Episode Transcript
[00:00:16] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Monday, December 1st. A pedestrian is being treated for unknown injuries after being struck by a car in Quincy yesterday morning. Police say a woman was struck at Fort Square in Quincy center just before 10:00am the unidentified victim was taken to Boston Medical center for treatment and the incident remains under investigation.
[00:00:43] Quincy firefighters quickly knocked down a kitchen fire early yesterday. Happened at 67 Martinson street at 2:30 yesterday morning. Officials say the fire started in an oven. No one was hurt.
[00:00:58] It will be at least another month before the new Quincy Public Safety headquarters is ready for occupancy. Workers continue to put the final touches on the $175 million building that's located behind the current police station on C Street. Police Chief Mark Kennedy expects the building to be ready the first week in January with a public grand opening ceremony sometime in the spring. The new complex will be home to the Quincy Police Department, the Fire Department administration and the Quincy Emergency Management Office. The new facility includes a state of the art gun range, a complete fitness center, a virtual reality training room and a public space for community meetings and events. Once completed, the current police station will be demolished and replaced with a park dedicated to first responders.
[00:01:54] Quincy's Free Public Skating Rink opens for the season today the rink is once again located across from the Quincy District Courthouse in Quincy Center. It opens today at 3pm then is open daily from noon to 8pm beginning tomorrow. The rink is free to everyone and free skate rentals are available. The rink can accommodate up to 50 people at a time and city officials ask that skaters limit their ice time to one hour. The rink will close for the season on February 22nd.
[00:02:31] The combined Quincy North Quincy High School Marching Band won the best overall band prize for the third year in a row during yesterday's 72nd annual Quincy Christmas Parade. The band received the George White Grand Prize award, receiving a trophy and and a cash prize. The combined band also was the first place band in Division 3 and also won best music score, best percussion score and best color guard in Division 3. In the float competition, the Father Thomas Tierney Trophy for best Overall non Commercial Float was presented to the St. John's Collaborative. The Quincy Lions Club won the new Kathleen Burgess and Jane Johnston Award named after two longtime float judges. The Quincy DPW won the George White Award for best Commercial Floats and Montelio's Bakery won Best Specialty commercial Float. The theme of this year's parade was Historic Quincy celebrates Christmas A vehicle stopped by state Police on Interstate 95 fled leading troopers on a high speed pursuit on 95 early yesterday morning before ultimately crashing in Braintree.
[00:03:50] State Police said they stopped the vehicle on 95 north near exit 17 and Sharon just before 1am yesterday because the driver had an outstanding warrant. During the traffic stop, troopers noticed what appeared to be bullet holes in one of the doors. The driver then fled, traveling north in excess of 100 mph as troopers chased after him. Despite losing a tire, the vehicle continued driving until it ultimately crashed on the expressway in Braintree. Troopers took the driver into custody, brought him to Sasha Hospital for evaluation.
[00:04:26] State police have not released the name of the driver or any details on what charges they might face in connection with that incident.
[00:04:35] Over 100 residents had to be evacuated after a fire at a nursing home in Rockland on Saturday afternoon happened about 4pm at the Webster Park Rehabilitation and Health Care center on Webster Street. Firefighters arriving at the scene found fire on the third floor of the facility, which was being held in check by the building's sprinkler system. Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire despite heavy smoke due to the sprinklers. All 102 patients were evacuated and emergency crews were working with staff to determine where each patient would wind up. No injuries reported to patients, staff or firefighters. Rockland Fire Chief Scott Duffy says 60 to 70ambulances in total were used to transport the residents to other nursing facilities.
[00:05:29] About 11 agencies in all provided assistance at the scene. Fire officials said many of the patients had to be physically carried out of the building or helped down the stairs. The evacuation took about 40 minutes in all state fire marshal's office as the exact cause has not been determined, but investigators are looking at an accidental electrical event in the ceiling of a third floor bathroom, possibly related to a ceiling fan.
[00:06:00] Opening statements are scheduled for this morning in the murder trial of Brian Walsh, the Cohasset father accused of killing and dismembering his wife. The trial is expected to last three to four weeks. The Cohasset fathers accused of killing and dismembering 39 year old Anna Walsh around New Year's Day 2023. Prosecutors allege that Brian Walsh disposed of his wife's remains in dumpsters in the area. Anna Walsh was last seen alive New Year's Eve 2022. What began as a missing person search in Cohasset and Washington, D.C. quickly escalated. Within days. Brian Walsh was arrested and accused of misleading investigators. Prosecutors say he killed his wife, believing she was having an affair, and then dismembered and disposed of her body, which has never been found. Minutes before jury selection was set to begin. Walsh pleaded guilty to misleading police and to improper conveyance or handling of human remains. He has maintained his claim of innocence on the murder charge.
[00:07:06] Sixteen members were selected for the jury, with the process concluding on November 20th. The panel includes four alternates who will not deliberate.
[00:07:17] A local family has been conveying throughout town every year for more than a decade to bring Thanksgiving dinner to Quincy's eight firehouses. The Rizzi family says the tradition started when Riz Roy Rizzi, who served for nearly 40 years on the Quincy Fire Department, died in 2009. Lynn Rizzi O', Day, her brother John and every other relative, including grandchildren, great grandchildren all meet on Thanksgiving morning. The full course dinners are prepared by Hart Brothers Catering in Rockland. Quincy Firefighter Zach Grazioso has been on the job for only six months and was assigned to work on Thanksgiving, said he was very grateful for the meal. The Rizzis have a long history of firefighters in their family, from their father Roy Rizzi, to their grandfather Joseph and their uncle Walter. As Lynn gets ready to retire, she says she is moving away from the area, but she plans to return every year for Thanksgiving to make sure the tradition continues.
[00:08:24] The Braintree Fire Department is only the third department in the state to get a new hose that will withstand extreme heat and fire for more than an hour without failure.
[00:08:37] Fire hose burn through is a major issue led to the death of two firefighters battling a fire on Beacon street in Boston in 2014.
[00:08:47] Boston and Fall river are the other two departments with the fireproof hoses. Lt. Ed Walsh and firefighter Michael Kennedy both died in the fire after their hose burned through. The two could be heard calling for water, but nothing came through.
[00:09:03] Ever since his death, Kennedy's mother, Kathy Crosby Bell, vowed she would do something to change the time to failure standards for fire hoses. Crosby Bell, alongside the Last Call foundation have been helping to get better hoses in the hands of firefighters in Massachusetts, she says. A 20 month study from WPI showed 172 incidents where a hose burned through Last Call helping the Braintree Fire Department get their new snap tight hose by matching funds raised by the town of Braintree. The new hose was tested against more than 700 degrees over the course of an hour and 39 minutes and never failed a check of business news this morning. Stocks are higher. The dow was up 289 points last Friday. The Nasdaq rose 151.
[00:09:58] The S&P was up 36. U.S. futures fell. Asian shares beginning the week mixed. The dollar fell. The euro rose and oil is at $59 a barrel.
[00:10:13] In sports, the Celtics beat the Cavaliers 117 to 115. They'll be taking on the Knicks at the Garden Tomorrow night at 8pm tonight, of course, Monday Night Football Patriots Giants at Foxborough kick off at 8:15 and the Bruins will be in Detroit tomorrow night at 7.
[00:10:37] Today's forecast from the National Weather Service, partly cloudy with a high of 43 degrees.
[00:10:43] Cloudy tonight and lows in the lower 30s tomorrow. A wintry mix of rain and snow. Could be a couple of inches of snow by tomorrow night. The high tomorrow of 35 degrees Wednesday, partly cloudy and a high 34. Sunny on Thursday at a high 38.
[00:11:03] For the boater, waves about 2ft. West winds 15 to 20 becoming northwest 10 to 15, gusting to 25 knots.
[00:11:13] High tide 7:25am and 7:55pm Sunrise 6:53, sets at 4:12.
[00:11:22] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Monday, December 1st.
