Latest news with #Telegram&Gazette
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Large helicopter to hover over Wachusett Mountain all day. Here's why
PRINCETON — With snow an afterthought, and with the aid of a helicopter, crews this week began installing a $20 million chairlift to the face of Wachusett Mountain. The existing four-passenger Polar Express will be replaced with a high-speed, six-passenger lift. The upgrade, which includes the mechanical system and towers, does not include a name change. Polar Express is a nod to the ski area's partner, Polar Beverages of Worcester. The four-passenger lift was installed in 1994. Wednesday, May 28, crews began moving construction supplies and chairlift components onto the mountain. A Canada-based helicopter was enlisted to transport large, heavy items from the ski area's parking lot to the slope. Workers on the ground connected the cargo to a cable that was attached to the helicopter. The effort includes the removal of existing equipment. The installation of the new lift is expected to be complete in time for the 2025-26 ski season. The lift was manufactured by an Austrian company, Doppelmayr. It will have the latest safety technology including auto-closing, self-locking restraining bars. More: High-speed, 6-passenger chairlift is headed to Wachusett Mountain This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Large helicopter to hover over Wachusett Mountain all day. Here's why
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Britney Spears said she was moving to Boston last year. Any sign of her in Massachusetts?
Last year, "Princess of Pop" Britney Spears announced via an Instagram post she would be moving to Boston, which created a lot of media buzz in the state. In the past year, she seems to have reunited with her sons, focused on healing her injured foot and also said she would be moving to Mexico, a claim The Hollywood Reporter refuted in an exclusive article, that she later clarified in another post. Unfortunately, she has not been spotted in Boston, Massachusetts, or even New England since she posted that initial post about moving to Boston in May 2024. Here's where the pop princess is resting her head now. Spears currently lives in a mansion in Thousand Oaks, a city in California. However, she could join Taylor Swift as another massively famous popstar with a property in New England, should she follow through on her move to Massachusetts. In her May 2, 2024, post, she says that she will be moving to Boston. She did not elaborate on why she's considering the move. For those wondering about the context around her original post, Spears was responding to reports about an alleged altercation with then-boyfriend Paul Soliz after she was seen walking out of the Chateau Marmont, wrapped in blankets. She has since ended things with Soliz. Rin Velasco is a trending reporter. She can be reached at rvelasco@ This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Did Britney Spears move to Massachusetts? Here's an update 1 year later
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Activists say 70-year-old Worcester resident detained at Logan Airport, call for release
Immigrant advocates are planning to hold an "emergency" press conference in Boston on April 30 on behalf of a 70-year-old Worcester woman they say was detained by federal agents at Logan International Airport on April 29. The organization Neighbor to Neighbor identified the woman only by her first name, Ruth. A spokesperson from the group said Ruth was returning from vacation in Zimbabwe with her son. "Ruth has lived in the United States for many years, and is a lawful permanent resident," a statement by Neighbor to Neighbor said. "She has worked for a local Worcester based nonprofit since 2024. She previously worked for a USAID-funded nongovernmental organization in Africa, which focused on public health." Ruth's son, a U.S. citizen, was let through security, but his mother was detained and the son was not given a reason, the spokesperson said. The Telegram & Gazette has reached out to U.S. Customs and Border Protection for more information on the case. Roberto Diaz, executive director of local organization Worcester Interfaith, said he knew about Ruth through her work in local organizations such as the Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice. Several advocacy groups – including the Massachusetts Communities Action Network, Neighbor to Neighbor, Worcester Interfaith, Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice and LUCE Immigrant Justice Network – are planning to hold a press conference at noon outside the John Joseph Moakley Courthouse in Boston to call for her release, calling her a "mother, an elder and community leader." Return to for more on this story. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Activists say 70-year-old Worcester resident detained at Logan Airport
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
GoFundMe campaign made to help Mass. family after man dies, fire destroys home
A GoFundMe campaign has been set up to help a Millbury woman and her family after her husband died last week and a fire consumed their home, rendering it a total loss. At around 11 p.m. on April 17, firefighters battled a fire at a home on 3 Fink Road, the Telegram & Gazette reported. Crews fought the fire until early the following morning, Jake Wark, spokesman for the Office of the State Fire Marshal, told the Telegram. 'The fire caused catastrophic damage to the home and the exact point of origin remains undetermined,' Wark told MassLive. 'One person, a man in his 60s, was located deceased at the scene and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the cause and manner of his death.' The man was identified by his family to the Telegram as Wayne W. Wunschel. The online fundraiser was set up by Wunschel's stepson, Michael Woodbury, the Telegram wrote. '[My mother] Karen Wunschel lost everything when her home caught fire, including her significant other,' Woodbury wrote on GoFundMe. 'And in one horrifying moment, her world was turned upside down. She is now left with nothing, no home, no belongings and a heart full of grief." 'She didn't just lose the roof over her head, she lost the memories, the safety, the foundation of everything she had worked for and now she has to start over from scratch while trying to process a trauma no one ever should have to endure,' Woodbury continued. The campaign was set up with a $10,000 goal to pay for the 'immediate needs [such as] clothing, shelter, food, and the process of rebuilding her life,' Woodbury wrote. So far, the fundraiser has received $1,440 from 23 donations. This includes one donation of $200, seven donations of $100 and two $50 donations, among others. 'Anything you can give, no matter how small, will help her know she's not alone,' Woodbury's statement concluded. GoFundMe pulls fake campaign for Mass. teen killed in Florida crash GoFundMe made for family of Topsfield mother who died at Purgatory Chasm GoFundMe created for family of motorcyclist killed in Walpole crash with SUV
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Outside defense lawyer: Judge made right call in Assumption case
WORCESTER — The judge who dismissed kidnapping and conspiracy charges against five former Assumption University students April 8 made the correct ruling, a longtime Boston defense lawyer who has followed the case believes. 'The judge absolutely made the right decision,' William A. Korman, of the Boston firm Rudolph Friedmann LLP, told the Telegram & Gazette. Korman, who offered commentary on the case recently for the Law & Crime Network, opined that police, while correct to pursue a case, did not issue appropriate charges. Assumption Police charged five students — all of whom, the university confirmed, are no longer enrolled — with felony kidnapping and conspiracy charges after an Oct. 1 incident at Alumni Hall. Video entered into court records shows dozens of students confronting and chasing a 22-year-old man out of the building, where he is hit with his car door upon leaving. Police say the students lured the man to campus and falsely labeled him a sexual predator in order to confront him on video, part of a growing online trend based on the decades-old NBC show, 'To Catch a Predator.' They alleged the man was restrained and had to 'break free' — which they argued constituted kidnapping — but defense lawyers argued video of the event contradicted that claim. Central District Court Judge Michael Allard-Madaus, after considering the video, dismissed the kidnapping and conspiracy charges for all five former students. Allard-Madaus, as is not uncommon in district court, did not offer a written opinion explaining his ruling. Korman said he believed defense lawyers, who argued their motions to dismiss March 28, did a good job of arguing their clients didn't keep the man from leaving and didn't have a plan that would meet the definition of a conspiracy to kidnap. Korman said he didn't see any evidence the students had all agreed on what to do, other than lure the man to campus and confront him, which he opined is not a crime by itself. Korman said while there may have been charges for police to file — a simple assault charge might be one option, he said — the kidnapping and conspiracy charges were a stretch. 'I think this is a perfect example of police officers needing to be very careful about the language they use in police reports and applications for (charges),' he said, adding that language used to describe events should be 'more direct and clear, not a charitable interpretation of events.' Korman said while he believes police missed the mark on specific charges, he does see why charges were necessary. ''I think the important takeaway is that this could have gone in so many directions, each of which is tragic,' he said. Korman noted the alleged victim could have been armed and inflicted violence out of fear, or could have been badly injured had a mob mentality set in. He could have slipped and injured himself running out of the building, he said, or struck someone when hurrying to leave in his car. 'There's a thousand ways this could have been worse,' he said, calling what ultimately happened the best outcome one could have hoped for. Korman said the judge's ruling is one prosecutors could appeal, or that police could try and bring charges again. Neither prosecutors nor Assumption University has offered comment on next possible steps. Prosecutors have said their professional rules of conduct bar comment, since two of the former students are still facing charges. One of the students, Kelsy Brainard, faces a charge of misleading police, while a second, Kevin Carroll, faces a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. Police allege Brainard initially gave a false story about what happened, while Carroll, they allege, admitted to shutting the man's car door on him as he left. Brainard and Carroll are both due back in court May 9 for a status hearing. Reached via text, the 22-year old, a member of the Army from North Carolina, referred comment to his lawyer, Richard Rafferty, who did not return requests for comment. This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Lawyer says right call made in Assumption 'Predator' case
