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On Tuesday evening over 1,000 Jewish activists took to the streets right in the middle of rush hour, resulting in a total shutdown of traffic. The spirited crowd sang, chanted, and even drummed to protest immigrant detention in the city and throughout the country.

The crowd managed to wind their way from the New England Holocaust Memorial located right on Congress Street then down Tremont Street and through Chinatown. From there they headed to the Suffolk County House of Correction in the South End. Here is where lots of US Immigrant and Customs Enforcement detainees are kept.

Police arrested a total of eighteen protesters who’d locked arms at the facilities entrance.

The majority of the protesters were young and came outfitted in prayer shawls and head coverings. This was a nod to lessons they’d learned in Hebrew school as well as from relatives who had experienced the Holocaust. The protesters pleaded with the Trump administration to “close the camps.” This protest, and others like it, comes as lawyers and lawmakers paint a picture of these migrant camps as disgusting and inhumane.

Michaela Caplan, 23 and one of the event organizers, said, “When we grew up hearing the words ‘never again’, it’s referring to a moment like this.” Michaela, as with many others, had been inspired to protest due to her family’s history. In fact, her grandmother lived to tell about Aushwitz and also lost over 3o family members.

The protest was the brainchild of a loosely linked group of Jewish activists. They started to plan the protest with the phrase “Never Again” as their guiding principle. They also merged with the immigrant-rights group Cosecha and linked their protest to the recent event in New Jersey when 36 protesters were charged just outside of ICE detention center.

BOSTON, MA – Northeastern, Boston University, M.I.T., and Harvard rank as having the highest average apartment rents within a one-mile stretch of their campuses. This designation was relegated to the better known Boston area universities.

Real estate listings and research site RentCafe followed apartment rents within a mile radius of the nation’s top 100 universities as listed by U.S. News and World Report. The results of the study were fairly alarming.

It turns out that the average price of rent near Northeastern, BU, and M.I.T were unusually expensive: $3,335, $3,321, and 3,286 a month, respectively. The average price within a one-mile range of Harvard was about $2,780. Granted, that is still a whopper of a price but definitely cheaper than the Cambridge average of $3,031 a month.

As far as Chestnut Hill is concerned, RentCafe said the general average hovered right around $3,103. According to this data then, renting within one-mile of Boston College is noticeably more affordable than renting in Chestnut Hill overall. In fact, the average apartment rents that are as close as one mile of Boston College is $2,137.

Also, if you rent in close proximity to Brandeis University, it seems you’re in line for much cheaper prices than the rents generally are Waltham. In fact, rents were about $100 cheaper if it was near Brandeis. Now, when it comes  to Tufts University, the rents are also less costly than the area of Medford in general.

BOSTON, MA – The greater Boston area is growing which is a great thing for the city. However, with all the growth comes congestion. And with all the congestion it’s become increasingly difficult for the people of Boston to move around. In fact, traffic has become such a thorn in the collective population’s side that many residents are considering leaving.

In fact, not only has traffic become impossible to deal with, the other alternatives aren’t much better. Public transit in Boston continuously snarls at peak hours, leaving many doubly frustrated. Among Massachusetts voters who live within Route 128 and are full-time workers, around a third of them say they’ve pondered moving out of Boston altogether. Each of them cite road delays and snafus with public transit as being the reason.

This data was compiled in a poll released on Wednesday by the MassINC Polling Group. The poll was funded by the Barr Foundation, a nonprofit that’s seeking money to support new, game-changing transportation projects.

Problem Isn’t Just in Boston Proper

Plus, this issue isn’t confined to the Boston area alone. In fact, folks frustrated with the state of traffic and the efficiency of current public transportation is a statewide concern. For example, a whopping 30% of voters surveyed who are full-time employees say they’ve thought about leaving their job in order to get a better commute. And, according to those numbers, a quarter of those people have also considered leaving the area entirely.

The numbers are staggering. This same poll found those with commutes longer than 45 minutes, half of them thought about changing jobs. Moreover, 30% of that group has looked into leaving the area forever.

The bottom line with the numbers is that people are on the brink of reaching their breaking point when it comes to commuting. And there’s no getting around the issue, a recent ranking of worst rush hour traffic, indicated that Boston was the worst.

For political leaders, the consensus is that every solution must be on the table for the transportation problem. Otherwise, all the people coming to Boston to spur its growth, will be quickly leaving.

NATICK, MA – Both state and local police arrived at the scene of a shooting at a Natick hotel early this morning. This occurred at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on Worcester Road, located in Natick.

Police arrived just after 2:30 in the morning. The police evacuated the hotel due to the incident. Essentially, they received reports that there was an active shooter present.

Apparently, several suspects followed another man into the front lobby of the Natick hotel. After they followed the man, they shot at him. Luckily, the victim did not suffer injuries from this. But, the suspects who shot at the man fled from the area. This information comes from James Hicks, the Natick Police Chief.

When police arrived at the hotel, they set up a perimeter. They also spoke with the victim of the event, who claimed that he did not know the suspects who followed him.

However, after the shooting occurred, many believe that the suspects might still be inside the building. To be extra cautious in the dangerous situation, police made the decision to evacuate the building.

As a result, they led about seventy-five guests of the hotel, along with employees, to the Natick Mall cafeteria to wait. Some of the guests chose to stay in their cars.

Authorities now believe that the suspects fled the scene in a vehicle. In addition, police do not believe that these suspects pose a danger to the public. Instead, they believe that this was an individual event targeted at this specific person.

However, officials are still investigating. They hope to discover how many suspects were involved and find more information about their motive for the shooting.

BOSTON, MA – More details keep surfacing in the disturbing case of a man accused of kidnapping, and then killing, a Boston woman. Authorities plan to transport the man back to Massachusetts from Delaware. At the end of last week, Coleman appeared in a federal courtroom in Delaware, but waived his right to be detained and have his preliminary hearing there. Why was he in Delaware? Well, that is where authorities found him, driving with the body of the Boston woman murdered in the trunk of his car.

The man, identified as Louis Coleman III, is a thirty-two-year old from Rhode Island. Now, he faces federal charges in the kidnapping and killing of the mother, Jassy Correia. She was only twenty-three years old. In fact, the last time anyone saw her was on February 24, when she was celebrating her twenty-third birthday with friends at a nightclub in Boston.

Andrew Lelling, a United States Attorney, spoke at a press conference this weekend. There, he detailed the events of the kidnapping and murder. He revealed that when Coleman was pulled over on Thursday, authorities asked him if anyone was with him in the vehicle. He allegedly answered: “She’s in the trunk.”

Caught on Camera

Surveillance video outside the nightclub shows Coleman and Correia getting into Coleman’s car. This is how police traced the vehicle – since the license plate was visible on the tapes. They tracked the registration back to his residence, where they pulled more surveillance video. That video depicted Coleman hauling a body from the car to the building. The body matched Correia’s description.

Authorities saw a whole slew of footage from this camera – Coleman leaving and returning with supplies from WalMart, him entering the building with a suitcase and then leaving the apartment with the suitcase. They also found cleaning supplies and trash bags in the dumpster of the building. Authorities were able to find him in Delaware, where they ultimately found Correia’s body – in the suitcase, naked, bruised, and wrapped in duct tape.

Police are unclear of Coleman’s motives for this brutal attack and killing. He faces a mandatory life sentence in prison and may even face the death penalty, if convicted. Time will tell what the charges will be in the case of this Boston woman murdered.

GREENLAND, NH – A bad crash involving a big rig and a pickup truck occurred north of Boston, in our neighboring New Hampshire, early this Thursday morning. In fact, the pickup truck, a 2006 Dodge Dakota, was wedged, and stuck, underneath the big rig. Apparently, the crash was a result of an intoxicated driver. This information comes from New Hampshire State Police.

At just before 1 a.m., authorities received report of a crash. This occurred on Interstate 95 in Greeland. Apparently, Kyle Lehoullier, a 23-year-old from Rochester, New Hampshire, had driven northbound in his Dodge. That is where he lost control of the truck. His truck moved from the left lane all the way across the other lanes. Then, he smashed into the big rig.

Lehoullier’s truck dragged underneath the semi-truck for several hundred feet. The driver of the big rig, Steve Mercie, a 48-year-old from Quebec, Canada, finally was able to safely stop the truck. Once emergency personnel arrived, an investigation began. During this time, the interstate remained closed for a couple of hours.

After the incident, Lehoullier underwent treatment for his minor injuries at Portsmouth Regional Hospital, according to the state police. However, afterward, police arrested and charged him for driving while intoxicated. While Lehoullier was released on bail, he is scheduled for an arraignment later this month on February 20.

BOSTON, MA – Adrianne Haslet, victim of the marathon bombing, has been struck again. The dancer was one of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombing back in 2013. In fact, she was one of the seventeen people who lost a limb due to the attack.

However, despite the pain and suffering she endured after the bombing, she managed to dance again. Haslet competed on the hit show, Dancing with the Stars. And, she even ran the marathon again, back in 2016. She has a prosthetic limb, which allowed her to both dance and run.

The accident occurred around 7:15 pm. The driver, cited by police, stated that he never saw Haslet due to the rain. Now, Haslet is in the hospital. The accident occurred in Boston. She was hit by a car while on a crosswalk on Commonwealth Avenue Saturday evening.  This information comes from an Instagram post that she shared.

Haslet revealed a few details of the crash, stating: “Thrown int the air and landed, crushing the left side of my body.” In the photo she posted on Instagram, she is in a hospital bed wearing a neck brace. She also wrote: “I’m completely broken. More surgery to come.”

According to some of her previous social media posts, it appears that she was training to run the marathon this year in 2019. Now, it is unclear what will happen, as she undergoes treatment. Hopefully this is the last hurdle Adrianne Haslet will have to endure post-marathon bombing.

REVERE, MA – Thursday evening, the people of Revere, MA will come together for a candlelight vigil. This will honor the tragic death of five-year-old Adriana Mejia-Rivera. She died in a Revere car accident over the weekend.

She was hit by a car this past Sunday. Rivera and her family were standing, waiting, in the median on Revere Beach Parkway when the accident occurred.

According to the authorities, there were two adults present with Rivera, along with two other children. One of the children was Rivera’s younger sister, Natasha. She is only two months old. They were hit around 5pm while at the intersection of Route 145 and North Shore Road.

The driver who hit them was Autumn Harris, 42 years old. She had an arraignment on Monday. Then, she was held on $10,000 bail. She pleaded not-guilty to the charges. These charges included motor vehicle homicide.

Apparently, Harris claimed that she’d drank one beer earlier in the afternoon. In addition, she took both prescription and over-the-counter medication in order to sleep the previous night. She then worked all day on Sunday after sleeping only a couple of hours.

Natasha is still in critical condition. She is at Massachusetts General Hospital.  Revere is praying for the safe recovery of Natasha and the rest of the injured family.

BOSTON, Massachusetts — The next time you are in a store, a question like, “Paper or Plastic?” will not be heard. Here is why.

It is almost the holiday season, and the city enacts a plastic bag ban effective one month from today, on December 14 – just in time for the holiday shopping.

Single-use plastic bags will not be handed out to shoppers; moreover, shoppers need to bring their own bags or pay a minimum of 5 cents to buy the store’s bags which will be reusable.

The commissioner of the city’s Inspectional Services, William Christopher Jr., believes that it is a cultural change as people are used to not bringing bags to a store.

In addition, city councilors and the Walsh administration said the plastic bag ban will contribute a significant support for the city’s solid water waste and recycling systems.

In contradiction, the president of the Retailers Associate of Massachusetts, Jon Hurst, said the ban is unfortunate and not pro-consumer. He stated that the banning conversation among retailers turned from opposition to mitigation of harm for sellers and customer. According to him. A statewide law is needed for consistency.

During the summer, there were no fees for the single-use plastic bags. However, the current law is a game changer and will affect:

• Businesses with more than 20,000 sq. ft.
• Establishments with 10,000 sq. ft. or more (ordinance compliance is needed)

By July 1, 2019, the ordinance must be complied with by businesses.

Additionally, not every type of plastic bag is forbidden to use. Those that are used by dry cleaners and those which are used to pack meats, frozen foods and newspapers are excluded.

BOSTON, Massachusetts – According to the Better Business Bureau (BBB), a new email is getting common among people which notifies about a recent iTunes purchase and it is linked to your Apple ID.

You have read the email but don’t remember about the purchase? That’s because you maybe didn’t even make that purchase, but it’s okay, in the email, it’s saying that there are instructions on how to cancel the order if it’s not yours. And what are the instructions? Of course! Opening the attached file.

The first thing you do is to click “yes” or “open,” because you don’t give a second thought about what purchase is this or when I did that I don’t remember. However, keep in mind that in every situation like that you need and must give a second thought and think, “Wait a minute, what action is this?”

In this kind of emails, there are always signs leading to a scam.

Pay attention to the format. It doesn’t even have your name on it, and it’s not something to be shocked about. It is a sign of a scam.

Also, the next thing is paying attention to the grammar and word spelling, in case of some errors, they also can be a sign of a scam.

One of the most important ones to pay attention to is, “Open the Attached File” phrase, it is a major red flag for a legit email.

Never believe that!

There are different ways to do phishing nowadays, and you can’t just check them daily to be true they are legit because some of the scammers have all the needed ways to take other companies’ logos and everything.

So, in this case, Apple offers some ways to avoid the scamming. A legit purchase from the actual company will include a link which will lead to the actual website and not to an unknown website filled with unknown content.

Never do anything with that kind of fake websites, do your purchases or any other personal or financial info update on the actual website of the company.

Calling the company can be a rescue if you are not sure if it’s an actual email or not.

Be careful and take care of your data!