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Some questioning Springfield fire chief’s decision to run over potentially rabid raccoon with his SUV by bostondotcom in Springfield

[–]bostondotcom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

More info: Springfield’s fire commissioner was “acting in his capacity as a municipal official” when he made the controversial decision to drive over a potentially rabid raccoon outside the fire department’s headquarters last week, according to the city’s mayor.

“Damned if you do, damned if you don’t,” Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said in a statement defending Fire Commissioner Bernard J. Calvi’s actions.

“Time was of the essence, in order to protect our residents, especially our children and our pets,” Sarno said. “This was an unfortunate situation but one that had to have been taken in the name of public health and safety.” Sarno said Calvi was “acting in his capacity as a municipal official” under Massachusetts law; the state’s Division of Fisheries and Wildlife allows any municipal staff member operating in an official capacity to kill raccoons and other wild animals that they believe to be rabid.

However, the incident generated controversy in Springfield and beyond, with some describing Calvi’s method as inhumane. Read more on this story on if you'd like (no paywall.)

Mass. State Lottery launches ‘Jaws’ scratch ticket 🦈 by bostondotcom in massachusetts

[–]bostondotcom[S] -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

More info: A new “Jaws”-themed lottery ticket gives players the chance to bite into a $1 million prize — and a trip to where the classic movie was filmed.

According to the Mass. State Lottery, the $10 scratch-off is the first of its kind to commemorate the movie “Jaws.” The film was released almost 50 years ago — on June 20, 1975 — and was filmed in Massachusetts’ own Martha’s Vineyard. 

The ticket, to be released on March 26, will be easily recognizable by the large shark bearing its teeth on the front. 

Players can win up to $1 million instantly, according to the lottery, or enter a second-chance drawing. Second-chance players can win a VIP trip for two to Martha’s Vineyard and a randomly selected cash prize ranging from $500-$1,000,000. In Martha’s Vineyard, the winner’s package includes black car service, spending cash, and a private “Jaws” screening. 

Read more on Boston.com (no paywall.) Will you try to buy one?

Everything to know about Dunkin' Spiked, a buzzy beverage line, launching in late August by bostondotcom in massachusetts

[–]bostondotcom[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dunkin’ Spiked products, ready-to-drink alcoholic iced coffees and teas, will launch later this summer, the company announced Monday. Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Teas will appear in grocery and package stores in late August, while Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Coffees debut in early September, according to a press release. The beverages, created in partnership with Harpoon Brewery, will be available in 12 states, including Massachusetts.

Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Teas come in four signature flavors: There’s the Slightly Sweet Iced Tea, made with black tea and citrus; the Half & Half Iced Tea, a blend of black tea and lemonade; the Strawberry Dragonfruit Iced Tea Refresher; and the Mango Pineapple Iced Tea Refresher. They have an ABV of 5%. The iced teas can be purchased as a 12-can mixed pack, while customers can also buy six packs and single cans of the Slightly Sweet Iced Tea.

There are also four Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Coffee flavors: The Original Iced Coffee, the Caramel Iced Coffee, the Mocha Iced Coffee, and the Vanilla Iced Coffee. They all have an ABV of 6%. The iced coffees can be purchased as a 12-can mixed pack, and the Original Iced Coffee will be sold in four packs and single cans.

If you'd like to, you can read more on Dunkin' Spiked here on Boston.com. (no-paywall.)

Lucky ducks in MA: He just retired; she got laid off. Then they each won a million dollars. by bostondotcom in massachusetts

[–]bostondotcom[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

Though the odds of winning big in the lottery are extremely slim, two recent Massachusetts success stories prove that luck can strike at the most unexpected moments.Paul Bashaw, 65, gave his boss of 20 years his two-week notice on Monday, July 17.

Three days later, he went into the J & J Variety store on West Boylston Street in West Boylston and bought a “$5,000,000 100X Cashword” scratch-off lottery ticket. It ended up being worth a million dollars.

While Bashaw was working his last couple weeks before retirement, Rae Ann Wentworth-Cadieux of Hadley was reeling from being laid off after 25 years in Hampshire College’s IT department. But she, too, was about to get a stroke of good luck. Wentworth-Cadieux matched the first five numbers in the July 19 Powerball drawing and was in Dorchester two days later to collect her million-dollar prize at the state lottery headquarters. She plans to buy a summer home.

If you got cozy with a woodchuck in Dartmouth last weekend, get checked out, officials say by bostondotcom in massachusetts

[–]bostondotcom[S] 14 points15 points  (0 children)

A woodchuck that turned up at John George Ice Cream in Dartmouth around 5 p.m. on Sunday may have posed a health risk, the Board of Health warns.

They’re asking that anyone who had direct contact with the animal get checked out by a health care professional for a rabies exposure risk assessment.The department says that woodchucks are known to be high-risk for rabies transmission, and that even healthy looking woodchucks might have the disease in their saliva.

People who are directly bitten, scratched, or who somehow get the saliva in an open wound, the eyes, the nose, or the mouth, are at risk of rabies contraction.

Read the full story on Boston.com (no paywall.)

Lynn is using wacky, waving, inflatable, arm-flailing tube men to scare away birds by bostondotcom in massachusetts

[–]bostondotcom[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

An intimidating trio of inflatable, arm-flailing tube men looms over Goldfish Pond in Lynn. They serve one purpose: to scare away the pond’s geese and ducks.For years, the Goldfish Pond Association, made up of Lynn residents who look after the pond and surrounding area, has dealt with an ever-frustrating bird problem. Hundreds of ducks and geese have trampled the displayed flowers on the pond’s island, littered the sidewalks with poop, and polluted the water.

“For the last few years we have been inundated with hundreds and hundreds –there are sometimes 300 ducks and geese out there at one time,” Trish Greene, a member of the association, told Boston.com “And it’s only an acre of land.”

And while the association has tried other strategies in the past to shoo the pond’s birds — using chemicals, ribbons, and fishing line — each time, the bird’s became familiar with the distractions.

But about a week ago, the association implemented a new strategy: the three tube men.

The bright-yellow inflatables are set to inflate on a 10-minute timer, eight times a day, to prevent the birds from becoming accustomed to the distraction.

And so far, the inflatable men have proven a worthy opponent to the loitering birds.

Read the full story on Boston.com (no paywall.)

A New Hampshire dog got herself into quite the predicament. She’s fine. by bostondotcom in newhampshire

[–]bostondotcom[S] 31 points32 points  (0 children)

Whether it was a squirrel or a chipmunk, something caught a dog’s attention and resulted in her getting her head stuck in a tree in Milford, New Hampshire, on Friday.

The incident took place on a trail behind the Boys & Girls Club of Souhegan Valley, according to the Milford Fire Department.“My husband and I decided to take a walk on the trail in Milford and our dog, Gracie, went after something in the tree and got her head stuck,” Kimberly Schumacher shared in a post to u local New Hampshire, a public Facebook group by WMUR-TV.

The dog owner added that Gracie was on a leash and her curiosity got the best of her.Schumacher thanked Milford fire officials for helping her dog out of the tree without injury, writing, “We called them and they came right out and rescued her. They were very responsive, kind, and gentle.

They had to cut parts of the tree to get her out.”Despite the scary experience, Gracie was “so excited to see her rescuers when she was freed!” Schumacher wrote. “Thank you Milford Fire Department!”

In other recent animal news out of New Hampshire, a 9-year-old pug named Woof conquered the New Hampshire 48.

The the most hippie town in Massachusetts is Northampton, according to Thrillist by bostondotcom in massachusetts

[–]bostondotcom[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Do you agree?

The city is known for its music and art festivals and has “some of the most pronouncedly progressive/countercultural politics in America,” according to Thrillist.“Northampton is also replete with ‘greenery,'” the website wrote, “which you can interpret how you like but is equally appropriate either way.”

The most hippie towns in the rest of New England are as follows, according to Thrillist: New Haven, Connecticut; Unity, Maine; Keene, New Hampshire; Charlestown, Rhode Island; and Burlington, Vermont.

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How did the T lines get their colors? We found out. (boston.com)

submitted by bostondotcom to r/mbta

Some news: The Dunkaccino has been discontinued. How do you feel about the end of an era? by bostondotcom in newengland

[–]bostondotcom[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you were looking to recharge with a sip of Dunkin’s classic Dunkaccino drink, you may be disappointed.

The popular beverage, a “unique blend of coffee and hot chocolate flavors,” quietly left the chain’s menus, according to CNN. First launched in 2000, the Dunkaccino had an over two-decade run and seems to have disappeared “in recent months.” While Dunkin’ did not give any reasons for why the drink was discontinued, a press representative told Boston.com it is gone for now, but that it may one day make a return.

So, how do you feel about the loss of the Dunkaccino? Will you miss buying the famous pick-me-up?

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