Episode Transcript
[00:00:16] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Monday, September 8th. The Quincy City Council gets back to work tonight after their summer break. The Finance Committee will meet at 6:35 at City hall and and continued discussing a request from the Mayor to sell a piece of city owned property in Quincy center to a developer. The city took the parcel at 1620 Hancock street by eminent domain in 2022 and demolished a burned out building that had sat vacant and boarded up for about 20 years. The city paid the owners $2.2 million and now wants to sell the land to a developer for $1.9 million. The Boston based developer has proposed a seven story 150 unit apartment complex at that site. The development would also include the adjacent property that was home to Coleman Sporting Goods, Blockbuster Video and most recently the Good Health Store.
[00:01:17] Ten new recruits are joining the Quincy Fire Department. The new cadets were sworn in during a ceremony Friday in the Great hall at Quincy City Hall.
[00:01:28] Interim Quincy Fire Chief Gary Smith and Mayor Thomas Koch welcome the new recruits. Chief Jackson is out on medical leave. The new recruits will undergo a two week orientation at the Quincy Fire Academy and then complete their training at the Mass State Fire Academy in Stowe. The new recruits will bring the department up to 282 firefighters. In Quincy, preparations are underway to move a historic house built of Quincy granite to the Quincy Quarry and Granite Workers Museum. The home that was built in the 1830s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places will be disassembled and moved from its Willard street location to the museum off Rushuti Drive. The home was saved from demolition when owner Greg McDonald of the Common Market Restaurant agreed to donate it to the city. The City council approved spending $919,000 from the community Preservation Fund to relocate the house. It will be dismantled and then reassembled at the museum location where it will be expanded and made handicapped accessible. It will be used for museum displays and programs.
[00:02:47] A statue of President John Quincy Adams has been installed at a new park being created in his honor in Quincy Center. Crews on Friday installed the new bronze statue as the centerpiece of the park that's being created at the site of the former Acapulco's Restaurant at the corner of Hancock and Maple streets. The new park will also include new benches and landscaping. The city took the property by eminent domain and demolished the Acapulcos Building to make way for the new park.
[00:03:18] Total cost of the park is estimated at about $6 million. A dedication ceremony will be held this fall.
[00:03:27] Well, beginning today, the MBTA will be cracking down on fare evaders. General Manager Phil Ang recently released a video explaining that new fare engagement representatives will be monitoring stations to ensure that riders pay their fare. A first offense will prompt a written response followed by civil citations and fines ranging from 50 to $150 for subsequent offenses. The T estimates it loses millions of dollars a year to fare evasion. New fare gates have been installed at some stations, including South Station, to help discourage fare evasion.
[00:04:09] The Trump administration has started an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Massachus saying it was targeting, quote, the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens living in the state. In a statement Saturday about the operation called Patriot 2.0, the Department of Homeland Security struck a harsh note. The operation began late last week and was expected to last several weeks.
[00:04:38] The operation in Massachusetts began just days before the Trump administration was expected to kick off an immigration crackdown and Chicago and as immigration arrests have ramped up in Washington, Top Trump officials have previously hinted that they plan to crack down on so called sanctuary cities which limit local police cooperation with federal immigration officials.
[00:05:05] A 14 year old boy was injured in a shooting at an intersection in Brockton last night. Happened about 6:47pm Police were dispatched to the area of Francis street and Manors Avenue on reports of a shooting. Once on scene, Officers found the 14 year old suffering from a gunshot wound to the leg, police said. A silver vehicle was seen fleeing the scene. The injured teen was taken by Brewster ambulance to a local hospital with non life threatening injuries. Shooting remains under active investigation. Details regarding the identity of the shooter or the motive behind the incident have not been disclosed.
[00:05:48] A Weymouth firefighter battling stage four cancer will take a trip of a lifetime this week. Lieutenant John Higgins was chosen for the vacation by the Last Call foundation, which works to help firefighters who've been exposed to harmful chemicals on the job. Higgins has been a Weymouth firefighter for nearly 20 years. He only just learned he has cancer after getting a voluntary screening at his fire station this year. Higgins was diagnosed with stage four bilateral lung cancer in May and it had already spread to his brain.
[00:06:29] Luckily, after his latest treatment, he learned that the cancer is shrinking. With that precious time, Higgins says he's excited for his next adventure. A Boston based travel company has gifted him and his wife a bucket list trip to Montana this week. Zerlanka Agency says that for the past decade his travel business, called Zerlanka Event Design and Management, has focused on corporate trips.
[00:06:57] But this trip for Higgins will be one of the first vacations completely donated to someone who deserves a break. As part of their new venture, called Curated by Zerlanka, Higgins and his wife will be staying at Pazop Montana, a luxury ranch.
[00:07:14] A 27 year old Maine chef who was allegedly murdered in Massachusetts is being remembered for the joy and laughter and inspiration he brought to those around him. Declan Perry was the head chef at the Grill Room and Bar in Portland, where he started in an entry level role as a teen. The restaurant posted on Facebook on Friday announcing his sudden death. The restaurant team has taken a step back over the past two weeks to reflect, grieve and honor Perry's memory, according to the Post, which remarked that the the silence in the kitchen has been heavy. Perry, from Portland was known for his giant warm personality, commitment to excellence and generosity of spirit. The restaurant says he believed food was a way to bring people together outside the kitchen. Perry was a passionate sports fan and was thrilled to see the Red Sox fighting for a playoff spot this year and looking forward to the start of the Patriots season.
[00:08:16] The man accused of leaving a body wrapped in duct tape and blankets in a vehicle outside South Shore Hospital appeared in court last week. Officials have previously said Perry's body was found wrapped in duct tape blankets in a car outside South Shore Hospital in Weymouth on August 23rd. Investigators identified 42 year old Christopher Karen from Scituate as the man who drove Perry's Honda Civic to the hospital and alerted medical staff that there was a body inside the car before fleeing the area. Karen ultimately turned himself in. A week later, as police were gathering to find him, he was arraigned on a murder charge. Prosecutors alleged an autopsy conducted on Perry's body revealed injuries from blunt force trauma suggesting strangulation prior to death. The judge ordered Karen held without bail pending his next hearing on September 29th.
[00:09:14] Interfaith Social Services of Quincy recently inducted 24 South Shore residents into their Madi Lang Volunteer hall of Fame. The heritage companies was also honored for their outstanding commitment to volunteerism and was named Interfaith's 2025 Community Partner of the Year. A celebration was held the Sons of Italy hall and Quincy last month to present the honors. More than 150 community residents helped to support Interfaith's programs through volunteering, including at the largest food pantry on the South Shore. The Mati Lang hall of Fame is named after one of Interfaith's most dedicated volunteers who gave decades of his life to supporting Interfaith. Inductees have volunteered at Interfaith regularly for at least one year.
[00:10:05] Check of Business News this morning and stocks are in the negative. The dow is down 220 points.
[00:10:12] Friday the Nasdaq fell 7. The S&P lost 20.
[00:10:17] Asian stocks mostly rose. The dollar was higher. The euro is down. Oil at $62 a barrel.
[00:10:27] In sports, Patriots lose their season opener to Las Vegas at gillette Stadium yesterday 20 to 13.
[00:10:37] Red Sox beat Arizona 7 to 4. They're off to Oakland for a series with the A's beginning tonight at 10:05.
[00:10:46] Forecast from the National Weather Service today, mainly sunny at a high of 72 degrees. Clear tonight and a low 50 tomorrow mostly sunny and a high of 71. Wednesday, mix of sun and clouds, a slight risk of a shower. High Wednesday 70 degrees and sunny and a high of 77 on Thursday.
[00:11:08] For the boater, waves about a foot. A Northwesterly wind at 5 to 10 knots turns easterly later today in a high tide. 12:26pm Sunrise 616 sets at 7:05.
[00:11:22] I'm Joe Catalano with an AM Quincy news update for Monday, September 8th.
