Latest news with #EastBoston
CBS News
5 days ago
- CBS News
Man attacked with hammer outside East Boston bakery
An East Boston man is accused of violently attacking a man with a hammer outside a popular bakery. Eric Vargas, 37, was arrested on charges of Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon following the incident on Tuesday during early morning rush hour at 6:30 a.m. in Maverick Square. The victim says he stopped at La Sultana Bakery to get a bite to eat before work. Police say Vargas asked him to use his cellphone, but the victim told Vargas he didn't have one. As the victim left the bakery, he says Vargas was walking around in circles before he was attacked with the hammer. The brutality of the attack can be seen in pictures the victim shared with WBZ. Blood was gushing from his head and the victim had to get staples in his head. The victim didn't feel comfortable being identified but said in Spanish he's glad the suspect was arrested because he doesn't want him to harm others. Vargas's dad Jose told WBZ his son suffers from schizophrenia and drug addiction. He showed us a hammer he says Vargas recently used to destroy a TV at home. In East Boston District Court Thursday, a doctor who evaluated Vargas recommended he's further evaluated with strict security at Bridgewater State Hospital. "His mother reported to me that he has been off his medication for a significant period of time," said Forensic Psychiatrist Dr. Adeliza Olivero. "She has been extremely concerned about him." Residents in the community said the area is busy and lively, but the incident is scary and not typical, leaving them to be more vigilant. "It's definitely kind of jarring for that to happen," an East Boston resident said. "I guess it's not something that happens every day, this is the first time I'm hearing of something happening over here." "Transit police should be over here; one or two Boston police should be around here just canvassing making sure everybody is getting to work safe," said resident Mario Esparragoza. "I'll just be on my guard and look over my shoulder in case anybody tries you know." Court documents show Vargas has been arrested several times over the last year for vandalizing cars and businesses, among other serious offenses.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Environmental group urges action to reduce bacteria levels at local beaches
On a hot summer day, there is nothing like cooling off at a local beach. But every year, more and more, high bacteria levels are forcing officials to close beaches. 'Sometimes it's so hot you want to get in the water, but you don't want to because of how much bacteria is in the water, you don't want to get sick,' said Amy Villanueva of East Boston Environmental advocates say the problem is getting more common. 'Forty-seven Massachusetts beaches had enough bacteria to put swimmers at risk on a quarter or more of days tested last year,' Devon Bell of Environment Massachusetts said. At East Boston's Constitution Beach, environmental advocates released a study revealing that bacteria pollution is impacting beaches from the North Shore to the tip of Provincetown. The most common culprit is storm water runoff from over development and sewage overflows. And that leaves swimmers frustrated. 'When this is the only beach, you have access to, it's like you have to wait to get into the water, it doesn't feel like it's getting any better,' said Alejandra Andino of East Boston. Environment Massachusetts says it will take billions of federal dollars to take the action needed to reduce coastal bacterial levels. They are urging federal and state lawmakers to fight efforts to reduce spending. 'Everybody deserves a safe clean beach. We want to make sure Americans and people here have that opportunity as enshrined in the Clean Water Act,' said John Rumpler, the Clean Water Director for Environment Massachusetts. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Yahoo
Mass. woman shot and pistol-whipped people she didn't know during attack in Boston, DA says
A Revere woman is facing charges in connection with shooting a man, pistol-whipping two other adults and punching a 15-year-old — all of which she had no prior relationship with — during a May attack in East Boston, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office announced Thursday. Amaya Yarde Lydon, 21, pleaded not guilty to charges including armed assault with intent to murder, four assault and battery charges and four firearms charges in connection with the attack during her arraignment in Suffolk County Superior Court on Thursday, the district attorney's office said in a press release. Her lawyer could not be reached for comment Thursday evening. In the span of a few minutes on the night of May 10, Yarde Lydon attacked four different victims who were previously unknown to her near Maverick Square, according to prosecutors. The attacks began with a confrontation and altercation with a 15-year-old on the inbound platform of the Maverick subway station around 10:40 p.m., the district attorney's office said. During the attack, she punched and pushed the teen. Yarde Lydon then left the station, and within minutes, she pistol-whipped two other victims with a 9mm, semiautomatic handgun multiple times, the district attorney's office said. The two victims were eating dinner from a food truck near Lewis Mall when she attacked them. Yarde Lydon then noticed a bystander who was recording the attack on a cell phone and fired five shots at him, hitting him in the left arm, hip, abdomen and right buttocks, the district attorney's office said. At 10:44 p.m., she tried to flee the scene via Maverick station, but was stopped by Boston police. 'This chaotic spasm of violence left four people injured and probably many others traumatized by witnessing such terrible scenes,' Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden said in the release. A grand jury indicted Yarde Lydon on the charges on June 26, according to court records. A judge found her dangerous during her arraignment and ordered her held on $5,000 bail with release conditions including that she wear a GPS location-monitoring bracelet, be confined to her home, not possess any firearms, have no contact with any witnesses in the case or their families, remain alcohol and drug free, abide by her health care providers' treatment plan and continue going to therapy. Yarde Lydon is due back in court for a pretrial conference on Aug. 26. Former Mass. firefighter gets prison sentence for stealing dead 13-year-old's identity Holyoke drug trafficker gets 6 years for having gun while on release from feds Nearly $115,000 in rare Pokemon cards stolen from New Bedford collectibles store Roslindale man sentenced to prison for killing man while racing on I-93 Ex-Boston cop accused of beating intoxicated man on St. Patrick's Day weekend released Read the original article on MassLive.
CBS News
03-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
There's a salt marsh in Boston where you can see more than 200 species of birds
Did you know there is great spot in East Boston for bird watching where you can also enjoy nature? Belle Isle Marsh Reservation is the largest remaining salt marsh in the city. "You can be out there on the main street then you come in here and you're in a different place in a different time," said Heather Famico of the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR). "It's a place you can come to look at birds. We have over 200 species. You can come for a walk. You can look at the skyline. You can look at the planes overhead if that's your type of bird" Famico said. Much of Boston used to be marshland like this, including the Back Bay, South Bay, Mill Pond and more. Those areas were filled in, and Belle Isle almost suffered the same fate in the 1980s. "This area was looked at to be developed, and the people of East Boston said 'no we don't want that,'" said Kannan Thiruvengadam with the non-profit organization Friends of Belle Isle. Why are salt marshes important? Salt marshes provide a buffer against storm surge and coastal erosion. They also provide other benefits. "Along with climate crisis and a loss of biodiversity we have a rising mental health crisis in our society. You come to a space like this, you calm down, you destress, you feel better" Thiruvengadam said. Despite the public benefit and conservation status, the marsh is under constant threat. "Between the rising seas and rising buildings, what is the marsh supposed to do? It goes through what we call a coastal squeeze or coastal pinch. Eventually we will not have a Belle Isle Marsh, we will have a Belle Isle Bay," Thiruvengadam said. While DCR maintains the marsh, Thiruvengadam said the best way for the public to get involved is to visit. "It's a cool oasis in a hot city. We need this. We need to be out here, enjoying, appreciating, advocating and learning what it is that we need so we can then protect it," Thiruvengadam said. DCR offers programming at the reservation. For more information, click here.
CBS News
11-06-2025
- CBS News
Frustrated East Boston commuters wait in long lines for ferry during Blue Line closure
The MBTA Blue Line trains from Bowdoin to Orient Heights are shut down for maintenance work through June 15. During that time, the trains are being replaced by buses that have begun to clog up traffic. In response, hundreds of commuters have turned to the ferry from East Boston. It is free during construction, but the wait times to get on have people upset. "They knew this was coming, and they fumbled the bag," says Jacob Evanter. "If I was Jesus, I could have walked across the harbor and been at work 10 minutes ago." On Tuesday, people took to social media to voice their displeasure and experiences. One person said their husband missed their daughter's graduation. Another person said there were already 100 people in line by the time they showed up at 830 a.m. Commuters say ferries that were at capacity were forced to leave people at the back of the line behind. "[I have been waiting] about 15 minutes, but I think people have been waiting much longer too," said Bridgette Muckian. MBTA adds more ferry trips In response to the heavy demand, the MBTA added 12 more trips during weekdays, and 23 on the weekends. The morning pickup time has been extended, and as of June 11, the evening schedule has been extended by an hour. The MBTA also added an extra 550-person vessel during rush hour. It made three trips Wednesday morning which helped to accommodate the huge influx. The MBTA said the Eastie to Long Wharf ferry had 1,585 passengers from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Wednesday. They only had 50 passengers between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. a week prior.
