BOSTON (CBS) – Acting Boston Mayor Kim Janey is responding to criticism after she released redacted files about a former police officer accused of child sexual abuse. “That would not happen under my watch,” Janey said. She was talking about disturbing new information showing Patrick Rose kept his job for decades after he was accused of sexually assaulting a child. READ MORE: FBI Warns New Englanders About Fake Government Agent Scams Rose enjoyed a long police career, and even became head of the Boston Police union. He now faces 33 charges involving a half-dozen alleged victims. “Sadly the public files reveal, seemingly, that it was more important to protect one of their own, than to protect children,” said Mayor Janey at a news conference Thursday. She’s giving the attorney for the new Office of Police Accountability and Transparency 45 days to review how internal police investigations like this are done. “What is important moving forward is that we understand the process, and how that could have been.” READ MORE: 'It Looks Like A Dump': Sand Bags Meant To Prevent Erosion Creating Mess On Plum Island Documents just released at Janey’s request show a 1995 criminal complaint alleging then-officer Rose molested a 12-year-old, and that internal affairs found sufficient evidence to back it up. Still, he stayed on the job. The Boston Police commissioner at that time was Paul Evans, who put out a joint statement this week with his former superintendent. “The inability to present witness testimony or other admissible evidence resulted in the Boston Police Department’s inability to proceed to a disciplinary hearing,” it said. Without victim testimony, they say they did all they could. MORE NEWS: 'Making Good Progress': Doctors Believe Massachusetts Can Reach Herd Immunity In A Couple Months “We will not re-victimize survivors in this case,” said Janey. “This is not about pointing fingers. This is about understanding what happened in the ...
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‘We Just Need More People’: Restaurant Owners Struggling To Find Staff As Former Employees Collect Unemployment
BOSTON (CBS) – Unemployment claims in Massachusetts were down 15,000 last week for a total of roughly 13,000 jobless claims. But those unemployed numbers are creating a bit of a problem for restaurants that are slowly returning to normal. With fewer people looking for work, owners are afraid they may have trouble hiring staff to serve customers. READ MORE: Mayor Janey Promises Change After Scandal Over Retired Boston Police Officer “We just need more people to really help us to give the service we intend to give,” said chef Chris Coombs of Boston Urban Hospitality. Coombs says patrons are eager to dine out again. The problem now is he doesn’t have enough people to serve them. “The restaurant industry has been so inconsistent for them over the last 12 months that it’s just easier for them to stay home and collect unemployment,” said Coombs. The latest national data shows people in Massachusetts are gradually coming off unemployment benefits. READ MORE: 'Making Good Progress': Doctors Believe Massachusetts Can Reach Herd Immunity In A Couple Months “It’s a huge risk,” said Club Promoter Leo Haskell, who was a nightlife promoter before COVID-19 shut the industry down and put him out out of work. Haskell explains why he and so many others are reluctant to switch careers. “That anxiety factor of what if getting off unemployment to getting to a job to make less money than you were. For people who can’t afford it, it’s a huge risk and could potentially really hurt them financially,” Haskell said. It’s even harder for specialized industries to fill positions. Michael Plump, owner of Elements Massage Stoneham, says jobs that pre-pandemic would take days to fill are sitting stagnant for months. “Between the stimulus and unemployment, it’s hard to incentivize people.” said Plump. It appears what the workforce is looking for the most is consistency. MORE NEWS: Gov. Baker Requests COVID Vaccine Doses Turned Away By Other States “If you’re ...
Number Of Mass. Communities At High Risk For COVID Drops To 48
BOSTON (CBS) – The number of communities in Massachusetts considered high risk for coronavirus infections has decreased for the second week in a row. As of Thursday, the number of cities and towns in the high-risk red category is 48, down from 59 last week. State health officials categorize cities and towns as red, green, yellow or grey based on the daily rate of COVID-19 cases. READ MORE: Mayor Janey Promises Change After Scandal Over Retired Boston Police Officer CHECK: Town By Town Coronavirus Data READ MORE: 'Making Good Progress': Doctors Believe Massachusetts Can Reach Herd Immunity In A Couple Months As of Thursday, the following communities are considered high risk: Adams, Ayer, Bellingham, Berkley, Brewster, Brockton, Carver, Chicopee, Dennis, Dracut, Edgartown, Fall River, Freetown, Hampden, Harwich, Haverhill, Holyoke, Lawrence, Lowell, Ludlow, Lynn, Methuen, Nantucket, New Bedford, Oak Bluffs, Palmer, Peabody, Plainville, Plymouth, Rehoboth, Revere, Seekonk, Southwick, Springfield, Sterling, Sutton, Swansea, Taunton, Templeton, Tisbury, Townsend, Upton, Wareham, West Boylston, West Bridgewater, Westport, Winchendon, Yarmouth. MORE NEWS: 'We Just Need More People': Restaurant Owners Struggling To Find Staff As Former Employees Collect Unemployment The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 1,431 new confirmed COVID cases and 17 additional deaths in the state on Thursday. ...
FBI Warns New Englanders About Fake Government Agent Scams
BOSTON (AP) — The FBI’s Boston office is warning New Englanders about scammers claiming to be a government official and using intimidation or threats to get money from victims. The office said it’s seeing a rise in the number of reports of the scam from its coverage area, which includes Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. READ MORE: 'It Looks Like A Dump': Sand Bags Meant To Prevent Erosion Creating Mess On Plum Island It says the scammers typically claim to be calling from a government agency. They threaten to confiscate property, freeze bank accounts, or have people arrested unless payment is made through a wire transfer or prepaid or gift cards. The FBI stressed that federal agencies do not call or e-mail people threatening arrest or demanding money. The agency said residents should hang up and report the call, even if it appears to be coming from an agency’s legitimate phone number. READ MORE: Mayor Janey Promises Change After Scandal Over Retired Boston Police Officer More than 400 complaints of such scams were filed in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island last year, with financial losses totaling $3.8 million, the office said. The majority of those cases were in Massachusetts, where 270 victims reported financial losses totaling $3.2 million from government impersonation scams, according to the FBI. MORE NEWS: 'Making Good Progress': Doctors Believe Massachusetts Can Reach Herd Immunity In A Couple Months (© Copyright 2021 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) ...
Danny Ainge Says Celtics Have Started Vaccinating, But Some Players & Staff Are Holding Out
BOSTON (CBS) — The Boston Celtics have begun the vaccination process. Though president of basketball ops. Danny Ainge explained Thursday morning that some players and staff members do not want to get the COVID-19 vaccine. “We had a few people on staff and a few players who didn’t want to. But they have had that opportunity,” Ainge told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich on Thursday . READ MORE: Cape Cod Baseball League Approves 40-Game Schedule For 2021 Season “They all have different reasons as to why they didn’t want to get it,” Ainge explained. “Some feel we don’t have enough information and some feel they just don’t do any vaccinations; they don’t do flu shots and don’t believe in putting poison in their bodies. They don’t feel comfortable doing it. It’s the same reason people don’t take anti-inflammatory or aspirin. That’s just the way it is. … We can’t force them and they all have their own beliefs in this process.” Ainge said that if 85 percent of the Celtics staff and players get vaccinated, NBA regulations would ease some of the protocols in place. “We get more breaks and freedom if a certain number get the vaccine,” said Ainge, adding that less masking during workouts and players not having to go through daily testing are a few of those breaks. READ MORE: Zurich Classic Preview: Can Jon Rahm And Ryan Palmer Defend Title At TPC Louisiana? Ainge said that one player who was on the fence about getting the shot ended up getting vaccinated to avoid daily testing. He also isn’t surprised that a handful of players don’t want the vaccine. “I don’t think the Celtics are an outlier. There are other teams with less success getting players vaccinated,” said Ainge. “It’s part of our society; there are many people choosing not to get vaccinated. Everyone has their reasons, but there is a lot of fear out there about the vaccines.” The Celtics have been one of the NBA’s hardest-hit teams by COVID-19. Boston had three games postponed early ...
