“The AEA is ecstatic to announce that we have come to an agreement and the strike is OVER!” the Andover Education Association said in its statement on social media moments after 5 p.m. 

The education association said all educators and students will return to school on Wednesday. The Andover School Committee also confirmed a deal was in place.

“We cannot begin to thank the Andover community enough for their support,” the education association said. 

Andover Education Association President Matt Bach soon spoke to reporters, saying
“We are incredibly happy to be returning to school tomorrow.”

Andover School Committee Chair Tracey Spruce discussed the deal in a written statement, saying officials “are pleased that students can get back into the classroom tomorrow morning to continue learning.”

“With this deal, the administration gained important tools to continue strengthening the instructional practices that we know students need to belong, strive, and thrive,” Spruce said.

The roughly 800 members of the Andover Education Association manned picket lines in recent days, also traveling to Boston on Tuesday for a rally at the State House. 

Teachers had asked for an 18% pay hike over four years and bigger raises for instructional assistants who they said had a starting pay of only about $25,000 per year. 

The school committee said the raises would cause budget problems and could result in the resumption of fees for buses and extra-curricular activities. 

In their eventual deal, teachers settled for a 15.5% increase over four years, with a 34% pay increase for instructional assistants over the same time span. The deal also includes more planning time for elementary school teachers and eight weeks of paid parental leave, with a potential for 12 weeks with the use of sick time.

One elementary school instructional assistant speaking with 7NEWS said she is pregnant with twins. Her leave, she said, is scheduled to begin on Wednesday. 

“So, this is really critical timing for me,” said Marissa Reese. 

Reese said she was originally planning to take an eight-week leave that would be mostly unpaid.

“This is huge for me and my family,” she said after Tuesday’s agreement.

Spruce, the school committee chair, said officials “heard clearly from the teachers and many in the community that teacher and instructional assistant pay was the priority in this agreement.” Officials, Spruce said, “responded accordingly.” 

“At the same time, the final agreement is inconsistent with the principles of the town’s long-range financial plan so, to live within our means, we will need to make meaningful program, service, and staff reductions,” Spruce continued.

Union officials were not worried Tuesday night. 

“What we have seen this last week is this a community that cares about education,” said Bach, the education association president. “They prioritize education. They showed that by standing shoulder to shoulder with us. So, they’re not going to allow that to happen.”

Strikes are illegal among public employees in Massachusetts. 

While negotiations continued in Andover, and while schools remained closed, a judge on Monday ordered teachers to return to work. The judge then levied thousands of dollars in fines related to the strike.

Tuesday’s deal initially came in the form of a tentative agreement. A union spokesperson said the contract was ratified later Tuesday night.

The Barnstable Police Department in a statement said police first responded around 5:30 p.m. to the area of Hamden Circle after they received a report of a woman with apparent gunshot injuries. 

An investigation got underway and the victim was taken to Cape Cod Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.

Police were seen working in the area of Hamden Circle Thursday night, taping off a home with crime scene tape. 

Authorities had left the scene as of around 10 p.m.

While the incident remained under investigation, police said it appeared to be targeted. 

Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators by phone at 508-778-3874 or by email at 214@barnstablepolice.com.

This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

The Boston field office of Enforcement and Removal Operations announced the arrest on Monday. The arrest, itself, happened on Nov. 14. 

Officials in their statement said the 37-year-old undocumented man previously received multiple criminal convictions for raping a child but fled Brazil before his sentencing in May of 2019. 

Officials said the man unlawfully entered the US “on an unknown date at an unknown location without being inspected or admitted by an immigration official.”

Several years after Brazilian authorities issued a warrant for his arrest, US officials said they learned of the man’s presence on Martha’s vineyard in late September. 

Authorities ultimately took the man into custody during a vehicle stop, according to Monday’s Enforcement and Removal Operations announcement. 

Enforcement and Removal Operations is part of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The man, who was not named in the announcement, is expected to remain in Enforcement and Removal Operations custody while awaiting removal proceedings before a federal immigration judge. 

ERO Boston Field Office Director Todd Lyons discussed the case, in the meantime, saying in a statement “This undocumented Brazilian national represented a significant threat to the inhabitants of Martha’s Vineyard.” 

“He sexually assaulted a five-year-old child in his homeland and then ran from authorities when held accountable for his actions,” Lyons said. “ERO Boston will not allow such predators to threaten our residents.”

The Falmouth Fire Rescue Department said its crews were called to North Falmouth Highway for the incident around 11:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning.

According to the department, the worker was injured after a wall on the second floor of a home under construction came down and pinned him.

Authorities said other workers on scene were able to get the victim out from underneath the wall before rescue crews arrived, and that the injured worker had suffered traumatic, non-life-threatening injuries.

Rescue crews later worked to move the worker from the building’s second floor to an ambulance, before he was later flown from Falmouth Hospital to the Rhode Island Hospital Trauma Center for treatment.

A nearby webcam captured the moment of impact around 10:30 p.m., with pieces of the fountain seen scattered all around the road. 

Police said 55-year-old Michael Holdgate, the driver of the truck, fled the scene, but officers found the truck near the driver’s home on Vesper Lane. Holdgate was arraigned in court Monday morning on charges including OUI and negligent operation of a vehicle. Court records show this is his second OUI offense.   

“It’s right in the way, you have to navigate around it. Really difficult thing to miss if you’re exploring the central part of Nantucket,” said Michael Harrison of the Nantucket Historical Association.

The fountain itself was originally donated to the town of Nantucket in 1885, according to the Nantucket Historical Association. The fountain and the town square around it was later dedicated to Lieutenant Max Wagner in 1932, several decades after Wagner was killed in the Spanish-American War, the historical association said.

“It was installed actually as a drinking fountain, it’s a water trough for horses,” Harrison said. “There’s actually a second basin down at the bottom of it that was meant for dogs, and it originally had drinking cups with chains so that pedestrians could get a drink there as well.”

Water was disconnected from the fountain years ago, officials said, and this is the second time in nearly four years the fountain has been toppled by a vehicle.

Live webcam video late Monday morning showed cars inching down Main Street around the site where the fountain once stood. The base of the fountain itself was blocked off with a traffic cone, police caution tape and barricades.

In 1885 before the installation of the fountain, reports of the time said it was made of iron. 

“The castings are extra heavy and the whole apparatus is strong and built in the best possible manner and will not be damaged by blows of heavy vehicles,” Harrison said. “I don’t think they were anticipating pickup trucks.” 

The Yarmouth Police Department said officers and local firefighters were called to the TD Bank off Route 28 where a truck was found embedded in the side of the building around 11:30 a.m.

Investigators found the crash appeared to happen after the truck left the roadway and “became airborne after hitting a median.” The truck struck a sign which, in turn, hit and injured a customer from a bustling deli next to the TD Bank.

“The sign just shattered like a house of cards,” said deli owner Ed Walsh. “It went everywhere. Evidently, one of the pieces of the sign hit him and knocked him down.”

Two parked cars were also struck as the truck barreled in the direction of the bank and eventually plowed into a brick wall.

Surveillance video shared with 7NEWS showed the truck involved in this crash smashing through the sign and careening through a neighboring parking lot on its way toward the bank. Debris from the sign could be seen scattering across the area.

Police said six people were inside the bank at the time of the crash. All four people who were injured, including the driver, suffered what officials described as minor injuries.

Despite this crash, officials said there appeared to be no structural damage to the bank building, adding that the bank is expected to be able to reopen on Saturday.

An off-duty Yarmouth firefighter was at a store across the street at the time of this crash and came running to help. The firefighter, Kevin Enright, said the car was locked and the driver was unresponsive when he arrived.

Enright said the driver’s foot was still on the gas with the truck’s tires still spinning when it came to a stop. Enright continued, saying there was “a massive amount of smoke coming from the tires” before he was able to break a window to get the driver’s foot off the gas and turn the car off.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Enright said. “It’s the best outcome. No one was seriously injured.”

While a police investigation continued, Enright said the driver appeared to have suffered some sort of medical issue before the crash.

Some crews remained on scene past 6 p.m. Friday boarding up the damaged bank.

Police said the driver was not facing any charges as of Friday evening.

Carver Police Chief Marc Duphily in a statement said the crash happened at the Nouria gas station on Tremont Street Tuesday afternoon.

Officers responded around 2:30 p.m. and found a roughly six-foot hole in the back of the station’s wall, according to Duphily. The driver, Duphily said, had fled the scene. 

Though the driver left the area, Duphily said a state police trooper was at the gas station at the time of the crash and followed the driver down the street. 

The driver was taken to a hospital with unspecified injuries and is expected to be summonsed to court to face charges including operating under the influence and leaving the scene of a property damage accident, according to Duphily. 

Duphily said additional charges are likely.

There were no other reported injuries. 

The Hingham Police Department said Brody Harris was found in town after he was initially reported missing earlier in the morning.

Police previously said the teenager had left his home the night before without a phone, prompting a search that went on through the morning and at one point involved a state police helicopter and K9 units.

In an update just before 1:30 p.m., the department said the teen had been found, with no additional details released.

—

Originally posted on Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 12:06 p.m.

HINGHAM, MASS. (WHDH) – Hingham police are seeking the public’s assistance in locating a missing teenager who they say is endangered.

Authorities said Brody Karis, 14, left his family’s Hingham home in the Black Rock neighborhood Monday night around 11 p.m., leaving with a blue sleeping bag, but not a phone.

Karis is 5’5″, weighs 120 pounds, and has brown hair with blonde highlights. When he departed his house authorities said he was wearing a yellow sweatshirt, black pants, and black shoes.

The police department initially referred to Karis as a runaway, but in an update on Tuesday afternoon, Hingham PD said the teen was considered to be both missing and endangered.

“Additional police personnel, including an MSP helicopter will be searching areas,” the department said on social media just before 1:15 p.m.

Both drones and K9 units were also part of the search, officials said.

Anyone with information about Karis’ whereabouts is asked to contact the Hingham Police Department at 781-749-1212, option 2.

Prosecutors said many more people have since come forward, saying they were also victims. 

Approached after his court appearance, Dr. Richard Kauff would not comment on the felony sexual assault charges against him. 

Kauff, 68, was not arrested when charges were filed. As a result, he walked into court for his arraignment where a prosecutor said at least two dozen girls or women have now said they were victimized. 

“Since the first two alleged adult victims came forward, 22 more patients of this doctor have come forward, two of which are juveniles,” said prosecutor Jeremy Kusmin.

As Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz listened, his prosecutor detailed allegations from two women who said Kauff molested them during annual checkups as far back as 1990.

“Both victim one and victim two indicated there were times their parents were in the room during the exams but that the defendant would position himself in such a way that he would block the parents’ view of what was happening,” Kusmin said.

Kauff, according to the victims’ allegations detailed in a Norwell police report, assaulted the girls from the time they were 7 or 8-years-old until they were about 18 or 19. 

Prosecutors said they expect to file more charges and requested the judge set bail at $100,000 cash. 

Kauff’s attorney noted Kauff’s wife was with him in court and argued for just $10,000 cash bail. 

“Bail is not supposed to be punitive,” said defense attorney Kelli Porges. “Every action he has taken shows he will come back.” 

“He adamantly denies the charges,” Porges continued.

Judge Heather Bradley opted to set cash bail at $50,000.

Kauff now cannot have unsupervised contact with children and has been ordered to stay away from South Shore Medical locations in Norwell and Kingston, where he worked prior to his retirement last year. Kauff must also stay away from the victims who are accusing him. 

Kauff is facing charges including four counts of rape of a child with force and 12 counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, according to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s office.

He has pleaded not guilty and is due back in court in January.

Kauff has additionally agreed, at least temporarily, to not practice medicine. 

The DA’s office in a statement said the crash happened around 10:30 a.m. at the intersection of Plain Street at Lady Slipper Lane in Marshfield.

Emergency crews responding to the scene soon found the female driver of a red Subaru Forester “with injuries,” according to the DA’s office. 

Officials said the woman was taken to South Shore Hospital where she was pronounced dead. The Marshfield police officer driving the other vehicle involved in this crash was not hurt.

The DA’s office on Monday identified the woman who died as Michelle Freestone of Marshfield and said a state police investigation into this crash was ongoing.

“Preliminarily, it appears the operator of the red Subaru [Forester] turned left in front of the tan motor vehicle and contact was made between the two vehicles,” the DA’s office said. 

Officials continued, saying the police officer behind the wheel of the police vehicle was not responding to a call at the time of the crash. 

Marshfield police previously addressed the crash in a post on social media, saying Plain Street would be closed between its intersections with Flaggler and Old Plain Street “due to a motor vehicle accident.”

“Please seek alternate routes,” police said. 

In an update moments after 2 p.m., police said Plain Street had reopened. 

SKY7-HD flying over the scene earlier in the day spotted the aftermath of the crash, with significant damage visible on the front of a red SUV.

This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Crews used a crane to hoist the lighthouse’s newly-restored lantern room to the top of the structure Wednesday morning. The restoration is part of a larger restoration project at the lighthouse, which Town Administrator Jim Boudreau recently described as “the iconic place in Scituate.”

“It’s been a lot of work,” said Bob Chessia of the Scituate Historical Society. “But it’s well worth it.”

Boudreau said the tower itself is 200 years old. Its lantern room was installed in the 1930s. 

“Clad in copper and being on the ocean for 100 years, it took a beating,” Boudreau said. “So, that had to come off.”

Crews removed the lantern room in October of last year and spent the past year fixing it at a cost of more than $2 million. 

“We just wanted to make sure that it was done right and would last well past our lifetimes,” Chessia said. 

Several people in Scituate gathered on Wednesday to see the start of a new chapter in the lighthouse’s history as its restored lantern room was installed. 

Community members said they are thrilled the lighthouse is back in all its glory. 

“It was just exciting just to see the top going back on after it has been off for over a year,” said Jill West. “Last time it was like that was in the mid 1800s.” 

“It’s huge,” said Scituate resident Debra Jackson. “It has lasted all these years and it’s going to last for another 100-200 years.” 

During the winter months, crews will be installing new windows and securing the rest of the copper on the lighthouse.

In the spring, crews will then be able to add a fresh coat of paint to complete the current lighthouse restoration project.