Episode Transcript
[00:00:16] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Thursday, February 5th. Police have arrested a Quincy man who's accused of breaking into a Dorchester apartment and placing some black tape over the apartment's door peephole. 37 year old George Williams of Quincy was charged with breaking and entering at night and trespassing. He's expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court, but 4:30 in the morning yesterday, police responded to a radio call for a breaking and entering in progress at an apartment building at 1220 Adams street in Dorchester. Police were provided with a description of the suspect. The when officers arrived, they saw a man in the lobby of the apartment building who matched the suspect's description, police said. The man, later identified as Williams, was detained while officers investigated. Officers spoke with three residents of the apartment and they reported being awakened by somebody inside their home turning off circuit breakers that controlled the lighting. The residents told police they came out of their bedrooms and saw an unknown man wearing a black puffer jacket inside the apartment moving items around and they did not know him. Residents also told police they recognized the suspect from an encounter the previous day during which he allegedly placed black tape over their apartment door peephole. When confronted at the time, the man reportedly told them he was at the wrong address, police said. The residents advised officers that black tape had once again been placed over their peephole. It was discovered when they exited the apartment to speak with responding officers.
[00:01:57] The first structural steel for the new Squantum Elementary School in Quincy will be going up later this month. The contractor says. A mobile crane will be at the site on February 17th to begin putting up the steel frame for the new school. At the site of the current school, concrete forms will be poured two to three times per week, weather permitting, and soil removal continues from the site, resulting in increased truck traffic. Recently, the project increased to 10 and 11 hour days and work on Saturdays in order to keep the project on schedule. Students are currently taking classes in portable classrooms on the site and the new school is scheduled for completion in the fall of next year.
[00:02:46] The Quincy City Council is asking the administration to provide detailed information regarding the current use of the Monroe Building in Quincy Center. Council President Ann Mahoney introduced an order at this week's council meeting asking for disclosure of tenancies, lease terms and financials regarding the building that the city purchased in 2021.
[00:03:11] The city bought the Monroe building for $15 million using money from the American Rescue Plan Act. Mahoney's order was also sponsored by Councilors Maggie McKee Deb Riley, Virginia Ryan and Susan Yuan. It was placed into the oversight committee for further review.
[00:03:29] The Quincy City Council Municipal Technology Committee is exploring how residents interact with the city's website and the possibility of expanding online municipal services.
[00:03:42] The chair of the committee, Ward 3 Councilor Walter Hubley, says he'd like a list of the top reasons that residents currently call or walk into City hall and determine if some of those services can be done online.
[00:03:56] Hubley introduced a resolution at the most recent City Council meeting, which was referred to the Municipal Technology Committee, which he says will be meeting soon.
[00:04:07] The ARC of the South Shore in Weymouth has received a grant from The Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism in support of its Caring for Caregivers program.
[00:04:18] CEO Liz Sandblom and ARC's Autism Support Director Bridget Dunn accepted the $6,606 grant recently, saying that it will help them sponsor events such as coffee gatherings and and caregiver retreats to allow caregivers opportunities to find support and connect with each other. Arc of the South Shore is in its 75th year this year providing family oriented, community based, nonprofit information referrals and community programs for individuals with disabilities Six children have now passed away from the flu in Massachusetts. The the Department of Public Health Dashboard is reporting that from the week of January 18th through the 24th, the current estimated flu like illness activity is high, while the current estimated severity of flu for this week is low. There's been a total of 193 flu deaths in Massachusetts since August of 2025, with 187 deaths among adults.
[00:05:24] Center for Disease Control and Prevention says experts advise getting the flu vaccine, especially for some people who are at higher risk of developing serious complication, including people 65 and older, people of any age with certain chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease, pregnant women and children younger than five, but especially those younger than two.
[00:05:50] Two people were hurt in a crash into a home in Avon early this morning. The car slammed into the front door of a house on Page street just before 1am the front door was ripped out and the siding was damaged. A window in the mailbox were also broken. Firefighters said Two people were taken to the hospital with injuries. The crash is under investigation.
[00:06:14] A crash at the Boston Common is under investigation yesterday morning after it appears a sedan drove down a set of stairs, happened near the intersection of Beacon and Walnut streets right near the Frog Pond. It appears the vehicle came down the hill on Walnut street at a high rate of speed and crossed Beacon street before continuing down the stairs at the Common. A dark colored BMW sedan was seen at the bottom of a set of stairs and a snow bank with heavy front end damage, including a shattered windshield. Witnesses said an older couple was in the car. Police said it appears the driver suffered a medical condition. Boston EMS said the driver was taken to a local hospital.
[00:06:54] The wrought iron handrail and fencing along the stairs and roadway were also visibly mangled. There was also some damage to the granite steps. A bollard from the top of the stairs was thrown about 100ft away and was found in the snow between the gate and the frog pond. An incident in 2014 sent a tractor trailer down those same stairs, but the driver said he was following his GPS navigation and that his brakes failed when he tried to stop.
[00:07:24] Commuter rail fare gates at South Station are back in service today after they were shut down last week in the wake of the major winter storm that brought nearly 2ft of snow and frigid temperatures to Boston. The fair gates, which debuted in January, were introduced to reduce fare evasion.
[00:07:43] On Monday, the gates were seen heavily wrapped in plastic as commuters walked past them. Notably, when the gates first debuted, commuters complained of several glitches that are plans to install the gates at the Back Bay and Ruggles stations later this year.
[00:08:00] There is growing criticism after President Trump made a call to nationalize voting in America this week. Trump told former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino that Republicans should take over the voting in some places. He also repeated claims that he won the 2020 election, which he lost. The White House says Trump was referring to a bill requiring voter id.
[00:08:26] However, it comes after the FBI searched at elections office in Georgia, which was linked to a Justice Department effort to try to find voter fraud. Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin says the Constitution protects states running local elections. Governor Maura Healey and Congressman Stephen lynch also said they are concerned about Trump's comments, calling them, quote, alarming and ridiculous. Galvin said he's more concerned about the president's lies about the 2020 election being rigged and moves to redraw congressional districts in both Texas and California.
[00:09:04] Meantime, Galvin says he will be seeking a record 9th term in office this fall, a decision he said was largely motivated by concerns over the president's handling of elections and the census.
[00:09:18] In a letter to members of the Democratic state committee, the 75 year old Galvin said he is seeking to extend his service as secretary of state through 2030 in anticipation of the 2028 presidential election. Galvin said he is greatly concerned with federal efforts to interfere with the conduct of the election referring to the January 6, 2021 insurrection as well as ongoing efforts to manipulate congressional districts. This year, Galvin said the Trump administration is attempting to restrict the ability for Massachusetts residents to register to vote and vote by mail. Also, he says the administration is seeking without any need personal information about Massachusetts voters, a move Galvin said his office is fighting in in federal court. A Galvan backed ballot initiative that would enable people to register and vote on Election Day is one of 11 proposals making its way to this year's ballot. As the state liaison for the 2030 U.S. census, Galvin said he's greatly concerned about federal efforts to limit the process and procedures for the April 2030 count. He referenced Trump inspired challenges to limit the counting of group quarters and exclude immigrants. With his last reelection, Galvin Cruz passed former Secretary Frederick Cook's record of 28 years, holding the post 16 year veteran of the House before he ran for secretary after having lost a bid for state treasurer in 1990. Galvin's been one of the most consistent figures on Beacon Hill for nearly half a century. He's overseen the state's elections administration, lobbyist and corporation registration and public records law compliance since the first Clinton administration and has fended off both primary and general election challengers along the way, never earning less than 64% of the vote in a reelection campaign.
[00:11:20] Thousands of specialty T shirts are being printed out at College Hype in Weymouth ahead of the super bowl on Sunday. College Hype CEO Jack Daugherty explains a portion of the proceeds are going to the Matt Brown foundation, which supports those battling paralysis. Brown suffered a spinal cord injury during a high school hockey game in 2010. There are three different shirts as part of the initiative.
[00:11:51] They all give a unique nod to Pat's Nation. One says Vested in Vrabel, another six was history, Seven is next and the third says I Love Ann, Michael May's husband.
[00:12:07] College Hype will be producing the T shirts until Saturday.
[00:12:11] They can be purchased at their storefront on Galavan Boulevard in Dorchester or their facility on Mathieson Drive in Weymouth.
[00:12:20] A check on business news this morning. Stocks are mixed. The dow is up 260. The Nasdaq dropped 350 and the S&P lost 35.
[00:12:30] Asian stocks were down, the dollar rose, the Euro fell, oil at $64 a barrel.
[00:12:38] In sports, Bruins lose to the panthers in Florida five to four in a shootout. They're off now until February 26, when they host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
[00:12:51] Celtics beat the rockets in Houston 114 to 93 they'll be hosting the Heat tomorrow night at 7:30.
[00:13:00] Today's forecast from the National Weather Service Mostly sunny with a high of 30 for tonight, Cloudy lows into the single digits. Cloudy tomorrow, high of 27.
[00:13:11] Saturday, some snow and windy with a possible couple of inches of accumulation. High Saturday 25 and then Sunday, partly cloudy and bitter cold with a high of 16 for the boater. Waves about a foot, Northwesterly winds at 10 knots and a high tide. 1:44pm Sunrise 6:52 sets at 5:03.
[00:13:33] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Thursday, February 5th.
