Episode Transcript
[00:00:16] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Monday, July 13. While swimmers are being advised to enter the water at their own risk at two Quincy beaches due to high bacteria levels, the Quincy Health Department as the latest water tests taken at Marymount and Brody or Baker beach indicate unsafe levels of bacteria in the water, signs are posted warning people to swim at their own risk. Warning signs that were posted along Wollaston beach last week due to unsafe pollution levels have since been removed.
[00:00:55] The search is on for a missing homeless man. Quincy police say 45 year old Michael Hanlon was last seen at work at Center street auto repair on July 3rd at around 2pm Police say Hanlon was staying with a relative in Weymouth. He was reported missing on July 7. Hanlon is described as a white male, about 5 foot 9, 130 pounds with grayish brown hair and blue eyes. He reportedly has tattoos on his neck and and arms. Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to contact Quincy police.
[00:01:33] A man has died following an apparent drowning at a pond in Randolph on Sunday.
[00:01:40] Randolph police and fire departments received a 911 call about 4pm for a swimmer in distress in the water on Pond street, according to the Norfolk County DA's office. Firefighters located the man a short time later. He was taken by ambulance to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Kingston Fire Department had said that just before 4pm their dive team was activated for missing swimmer in Randolph, but that activation was canceled after the swimmer was located. Further information is not being released at this time, including the man's name. State and Randolph police are investigating.
[00:02:22] The Quincy College foundation has received an anonymous gift of $650,000 to support the college's allied health and technology programs and to expand financial assistance and wrap around services for students facing financial hardship. The grant was secured through a collaborative effort between the college's Workforce Development Division and the Quincy College Foundation. College officials say the grant will allow them to create a simulated pharmacy laboratory, purchase advanced clinical training equipment such as hospital beds and establish emergency student support funds to help address financial barriers.
[00:03:07] Interfaith Social Services of Quincy says they are expanding the hours of their food pantry to accommodate the increase in demand from people who are struggling to make ends meet. Effective immediately, the food pantry on Adam street will be open Monday through Friday from 9:30am to noon and on Wednesday evenings by appointment. The Greater Boston Food bank says the number of Massachusetts households facing food insecurity has grown from 19% in 2019 to 40% last year. The agency says another 48,000 children have lost access to SNAP benefits over the past 12 months. Interfaith's food pantry serves residents of Quincy, Milton, Braintree, Weymouth, Randolph, Holbrook, Hingham Hall, Scituate and Cohasset. The Pantry saw almost 21,000 visits last year.
[00:04:05] Ten more endangered sea turtles have been released into the water off Cape Cod after being treated at the New England Aquarium Sea Turtle Hospital at the Quincy shipyard. The loggerhead Green and Kemp's ridley turtles were released last Wednesday after being treated for several months at the Quincy facility. The turtles were among about 500 that were rescued from Cape Cod beaches over the winter and after becoming stranded as the ocean waters cooled. Staff treated the turtles for hypothermia, malnutrition, pneumonia and dehydration. Turtles were fitted with satellite tracking devices to allow researchers to monitor their movements.
[00:04:48] 19 turtles are still being treated at the Quincy hospital.
[00:04:54] The largest nurses strike and work stoppage in Massachusetts history is over after days of picketing outside Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, according to the Mass. Nurse association, nurses gathered this morning for a brief rally before dropping their picket signs and walking to the hospital's main entrance. The picketing continued yesterday outside the hospital days after a lockout extended the initial one day strike. The chants and demonstrations continued along Francis street even after Mass. General Brigham sent a cease and desist letter claiming the disruption was affecting residents and the hospital's healing environments and creating challenges for patients and care teams. More than 1300 temporary nurses on five day contracts were brought in by the hospital last week to backfill shifts. Hospital leaders say high quality patient care has continued throughout the work stoppage. Many of the more than 4,000 nurses, midwives and home health care workers who've been on strike disagree, voicing concern there is a level of care inherently absent. While workers continue calling for better wages and lower insurance costs, many said that they're eager to return to caring for patients. Despite stalled negotiations, nurses and union leaders say they remain committed to continuing their efforts. Mass. General Brigham says Department of Public Health surveyors will be on site today to monitor the transition between agency nurses and the returning Brigham nurses.
[00:06:35] Six former MBTA employees and one current staffer are facing charges after allegedly falsifying inspection reports.
[00:06:46] The U.S. attorney's office says it was done to collect fraudulent overtime payments from January of 2024 through October of 2024 instead of completing inspections. The Department of Justice says that Brian Pfaffinger, Ronald Gamble, Magda Trin, Jensen Vettel and Natalie Mendez either falsified track inspection reports or help submit falsified reports.
[00:07:14] Gamble and Trin allegedly instructed Vettel, Mendez and other REDLINE track inspectors to falsely extend the duration of their track inspections on the reports to avoid scrutiny from MBTA higher ups. Some of the inspectors, including Vattel and Mendez, faked train numbers on their inspection reports by writing down train numbers they found online rather than completing train rides as required to for inspections. Gamble, Vettel, Danny Barbosa and Matthew Leonard are also accused of working on personal vehicles during the time they'd marked as performing some of the inspections. Pfaffinger, the team supervisor, allegedly knew the workers worked on private vehicles during working hours and even had them perform work on his vehicle, according to the U.S. attorney's office. In July of 24, Pfaffinger told his workers that multiple tracks had serious defects, but 10 days later, he allegedly had his subordinates spend their workday performing work on his own personal vehicle.
[00:08:22] Friends of Wollaston beach and the Thomas Crane Library present story time on the beach this morning. Children age 2 to 6 are invited to participate in the program on the tot lot from 10 to 11am for stories, games and dancing. Attendees will also receive ocean themed booklets. Another story time will be held on August 10th.
[00:08:48] New sidewalks are being installed along Quincy Shore Drive from Carl street to C Street. The Department of Conservation and Recreation says the project will also include 12 new light poles that that work will continue into the fall.
[00:09:04] City of Quincy's Neat Neighbors contest is accepting nominations through Labor Day. 30 winners will be chosen at random in September and will receive a gift certificate to a local garden center. Nominations may be emailed to pdaughertynzyma.gov or by calling 617-376-1251.
[00:09:30] Reminder free lunches are being provided for Quincy residents 18 and under at the Parker Elementary School, Lincoln Hancock School, Ward 2 Community Center, Snug harbor elementary School and the Montclair Elementary School. This summer, the meals will be available weekdays from 11am to 1pm through Aug. 21. Meals must be eaten on site.
[00:09:54] A check of business news Stocks are higher. The dow is up 149 points, the Nasdaq rose 74 and the S&P added 31.
[00:10:04] Oil prices jumped and Asian shares mostly lower after the US Carried out airstrikes and Iran retaliated. The dollar rose, the euro was higher, oil at $78 a barrel.
[00:10:19] Sports Red Sox beat the Mets 3 to 2 in 10 innings. They're off for the All Star until Friday afternoon, when Tampa Bay comes to Fenway.
[00:10:30] Forecast from the National Weather Service. A heat advisory is in effect. Today, mostly sunny with a high near 90, or tonight rather muggy and a low 68. Tomorrow, hazy, hot and humid and a high of 96. Wednesday, same thing. Hot, humid, high 96.
[00:10:49] The heat wave continues into Thursday, partly sunny with a high of 92.
[00:10:54] Little relief coming on Friday for the boater. Today, waves about a foot. Wind southwest at 5 to 10 will become southerly 10 to 15 knots with gusts to 20 and a high tide. 11:01 to a.m.
[00:11:08] sunrise 519 sets at 8:19.
[00:11:12] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Monday, July 13th.
