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Tag: Canton

  • Canton blasts Tewksbury to claim Ed Burns Doherty championship

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    LOWELL – Thump.

    The statement made by the No. 9 Canton boys hockey team was loud Sunday afternoon at Tsongas Center, beating No. 6 Tewksbury 5-0 in the Ed Burns Coffee Tournament’s Doherty championship, a matchup many viewed as a potential Div. 2 state final preview between the MIAA power rankings’ top ranked teams.

    Never had a Div. 2 team taken the Doherty championship before in the Coffee Pot Tournament’s five years, spiking anticipation for a tilt between the two who ousted Div. 1 powers Arlington, Hingham and Reading. And after shutting out the Harbormen in the semifinals, the Bulldogs (16-1) were masterful again on defense against the previously unbeaten Redmen (16-1-1), allowing just 13 shots on goal to finish the three-round tournament with one goal allowed.

    “These are the best teams in the state as far as I’m concerned,” said Canton head coach Brian Shuman. “For us to take the title, we’re honored and very humbled because there are eight really good teams in that division. Boys played really well today. That’s a hell of a team. … For us to make a few plays in that game was special.”

    Linemates Joey Ryan (goal, two assists), Ryan Elrick (goal) and Andrew Gillis (goal, two assists) led an attack with five different goal scorers, potting at least one goal in all three periods.

    The most notable was a three-goal second period, with all three coming in the last 3:33 of an otherwise lock-down frame. Teams had combined for just five shots through the first 11 minutes of it, all coming from the outside.

    Canton’s Joey Ryan, left, battles Tewksbury’s Tyler Bourgea during the
    Ed Burns Coffee Tournament championship game Sunday. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)

    Elrick, Gavin O’Toole and Gillis scored the goals to blow open a 4-0 lead heading into the third.

    “It goes to our work ethic,” Elrick said. “We just never stop. I think the big thing about our team is it’s go, go, go. Doesn’t matter how many goals we’re up by, down by. We’re always going to be at our best.”

    Shuman spoke glowingly of Ryan’s playmaking, which was on full display in that stretch. A spectacular feed from in front to Elrick at the post built a 2-0 lead, and after O’Toole scored on a two-man rush, Ryan drew all of Tewksbury’s attention before crossing a pass to Gillis at the right circle for a wide-open shooting lane.

    “Me and (Elrick) have had a little bit of unspoken chemistry throughout our whole high school career, same with (Gillis),” Ryan said. “I just always look for them in space and as soon as I see that little angle, I try to get it to them as quick as I can.”

    Tewksbury had just three shots on goal in the second period, and were largely limited in special teams as the Bulldogs held it 0-for-4 on the power play.

    “It’s kind of coming natural to us at this point, we’re all defensive-minded,” Gillis said.

    “I think the whole thing is, we’re a D-first team,” Elrick added. “All of our offense comes from our D-zone. When we shut down our D-zone, our offense is that much better.”

    Redmen star senior Tyler Bourgea made a few plays to challenge Matt Wright (13 saves) in net, but Canton effectively shut down the prolific attack by taking it out of its high-flying game. Defensemen Teddy Shuman, Kellen Labanara and Will Doucette (goal) stood out, but everyone played a major role.

    “It was team defense,” Brian Shuman said. “We could not let them get comfortable (going through) the neutral zone. They have incredible speed, and we just really had to make sure we had guys back. … D-core played great. Can’t say enough good things.”

    Canton's Cullen O'Brien, left, skates by Tewksbury's Jake Cunha on Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)
    Canton’s Cullen O’Brien, left, skates by Tewksbury’s Jake Cunha on Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)

    Tewksbury head coach Derek Doherty said “dud” several times after the game, feeling like his group didn’t play with the normal tempo, passion and aggressiveness it normally does, and the group will learn from the loss.

    “We’re a better team than we showed today, for sure, and I know that,” he said. “But you’ve got to come prepared, mentally, and go out there and perform. And we didn’t do that, and that’s it. And you know what, hopefully it’s a good thing for us. … We know what we’re up against now.”

    Canton's Liam Connolly, center, holds the Ed Burns Coffee Tournament trophy Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)
    Canton’s Liam Connolly, center, holds the Ed Burns Coffee Tournament trophy Sunday at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. (CJ Gunther/Boston Herald)

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    Tom Mulherin

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  • 8 workers found in Canton indicted by federal grand jury on immigration charges

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    AKRON ‒ A federal grand jury has charged eight people who were found at a Canton manufacturing facility on Aug. 6 with immigration and identity theft-related violations.

    According to court documents, four of the defendants were previously removed from the U.S. but were found in Ohio without the consent of the U.S. attorney general or the secretary for homeland security for readmission.

    Seven of the defendants are from Guatemala and a one is from El Salvador, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio. They range in age from 21 to 55.

    The manufacturing facility where they were found was not identified in the release. The local communities where they were living also were not included.

    The charges are illegal reentry of removed alien, false claim to U.S. citizenship to engage unlawfully in employment, misuse of Social Security number, aggravated identity theft and unlawful use of identification documents.

    Canton: Mayor William Sherer II says city will not support nor hinder ICE deportations

    The investigations leading to the indictments were conducted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

    “These cases are part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations, and protect communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a press release on Sept. 2.

    (This breaking news story will be updated as more infomation is available.)

    This article originally appeared on The Repository: Grand jury indicts 8 Canton workers on immigration violations

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  • John O’Keefe’s ex-girlfriend believes Karen Read is innocent: ‘Nothing was adding up’

    John O’Keefe’s ex-girlfriend believes Karen Read is innocent: ‘Nothing was adding up’

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    A one-time girlfriend of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe shared her thoughts on the case against Karen Read in an interview with NBC’s Dateline.

    Lindsay Higgins says she dated O’Keefe for about six months.

    “He was just such a gentleman, you know, walked me home,” she told Dateline. “Just really, really kind.”

    She first learned of his death while she was in Florida, she said.

    “My phone was ringing nonstop, my texts were going off, and I looked at my phone, and one of my friends was like, ‘Did you hear about John O’Keefe? He died,’” Higgins recalled.

    In Friday’s edition of Canton Confidential, we look at Karen Read’s Dateline interview, her first trial’s price tag for taxpayers and other recent headlines in the high-profile case.

    Read was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter while operating under the influence and leaving the scene of a crash resulting in the death of O’Keefe, who was find outside a house in Canton, Massachusetts, in January of 2022. Prosecutors say she hit him with her SUV after a night of drinking, while her defense team argued she was framed as part of a conspiracy.

    Higgins believes Read is innocent.

    “Nothing was adding up,” she said. “I was watching every news story, I was seeing what was going on online, and the stories coming out, and I was like, ‘I don’t think she hit him. It doesn’t make any sense to me.’”

    Read’s trial this summer ended with a hung jury. A retrial is scheduled for January. Massachusetts’ highest court is considering her appeal to dismiss the charges of murder and leaving the scene.

    Higgins says she started attending hearings with Read after contacting her on Facebook.

    “I said, you know, ‘Hi, Karen. I don’t know if you know me or not, but I used to date John, and I think I dated him right before you, and I just want to say that I don’t think you did it, and I support you,’” Higgins said. “And she wrote me back. Ever since then, we just became closer and closer.”

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    John Moroney

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  • Turtleboy’s defense claims DA lied about evidence, improperly used personal email

    Turtleboy’s defense claims DA lied about evidence, improperly used personal email

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    An attorney for one of Karen Read‘s most visible supporters, facing charges of witness intimidation in the case, is leveling new allegations against prosecutors.

    The defense team for Aidan Kearney, the blogger better known as “Turtleboy,” sent a letter to prosecutors Thursday claiming that Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey lied about evidence and improperly communicated by personal email.

    Kearney’s team cited an email Morrissey sent the judge in September of last year, a day after a witness in the Read case applied for a harassment prevention order against the blogger — which was denied.

    That email, Kearney’s lawyers say, came from Morrissey’s personal iCloud email account instead of his state email address.

    “He did that on purpose so that it wouldn’t come up in public records searches because he doesn’t want the public to know what he’s doing,” Kearney told NBC10 Boston Friday.

    “In and of itself, it wouldn’t be that big of a concern that someone in a rush uses the wrong phone, sends out the information,” NBC10 Boston legal analyst Michael Coyne said Friday. “But put it with all of the other facts that are alleged in that letter, it raises another eyebrow to say, ‘Is this all on the up-and-up?’”

    In Friday’s edition of Canton Confidential, we look at Karen Read’s Dateline interview, her first trial’s price tag for taxpayers and other recent headlines in the high-profile case.

    Morrissey raised concerns in the email about a Stoughton District Court employee sharing a copy of an affidavit with Kearney, according to the letter from attorney Mark Bederow, who represents the blogger.

    A court spokesperson said that court employee was placed on paid administrative leave last October and terminated the following month, but declined to comment on the reason.

    Kearney said that former court employee also provided him with evidence that investigators had extracted data from his cellphones, which were seized when he was arrested a year ago.

    “They have claimed in court, more times than I can count, that they’ve never looked through my phones, and that is the reason they haven’t given me back my phones,” Kearney said. “There’s information in there from confidential sources that I no longer have.”

    The Boston Globe reported Friday that Bederow specifically said Massachusetts State Police Det. Lt. Brian Tully searched Kearney’s phones. Bederow added that the defense has not received any phone data from prosecutors despite discovery rules requiring that it be made available.

    On Friday evening, state police announced that Tully — who testified at Read’s trial and has been the subject of an internal investigation — has been transferred and is no longer leading the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office’s detective unit.

    State police said the department’s new leader, Col. Geoffrey Noble, decided transferring Tully was “in the best interest of the Department’s public safety mission,” but didn’t elaborate.

    NBC10 Boston has reached out to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office about Kearney’s claims, but has not heard back.

    Kearney is scheduled to appear in court in December for a hearing about his seized cellphones.

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    Staff Reports

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  • Connecticut Town Trials Four-Day Workweek, Employees Love It | Entrepreneur

    Connecticut Town Trials Four-Day Workweek, Employees Love It | Entrepreneur

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    The town of Canton, Connecticut, population 10,124, has been trialing a four-day workweek for its employees for nearly a month — and so far, it’s been a success.

    On September 16, the town’s non-unionized employees who work in the town hall, social services, and senior services began getting Fridays off.

    “I wanted to find a work-life balance for my employees because I think that if you can take care of your personal items at home and you’re not worried about making appointments and taking care of your kids, etc, then you’ll be more laser-focused at work,” Canton’s First Selectman Kevin Witkos told WTNH News on Monday.

    He added that town employees on the four-day schedule “love it” and “the feedback has been great” from residents.

    Related: This Country Just Implemented a 6-Day Workweek for Employees

    Town hall employees now work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and work an extra hour on Wednesday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Senior and social services employees’ new schedule is from 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

    Administrators in the town’s Department of Public Works and Police Department are also taking part in the four-day workweek, per Witkos. The trial period lasts four months, until January.

    Canton joins other Connecticut towns, including Plainville, Redding, and Mansfield in implementing a four-day workweek.

    Related: Samsung Makes 6-Day Workweeks Mandatory for Executives

    Meanwhile, Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor told Kevin O’Leary in July that the company implemented a 4-day workweek and they’re “very productive” within those four days.

    “I love the fact that the people at our company have interests,” Taylor said.

    Most people are willing to work more hours Monday through Thursday if they get Friday off. According to a November 2023 Gallup poll, 77% of the U.S. workforce are in favor of a 40-hour, 4-day workweek and say it would positively affect their well-being.

    The four-day workweek has also had proven outcomes. In June 2021, 70 companies in the UK experimented with it for six months. The majority found that business productivity was about the same or slightly higher than it was with a standard five-day week.

    Zoom CEO Eric Yuan told The Verge in June that AI can help cut the workweek to three or four days.

    “Why not spend more time with your family?” Yuan said. “Why not focus on some more creative things, giving you back your time, giving back to the community and society to help others, right? Today, the reason why we cannot do that is because every day is busy, five days a week. It’s boring.”

    Related: Can’t Afford a 4-day Workweek? Try a 35-hour One Instead

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    Sherin Shibu

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  • Pro Football Hall of Fame announces Ring of Excellence ceremonies

    Pro Football Hall of Fame announces Ring of Excellence ceremonies

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    CANTON, Ohio — In addition to the gold jacket and bronze bust, the Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2024 will also be receiving their Ring of Excellence via official provider Kay Jewelers.

    Ceremonies for the rings will take place at the players’ home stadiums on the following dates, according to a HOF release:

    • Sunday, Sept. 8 – Houston Texans at Indianapolis Colts for Dwight Freeney
    • Sunday, Sept. 8 – Tennessee Titans at Chicago Bears for Steve McMichael
    • Sunday, Sept. 29 – Cincinnati Bengals at Carolina Panthers for Julius Peppers
    • Sunday, Oct. 6 – Las Vegas Raiders at Denver Broncos for Randy Gradishar
    • Sunday, Oct. 6 – Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers for Patrick Willis
    • Sunday, Oct. 27 – Indianapolis Colts at Houston Texans for Andre Johnson
    • Sunday, Nov. 17 – Green Bay Packers at Chicago Bears for Devin Hester

    Each ring is unique to each to every player with their likeness on one side and their name and year of enshrinement on the other. They also have their enshrinement number engraved on the inside of the ring.

    “The spectacular Hall of Fame Ring of Excellence is set in 14K gold with a total diamond weight of 1.75 carats,” the release reads. “It is much more than a beautiful piece of jewelry, however. Intricate details on the ring reflect the special significance of enshrinement.”

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    Cody Thompson

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  • Heating funds available to those feeling economic woes

    Heating funds available to those feeling economic woes

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    CANTON — As winter temperatures continue to drop, the sponsoring energy companies of the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund and its administrator, The Salvation Army, encourage those who are struggling financially due to higher prices for necessities or other crises to apply for home energy assistance by visiting their local Salvation Army Corps Community Center.

    If unsure of where the nearest Community Center is located, please visit www.MAGoodNeighbor.org.

    The Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund is often the last resort for families who are in temporary financial difficulty and do not qualify for federal and state fuel assistance programs such as LIHEAP.

    The Fund’s grants are paid directly to the energy provider for households whose gross income falls between 60-80% of the state’s median income levels. For example, a household size of four would need to have a total gross yearly income of between $87,294 and $116,392 to qualify. This campaign year’s fund disbursement is $400 per eligible household per heating season.

    “Prices for basic needs like food, rent and utilities remain elevated this winter making it difficult for many to make ends meet, especially with temperatures continuing to drop,” said Marie McCabe, Chairperson of the 2024 Good Neighbor Energy Fund campaign and Customer Service Representative for North Attleborough Electric Department. “The Fund is a resource for moderate income households in temporary crisis. We encourage everyone who thinks they are eligible to apply to the program.”

    The Fund’s 399h annual “Give the Gift of Warmth” campaign is a cooperative effort between the Fund’s 18 sponsoring energy companies, the general public and the corporate community to raise $500,000 and help an anticipated 1,500 households. The campaign relies on the generosity of individuals, families, local corporations and foundations for support and has raised more than $24.5 million and assisted over 94,850 households since its inception in 1985.

    Massachusetts residents and businesses that wish to donate to the Fund are encouraged to use the Good Neighbor Energy Fund green donation envelope included with their monthly energy bill or scan the QR code on the donation envelope to donate online. Some energy companies offer an ‘add a dollar’ program which allows customers to contribute on their monthly bill payment by one dollar or more.

    Anyone can also donate with a credit card online at www.magoodneighbor.org. Donors can also simply mail a check payable to “Good Neighbor Energy Fund,” c/o The Salvation Army, 25 Shawmut Road, Canton, Massachusetts 02021-1408. Participating energy companies support their respective customers’ generosity through various giving programs.

    For more information about how to apply for the Massachusetts Good Neighbor Energy Fund, visit your local Salvation Army Corps Community Center, call 800-334-3047 if you live in area codes 508, 617, 781 or 978 or 800-262-1320 if you live in area code 413 or visit www.magoodneighbor.org.

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  • Hall of Fame NFL official Art McNally dies at age 97

    Hall of Fame NFL official Art McNally dies at age 97

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    Art McNally, the first on-field official inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has died. He was 97.

    His son, Tom McNally, said Monday that his father died of natural causes at a hospital in Newtown, Pennsylvania, near his longtime home.

    McNally died less than five months after getting inducted into the Hall of Fame following more than a half-century working as an on-field official, the head of officiating for the NFL and an adviser to the league who is credited with modernizing the practice of how games are officiated.

    “Art McNally was an extraordinary man, the epitome of integrity and class,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Monday. “Throughout his distinguished officiating career, he earned the eternal respect of the entire community. Fittingly, he was the first game official enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. But more importantly, he was a Hall of Fame person in absolutely every way.”

    While baseball, basketball and hockey had inducted several officials into their Halls of Fame, McNally was the first to receive the honor in the NFL back in August.

    There couldn’t have been a more appropriate choice for the honor than McNally, whose fingerprints are all over how games are officiated even today.

    After a nine-year career on the field, McNally overhauled the department when he took it over in 1968 and remained involved until retiring in 2015.

    “Art McNally was a quiet, honest man of integrity,” Hall of Fame President Jim Porter said in a statement. “To see Art’s decades of service recognized with his enshrinement as part of the Class of 2022 was a special moment for the Hall. His legacy as a strong leader who helped usher in the advanced training of officials and the technology necessary to keep up with a faster and more complicated game will be preserved forever in Canton.”

    McNally got his start in officiating in an informal way when he called games while serving in the Marines in World War II. He went on to call more than 3,000 games in , basketball and baseball, chronicling them all in books he kept, according to son-in-law Brian O’Hara.

    Before shifting to the NFL league office in 1968, McNally would often officiate high school, college and professional games on the same weekend.

    “He was natural at it,” O’Hara said this past summer. “From being a teacher and being kind of like a rule follower his life because he followed the rules. … The biggest thing was he enjoyed making it fair. That’s all he wanted to do was to be fair and to get it right. I guess that’s the things he enjoyed about officiating.”

    McNally’s biggest impact came in how the NFL evaluated and trained officials in a system that is still mostly in place today.

    Under his watch, the NFL standardized how officials worked a game in their positioning and what calls they made to bring more consistency to the sport.

    He used all-22 game film to teach the officials and grade their performance, using the film to teach as well as evaluate officials. He utilized weekly training videos and rules quizzes to help improve the officiating across the league.

    “That was brand new,” Dean Blandino, one of McNally’s successors as the NFL’s head of officiating, said before McNally’s induction.

    “That was kind of cutting edge. People weren’t doing it. Art came in and understood that this was something that was needed and laid that foundation and that foundation is still what we stand on today in the officiating world. Every league in every sport at every level has an evaluation system and that all goes back to Art.”

    McNally also helped implement the NFL’s first use of instant replay in the 1980s and got his first chance to work a Super Bowl as a replay official following the 1986 season.

    That version of replay was abolished in 1991, but McNally provided guidance to his successors when replay returned in 1999, as he was steadfast in his belief that the league should use any tool to help officials make the correct calls.

    “You just want to get it right,” former NFL referee Ed Hochuli said this summer. “Art was the definition of that. If you look up the definition of integrity in the dictionary and there’s a picture of Art.”

    McNally is survived by his wife, Sharon, his children Marybeth, Tom and Michael, and his grandchildren.

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    AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl and https://twitter.com/AP—NFL

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