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Boston Man Promised 'Better Lifestyle' To Lure 17-Year-Old, Other Sex Trafficking Victims Boston Man Promised 'Better Lifestyle' To Lure 17-Year-Old, Other Sex Trafficking Victims
Boston Man Promised 'Better Lifestyle' To Lure 17-Year-Old, Other Sex Trafficking Victims He promised them a “better lifestyle,” but his victims got anything but. Massachusetts resident Jimall Brown, age 35, of Boston, pleaded guilty to multiple sex trafficking charges in Boston federal court on Monday, April 8. Prosecutors said Brown lured three female victims, including a 17-year-old girl, from out of state and forced them into prostitution between May 2016 and 2022. He admitted to meeting the teen victim on social media and convincing her to fly to Boston from out of state with the promise of a “better lifestyle.” Once she arrived, Brown posted ads of the teen online and arr…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
Rite Aid Announces Massachusetts Store Closure After Declaring Bankruptcy Rite Aid Announces Massachusetts Store Closure After Declaring Bankruptcy
Rite Aid Announces Massachusetts Store Closure After Declaring Bankruptcy Rite Aid has announced new store closures after the struggling pharmacy chain filed for bankruptcy in the fourth quarter of 2023. Shortly after declaring bankruptcy, Rite Aid announced 154 store closures. In a filing on Tuesday, April 9, the company said 17 more stores, including one in Massachusetts, in Fall River, at 10 Stafford Road, Rite Aid currently has 2,000 stores and about 44,000 employees. Rite Aid is one of a number of drugstore chains facing litigation related to the deadly abuse of opioids and more than a thousand lawsuits have been filed claiming Rite Aid illegally…

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Lexington Man Sentenced For Trying To Pay For Sex With Teen Lexington Man Sentenced For Trying To Pay For Sex With Teen
Lexington Man Sentenced For Trying To Pay For Sex With Teen A registered sex offender from Massachusetts with a previous conviction will spend over a decade in prison after trying to pay who he thought was a child sex trafficker for sex with a 14-year-old girl, officials said. Middlesex County resident David Cannon of Lexington, age 61, was sentenced to 15 years in prison for trying to pay for sex with a teenager, the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts announced on Tuesday, April 9.  According to federal officials, in November 2022, Cannon replied to an online advertisement that offered commercial sex with two young gir…

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by Ben Crnic
Business
'An Incredible Run': Mass Restaurant Closing After Nearly 50 Years 'An Incredible Run': Mass Restaurant Closing After Nearly 50 Years
'An Incredible Run': Mass Restaurant Closing After Nearly 50 Years A popular restaurant in Western Massachusetts will hold its final dinner service after nearly 50 years in business. Berkshire County staple The Old Mill, located in Egremont at 53 Main Street, will permanently close in early June 2024, owner Terry Moore announced on its website. “In early June, after 46 glorious years, the Old Mill will close its doors. We have had an incredible run and I owe a huge debt of gratitude to the extremely dedicated staff that has worked alongside me all these years,” he said. Moore went on to thank the “countless wonderful guests” who have supported the restau…

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by Michael Mashburn
Business
'New Era At Panera' Sees Dozens Of Items Chopped From Menu 'New Era At Panera' Sees Dozens Of Items Chopped From Menu
'New Era At Panera' Sees Dozens Of Items Chopped From Menu Did your favorite make the cut? Dozens of menu items have gotten the chop as Panera enters its “new era” complete with the largest menu overhaul in company history. The popular bakery-café chain officially launched its revamped menu at locations across the country on Thursday, April 4, with nine new offerings and 12 “enhanced” classics featuring more chicken and steak. Company officials said the move is aimed at “refocusing” on core Panera products that customers love the most: soups, salads, sandwiches, and macaroni and cheese. It will also streamline and simplify operations for employees…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Mass Mom Charged In Death Of 3-Year-Old Child Mass Mom Charged In Death Of 3-Year-Old Child
Mass Mom Charged In Death Of 3-Year-Old Child A 25-year-old woman has been arrested after her 3-year-old son was found dead in Chelsea over the weekend, authorities said. New, updated report - Jennifer Prudencio Of Chelsea Went To Bar, Let Child Die: DA Jennifer Prudencio, of Chelsea, is charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless endangerment of a child, the Suffolk County District Attorney said on Tuesday, April 9.  Police were called to Prudencio's Spencer Avenue apartment on Sunday morning, where they found her son Yael Guardado-Prudencio, 3, unresponsive.  Officers did not say how the child died.&…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Some Of The Bests Photos Of The Eclipse Taken Across Massachusetts Some Of The Bests Photos Of The Eclipse Taken Across Massachusetts
Some Of The Bests Photos Of The Eclipse Taken Across Massachusetts While Massachusetts was not in the "totality zone" for Monday afternoon's solar eclipse, it still was a monumental event. Many Bay Staters snapped and shared impressive photos of the rare celestial event.  The zone of totality, where 100 percent of the sun was blocked by the moon, was a little more than 100 miles wide and stretched from Mexico to Maine. That means most of Massachusetts got about 90-93 percent blockage, with the increase being in the western part of the state.  Courtesy of Ken Chaffin Some people traveled to other states to get the best view possible.  L…

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
Alleged Massachusetts Fugitive Discovered In Connecticut After Unrelated 911 Call: Police Alleged Massachusetts Fugitive Discovered In Connecticut After Unrelated 911 Call: Police
Alleged Massachusetts Fugitive Discovered In Connecticut After Unrelated 911 Call: Police A man accused of domestic violence and strangulation in Massachusetts was caught in Connecticut when the cops were called on him for a different reason. The Tolland County incident occurred in the town of Stafford on Friday, April 5, according to Connecticut State Police. On that day, a School Street resident called the authorities on 30-year-old Marcus Lopez to report that he was unwelcome at the home. While police were investigating Lopez, who hails from Stafford, they discovered he had a felony arrest warrant in his name in connection to an alleged domestic assault and strangulation…

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by Sophie Grieser
News
$1M Lottery Ticket Sold In Littleton $1M Lottery Ticket Sold In Littleton
$1M Lottery Ticket Sold In Littleton It was a lucky weekend for one Bay Stater who collected a $1 million prize playing the Massachusetts State Lottery.  The seven-figure ticket was sold in Littleton at Nouria convenience store at 460 King St. on Friday, April 5. The player won the million playing the $10 "$4,000,000 Bonus Bucks" scratch-off game.  Related: $1M Potteryball Lottery Winning Ticket Sold In Methuen The winner's name was not released.  The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for the sale.  The player collected one of 650 tickets worth $650 or more in the state lottery on Friday. Click here to …

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by Josh Lanier
News
Launch Of 3 NASA Rockets Could Be Visible During Total Solar Eclipse Launch Of 3 NASA Rockets Could Be Visible During Total Solar Eclipse
Launch Of 3 NASA Rockets Could Be Visible During Total Solar Eclipse What a day for outer space. NASA will be launching three sounding rockets during the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, to study how Earth’s upper atmosphere is affected when sunlight momentarily dims over a portion of the planet. And they are expected to be visible for between 10 and 40 seconds along the East Coast. The Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) sounding rockets will launch from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to study the disturbances in the ionosphere created when the Moon eclipses the Sun.  The sounding rockets will launch at three differe…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Dead Goats, Chickens: More Than 160 Sick Animals Seized From Ayer Woman's Home, DA Says Dead Goats, Chickens: More Than 160 Sick Animals Seized From Ayer Woman's Home, DA Says
Ruth Maxant-Schulz Facing 30 Animal Cruelty Charges In Ayer A 77-year-old Middlesex County woman has been charged after police found 162 animals inside her home, some of which were dead, while many others were malnourished, sick, or covered in bugs, police said.  Ruth Maxant-Schulz, 77, of Ayer, was charged with 30 counts of animal cruelty following a police raid at her home, the Middlesex District Attorney said on Monday, April 8, after her arraignment.  Officers were called to her Taft Street home on Feb. 20 and found several animals roaming outside the house.  However inside, things were much less bucolic. Police returned several…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Total Eclipse 2024: NASA Wants To Know About Strange Behavior From Animals Total Eclipse 2024: NASA Wants To Know About Strange Behavior From Animals
Total Eclipse 2024: NASA Wants To Know About Strange Behavior From Animals When parts of the US are under total daytime darkness during a solar eclipse, scientists will be studying if animals act any differently — and they want your help. NASA has funded the "Eclipse Soundscapes Project" to collect the sights and sounds during the total solar eclipse in the afternoon on Monday, Apr. 8. Scientists are asking for the public's help recording how different ecosystems react to the sudden midday change. You can share your observations on social media using the hashtag #EclipseSoundscapes. Don't forget to tag the location where you experience the eclipse. Weird plant a…

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by Chris Spiker