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Mimosas? 6 Boston, Salem Eateries Among Best Brunch Spots In America, New Report Says Mimosas? 6 Boston, Salem Eateries Among Best Brunch Spots In America, New Report Says
6 Boston, Salem Places Among Best Brunch Spots In US: Report Whether you're looking to order cocktails or celebrate Mother's Day, an all-new report has named six Massachusetts restaurants as among the best in the country for ordering brunch.  According to OpenTable’s Top 100 Brunch Restaurants in America for 2024, six eateries in Essex and Suffolk counties are among the best brunch places in the US.  To determine this, the website took a look at more than 14 million diner reviews to narrow down the brunch spots most enjoyed by visitors.  The first eatery on the list, Brassica Kitchen, is located in Boston at 3710 Washington …

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by Ben Crnic
Lifestyle
The Massachusetts Bucket List: Things Every Bay Stater Should Do Before They Die The Massachusetts Bucket List: Things Every Bay Stater Should Do Before They Die
This Is Ultimate Massachusetts Bucket List, Redditors Say Whether it’s flying over Alaska’s Denali National Park, taking in Arizona’s Grand Canyon, or skiing the Rocky Mountain Slopes of Colorado, every state has that one bucket list activity that shouldn’t be missed. But just what that activity is, of course, is a matter of opinion. Over on Reddit, one user determined to find the ultimate experience in Massachusetts before they "kick the bucket" turned to their fellow netizens for help. “What is one thing everyone should do in Mass. before they die?” they asked in a May 6 post on the Massachusetts subReddit, which boasts 250,000 members. “At so…

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by Michael Mashburn
Police & Fire
Maine Man Busted In 24-Year-Old Rape, Kidnapping Case In Western Mass Thanks To DNA Testing: DA Maine Man Busted In 24-Year-Old Rape, Kidnapping Case In Western Mass Thanks To DNA Testing: DA
Maine Man Busted In 24-Year-Old Rape, Kidnapping Case In Western Mass Thanks To DNA Testing: DA A 48-year-old Maine man is behind bars on Wednesday, May 8, after DNA tests linked him to the violent rape of a woman in the woods of Hampden County in 2000, authorities said.  Jamie Dodge, of Brownville, Maine, is charged with aggravated rape and kidnapping in connection with an attack that happened in Holland, which is just outside of Springfield, the Hampden County District Attorney's Office said. He was being held on a $250,000 bail.  A woman told police on July 23, 2000, that a man had grabbed her, dragged her into a nearby wooded area, and raped her. She described the m…

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by Josh Lanier
News
$1M Lottery Winner In East Boston: Second Major Prize From New Scratch-Off Game This Week $1M Lottery Winner In East Boston: Second Major Prize From New Scratch-Off Game This Week
$1M Lottery Winner In East Boston: Second Major Prize From New Scratch-Off Game This Week One Bay Stater had a very good Tuesday, May 7, when they claimed a $1 million lottery prize.  The winner was sold at Belle Isle Wine & Spirits at 1144 Saratoga St in East Boston. They won the money playing the $10 scratch-off game "$4,000,000 Lion's Share." The winner's name was not released. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for the sale.  Related: Northborough Dad Wins $5.37M In Biggest Mass Jackpot Of Year They were among 439 people who won $600 or more in the Massachusetts State Lottery on Tuesday.  This is the second major prize from the new "$…

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by Josh Lanier
News
Trailblazing Astronaut From Mass Will Be First Woman Aboard A Maiden Crewed Spacecraft Trailblazing Astronaut From Mass Will Be First Woman Aboard A Maiden Crewed Spacecraft
Trailblazing Astronaut From Mass Will Be First Woman Aboard A Maiden Crewed Spacecraft Sunita Williams has held plenty of titles in her life: Astronaut, US Navy officer, former record holder for most spacewalks by a woman (seven), to name a few. Now, the Needham native can add one more to her impressive resume: trailblazer. The 58-year-old Williams is set to become the first woman aboard the maiden flight of a manned spacecraft when NASA and Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner launches for the first time from Florida’s Cape Canaveral for the 24-hour journey to the International Space Station. Originally scheduled for takeoff Monday night, May 6, the launch was scrapped “out of an abu…

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by Michael Mashburn
News
$5M Lottery Jackpot: Northborough Dad Plans To Buy Home, Pay For Kids' College With Cash $5M Lottery Jackpot: Northborough Dad Plans To Buy Home, Pay For Kids' College With Cash
$5M Lottery Jackpot: Northborough Dad Plans To Buy Home, Pay For Kids' College With Cash The Force was with a Worcester County dad when he bought his $5.37 million winning lottery ticket on Saturday, May 4.  James Jorgensen won the massive jackpot playing the multi-state Megabucks lottery. He collected the prize with his partner, Jennifer Jorgensen.  The "Star Wars" fan said the win was made extra special because it fell on May the Fourth.  “The best thing is I’m a huge 'Star Wars' fan, so I was all decked out in a 'Star Wars' hat and 'Star Wars' shirt, and I won on May 4th which is an unofficial 'Star Wars' holiday," he told the lottery.  J…

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by Josh Lanier
News
COVID-19: New 'FLiRT' Variants Now Most Dominant In US COVID-19: New 'FLiRT' Variants Now Most Dominant In US
Covid-19: New 'FLiRT' Variants Now Most Dominant In US New so-called "FLiRT" COVID-19 variants have quickly become the most dominant in the United States, and authorities are monitoring their rise as summer approaches. According to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one of the two members of the  “FLiRT” group, KP.2, is now No. 1 among strains nationally, accounting for about 24.9 of all current infections. The JN.1 strain had been dominant in the US before the emergence of KP.2. Both variants are offshoots of the highly contagious Omicron strain. The No. 4 variant in the US, KP.1.1, which makes up …

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by Joe Lombardi
News
Massachusetts Among Top 10 Best States, Brand-New Ranking Says: Here's Why Massachusetts Among Top 10 Best States, Brand-New Ranking Says: Here's Why
Massachusetts Ranks Among Top 10 Best States 2024 A new ranking lists Massachusetts as one of the top 10 best states in the country and places the commonwealth in the top three in categories like education and healthcare. The results are in. The 2024 Best States list by U.S. News & World Report, released on Tuesday, May 7, names Massachusetts as the 10th-best state in the country, a place higher than it scored in the 2023 report.  Massachusetts closely follows states like Utah (the best state, according to U.S. News & World Report), Nebraska (number three), Washington (number eight), and Florida (number nine). However, whe…

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by Sophie Grieser
Business
Planters Nuts Recalled Due To Listeria Contamination Concerns Planters Nuts Recalled Due To Listeria Contamination Concerns
Planters Nuts Recalled Due To Listeria Contamination Concerns A pair of Planters nuts products are being recalled due to possible contamination with the bacteria that causes listeria. Hormel Foods Sales, LLC is voluntarily recalling the two Planters products that were produced at one of its facilities in April, according to an announcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause serious and sometimes fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people, and others with weakened immune systems. Healthy individuals may suffer only short-term symptoms such as high fever, severe headache, sti…

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by Joe Lombardi
Police & Fire
Driver Crashes Into Fenway Park Entrance After Running From Police, Hitting Other Cars Driver Crashes Into Fenway Park Entrance After Running From Police, Hitting Other Cars
Colleen Marie Gibbs Expected To Face Multiple Charges A 48-year-old Salem woman who drove into Fenway Park is believed to have been involved in hit-and-run crashes earlier Monday morning, May 6, as well as wrecking into a gate at a US Coast Guard base in Boston, authorities said.  Colleen Marie Gibbs was taken to a hospital just after 8:30 a.m. after she drove through Gate C entrance at the famed baseball stadium and smashed into a forklift, state police said.  Investigators have linked her to multiple incidents that began an hour and a half earlier.  UPDATE: A car drove into Fenway Park on Monday morning and crashed into a …

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by Josh Lanier
Police & Fire
(Update) Man Dragged From Car By Bear After Fatal Western Mass Crash ID'd By Police (Update) Man Dragged From Car By Bear After Fatal Western Mass Crash ID'd By Police
(Update) Man Dragged From Car By Bear After Fatal Western Mass Crash ID'd By Police A driver whose body was dragged away from a Hampshire County crash by a bear on Sunday, May 5, has been identified by police as a 31-year-old Western Massachusetts man, police said. Update: Friends Remember Man Dragged From Wrecked Car By Bear As "Unique Soul" Daniel Ducharme, of South Hadley, was ejected partially or fully from his Honda Civic just after 11 a.m. when he lost control of the vehicle, hit the guardrail multiple times, and crashed down an embankment on I-91 South, state police said.  Police found Ducharme's body next to the tree line near mile marker 30.8 in Hatfield. In…

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by Josh Lanier
News
$5.37M Lottery Ticket Sold In Central Mass $5.37M Lottery Ticket Sold In Central Mass
$5.37M Lottery Ticket Sold In Central Mass A $5.37 million ticket was sold in Worcester County over the weekend in the Megabucks multi-state lottery.  The Quic Pic ticket was sold at Lowe’s Variety and Meat Shop at 255 W. Main St. in Northborough for the Saturday, May 4, drawing. The winning numbers were 4-11-15-26-30-40.  The winner's name has not been released. It's unclear if they have attempted to collect their prize yet. They have a year to pick up their check.  The store will receive a bonus for the sale.  The odds of winning the Megabucks jackpot are 1 in 7,059,052.

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by Josh Lanier