Thomas launched from the start line with determination, taking a commanding lead in the women’s 200m. She crossed the finish line in 21.83 seconds.

“I was in complete disbelief,” Thomas said. “I know I’ve earned it, I trained so hard for this, but there is no feeling like earning an Olympic gold medal. It’s unreal.”

She earned two medals at the Tokyo Olympics — a bronze in the 200m and a silver for the 4X100m relay — but this is her first gold.

Thomas, who now calls Texas home, started running track and field at Williston Northampton School.

For any young girls looking up to her now, she has some advice.

“Work hard and give back to your community in any way you can, and you will be successful,” Thomas said. “Williston was such a great foundation for me. It was such an amazing community, and it just laid the groundwork for where I am today. So that’s what I would say, just work hard, go after what you want, and give back to the community when you can.”

Thomas is the first American woman to win gold in the 200m since her role model, Allyson Felix, it in London 2012.

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After a day of fishing on the Massachusetts island, Noah Karberg was headed home when his wife called him, asking him to run to Stop & Shop to pick up groceries.

“I was in a fishing shirt and board shorts, so no pockets,” he said Tuesday. “I put my phone and my wallet in the tray on top of the shopping cart. I do my shopping, and buy my groceries, come out to my truck, load most of my groceries onto the tailgate. I take a last couple of bags around to the backseat, come back around to the shopping cart, and there is a gull sitting on the cart, and right in front of me, grabs my wallet, flies off!”

Any good fisherman has stories, but Karberg’s is backed up by cellphone video.

“It was like a gull with an agenda,” he said. “Tossed the cash and went straight for my Amex.”

The video shows the seagull on top of a nearby carwash, picking through his wallet.

“I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is unreal, I gotta get my wallet back,'” Karberg said. “Started chasing the gull across the parking lot like a crazy person, knowing I looked like an idiot, but I really wanted my wallet back.”

The gull had the gall to fly off though with Karberg’s wallet in its mouth.

Since Sunday, Karberg, who is the airport manager at Nantucket Memorial Airport, has been hearing from people. He has not yet been reunited though with his wallet.

“I have had a lot of people reach out to me, say they were sorry for me, but it was really funny,” he said with a laugh. “It has all been in good fun. The island has a pace in the summer. It can be frantic, people can get burned out, and I think this was a little bit of good fun that everyone had.”

The resolution, sponsored by Councilors John FitzGerald and Ed Flynn, urges the city and the Boston Public Health Commission to declare a public health emergency and to “take all possible steps necessary to preserve the operations of Carney Hospital, and ensure that Steward is following all state and local laws.”

Steward last month announced its plans to close the Dorchester hospital and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer by Aug. 31 as part of the company’s bankruptcy proceedings, despite state regulations that require providers to give 120 days’ notice for an essential services closure. A bankruptcy court judge has given his blessing to that plan.

FitzGerald and Flynn’s resolution describes the closure plan as “unconscionable” and warns that losing Carney “will have devastating and cascading negative impacts on Boston residents who are reliant on care from Carney Hospital.”

“With the anticipated widespread negative public health impact that the closure of Carney Hospital will bring to the City of Boston, it is therefore critical for our city and the Boston Public Health Commission to do all that they can, including declaring a public health emergency, in order to ensure that Steward follow state laws, and prevent the catastrophic loss of access to healthcare access for our residents,” the resolution states.

The City Council meets at noon on Wednesday.

The resolution also states the City Council “urges the City of Boston and State Government to be prepared that if there are no bidders for Carney hospital, to seize the property by eminent domain and to continue to operate the facility until a permanent operator is found.”

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a radio interview Tuesday that Carney is a “key location” for health care services in Dorchester and other nearby neighborhoods. Many residents have signaled they are more likely to transition to Boston Medical Center instead of other, closer facilities, she said.

“The feeling is that if this closes and there is no health care on site for the foreseeable future, some of our other local hospitals are going to be overwhelmed with a surge in demand and need,” Wu said.

Meanwhile in Ayer on Tuesday night, the Select Board is holding a special meeting to discuss declaring a public health emergency in an effort to save Nashoba, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association. The agenda also includes a state legislative delegation update about the pending closure.

Thirteen state lawmakers and Boston city councilors also called on the Healey administration last week to reach to out to prospective bidders to purchase the Carney and Nashoba, declare a public health state of emergency to keep the hospitals open, and provide bridge funding to help them stay afloat during negotiations. Sen. Jamie Eldridge, who represents Ayer, read the letter aloud during Monday’s Senate session.

“We believe the requests above are reasonable and will not only ensure that the current quality healthcare is provided to all Massachusetts residents, but that all of the collateral consequences and costs of two community hospitals closing will be avoided,” according to the letter sent to Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh, and Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein.

Chris Lisinski contributed reporting.

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The Department of Public Health said Tuesday that a man in his 40s was exposed to West Nile virus in Hampden County. A horse was diagnosed with EEE, which officials said the animal contracted in Plymouth.

Both viruses were detected in mosquitoes earlier this summer.

West Nile virus usually causes fever and flu-like symptoms, but in rare cases can cause severe illness. There were six human cases in Massachusetts last year.

EEE is rare, but poses a serious threat to infected people of all ages.

The last known human case of EEE in Massachusetts occurred in 2020, when five people were infected and one died. A year earlier, in 2019, there were six deaths among 12 human cases in the Bay State.

There were six human cases of West Nile in Massachusetts last year.

The DPH noted that August and September are months of particular concern for mosquito-borne illnesses in Massachusetts.

“We continue to recommend taking steps to prevent mosquito bites until the first hard frost,” Dr. Catherine Brown, the state epidemiologist, said in a statement shared by the department. “People should use mosquito repellent with an EPA-registered active ingredient, clothing to reduce exposed skin, and consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during the evening or early morning.”

Plymouth, where the horse was infected with EEE, is the third Massachusetts community to be categorized as high risk for that virus this year, joining Carver and Middleborough. The state lists 12 as having moderate EEE risk, including Amesbury, Groveland, Halifax, Haverhill, Kingston, Merrimac, Newburyport, Plymouth, Plympton, Salisbury, Wareham and West Newbury.

The state also noted that mosquito samples in Dedham have tested positive for EEE, and that town is now considered a low risk.

There are moderate risks of West Nile virus in parts of Suffolk County, Middlesex County, Norfolk County, Bristol County, Essex County, Plymouth County, Worcester County and Hampden County.

Officials expect the mosquito population to increase throughout the summer and recommend, among other prevention techniques, avoiding outdoor activities in dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active.

The Department of Public Health says people can call its Division of Epidemiology at 617-983-6800 for more information about the mosquito-borne illnesses.

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Elmo posted about the so-called pommel horse guy on X Tuesday, saying that the Worcester native’s amazing performance has encouraged him to pursue his own special talents.

“Mr. Stephen Nedoroscik, Elmo wants to be a specialist too! Elmo was thinking he could be the giggle specialist or maybe a monster-hug specialist. Elmo will keep thinking! #ParisOlympics.”

The Olympian responded to the Sesame Street resident’s post, telling him he can do whatever his heart desires.

“Elmo, the great thing about specializing in something is you get to decide. I think you’ll be a great specialist in anything you end up choosing!” Nedoroscik wrote.

The final decision is in – Elmo is now an official specialist of giggles. It seems an appropriate role for the 3-and-a-half-year-old, who has been delighting and educating children since the 1980s.

The 25-year-old Nedoroscik has gone viral not only for his athleticism, which nabbed him two bronze medals in the Paris Olympics, but also for his happy, humble attitude, love for his sport and of course his now-famous glasses, which have earned him the moniker “Clark Kent.”

After earning his first individual medal in his event, he said he was “beyond excited” to see the surge of excitement for his sport and that the response has been unbelievable.

“I still can’t believe the amount of people that are making me memes and sending me things, it is just the coolest thing ever,” he said.

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Weather and low cloud ceilings was impacting arriving flights, which were delayed an average of two-and-a-half hours, according to the FAA.

A stalled cold front was causing waves of rain in the Boston area Tuesday. There were also delays and cancellations at New York-area airports.

There were 385 delays and more than 150 cancellations at Logan by 6 p.m., according to FlightAware.

“Jetblue was really friendly but then my flight was canceled abruptly after I got through security. They have my luggage,” Zoe Hildreth, who is from Minneapolis, told NBC10 Boston. She said trying to get home has been a disaster.

She later said the airline had her on hold for over an hour before disconnecting her.

“There were no other options for the next three days so my husband booked me a flight on Delta, so I’m standing on line here, and within seconds after he booked the flight it was delayed four hours and I have a first day of a job tomorrow,” she said. “I don’t think I’m getting home yet!”

The line to rebook flights was snaking through Terminal A.

“I’m going to stay in a hotel tonight, and all the hotels are booked, so prices are jacked up,” said Behrouz Emami of Atlanta. “I think prices are $500 at the Hilton here.”

The delays come days after weekend flight diversions left hundreds of international travelers stranded in Boston and airlines scrambling to get them to their destinations. It also comes as Tropical Storm Debby creeps north, bringing more unsettled weather to the northeast.

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Ryan Almeida, 35, of Fairhaven, was arraigned Tuesday on charges of leaving the scene, death resulting, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon with substantial injury. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf.

Fairhaven police said they responded around 7:11 p.m. Saturday to Main Street in the area of Riverside Cemetery near the Route 195 overpass for reports of a crash involving a moped and a Chevy Silverado pickup truck that were both traveling southbound.

According to police, the pickup truck involved in the crash had left the scene by the time officers arrived.

Officers found a moped driver who was critically injured. The victim was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital, where they were pronounced dead, police said. The moped driver has since been identified by police as 29-year-old Alexis Alvarez, of Brockton.

Prosecutors said in court Tuesday that Almeida had become engaged in a “road rage episode” with Alvarez. Witnesses said the two parties were at different times traveling on the wrong side of the roadway when they ultimately collided, with Almeida’s truck hitting Alvarez’s head, causing “catastrophic injuries.”

Police were able to track the vehicle to Almeida’s driveway. The license plates had been removed, but the vehicle had damage consistent with having struck Alvarez.

Almeida’s attorney said in court Tuesday that his client is a single father of a seventh grade student, is self-employed as a contractor and is not a flight risk.

Bail was set at $25,000. As part of his bail conditions, Almeida cannot drive and has to surrender all firearms. He is scheduled to be back in court on Sept. 24.

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A Louisiana-based chain that focuses on a popular food item continues to expand into the Greater Boston area, with a new one soon opening a few miles north of the city.

According to an article from What Now Boston, Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers is planning to open in Saugus, moving into a space on Route 1 between the Lynn Fells Parkway and Main Street exits. Once the new outlet opens (possibly in October or November), it will join others locally in Boston’s Back Bay, by Boston University, in Marlborough, and Methuen, while others are in the works for Downtown Crossing, Medford, and Framingham as well.

The address for the upcoming Raising Cane’s in Saugus is 799 Broadway (Route 1), Saugus, MA, 01906. The website for the chain is at https://www.raisingcanes.com/

[A related post from our sister site (Boston’s Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]

Please help keep Boston Restaurant Talk and Boston’s Hidden Restaurants going by making a one-time contribution or via a monthly subscription. Thanks! (Donations are non-deductible.)

Jonathan Quintanilla of Waltham is accused in a series of attempted break-ins at homes and cars in the West end neighborhoods of Watertown over the weekend. Watertown police say he was arrested with the help of police in Newton.

Police released surveillance video to the public before announcing the arrest.

Investigators believe Quintanilla may be involved in other break-ins in the area. Anyone who recognizes him or thinks they may have surveillance video of him is asked to contact police.

Watertown police remind residents they can take steps to reduce their risk of burglary, including:

• Always locking your home and car. Consider extra security like deadbolts, alarms, and surveillance cameras
• Keep your property well-lit, including outdoor lighting and motion detectors
• Keep valuables out of site and consider using a safe for important documents or high-value items

The Coast Guard said the 20-foot vessel had damage to the left side of its bow, or the front part of the boat. All three people who were hurt have been taken to Boston hospitals and were expected to survive.

The incident took place on the southeast side of Long Island. Images from the scene showed first responders’ boats near what remains of the bridge from Quincy.

Boston EMS confirmed having multiple crews at a scene. Three people were seen being pulled from stretchers to ambulances.

“He took quite a hit,” said a woman whose brother owns the boat and was on board. “He’s pretty banged up.”

She says her brother is a frequent fisherman in the area, adding that the weather played a role in the crash.

“It was a little cloudy but the fog rolled in and it was harder to see,” the woman said. “He swerved to avoid something and then boom. It’s nothing short of a miracle that all three men are OK.”

NBC10 Boston has reached out to Massachusetts State Police as well.

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“You know, it’s bittersweet,” Biles said. “You’ve worked your whole life for moments like this and you almost take it for granted how fast it goes. Last night I definitely had a good cry about it, because I couldn’t believe it was over I called my mom and my sister and I was like, ‘It’s done’. But they were happy tears.”

On the gold medal team with Biles in the team all-around competition was Plano-transplant Hezly Rivera, who at 16 years old was the youngest member of Team USA.

“She made it here so fast! She is so strong. She’s a great competitor. I was super excited to have her on the team with us. She is like our little baby Hezly! To just be able to guide her through this process, I don’t believe this will be her last Olympics,” Biles said.

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She also talked about why it is so important for her to be open about her mental health.

“For me, it’s about being relatable. It takes vulnerability. It takes some strength and some courage. Through therapy, I found that’s where I find my strength. If it can help a little girl out there or even a little boy or a grown person, then that’s what I’m going to do,” Biles said.

She said what she is doing now is paving the way for the future.

“I really do this to inspire the younger generation. That’s exactly why we’re doing it. Finding joy and making sure that they have an easier ride than we are. If we can give any tips, pointers, helpers. That’s what I want to do. Hopefully, they’ll be in the crowd at the Gold Over America Tour,” Biles said.

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The Gold Over America Tour will represent the best of the best. Biles will be joined by Olympic medalists Jade Carey, Jordan Chiles, Fred Richard, Brody Malone, Paul Juda, Stephen Nedoroscik, and Joscelyn Roberson.

They will bring their talents from the world stage to the GOAT stage in a high-flying pop concert-style spectacle. Other cast members joining them on tour include Katelyn Ohashi, Peng-Peng Lee, Mélanie Johanna De Jesus Dos Santos, Casimir Schmidt, and more to be named.

The GOAT tour will make a stop in Fort Worth on October 20.

Great whites have about 300 teeth, and this one probably showed off more than we needed to see.

The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, the region’s leading white shark research nonprofit organization, was able to get up close and personal with the shark thanks to some incredible underwater video.

The shark swam right over to the underwater camera, showing off its toothy smile.

Researchers said the shark was one of dozens of great whites that were feasting off a whale carcass about six miles off the coast just a few weeks ago.

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New legislation is being touted as a $5 billion investment in tackling the commonwealth’s housing issue. It’s called the Affordable Homes Act, and it’s the largest housing bill in Massachusetts history.

The hope is it will both increase housing production and improve the affordability of existing housing.

It includes $2 billion to accelerate the development of affordable units and mixed income multifamily housing.

There are also zoning reforms as part of the bill – like allowing so-called “accessory dwelling units,” or additions on single family homes – that the governor’s office says could create 10,000 new units.

And there are tax credits intended to “spur housing production.”

With Massachusetts continuing to be one of the most expensive states in the country to buy a home or rent an apartment, state lawmakers say this bill is crucial in improving the housing crisis here.

Beyond that, state officials predict Massachusetts will need to build upwards of 200-thousand new homes by 2030 to keep up with demand.

Gov. Maura Healey signed the bill into law at a ceremony in Newton.

“We committed to housing as our top priority,” she said. “We recognized that we entered office short a couple hundred thousand housing units statewide, housing across a range of income levels, and we said that this is something that is going to hold us back as a state.”

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She crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead over women’s 100m winner Julien Alfred, of St. Lucia, and teammate Brittany Brown.

This is a breaking news update. Read an earlier version of this story below.

Tuesday in Paris, runner Gabby Thomas will push for a gold medal.

Thomas, who grew up in Northampton, Massachusetts, and graduated from Harvard University, earned two medals in Tokyo — silver in the 4x100m relay and bronze in the women’s 200m.

She posted the fastest time Monday in the 200m semifinal, and she’s a favorite for the gold in Tuesday’s final.

“I feel really good, I feel confident, in control,” she said after the semifinal. “I feel confident that it’ll all come together tomorrow, so I’m excited.”

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The Springfield Police Department said in a Facebook post Sunday that Felix Rivera of Chicopee was recently reported missing.

According to police, Rivera’s family last heard from him when he was discharged from Springfield’s Baystate Medical Center in October.

While he was living in Chicopee at the time, police say Rivera may be in Puerto Rico.

Authorities did not give a physical description of Rivera or reveal his age, but they released a photo.

Anyone with information is asked to call 413-787-6360 or 413-787-6300.

Epicore Biosystems in Cambridge is no stranger to woring with athletes, partnering with Gatorade on a wearable patch that monitors hydration.

The company is modifying that technology to detect illicit substances.

Epicore is working with the United States Anti-Doping Agency to develop a new way to test athletes for performance-enhancing drugs.

“We’re able to now have miniaturized devices that you could wear remotely and not be in the laboratory setting,” said Roozbeh Ghaffari, CEO and cofounder of Epicore Biosystems.

“We’re using discovery patches to collect sweat from athletes,” said cofounder AJ Aranyosi.

“What we found is that sweat could be a much more effective, comfortable, and less invasive biofluid target than the existing approaches that we have with blood and urine,” Ghaffari explained.

Doping has long been a problem at the Olympic Games. In 1988, Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who tested positive for an anabolic steroid, had his gold medal taken away and given to American Carl Lewis. One of Team USA’s biggest track stars, Marion Jones, lost all five of her medals from the 2000 Sydney Games after lying about using performance-enhancing drugs. And most recently, Russian athletes were banned from competing under their country’s flag after the discovery of a state-sponsored doping scheme during the 2014 Sochi Games.

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Those are just three of many examples that led to increased anti-doping testing.

While the patches can tell if an athlete is cheating, they can also be beneficial to their training.

“What we’re able to do is collect small quantities of sweat — while measuring other biomarkers, such as your skin temperature, your motion, your activity — and we’re able to look at all of that data and determine whether or not you need to rehydrate,” Ghaffari said. “We can even tell whether or not you’re physically starting to feel fatigue.”

Epicore says its technology can also be used by everyday people who work in hot climates, and that the patches can help workers better understand their hydration needs while on the job.

The Texas-based company filed for bankruptcy in May and last week announced the closure of Carney Hospital in Boston’s Dorchester neighborhood and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer.

“I’ve been a patient for 53 years,” said Carney Hospital patient Rob Burke. “If they ask me ‘you want to keep your doctor?’ yeah good, how about my hospital?”

Burke and other patients joined health care workers at Carney Hospital in a protest Monday morning in front of the building.

“I’ve already been told that I do not have a job as of August 31,” said Carney Hospital emergency room psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Becky Read.

Steward Health Care is closing the two hospitals by the end of the month and is slated to sell their remaining six in Massachusetts.

“I think it’s asinine that they want to close the hospital there’s no other hospital around here so they need to keep it open,” said Carney Hospital Personal Care Attendant Stephanie Dawson.

Dawson has been Peggy Phisher’s caretaker for the past decade. Phisher is a senior patient with special needs. She wished to send a message for the company’s CEO Ralph de la Torre.

“If she sees him she wants to give him a piece of her mind,” said Dawson interpreting for Phisher.

De la Torre has been accused by elected officials of profiting from failing hospitals and dodging a state law that requires a 120-day advance notice of a closure.

“We should be instituting 120-day closure and have a public hearing which is required by law,” said First Suffolk District State Senator Nick Collins who was at the Monday morning protest.

The closure of both hospitals would impact roughly 1,250 employees.

“They could sell this property, allow either the state or bidder to come in and keep this hospital which serves an incredibly vulnerable and marginalized population alive,” said Carney Hospital ER nurse practitioner Stephen Wood.

In an effort to avoid a closure, the Massachusetts Nurses Association is urging the governor and mayors to declare a health emergency, draw from the state’s $8 billion “rainy day” fund, and as a last resort, seize the hospitals through eminent domain.

“[We’re] looking to make sure we’re pulling together the whole landscape of health care providers across different city boundaries so that we can just have every resource on the table,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.

Steward Health Care has not responded to requests by NBC10 Boston to explain why it won’t sell the hospitals instead of closing them.

Insight Health, another health care group, confirmed Tuesday that they submitted a bid to buy all eight Steward Hospitals, but no deal was reached.

“Insight Health System submitted a bid to acquire all eight hospitals currently operated by Steward Health System in Massachusetts. As a clinician-led organization, Insight Health System believes in providing equitable access to healthcare services for all, and we deeply understand how damaging the closure of healthcare facilities can be to local communities. We have proven experience in transforming distressed healthcare facilities into financially stable pillars of community health services with patient care that is second to none – something we have done in Southside, Chicago; Flint, Michigan; and stand ready and able to do here in Massachusetts,” wrote Atif Bawahab, chief strategy officer at Insight Health System, when asked for comment.

Ayer’s Select Board is having a meeting over this issue on Tuesday, and the Boston City Council is expected to address it on Wednesday.

The Steward Health Care CEO has been subpoenaed by the US Senate and is expected to testify on September 12.

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“I can’t overemphasize how important this is for the city,” Wu told NBC10 Boston.

Empty office buildings are causing commercial property values to plummet and creating a revenue vacuum that without action, would fall on Boston homeowners.

“It’s to the balance and benefit of everyone who lives, works and plays in the city,” Wu said.

“I’m hopeful we’ll still be able to get it done during our informal sessions,” said State Rep. Rob Consalvo.

The conversation around the plan has largely focused on high-rise office buildings that line Boston’s downtown and financial districts. Analysts and onlookers say the real impact of the policy would be felt in neighborhood business districts.

“The folks who end up having the biggest impact is the grassroots property owners here in the outlying neighborhoods,” said Greg Maynard of the Boston Policy Institute.

But Wu stands by her plan, hoping lawmakers will revisit the issue as part of a potential formal session centered on proposals that didn’t make it through the July 31 deadline.

“I think residents everywhere want to see action on the issues that are urgent and appreciate the additional time and effort to get something right,” said Mayor Wu.

“It’s just really clear that people need a lot more information and need to understand this better,” said Maynard.

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Mayor Michelle Wu announced the launch of the Boston E-Bikes Incentive on Monday, a program that will offer eligible residents a voucher toward the purchase of an e-bike and the safety equipment that goes along with it.

According to Wu, the program is meant to be a way to shift to more sustainable forms of transportation and also close the gap on historic inequities in transportation access.

“Boston is a city always on the move, and we want to ensure that all of our residents have transportation options that are convenient, affordable, and sustainable for their individual needs,” Wu said in a media statement. “This e-bike voucher program will help reduce emissions and expand transportation options for traditionally vulnerable residents.”

The program will offer 1,000 vouchers ranging from $800 to $2,400 toward the purchase of an e-bike. Recipients will also receive $150 toward bicycle safety equipment.

To qualify, you must be a Boston resident over 18 years old and fit the following criteria:

• income-eligible adult (at or below 40% AMI)
• a senior over 60 years of age
• an adult with a chronic or permanent disability

The e-bike purchased will also need to meet certain criteria – it must have a safety-certified rechargeable battery and a pedal assist that provides a more effortless riding experience. Certain cargo e-bikes, which offer more storage and passenger-carrying options, will also be eligible. The program will also allow the purchase of handcycle wheelchair attachments and adaptive e-bikes that can be modified for specific needs.

Applications opened Monday for adults with permanent disabilities interested in powered handcycle wheelchair attachments or adaptive e-bikes and will be open through September 5. Applications for other eligible groups open on August 12 and run through August 24.

The city will also host free “Try an E-Bike” and bike shop showcase events in August to help residents decide what bike is a good fit for them.

The program is funded with $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds

Learn more at boston.gov/ebikes.

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Some of those landlords are sharing their stories.

Mark Haskell 

In 2009, Mark Haskell and his family needed to move to a bigger home. Because the housing bubble had burst and the property on Shawnee Road in Worcester had lost value, he decided to rent the home instead of selling it. 

Haskell’s first tenant was a doctor who lived at the property with no problems.

The next time he listed it, the Callahans showed up. They came armed with a packet of pay stubs and credit reports. 

“They said all the right things,” Haskell said. “They were very relatable.”

In retrospect, Haskell said the only red flag was an urgency to get into the property as soon as possible, but he overlooked it at the time.

Upon returning from a business trip, Haskell received a call from the bank. The Callahans’ rental check had been written from a closed account. 

“There was a sinking feeling that something wasn’t right,” Haskell said. “I thought I had been scammed.”

Haskell said the couple made excuses about the money and tried to string him along as much as possible. After several months of paying both mortgages while supporting kids and juggling other bills, Haskell hired an attorney to begin the eviction process. 

The entire ordeal took about six months. On the eve of the eviction, there was still a last-minute plea from Russell Callahan about accessing funds from his work retirement account so he could stay in the property.

“We never meant for it to come to this point, believe me,” Haskell read from an email he received. “We very much enjoy living here. Please contact me at your earliest convenience to discuss. I want to work with you.”

After the eviction, Haskell said he received a call from a real estate agent who was listing a rental property. The Callahans had applied and the agent was checking with previous landlords. 

Haskell was able to help that property owner avoid the legal headache that he experienced. His judgment in housing court is for about $6,000, but he estimates his losses at closer to $10,000 with moving expenses and attorney fees.

Roughly 15 years later, Haskell shakes his head that the pattern continues. 

“I can’t believe they’re still up to this and the system allows it,” he said. “If you look at it as a whole, it’s a major scam.”

Tyler Lynch

In 2016, Tyler Lynch was a recent college graduate preparing for his first deployment with the Navy. 

Lynch decided to list his Jacksonville home for rent on Zillow. Before long, the Callahans contacted him to see the property. 

Lynch said they seemed like an “all-American couple” who asked questions about his collegiate football career and perhaps drinking a beer together at some point.

“They were the kind of people that you would expect a fun neighbor to be,” Lynch recalled. 

Shortly after Lynch deployed overseas, the Callahans moved into his home. Before long, they were late on the monthly rent. 

After Lynch sent a reminder about making a payment, he said Linda Callahan responded that her husband was in a horrible work accident and was on life support.

“I felt so bad about the situation, I sent flowers to the house,” Lynch said. 

More time passed and Lynch had still not received any rental payments. While dealing with limited cell service in a foreign country, Lynch finally managed to reach Russell Callahan on the phone.

During that conversation, Russell Callahan told him that he had not been in an accident. Instead, he blamed his wife for spending the rent money on other items and said the couple was getting a divorce.

Again, Lynch felt sympathy about the situation. But when more weeks passed with nothing but radio silence from the Callahans, reality hit.

“I have this house and I’m in a different country. I’m thinking, “What am I going to do?”” Lynch said. “I realized I made a horrible mistake.”

Lynch had to hire an attorney to assist with the eviction process during his deployment. He said the experience cost him about $10,000. 

Lynch, now a lieutenant commander with the Navy living in the Dallas area, was stunned when we contacted him eight years later about his landlord nightmare.

“The neighborly, welcoming people I first met, they’re just criminals,” he said. “They are cheating the system every way they can.”

Hayk Hovhannisyan

Hayk Hovhannisyan and his wife both lost their jobs at the beginning of 2018. Around the same time, the tenants at their Shrewsbury rental property also notified them that they were moving out. 

That’s why Hovhannisyan told us it was crucial to find new tenants and have the rental income to help support his two children.

During the open house, Linda Callahan seemed like the perfect prospective tenant.

“Suddenly, there’s this middle-aged, white, happy and trustworthy woman with all the paperwork in hand,” Hovhannisyan recalled. 

The Callahans were supposed to move in at the beginning of August, but asked if they could start their tenancy several days early. 

On the day they handed over the keys, Hovhannisyan said there were moving trucks at the property already loaded up with the Callahans’ possessions. In retrospect, he now realizes those trucks had come straight from the Callahans’ eviction at their previous rental property. 

Just like with other landlords, the first rental check bounced. Excuses followed about the IRS and the bank account being frozen.

Hovhannisyan eventually went to investigate at the bank branch. That’s when he learned the account from which the check was written had been closed for a long time. 

“These are professional con artists,” Hovyannisyan said. “I realized this is not some isolated thing. There are actually people who live like this.”

Like several other landlords we spoke with, Hovyannisyan believes he was targeted because he is an immigrant who is unfamiliar with the legal system and eviction process. 

He hired an attorney and discovered how long it can take to execute an eviction, even when the tenants are not paying a dime. 

On moving day, which landlords are required to pay under Massachusetts law, two trucks were not sufficient to load up all the Callahans’ items. Hovyannisyan had to call in a third truck to finish the job. 

When he entered the property for the first time after the eviction, he noticed the walls had been painted a different color. 

Hovyannisyan estimates the lost rent, moving expenses and attorney fees cost him about $13,000.

“Hopefully, they’ll end up in some nice jail,” he said. “Free housing. That’s what they’re looking for, yes? Free housing.”

Rory Mallaghan

The home on Jonathan Circle was the first property that Rory Mallaghan owned. When he and his wife moved to a new home in anticipation of having their first child, Mallaghan listed the property for rent on Zillow, hoping to find a tenant who would care for the home where he’d created so many memories. 

The Callahans showed up to get a tour of the property and Mallaghan remembers how they gave the impression they would really enjoy living in the space.

“Linda was so bubbly,” Mallaghan recalled. “Every nook of the house, she thought she could put certain things in certain places and everything would be fantastic.”

The couple said they were looking at several properties and already had a packet of paperwork available, including pay stubs, references and credit reports. 

The Callahans said they were helping with family in Shrewsbury and staying at a nearby hotel just to get some space. Mallaghan gave them a ride back to the hotel after the showing. 

Like other landlord encounters, a familiar series of events followed.

Upon returning from a work trip, Mallaghan discovered the Callahans’ rent checks had bounced. The couple first blamed a problem with the IRS, then described an issue withdrawing funds from a 401k account. 

“They always had an excuse of why the money wasn’t there and they were working on it,” Mallaghan said. “They just preyed on my forgiveness and compassion and were able to live there rent-free.”

When he finally ran out of patience, Mallaghan hired an attorney to start the eviction process. After eight months of receiving no rent, Mallaghan wrote an email to the Callahans, pleading with them not to delay any longer and leave the property. 

“We’ve come to terms we will never see that money. It was an expensive lesson,” he wrote. “We had plans to buy baby necessities. It’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Mallaghan was there when a constable showed up to execute the eviction and a moving company packed up possession. When he entered the home for the first time, everything was stripped from the walls, including the toilet paper holders.

He said the ordeal cost him about $20,000.

“They know what they’re doing,” Mallaghan said. “They are just taking people for a ride.”

Sitanshu Sinha and Shilpi Gupta

The home on Egret Circle in Shrewsbury was the first property Sitanshu Sinha and Shilpi Gupta purchased when they immigrated to the United States. The couple later decided to move to a larger home in town and rented the old property to several different tenants without incident. Then they listed it again in August 2023. 

Russell and Linda Callahan showed up to look at the home and said they were trying to get a loan to buy some land, so they had already assembled a credit report, background check and pay stubs for their bank. 

The documents they provided to Sinha and Gupta falsely listed the couple’s last name as “O’Callagham” to avoid detection. 

Before moving in, Linda Callahan said she thought the basement would be a perfect space to work on her art and craft projects, and asked if she could pay to have it carpeted. Sinha and Gupta thought it was a strange request from tenants and declined the offer. 

“That still sticks with me because of the way things turned out,” Gupta said. 

A couple of days after moving into the property, the checks bounced. The pattern of excuses followed, but Sinha said it did not seem like there was any urgency to get the payment situation resolved. 

The couple eventually realized they needed to get a lawyer because they started dipping into emergency savings to pay the mortgages on both properties. 

“It was very stressful on us financially,” Gupta said. 

At the eviction proceedings in housing court, Russell Callahan declined to answer questions from the judge. He would not even state his name under oath without legal representation, according to audio we obtained. 

“I don’t credit your testimony, sir,” the judge told Callahan. “I actually don’t credit anything you said. I find you to be evasive and not particularly forthcoming.”

When Sinha called a moving company to get an estimate, the employee asked for the names of the tenants being evicted. A couple minutes later, the employee said he could provide an exact quote because the moving company had already boxed up the Callahans’ possessions on multiple occasions. 

On the eve of the move, Linda Callahan made a final plea to stay in the house until after Christmas.

“I know you are very angry with us, and truthfully, we don’t blame you,” read a text message. “We falsified the documents because we wanted to rent from you. And with our history, we knew you wouldn’t consider us.”

After the Callahans moved out, Sinha and Gupta found nail holes and other damage everywhere throughout the house. There were light fixtures, curtain rods and speakers missing.

The couple estimates the financial nightmare cost them about $30,000 in savings. They had planned to invest that money in their two kids’ college savings plans. 

The home on Egret Circle is the last known address for the Callahans. No new eviction cases have surfaced since movers packed them up last December. 

“I’m still at a loss for words,” Sinha said. “How can something live like this for so long and get away with it?”

Nadia Amrani

Nadia Amrani moved out of her home on Locust Avenue in Worcester and rented a home in Shrewsbury so her three daughters could attend a better high school. The single mom planned to move back to Worcester after her daughters graduated, but needed to find a tenant to help pay the mortgage in the interim. 

When the Callahans came to look at the property, they had a packet of paperwork ready to go. They told Amrani they were thinking about buying a home and applying for a mortgage, so they’d already assembled the financial records for the bank.

“I thought they were just being proactive,” Amrani said. “Making things easier for me.”

The documents like credit reports and pay stubs all seemed legit, so Amrani offered the Callahans a rental agreement. She remembers Linda Callahan seeming relieved and in control once she handed her the keys. 

Amrani read us the text message she received from Linda Callahan once the lease was signed. Years later, the words take on an ominous tone. 

“Thank you so much for your decision on selecting my family,” the message said. “I understand the financial agreement to be met. We will respect your home as if it were our own. Enjoy your day. I know you just made ours great.”

Linda Callahan delayed providing a security deposit until closer to the move-in date, saying her mom was in the hospital having heart surgery. By the time the check bounced, the Callahans were already living in the home.

Amrani said the couple initially blamed problems with the IRS on the lack of funds. When weeks passed with no payment, Amrani went to the bank and discovered the account had been closed. 

“I started panicking,” Amrani said. “I couldn’t afford to pay the mortgage and the rent where I was living.”

Amrani hired an attorney and won an eviction at the end of 2019. She is thankful she got rid of the Callahans just before the COVID pandemic. That’s when the government implemented an eviction moratorium, and Amrani believes she would’ve lost her home. 

Once the rental payment problems surfaced, Amrani remembers looking up the Callahans in the housing court’s online system. She was stunned when she saw their extensive eviction history, a track record that was nowhere to be found in the documents they had provided in that first encounter.

“They need to pay for what they did,” she said. “Those people have been evicted over and over and over again. The system knows them. And nothing has been done.”

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But what if someone just decides not to pay rent?

Once the landlord pursues an eviction, the tenants delay the legal process as long as possible with last-second motions and other tactics.

When they finally get kicked out, the cycle simply repeats for a new unsuspecting property owner.

Meet the people known as “professional tenants.” It is a term used in housing circles for those who have figured out how to game a system in Massachusetts, a state with a national reputation for being pro-tenant.

“The reason they are called professional tenants is because they can earn a living by scamming landlords,” said Doug Quattochi, executive director of Mass Landlords, a nonprofit advocacy organization. “You can delay evictions for a very long time if you intend to abuse the system.”

An NBC10 Investigation uncovered a husband and wife who might be the poster children for how to pull off the rent-free scheme with no serious consequences other than the inconvenience of frequently updating their mailing address.

Across Worcester County, small landlords have regretted renting their properties to a couple named Russell and Linda Callahan.

People told us the Callahans made a positive first impression, seemed like an “all-American” couple, and showed up with a stack of paperwork to bolster their rental application.

The paperwork, which included pay stubs, a background check and a credit report, was intended to give landlords peace of mind.

“They said they were looking at a bunch of houses, so they had the paperwork ready to go,” one landlord recalled. “I thought they were being proactive.”

However, after signing a lease and handing over the keys, there was always a problem: the first rental check bounced.

The timing of the payment was always close to the couple’s move-in date. By the time the bank notified landlords the checks didn’t clear, the Callahans were already in the homes.

Landlords told us a string of excuses followed about why the funds were not available. The Callahans blamed a problem with the IRS, a slow transfer of 401k funds, or a family member in the hospital getting surgery.

Eventually, the landlords all came to the realization they feared: It was all a scam.

“I realized this was not some isolated thing,” a landlord told us. “There are people who actually live like this.”

The property owners were then forced to begin the eviction process, a legal maze in housing court that turned out to be much longer and more expensive than they ever imagined. In some cases, landlords had to also foot the bill for thousands of dollars in moving and storage expenses following evictions, as state law requires.

Over the past two decades in Massachusetts, the NBC10 Investigators found the Callahans have been evicted at least 16 times with judgments for unpaid rent surpassing well over $100,000. The losses soar even higher when you take into account legal fees, moving expenses, and repairs for damage to the properties.

Worcester attorney Henry Raphaelson has more than 40 years of housing court experience and told us he has personally been involved in at least six eviction cases with the Callahans. We asked him what comes to mind when he hears their names.

“People that under no circumstances should you rent to them,” he replied. “Because it ends up badly every single time.”

Landlords and neighbors said it seemed like the couple planned to stay at the properties for a long time. They showed up with enough possessions to fill every room in the homes and immediately adorned yards with elaborate seasonal decorations.

We asked Raphaelson why he thinks the Callahans continue the pattern, especially with a growing list of people chasing them for money.

“Because they are living in very, very nice places,” Raphaelson said. “At least for the time being, until they end up being ordered out by a court of law.”

Over the past two decades, the only gap in housing court cases we found in Massachusetts was a four-year stint the Callahans spent in Florida. That’s where we found eight different evictions in that short time span.

One of the landlords rented his Jacksonville home to the Callahans just before leaving on a deployment with the Navy. He then dealt with the stress of losing $10,000 while navigating the eviction process overseas.

“I’m thinking that I have this house and I’m in another country. ‘What am I going to do?’” the landlord recalled. “I realized I made a huge mistake.”

Despite a long court paper trail, the Callahans have almost no digital footprint. The only images we found of Linda Callahan were some mug shots after arrests for writing bad checks while living in Florida. Russell Callahan’s lone image was a driver’s license photo that was included with one of his rental applications.

Linda Callahan’s criminal record shows more than 50 charges over the years, the majority larceny by check and uttering false records. According to police reports, she bounced checks on purchases for everything from flowers to furniture to jewelry.

A handful of those resulted in convictions, leading to several short jail stints or probation sentences.

However, it appears the Callahans have avoided any serious consequences for the rent-free scheme they’ve pulled off for the past 20 years.

“Those people have been evicted over and over again,” one landlord told us. “The system knows them. And nothing has been done.”

The Callahans have not responded to phone calls or emails from the NBC10 Investigators. Many of the phone numbers landlords used to communicate with them have been disconnected and are no longer in service.

Meantime, no new address has surfaced since their most recent eviction last December. It might be only a matter of time before a different landlord realizes there are professional tenants living at the property.

“The Callahans certainly owe the most money of anyone I’ve seen in Worcester County,” Raphaelson said. “I guess we’re all just waiting. History has told us there’s another case around the corner.”

IN OUR NEXT REPORT: We take a closer look at the legal system and some of the surprising reasons why the professional tenants have skirted criminal accountability

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A whale was spotted breaching in the Boston Harbor on Monday.

Meghan Verdaguer said she was walking up the Deer Island hill when she spotted the marine mammal in the harbor. She captured video as it breached the water. Her video, captured from some distance, give some perspective on the size of the animal as it popped up between boats on the water.

There have been other recent whale sightings up and down the New England coast, including an incredible encounter in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, when a breaching whale capsized a boat. Both the whale and the startled boaters were unharmed – a neighboring pair of fishermen caught it all on camera and rescued the men from the water.

In Plymouth, Massachusetts, five humpbacks were seen bubble feeding up close. And last week a whale was spotted in the harbor near Boston’s Logan Airport.

No arrests directly connected to the shooting of the woman, identified Monday as 24-year-old Zharia Wilcox-Ellis, on Friday night have yet been announced, but Waltham police and the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said Monday that the investigation remained active.

Wilcox-Ellis’ partner, Melanie Williams, was in court Monday afternoon to face the charge she was arrested on, assault and battery on a household or family member, authorities said. The 30-year-old lives at the apartment building, the Wright Apartments on Second Avenue, near where Wilcox-Ellis was found shot.

Williams was seen on video hitting Wilcox-Ellis outside the building during a fight shortly before the shooting, authorities said. The alleged assailant and victim were formerly partners, prosecutors said in court.

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 1-800-799-SAFE (7233), visiting www.thehotline.org or texting LOVEIS to 22522.

A not guilty plea was entered on Williams’ behalf in court on Monday.

“The video clearly captures this defendant strike Ms. Wilcox in the head and you can see Ms. Wilcox respond,” a prosecutor said in Waltham District Court, adding that Wilcox-Ellis was already visibly bleeding before being struck and that, afterward, the people on the video walk off-camera.

Investigators asked that anyone who saw anything unusual near the apartment building late Friday call police at 781-314-3550.

There was a heavy police presence well into the day Saturday outside the Wright Apartments.

People living in the area said it was the last place they would expect to see gun violence.

“This incident is just crazy,” said Deedee Vestal whose boyfriend lives in the neighborhood. “What frame of mind is that person in to do this to someone? Take somebody’s life like that? What are you thinking? What are you thinking? Like… it’s just… I can’t. I can’t wrap my mind around it. I just can’t. I just think it’s awful.”

Vestal says investigators were asking residents coming and going from the building if they know anything or saw anything. She says there are a lot of stories going around but mostly a lot of unanswered questions.

“There’s families living in this building you know what I mean? So they’re all like kind of freaked out,” she said.

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Big Lots indicates on its website it will close locations in Ashland, Dennis, Northampton, Seekonk and West Springfield. Those are among what’s widely reported as nearly 300 store closures across the country, coming as the Ohio-based company’s sales have fallen.

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The tunnel had been closed since July 5 as part of a $160 million multi-year restoration project aimed at improving roadway safety and climate resiliency.

Crews completed extensive work during the 31-day closure, including the removal of existing asphalt, rehabilitation of the concrete roadway, replacement of granite curbing and drain inlets, and the installation of new fireboard.

The entire length of the roadway has been repaved and lined, and the tunnel has been thoroughly cleaned in preparation for its reopening.

Since the Sumner Tunnel Restoration Project began in April 2022, commuters were offered alternative options like free MBTA Blue Line trips, discounted and free water ferry rides, reduced Commuter Rail fares, lower parking costs at MBTA and Commuter Rail facilities, and discounted tolls for residents.

A limited number of weekend closures are planned for the fall. At their conclusion by the end of November, the project will be complete. 

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According to FlightAware on Monday morning, there are 35 delays and 40 cancellations, most of them from JetBlue.

But if you can believe it, it was worse over the weekend. Dozens of flights were diverted to Logan on Saturday night due to severe weather. And then on Sunday, we saw hundreds of flight cancellations and delays.

Simply put, there were more people than available spots on planes. And to make matters worse for passengers, many of them are saying all of the hotels within a reasonable proximity of the airport were booked.

Many of them spent the night at the airport. Others spent hours on the phone with airline agents.

“I am very upset. It’s very frustrating to have to deal with this on your birthday, especially when you’re very young and there is no one else here to help you,” said Sophia Aresco, who was trying to fly to Nashville.

“They cancelled my Friday flight, they cancelled my Sunday morning flight and now they just cancelled my Sunday evening flight, so tomorrow if I can get out of here I would’ve been at Logan Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday,” Karen Adams said Sunday as she looked to get back home to Cincinnati. “I don’t want a refund, I don’t want credit, I don’t want an e-ticket. I need to get home to my family and my job.”

The delays and cancellations are continuing, and some airport officials are saying this could end up getting worse before it gets any better.

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The incident occurred by Harmony House, near the epicenter of the city’s beloved Feasts of the Blessed Sacrament, NBC affiliate WJAR reports. Parade security made consistent rounds to ensure the safety of attendees.

The man who was shot was identified as Aaron Britto, a 44-year-old from New Bedford. Hit multiple times, Britto was rushed to Saint Luke’s Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Prosecutors said he was found wounded on the grass between Harmony House, a substance abuse treatment center, and a restaurant on Earle Street by neighbors who heard gunshots.

No arrests were announced as of Monday morning. State and local police were investigating.

The Feasts of the Blessed Sacrament, one of the biggest Portuguese cultural events in America, were held Thursday-Sunday in the area. Hosted by Our Lady of Immaculate Conception Church and offering live music, food and more, the festival commemorates the Catholic rite of the sacrament, a major part of Masses.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the shooting was connected to the festival.

​Boston police say they were called to the area of 1 Harrison Avenue — the listed address for Kaze Shabu Shabu — around 10:21 p.m. for a report of a person stabbed.

Responding officers found one victim, who was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

No arrests have been made, police said.

Further details were not immediately available.

An investigation is active and ongoing.

The Abington Fire Department says multiple calls came in for a fire at 439 Washington St. that was started by a lightning strike and fed by a gas line inside the building.

Chief Jack Glynn says the incident occurred at a group home that houses five individuals with special needs. The staff evacuated the building prior to firefighters arrival. No injuries were reported, however two people were taken to local hospitals as a precaution. The other three are going to be relocated with family members.

Responding crews found heavy fire showing from the outside of the building upon arrival. It’s believed the main gas line may have been struck by lightning, and fire crews were trying to cool the building and keep it contained to the outside while trying to turn it off at the street.

“National Grid’s obviously is very busy tonight with storms and so it took us an extensive amount of time, a real coordinated effort water wise to keep the building cool and protect the exposures and not let it get inside the building, which the crews did an excellent job of doing,” the fire chief said.

“This is actually very unusual for us to get a gas line. We’re not sure whether it hit the top of the building, a tree or a ground or anything along those lines,” Glynn added. “This is unusual to have a gas line for us to get hit. Again, the crews like did an excellent job of containing. This could’ve been disastrous.”

It took about 40 minutes for National Grid to respond. Once they were on scene, they shut off the gas quickly and firefighters were able to immediately kill the flames, Glynn said.

The fire department also had multiple calls Sunday night at other locations due to potential lightning strikes.

From Holyoke in western Mass. to Dedham to Dighton, there were signs of support in 32 different standout locations, and Read showed up at least one location to personally thank her supporters.

“It means the world to our family to have complete strangers like this who obviously recognize that Karen’s innocent and they’ve all come together week after week,” Read’s cousin, Kelly Read, said.

“We’re all bringing attention at the same time to what’s going on in Norfolk County and against Karen Read,” supporter Paul Cristoforo said.

Since Read’s trial ended in a mistrial, there have been a few new developments. The defense has claimed five jurors reached out to say the group reached not guilty verdicts on two of the three charges against her, including the most serious of second-degree murder.

Read is accused of hitting and killing her boyfriend, Boston police officer John O’Keefe, with her SUV.

The only charge the jurors who’ve come forward say they’re divided on is manslaughter. Right now, a retrial is scheduled for Jan. 27, 2025.

Legal analyst Peter Elikann weighed in last week, saying, “The judge here was very frank and honest when she said that whatever decision she makes on this, she assumes that the other side is going to want to bring this to the appeals courts.”

“Hopefully, Judge Cannone does the right thing and at least throws out those two indictments, one and three,” Cristoforo said.

Read’s supporters and family say they’ll keep holding these standouts including a national one on Sept. 7.

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NBC News reported Sunday that Pope Francis is expected to name Providence Bishop Richard Henning to replace 80-year-old Cardinal Sean O’Malley, according to a Catholic Church source with knowledge of the situation.

An announcement from the Vatican is expected Monday.

Some Catholics attending Sunday mass at the Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul in Providence told NBC10 Boston affiliate WJAR reports that they’re happy to hear Henning is the reported new archbishop of Boston.

Henning, 60, succeeded Bishop Thomas Tobin in Providence just last year.

He was on Block Island Saturday night delivering a blessing at a social event and is expected to head to Montreal Monday, WJAR reports.

There was no immediate word on who would succeed Henning in the Providence Diocese.

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The Federal Aviation Administration reports Delta Flight 112 safely landed at Logan around 7:20 p.m. following the incident.

The Airbus A330 was headed to Rome, Italy.

The FAA, who said its regulations require that commercial aircraft be designed to withstand lightning strikes, will investigate.

There was no immediate word on when the plane could depart again for Italy. ​

Downpours and storms were moving across the region Sunday, and the thunderstorm risk continued with pockets of intense rain and lightning possible.

See all severe weather alerts in your area here, and track interactive radar below:

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The Wilmington Fire Department confirms they received a call just after 6 p.m. for an incident on Gandalf Way.

The mom had to be extricated from under the tree, officials said. The child had already gotten out from underneath when first responders arrived.

Two people were taken to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries, officials said.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the tree came down. Downpours and storms were moving through the region Sunday, but there was no word if weather played any role.

Gillette Stadium announced on social media around 6:10 p.m. that tonight’s concert was delayed until further notice due to severe weather in the area.

Fans were asked to shelter in place on the main concourse and follow staff instructions to ensure safety. Any fans who had not yet entered the building were asked to remain in their vehicles. The concert was supposed to start at 6 p.m.

At 7:30 p.m., Gillette Stadium thanked fans for their patience and said it is now safe for them to return to their seats. Anyone who hasn’t entered the building can do so now.

With the forecast clearing up, the show is set to begin at 8 p.m. with Five Finger Death Punch hopefully performing a shortened set.

Ice Nine Kills will not be able to perform due to the condensed timeline, the stadium and band announced.

Metallica said it will still play a full show.

This is the second night of Metallica’s M72 World Tour at Gillette.

The “No Repeat Weekend” features two completely different setlists and support lineups.

The thunderstorm risk continued Sunday night with pockets of intense rain and lightning possible.

See all severe weather alerts in your area here, and track interactive radar below:

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Boston police were called to 10 Amory Terrace for a reported stabbing around 4:42 a.m. and found an adult male victim suffering from a life-threatening stab wound.

The victim was taken to a local hospital where he died from his injuries, police said. His name has not been released.

Police did not provide any details on a suspect, or announce any arrests.

Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact homicide detectives at 617-343-4470.

An investigation is active and ongoing.

State police say troopers responded around 5:33 p.m. to the two-vehicle crash and found one a Mercedes driver with serious injuries.

The 50-year-old Mansfield man was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, police said. His name has not been released.

The driver of the second vehicle was not injured.

According to a preliminary investigation, police say the Mercedes CLA sedan was traveling on Route 1 northbound when the driver attempted to make an abrupt U-turn from the center travel lane, causing a second vehicle traveling northbound in the left most lane to strike the driver’s side of the Mercedes, resulting in fatal injuries to the driver.

The second and third lanes northbound in the area of 475 Washington Street were closed for more than two hours.

The crash remains under investigation.

Outside the gym, the American athlete can be obsessive, too.

So when he again solved his Rubik’s Cube in under 10 seconds on Saturday ahead of the pommel horse final at the Paris Olympics, he knew it was a good omen. He knew he could deliver a performance that would earn him another medal.

“After I solved it under 10 seconds before four team finals, solving it again under 10 seconds for this competition or today, I was like, all right, we got this,” the 25-year-old said.

Earlier this week, the pommel horse specialist played a crucial role in helping the U.S. men earn bronze in the team final, sealing the program’s first Olympic medal in 16 years with a lights-out routine.

Nedoroscik was sensational again under the roof of the Bercy Arena, flying over handles and traveling at ease from one side of the pommel horse to the other.

It was a tight contest, and Nedoroscik lost to two-time world champion Rhys McClenaghan of Ireland and Nariman Kurbanov of Kazakhstan. McClenaghan won with a score of 15.533, with Nedoroscik capping his memorable stay in Paris with 15.300 points.

While McClenaghan increased the difficulty of his routine, Nedoroscik tried some upgrades at training but finally opted against a change of plans. He also kept the same diet.

“We just continued to do the same ritual over and over again. I had six pieces of green apple in the morning with a chocolate muffin,” he said. “That was my breakfast. I just kept everything exactly the same.”

Specializing in a discipline that nobody knows outside gymnastics circles, the Worcester, Massachusetts, native who won two NCAA championships at Penn State, all of sudden has become a social media celebrity, with dozens of memes and pictures of him circulating in the virtual world.

“It is just that unbelievable, the amount of people who are reaching out, following me. They were going crazy. I mean,” he said. “I thought they were hilarious. I’m glad that people are making memes of me. I think it’s so funny. I literally had to go and turn off my notifications yesterday because I needed to be able to lock in for this competition.”

His new fans have compared the bespectacled Nedoroscik to Superman’s alter ego Clark Kent for his ability to transform into a hero on the pommel horse.

“If someone had asked me what about I would eventually gain traction, I would have probably said it was my eyewear or more of my eyes, my diseases that I have,” he said. “You know, I do think I’m just a quirky guy, and I’m glad that people are enjoying my competition.”

Pommel horse is an apparatus the American men have historically struggled with, but Nedoroscik has loved it since childhood. He practiced on it for hours after his parents installed one in the backyard. In 2021, Nedoroscik became the first U.S. gymnast to win a world championship gold medal on pommel horse.

The “monotony” and rituals Nedoroscik enjoys so much, however, have been disturbed by the departure from the athletes village of some of his U.S. teammates who were already done with their own competitions.

“So it was definitely a little lonely in the village,” he said. “But to fill that time, I solved the Rubik’s Cube a couple hundred times and got myself another sub 10. So that’s about all I needed for this competition.”

___

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

Medford police issued a traffic alert on social media saying a portion of Mystic Avenue was shutdown due to the incident, with traffic being diverted away.

Motorists were told to seek alternate routes and expect delays throughout the city.

There were also power outages in the area, with no immediate timetable for power restoration.

Police didn’t say what led to the downed wires.

The university plans to launch a search for his successor in the late spring or summer of 2026. Garber has served as interim president since January 2, when former president Claudine Gay resigned after facing backlash over her congressional testimony about antisemitism on campus as well as plagiarism accusations.

Penny Pritzker, senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation, wrote in a message to the campus that after serving as Harvard‘s provost for more than twelve years, Garber did an outstanding job leading the school through what she described as extraordinary challenges.

“We have asked him to hold the title of president, not just interim president, both to recognize his distinguished service to the University and to underscore our belief that this is a time not merely for steady stewardship but for active, engaged leadership,” Pritzker wrote.

Garber helped shepherd the school during a time of deep divisions. Harvard was one of a number of colleges where students participated in a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments protesting the war in Gaza.

The divisions raised concerns about antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias at the school.

In June, two task forces charged with proposing ways to combat antisemitisim, as well as anti-Muslim, anti-Arab, and anti-Palestinian bias at Harvard delivered preliminary recommendations to Garber. The recommendations focused on more than a dozen areas where the school can act quickly, officials said.

At the school’s commencement in May, hundreds of students in graduation robes walked out of the ceremonies chanting “Free, free Palestine” after weeks of protests on campus. The day prior, the school announced that 13 Harvard students who participated in the protest encampment would not be able to receive diplomas alongside their classmates.

In a written message to the Harvard community Friday, Garber said serving as the school’s leader has been a privilege and pointed to some of the school’s priorities including the value of knowledge, the power of teaching and research, and how the university’s accomplishments can benefit society.

“Our work now is to focus on them with renewed vigor, rededicating ourselves to academic excellence. That excellence is made possible by the free exchange of ideas, open inquiry, creativity, empathy, and constructive dialogue among people with diverse backgrounds and views,” he added. “I know that we are capable of finding our way forward together.”

Garber served as Harvard provost from 2011 until January of this year, when he was named interim president. Garber holds faculty appointments in medicine, economics, government and public health, according to the university.

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The Worcester, Massachusetts, native and pommel horse specialist had already gotten more than his fair share of nicknames after anchoring Team USA to the first men’s team medal at the Olympics in 16 years. And after his 15.300 score in the pommel horse event final proved enough, Nedoroscik even appeared to acknowledge one of those nicknames — Clark Kent, for his signature glasses — by putting the American flag on like a cape.

Nedoroscik was also known as “pommel horse guy,” which was instantly trending on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

“He did it again!” tweeted the City of Worcester, along with a message of congratulations and pride.

Plenty of other reaction poured in, especially from Nedoroscik’s Olympic teams and teammates.

NBC10 Boston asked an ecstatic Nedoroscik about his “pommel horse guy” moniker after his podium-reaching performance.

“It is just awesome seeing the amount of people reaching out and talking about pommel horse,” he said.

He also told reporters it’s “unbelievable” to have memes being made about him, which have even caught the eye of the greatest American gymnast ever.

“It is just the coolest thing ever,” Nedoroscik said. “I mean, Simone Biles yesterday came up to me and said, ‘Look at this meme of you I saw.'”

“I mean, it is all just so surreal,” he continued. “I can’t wait to just soak it all in after this competition, now that I’m not so locked in anymore.”

Here are some of the best:

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The annual bike-a-thon, which raises money for Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has 16 routes — from 25 to 211 miles — and Franklin police were among several departments reminding residents of the increased activity on roadways, asking motorists to use caution when passing PMC riders.

The summertime ride to the tip of Cape Cod is the largest single-event athletic fundraiser in the world, raising $972 million for cancer care since 1980. It is the largest single contributor to Dana-Farber and the Jimmy Fund.

Last year’s cross-state bicycle ride brought in a record $72 million for DFCI, moving the PMC within sight of $1 billion raised.

This year’s fundraising goal is $75 million.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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The Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office confirms Waltham police responded around 11:30 p.m. to a parking lot adjacent to an apartment building on Second Avenue and found a female victim suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

The victim was pronounced dead on scene, officials said. She has not been publicly identified.

No other information has been released at this time, and there was no word on a possible suspect, but there was a heavy police presence well into the day Saturday outside the Wright Apartments.

People living in the area say this is the last place they would expect to see gun violence. They’re on edge knowing the shooter hasn’t been caught.

“This incident is just crazy,” said Deedee Vestal whose boyfriend lives in the neighborhood. “What frame of mind is that person in to do this to someone? Take somebody’s life like that? What are you thinking? What are you thinking? Like… it’s just… I can’t. I can’t wrap my mind around it. I just can’t. I just think it’s awful.”

Vestal says investigators were asking residents coming and going from the building if they know anything or saw anything. She says there are a lot of stories going around but mostly a lot of unanswered questions.

“There’s families living in this building you know what I mean? So they’re all like kind of freaked out,” she said.

Police have not said if this shooting was random, but Vestal and others believe they’re not in any danger.

“They would’ve warned us and they haven’t,” she said.

Vestal is hopeful police will track down whoever did this so justice can be served.

Anyone who saw anything unusual in the area is urged to call the Waltham Police Department.

An investigation is active and ongoing.

The pommel horse specialist competed in the individual event final Saturday, scoring 15.300 to take third in the competition behind Ireland’s Rhys McClenaghaan (15.533) and Kazakhstani gymnast Nariman Kurbanov (15.433).

Nedoroscik, who went fifth in the rotation, had to wait for three more gymnasts to perform to see if he would hold onto the bronze medal position and secure Team USA men’s first individual medal since 2016.

Social media erupted when the result was final.

“He did it again!” tweeted the City of Worcester, along with a message of congratulations and pride.

NBC10 Boston’s Bianca Beltran who is in Paris covering all of the action for us caught up with Nedoroscik after the medal ceremony and asked him about the exciting win.

“This means everything. This is just — I’ve been working so hard to get this,” he said. “It just means the world to me that I was able to go out there and for the ninth routine in a row, ninth competition in a row, get out there, do my job and hit a really nice routine that got me some hardware, baby.”

Nedoroscik became an instant sensation Monday when he anchored the U.S. men’s gymnastics team to the podium for the first time in 16 years with an outstanding performance in his signature event.

The internet hasn’t been able to get enough of the 25-year-old American — dubbing him ‘Clark Kent’ and ‘pommel horse guy’ — and now Nedoroscik, who was brought to Paris exclusively for the pommel horse apparatus, has two bronze medals to his name and he’s loving the attention.

“It is just awesome seeing the amount of people reaching out talking about pommel horse, I’m beyond excited that more people are getting interested in men’s gymnastics and I hope they continue to support it,” he said.

And what about all the Clark Kent memes?

“It is unbelievable. I still can’t believe the amount of people that are making me memes and sending me things. And it’s just the coolest thing ever,” he added. “I mean Simone Biles yesterday came up to me and said ‘look at this meme of you I saw.’ I mean it’s all just so surreal. I can’t wait to just soak it all in after this competition now that I’m not so locked in anymore.”

In Sterling, Mass., there was a watch party taking place at the gym where Nedoroscik once trained. He has inspired fans there and all over the world, and he had a message for anyone with similar eye conditions to his.

“I’ve never let my eye condition hold me back. I don’t have depth perception. I’m hyper sensitive to sunlight and lights in general. But I’ve never let it hold me back,” he explained. “And I just hope that people that are like me and have those difficulties see that anything is possible and to all of them, I hope you chase your dreams.”

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The Boston Fire Department says the fire spread on the first and second floors at 1832 River Street. Photos posted to X around 5 a.m. show flames shooting through the roof.

Two firefighters were transported by Boston EMS. Further details were not immediately shared.

Four residents were displaced and will be assisted by the American Red Cross of Massachusetts.

Fire investigators will determine the cause of the blaze.

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That’s the slogan of Herotech, the company Uy founded, where his projects have included a Spiderman web-shooter, an Iron Man JARVIS display and, most recently, a real-life retractable lightsaber.

“Anything is possible if you set your mind to it,” Uy told NBC10 Boston. “These things that we see on the screen [are] all made possible through a basis of technology and engineering.”

Uy uploaded his first video to Herotech’s YouTube during his senior year of high school. He “made a goal” for himself to make a functioning web-shooter using his school’s 3D printer, and his video documenting the process quickly gathered hundreds of thousands of views.

“I was sitting there [realizing] that people really like this stuff, and really like science fiction coming to life,” he said. “It’s something that I love doing, and ever since then I’ve never looked back.”

Olin’s state-of-the-art engineering programs and project-based curriculum were the “world class” opportunity that Uy was looking for. In Needham, he’s developed his Herotech projects and used them for class credit, with support from his peers and mentors.

“At the end of it, I’ve become a much better designer, engineer and inventor,” he said.

His real lightsaber began as a final project at the school, not for Herotech. On a group project with other “Star Wars” fanatics, Uy built a prototype of a fully retractable LED lightsaber and recruited a research team, dubbed “Project Jedi,” to create the final product.

Uy’s design uniquely features an extendable and retractable blade, emerging from a to-scale hilt his team designed. Instead of a laser illuminating the sword’s fake blade, the team opted for safer LED strips, which are wrapped around a magician’s cane.

The 12-volt LED strip, the retractable cane and the motor and batteries were fitted into a heat-resistant, 3D-printed hilt, coming together to form a movie-accurate lightsaber. Olin says he isn’t done with the project yet — he’s working on speeding up the extension and retraction times, and building a new, metal hilt with different customizable casings.

Now an Olin graduate, Uy is planning to work on Herotech full time in his home country of Singapore. He hopes to inspire future engineers to keep learning and “become a hero” themselves.

“Engineering is as simple as putting things together,” he said. “The more you look at it as something that’s really accessible… more people will realize they can do a lot, and they can make a lot.”

“Truly everything is possible,” Uy added.

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Friday night there were a lot of families up and down Hanover Street enjoying the food and games on a nice night as this weekend marks the 110th annual St. Agrippina’s Feast, but organizers tell NCB10 Boston that they had some issues last year with large groups of teenagers causing problems. They refuse to let any chaos ruin this long-standing tradition.

Michael Sorrentino, one of the organizers who has been coming to the St. Agrippina Feast since he was a kid, said he wants it here to stay. He says they’ve hired private security and added barriers at all four entrances. Backpacks are not allowed. He says the city has been cooperative by adding extra police. The main goal is making sure everyone feels safe at all of the festivals being held throughout the month.

One North End resident says Boston teens took it way too far at one of last year’s festivals.

“I saw them peeing in people’s doorways. Someone was climbing up a fire escape, people yelling out. It was just sheer anarchy,” said Michael O’Brien. “They think it’s funny and for their clicks and their likes on Instagram. That’s why they’re doing it. They’re all videotaping each other.”

Residents and festivalgoers alike hope teenagers are getting the message that underage drinking and fighting won’t be tolerated. A city spokesperson says the city and police are working with all festival organizers to make sure these events remain family friendly and safe.

She’s the Olympic fencer from Harvard University who first thrust her way to silver in the individual foil event on Sunday – then on Thursday, she went on the attack to help her team win gold against Italy.

The New York native is the first Black woman to win an individual Olympic medal in the sport.

“I just brought the heat and you know, that’s what happened,” said Scruggs during an interview after the match.

The 21-year-old is a rising senior at Harvard University, and her success is the talk of the campus.

“I could be walking on campus and I can see an Olympic medalist,” said Harvard student Yvette Easton. “I think that’s so incredibly unique.”

“Our locker room is right next to the fencing locker room, which is amazing because we see them practice, and they’re just incredible athletes,” said another student, Teia Piette. “It’s cool to see them go so far.”

Scruggs is one of 26 athletes with ties to Harvard participating in this year’s Olympics.

“This is destined to happen when you have people who really care, who put so much time and effort into it, and who just love it,” said Harvard Athletics Director Erin McDermott.

Nine of the 42 varsity programs at Harvard have athletes competing in Paris, including in cycling, fencing, swimming and rowing.

“It is so, so cool,” said Harvard rising senior Sophie Butte.

Butte was on the Harvard swimming team, and her father, Charlie, coached Harvard alum Liam Corrigan, who won gold in the men’s four rowing event on Thursday.

“What you learn in that super competitive, but also really fun, environment on the sports teams here, you can easily channel that into whatever goals you have in the classroom,” said Butte. “And if you develop that type of mindset that ‘You’re truly capable of anything,’ you’re kind of unstoppable.”

Harvard fencing head coach Daria Scheider recruited Scruggs and aims to produce more champions.

“That’s always our goal, is how do we induce the right amount of stress that’s going to make them better, but protect them from the burnout, protect them from injury,” said Schneider.

Scruggs is savoring the moment before she goes back to school, bringing with her two Olympic medals, plus bragging rights.

“Two Olympic medals is pretty sick, but you know, I’m still just me, and at the end of the day, you know, I just want to enjoy my last year at Harvard before I graduate, and have a good time,” said Scruggs.

McDemrott wants to send even more Harvard athletes to the next Olympic Games, and build on the success of the fencing program.

Harvard’s Elizabeth Tartakovsky will be the last of the Harvard fencers to compete in the women’s team sabre semis and finals on Saturday.

A 5-year-old boy was critically injured after falling from a balcony on Shirley Avenue Wednesday. A day later, Mayor Patrick Keefe said the building’s conditions were “unacceptable,” explaining that a citation had been issued for violations.

“No family should have to live in unsafe housing conditions and landlords have a responsibility to ensure safety for their tenants,” Keefe said in a statement Thursday. “The conditions at 54 Shirley Avenue are unacceptable.”

On Friday, the building’s owner spoke with NBC10 Boston, saying she did whatever work was needed and reported to her.

“I have been very emotional for a few days,” said the woman, who did not share her name.

She said the tenants told her about the needed repairs on July 23, and she warned the tenants not to let their kids play or run around on the porch.

“I’m a mom of two boys,” she said. “I would never do this to my kids. I would never allow them to play up there by themselves.”

The woman has owned the building for 10 years.

She said she requested a contractor the day after learning of the problem, scheduling the appointment for Friday.

“It’s not like we don’t want to fix it, it just takes time,” the woman said.

Keefe told NBC10 Boston Friday that there’s an ongoing investigation. He did not give any details about what citations the city had issued.

“You have a responsibility, and we have to make sure that the city’s taking care of their vulnerable residents,” Keefe said. “We have to hold these landlords and homeowners accountable.”

The building owner says she is cooperating with the city to try to correct any violations.

“I’m doing everything according to the rental law,” she said. “I’m carefully doing everything.”

The child is still recovering, officials said. He is in stable condition as of Friday.

The incident happened just after 10 a.m. Friday on Sycamore Street.

“Came flying down the hill, absolutely pancaked that Prius right there,” one local resident said.

Witnesses say a crew was delivering an appliance to a nearby home out of the back of the truck when the unoccupied truck took off.

“The fact there was no one in the truck, Runaway Truck, Jesus!” said next-door neighbor Margaret Pricejones.

Sycamore Street is usually pretty busy, especially on a weekday morning. So, those who live in the area were relieved that no cars or people were around when the truck took off.

“I was like what the hell was that? I was in the bathroom and I heard a loud boom, see three poles shaking, I walk out and I was like Holy Christ!” said Andy Godfrey, who was working nearby.

For hours, Eversource crews were on scene, first stabilizing the damaged power pole so the truck and car could be towed, then working to restore power. Around 5:15 p.m. a generator was brought in to help restore power.

The driver of the truck remained on scene and declined to comment.

As for the house, neighbors say it had been under renovation for the last year, with the home owners set to return on Saturday. The car in the driveway belongs to a cleaning crew that was getting the home ready.

“I didn’t have this on my bingo card, I will tell you that much,” said Godfrey. “This is not a typical Friday here in Somerville.”

Frontman and lead singer Steven Tyler suffered a vocal cord injury last year, requiring the Boston-based band to pause its tour.

Aerosmith, which formed in 1970, made the announcement on social media.

“We’ve always wanted to blow your mind when performing. As you know, Steven’s voice is an instrument like no other. He has spent months tirelessly working on getting his voice to where it was before his injury,” the band wrote. “We’ve seen him struggling despite having the best medical team by his side. Sadly, it is clear, that a full recovery from his vocal injury is not possible. We have made a heartbreaking and difficult, but necessary decision — as a band of brothers — to retire from the touring stage.”

The band said anyone who had bought tickets through Ticketmaster will be fully refunded, and they ask anyone who purchased them via third-party sites to reach out to those organizations for more details.

“It has been the honor of our lives to have our music become part of yours,” Aerosmith wrote. “In every club, on every massive tour and at moments grand and private you have given us a place in the soundtrack of your lives.”

“A final thank you to you — the best fans on planet Earth,” the band continued. “Play our music loud, now and always. Dream On. You’ve made our dreams come true.”

Local music historian Donna Halper, who has followed the Boston music scene for decades, tells NBC10 Boston that Aerosmith never lost touch with their roots.

“Yes they were able to find what the next thing was. But they were always faithful to being Aerosmith. You knew who they were. You knew what they did. And they have done it consistently since 1970. That’s an amazing record,” she said.

Halper says longevity is the band’s legacy, evolving as music changed but staying true to their core values.

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