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Driver in Somerset Christmas crash that killed 3 pleads not guilty to manslaughter OUI charges

A man charged pleaded not guilty on Friday to additional charges connected to a third death in a Christmas day crash, after he allegedly drove the wrong way while drunk in Somerset.

41-year-old Adam Gauthier, from New York City, appeared for his second arraignment in Fall River District Court connected to the deaths of a couple from Seekonk and their 15-year-old grandson who was in their care.

Police responded to a crash caused by a wrong-way driver on Dec. 25 on the Somerset side of the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge. Floriano Arruda, 73, his wife Donna Arruda, 68, and their grandson Jacoby Arruda, 15, all ultimately died from their injuries, the Bristol County District Attorney’s office said at the time.

Gauthier was initially charged in the deaths of Jacoby Arruda, who died the night of the crash, and Floriano Arruda, who died the next morning. New charges were added last week after Donna Arruda died from her injuries on Dec. 29.

He pleaded not guilty to all charges, including three counts of manslaughter while under the influence, three counts of motor vehicle homicide-OUI liquor, and more motor vehicle misdemeanors. 

Gauthier was released on personal recognizance, cannot drive a vehicle in any state, is barred from any alcohol consumption, and will be tested four times a day with a SCRAM alcohol-monitoring device.

Charlie Coyle’s ascension as Bruins’ top-line center has been a game-changer

Brad Marchand knew what was coming.

As Charlie Coyle gathered a skittering puck in the slot, the 31-year-old pivot charged toward Grade-A ice.

Montreal defenseman Jordan Harris attempted to impede Coyle. Juraj Slafkovsky waved his stick in vain support. Justin Barron dropped to his knee in the Habs crease — fortifying the last line of defense alongside Canadiens netminder Sam Montembeault.

A 3-on-1 defensive swarm is usually enough to deter even the most steadfast puck-carriers from ferrying the biscuit into high-danger ice.

But for a 6-foot-3, 218-pound skater like Coyle, a 3-on-1 mismatch stands as a level playing field.

Marchand braced himself.

Rather than trying to punch a puck through a mass of skaters, Coyle dragged his offering behind Montreal’s net. The Habs simply had no chance.

Slafkovsky’s path was finally halted when he glided into the left post of Montreal’s net. Harris’ desperate attempt to slow down Coyle ended with him sputtering behind the goal line.

And before Barron could push himself back on his skates and turn around to the netfront, the damage was already done. Coyle’s behind-the-net detour ended with a quick feed in front, where an unaccounted Marchand was ready to snap the offering into twine.

Coyle’s crisp helper on Marchand’s 20th goal of the season was not the deciding play in Boston’s 9-4 drubbing of the Canadiens on Saturday night.

But the Weymouth native’s individual effort served as a succinct summary of a season where Coyle has asserted himself as an impact, top-six center for the Bruins.

And with both Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci hanging up their skates last summer, Coyle’s ascension has come at a perfect time.

“He’s thrived this year,” Marchand said of Coyle after Boston’s win on Saturday. “ He’s taken some big steps and I think he’s really looking forward to having that opportunity. We’ve been very fortunate to have him in a [third-line] role there for a while, but with Bergy and Krech leaving, I think he was really excited about having that opportunity to be a number one [center].

“He’s taken it and ran with it. And just his approach every day, trying to get better and how committed he is. I’m not surprised to see it, but it’s great. I mean, he’s just getting better every game and even when he’s not on the scoresheet, he does so much and he’s such a dominant force out there, and he can take over a game. You saw it a couple of times today.”

Coyle’s value to the Bruins over the years hasn’t always been measured in the scoresheet. He has lit the lamp 16 times in three of his four full seasons in Boston.

But in 2023-24, Coyle and the Bruins have managed to achieve the best of both worlds as far as Coyle’s on-ice impact.

Stepping into a featured role in Boston’s lineup, Coyle has already matched his previous career-high in tallies with the Bruins with 16 through 45 games this season. He’s on pace for 29 goals and 66 points in 2023-24.

But Coyle’s defensive game hasn’t wavered, either. He still leads all Bruins forwards in shorthanded ice time per game (2:43) — well ahead of the next forward on the roster in Marchand (1:54).

Only a pair of fourth-liners in Jakub Lauko and Johnny Beecher have a lower offensive-zone faceoff percentage at 5v5 play than Coyle (41.89). But even with Coyle’s limited starting reps on favorable ice, the Bruins are still outscoring teams, 28-19, in his 564 minutes of 5v5 ice time this season.

For all of the concerns about Boston’s pivot pipeline following the retirements of both Bergeron and Krejci, the Bruins have had no shortage of options down the middle between Coyle, Pavel Zacha, Morgan Geekie, Matthew Poitras, Trent Frederic, and others.

Much like Coyle, the Bruins’ reworked center grouping may not present as much panache as a pair of franchise pillars like Bergeron and Krejci.

But style points don’t matter all that much, not when the points keep piling up — both on the scoresheet and especially in the standings.

“I just think Charlie’s in a real good place now in the middle of the season,” Jim Montgomery said earlier this week. “He’s a real confident player in what he is and who he is. Now he gets there and it doesn’t matter who’s with him, he keeps playing the same way… I think that’s why it’s working so well. It’s own confidence in his own game.”

Kristaps Porzingis lifts Celtics over Rockets in choppy win: 8 takeaways

The Celtics struggled in the second half against a short-handed Rockets team that refused to go away, but they got enough to claim a 116-107 victory to get back in the win column.

Here are the takeaways. 

1. Kristaps Porzingis was excellent on both ends: 32 points on 11-for-21 shooting to go with six boards and five (!) blocked shots. Every team struggles to deal with what he brings to the floor, but the Rockets were particularly vulnerable — Alperen Sengun and Jock Landale were the only players who could reasonably match Porzingis’ size, and neither of them were mobile or versatile enough to deal with his floor spacing. Much of the first half was target practice in the pick-and-pop for Porzingis, and he was more than happy to abuse mismatches in the post. Even when he didn’t get the ball, he made a major impact: At one point, the Rockets simply let Derrick White run right past Jalen Green for a two-handed slam because Sengun didn’t want to leave Porzingis knowing White would just whirl and find him for an open triple from his favorite spot at the top of the key. 

Defensively, meanwhile, Porzingis was just as effective. The Rockets challenged him repeatedly, and he won in both half-court and transition sets. His final block might have been his best — with the Celtics leading by 10 and on the verge of putting the game on ice, Sengun drove at Porzingis for a layup that the Celtics’ center sent back unceremoniously. 

Don’t expect to see Porzingis on Monday in Dallas (Horford sat the front half of the back-to-back), but he did his part to make sure the Celtics started their odd three-game road trip on a good note. 

2. Since the Celtics won, the order of takeaways goes “1. Porzingis, 2. Tatum.” If they had lost, that order would have been reversed. Tatum struggled immensely from the field, finishing 4-for-17 overall and 1-for-6 from 3-point range. Facing an aggressive Rockets team that had clearly been instructed by Ime Udoka to bother Tatum and Brown as much as possible, Tatum looked off from the jump. He also missed a number of 3-pointers that were very make-able but tend to be the kind of shots he misses when his layups aren’t falling. 

Tatum still got to the line 12 times (9-for-12), and he made a big 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter that helped push the game out of reach. The spin zone: After struggling badly against both the Rockets and Nuggets, he’s due for a regression to the mean. 

3. Jaylen Brown recorded the third triple-double of his career with 13 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. He was inefficient as a shooter (6-for-14), but he also created three opportunities with three steals. 

Brown’s last assist was aided and abetted by both a Rockets team that refused to concede a lost cause and by a Celtics team that was well aware of what he needed to reach the milestone. 

Still, a triple-double (usually) can’t happen with 10 assists, and Brown had a number of nice ones, particularly a pair to Kornet – one drive-and-dish that found Kornet at the rim, and one patient pass as Kornet flew down the lane for a dunk in transition. Brown’s improvements as a facilitator continue to be stark this year.

4. Derrick White picked up some scoring slack with Tatum and Brown scuffling a bit, dropping 21 points along with 11 rebounds. He scored 16 of his points in the first half. 

It’s a little obvious, but we probably can’t overstate how important it is for the Celtics that on a night when they got just 31 points from their two mainstay All-Star contenders, two fringe All-Star contenders combined to score 53. You can still try the strategy of making other Celtics besides Tatum and Brown beat you, but this year’s team is a lot better built to simply say, “Okay, no problem” and do it anyway.

5. This was an absurd shot by Payton Pritchard. 

Pritchard played 30 rock-solid minutes on Sunday, scoring nine points on 3-for-6 shooting (3-for-5 from three) and dishing out four assists. Celtics lineups are +0.3 with Pritchard in the game this season instead of on the bench, which is really promising from a role player who just signed an affordable four-year deal this offseason.

6. Remember when “the Celtics still need a back-up big” was a talking point before the season? Luke Kornet has missed two shots in his last four games and has blocked seven shots over that same stretch, including three more on Sunday. He finished 4-for-4 with eight points, nine rebounds, an assist and a steal as well. The back-up big discourse feels like it happened a long time ago.

7. We probably should have seen Brown’s attempt at an off-the-backboard self alley-oop coming after Anthony Edwards successfully pulled it off two days ago, since Brown couldn’t just let his young Atlanta counterpart go unanswered. 

Brown’s attempt, which came on the first possession of the game, wasn’t quite as successful.

“It looked great in my head,” Brown said postgame, chuckling. “… I just didn’t have the legs tonight. My legs was cooked.”

8. Next up for the Celtics: A trip to Dallas where they will face old friend Grant Williams (as well as Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, who are a little more prominent outside of Boston). 

For what it’s worth: Williams recently described his start in Dallas as “not good.” He might be a little banged up. We’ll get a closer look at 8:30 p.m. on Monday before the Celtics finally get two days off ahead of Thursday’s showdown with the Heat. 

New Hampshire trio arrested after 15 dogs and a child found living in “deplorable” conditions

A New Hampshire family has been arrested on animal cruelty and child endangerment charges after police found “deplorable” conditions inside their home. 

Billy Towne, 48, Jennifer Liles, 45, and Patrick Liles, 24, were arrested and charged Jan. 18 after police found 15 dogs and a juvenile living inside their home, a statement on the Hooksett Police Department’s Facebook page said.

The department received a call Jan. 16 requesting a welfare check of a residence on Merrimack Street in Hooksett, N.H. citing concerns about living conditions and the welfare of the dogs inside, they said.

Two officers went to the home and found its condition to be “deplorable,” according to the statement. Inside, they found seven approximately 12-week-old puppies together in one crate, four older puppies together in another crate, and four adult dogs loose inside the house.

According to officers, no food or water was present at the home, which was covered in feces and urine. 

“The dogs themselves were covered in feces and were showing signs of various health issues,” the post read.

Responding officers transported the dogs to the Pope Memorial SPCA to receive care. A juvenile was also found to be living at the residence, prompting a response from the state’s child protective services. 

Towne and Jennifer Liles were each released on $2,500 bail after being charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty and one count of endangering the welfare of a child. Patrick Liles was charged with 15 counts of animal cruelty and was released on $1,000 cash bail. All three are scheduled to appear at the 6th Circuit Court in Hooksett on Feb. 29 at 8:15 a.m., according to the Facebook post. 

AG Campbell threatens legal action against Milton over MBTA zoning act

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell has put the Town of Milton on notice, saying that if they are still not in compliance with the MBTA Communities Act after a town-wide vote next month, the state will take legal action to enforce the law.

On Dec. 11, a Milton Special Town Meeting approved a zoning bylaw change to make their community compliant with the state’s MBTA Communities Act, a 2021 law that requires communities near transit lines to change zoning to allow for more multifamily units. The historic vote marked the most significant change to the town’s zoning bylaws in more than 100 years.

However, a petition will put the zoning change to voters at large on Feb. 13. The Milton Neighbors for Responsible Zoning, who gathered 3,000 signatures for the petition, want to challenge Milton’s designation as a rapid transit community. The group is advocating to vote no on Article 1.

If the referendum passes, Milton will be the last rapid transit community to comply with the MBTA Communities Act. As of now, they are the only town to miss the end-of-the-year compliance deadline, which Brookline met in November.

“It is beyond question that the Commonwealth faces a housing crisis, which is a key factor in the state’s exceptionally high cost of living. Our limited housing supply is also a significant impediment to the economic growth that is needed to keep our communities strong,” Campbell wrote to the town on Jan. 16. 

The Town of Milton told the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities on Jan. 10 that their compliance would depend on the results of the town-wide vote.

What happens if Milton does not comply?

In a previous letter, the EOHLC acknowledged Milton’s efforts to comply with the act, including working with the office to develop zoning plans before the December Special Town Meeting. 

The EOHLC also outlined consequence of noncompliance including the inability to receive MassWorks, HousingWorks, and Housing Choice grants, which Campbell’s letter to Milton referenced.

“As EOHLC has expressed clearly to the Town, Milton’s eligibility for a wide variety of state funding will be impacted if the Town rejects compliance with the MBTA Communities Act,” Campbell wrote. “Should the Town chart a course in contravention of state law, however, the Attorney General’s Office will carry out its responsibility to enforce the law, without hesitation.”

How Boston-area hospitals stack up on social responsibility rankings

A unique new ranking system based on “social responsibility” metrics has placed several Boston-area hospitals far below top performers in measures like pay and racial equity.

The Lown Institute Hospitals Index, first published in 2020 by the Newton-based think tank, uses 53 metrics to rank hospitals based on health equity, value of care, and patient outcomes. Measurements used include rates of unnecessary stent placement procedures, racial inclusivity, and fair share spending. 

According to Lown’s website, none of the 2022-2023 U.S. News Honor Roll hospitals, which are determined by performance in hospitals’ specialties and procedures, received an “A” grade from the Institute in equity, but most did well on value and outcomes.

“There’s definitely a lot of examples where you say, ‘Oh wow, this is supposed to be one of the best hospitals in the country,’” said Aaron Toleos, vice president of communications for the Lown Institute. “And yet on this [ranking], they don’t do very well.”

Toleos said that most hospitals in the Boston area generally do well on the rankings, but lag behind on pay equity. According to the Lown Institute report, the CEO of Brigham and Women’s Hospital made $3,816,769 in 2020 — significantly above the national average nonprofit hospital CEO pay of $700,000.

Massachusetts General Hospital, for one, is nationally ranked 13th for adult specialties by U.S. News and is included in the publication’s “Best Hospitals Honor Roll.” But while the Lown rankings give it an A for value, they gave the hospital a C for equity and a B for outcomes.

Mass General was also ranked first in the state for coronary stent overuse, a procedure identified by the Lown Institute as being “low-value” and unnecessary in certain cases. 

Boston Medical Center ranked first in the country for racial inclusivity, which combines assessments of community benefit spending, pay equity, and inclusivity. The hospital also made the top of the list for the largest fair share surpluses, or the proportion of spending on charity care and community investment compared to the value of their tax exemption. 

Brigham and Women’s ranked 428th for racial inclusivity, and Massachusetts General Hospital came in at No. 607. 

In the equity category, Falmouth Hospital ranked the highest on the equity ranking compared to other Massachusetts hospitals, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center was ranked the highest of Massachusetts hospitals for value of care. 

The Lown Institute says it aims to help hospitals determine and set goals regarding the measured factors. 

“Pretty much every hospital talks about how it wants to be there for its community, to be a great community partner and service the community,” Toleos said. “A lot of hospitals put a lot of emphasis on equity, but what we’ve found is that there’s a lack of metrics available to actually measure how they’re doing.”

According to Toleos, the Institute uses the most current data available and bases its assessments on the most recent academic literature. 

“This data is useful to any hospital that is serious about improving its social responsibility,” Toleos said. “It can be used by hospitals to track their progress and set goals for doing better. It can be used by community members who want to hold their hospital accountable. Patients may be choosing where to go for a certain procedure may take the overuse data into account.”

Newton schools won’t return to class on Monday as teachers strike, contract negotiations continue

Classes will not resume on Monday for Newton teachers and students as contract negotiations to end the educators’ strike continues, the Newton Teachers Association said at a press conference Sunday night.

Newton canceled school on Friday after 98% of the NTA voted to authorize the strike on Thursday night. A judge issued a cease-and-desist on Friday to get teachers back to work. Strikes among public sector workers, including public school teachers, are illegal in Massachusetts.

The union is fighting for a fair contract, the NTA has said, including better wages for instructional aides and behavior therapists, social workers in every elementary school, “humane and modern paid family leave” for all educators, and fair cost-of-living adjustments for teachers. 

Teachers in multiple districts in the state have gone on strike in recent years despite such strikes being illegal. In the past two years alone, educators in Brookline, Andover, Haverhill, and Malden all walked off the job during bargaining.

Around 5 p.m. on Sunday, Newton Public Schools said they waited hours for the NTA to reply to proposals made by the school committee on Saturday.

“After waiting over five hours today for a response from the NTA on School Committee proposals made yesterday, the School Committee proposed to the NTA that their negotiating team and the NPS team continue to mediate tomorrow while students and all other staff return to school,” NPS said on their website. “NTA president Mike Zilles refused and responded that the NTA ‘will remain on strike until we reach an agreement.’ As of 3:00pm, the NTA is in violation of the Superior Court’s order to disavow the strike.”

Union spokespeople have said the strike is the last resort for educators and that the city officials have lacked urgency to come to an agreement. Monday will be the second day of school canceled due to the strike.

“That Mayor Fuller and the School Committee are asking educators to return to work without a contract demonstrates a lack of understanding about the severity of the crisis our schools face and our determination to address that crisis,” the NTA said in a statement. “Responsibility lies with Mayor Fuller for ending this strike and reopening schools as quickly as possible.”

Ryan Normandin, a math and physics teacher at Newton South High School, said that Mayor Ruthanne Fuller has not been present during negotiations this weekend. 

“Mayor Fuller will not face her constituents. She will not face us,” Normandin said at Sunday night’s update. “Mayor Fuller, you need to stop hiding, and you should show up for people of this city like we do every single day.”

Newton parent leaders also signed a letter on Friday supporting the NTA and urging Fuller to release funds for teachers and to get rid of the “arbitrary 3.5% cap” for yearly budget increases.

NTA President Mike Zilles said the union is at the negotiation table for the first time since July as the teachers have been working without a contract this year.

“Right now we’re out, not just because we’re defending ourselves, but we want better working conditions and better learning conditions for our kids,” Zilles said on Saturday. “But as much as anything, I think we’re standing up for our profession.”

Have the Red Sox found their catcher of the future in Kyle Teel?

At this time last year, Kyle Teel was readying himself for his junior season at the University of Virginia.

Now, he’s ready to break camp with the Red Sox in his first-ever trek to spring training.

And even with just 23 games of pro ball under his belt, the 21-year-old catcher has already put himself on the fast track to the big leagues thanks to a stellar debut with Boston.

“I just try and really control what I can,” Teel said last week at the Red Sox’ Rookie Development Program. “Obviously I want to make it up as fast as I can. And that’s my goal. But just controlling what I can and giving it my all every day and working hard is what’s really important to me.”

Boston selected Teel with the 14th overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, with the reigning ACC Player of the Year and consensus All-American earning high marks for his high contact rate and poised defensive play. 

It didn’t take long for Teel to cut a swath through the lower levels of Boston’s farm system. 

After just three games with the Florida Complex League Red Sox, Teel skipped Low-A Salem and landed with High-A Greenville. It only took him 14 games to earn yet another call-up — ending his abbreviated 2023 campaign with Double-A Portland alongside Boston’s other top prospects in Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony. 

Boston’s accelerated timeline for Teel was warranted. After slashing .377/.485/.453 during his cup of coffee with Greenville, Teel batted .323 and slugged a home run over his nine games with Portland to close out the 2023 season.

Red Sox director of player development Brian Abraham acknowledged that catchers are often handed a longer development curve in the minor leagues — even advanced prospects coming out of collegiate programs like Teel.

But so far, Teel has pushed the envelope during his limited time with Boston.

“[He’s] unique in the sense that we don’t have too many rookies in the rookie program that haven’t had a spring training,” Abraham said of Teel. “So I think getting him acclimated to Fort Myers and we joked a little bit — he’s probably going to come to Fort Myers and [say] ‘Wow, we have a lot of players,’ because he’s only been around about 60 or 70 at one time.

“We’re probably gonna have about 170 when he goes down to Fort Myers next week. So I think just kind of getting acclimated to his routine, understanding the importance of handling a full-season workload, especially the role he has behind the plate. But he got a lot stronger, which is a big goal for him this offseason. And I think again, just consistency — being able to handle both the offensive side, defensive side at the upper levels is something that we’re excited for him to handle and it’s something he’s ready to take on.”

Even with his limited reps against pro competition, Teel felt as though his heavy reps with the Cavaliers set the stage for his surge through Boston’s farm system.

“I would say Virginia definitely prepared me in regards to all aspects of catching and offensively — from pitch calling to scouting reports,” Teel noted. “These are all things I’ve done in the past at Virginia and that experience is a big reason why I think it’s going the way it is for me.”

Even though Boston is set to open the 2024 season with Connor Wong and Reese McGuire on the 40-man roster, Teel — rated by Baseball America as the No. 62 prospect in baseball — offers plenty of promise for a Red Sox franchise that’s opting for a big-picture approach following an underwhelming offseason. 

Even though it’s to be expected for Teel to eventually hit a roadblock or two during his first full pro season, he’s already exceeded the high expectations the Red Sox placed on him last summer. 

As noted by Alex Speier of The Boston Globe, only three college first-round catchers — Adley Rutschman (2019), Shea Langeliers (2019), and Kyle Schwarber (2014) — opened their first full pro seasons in Double A since the 2013 season ahead of Teel’s 2024 campaign.

Teel finds himself in pretty good company given his strong start to pro ball. But the blue-chip prospect isn’t trying to get ahead of himself ahead of the 2024 season. 

“My goal is to be here,” Teel said. “I’m only in control of the aspects of my game and how hard I work is something I’m really in control of. Again, the goal is to be here, but I don’t have control of other decisions like that.”

Four-vehicle crash in Dracut kills 1, seriously injures 8 others

A four-vehicle crash in Dracut Saturday night resulted in the death of one individual and the hospitalization of eight others, officials said.

The Dracut Police and Fire Departments responded to the area of 1020 Merrimack Ave in Dracut around 9 p.m. Saturday after reports of a crash, a press release said.

One person was declared dead at the scene and eight others were brought to local hospitals. The conditions of the injured were not released, but officials said the crash resulted in “multiple serious injuries.”

Merrimack Avenue was closed for several hours.

The crash is being investigated by the Dracut Police Department, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office, and the Massachusetts State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section. 

Former Martha’s Vineyard fire chief arrested for allegedly recording sex act without consent

The former fire chief of Oak Bluffs’s department was arrested Saturday for allegedly filming a video of someone performing sexual acts on him without their consent, the Cape and Islands District Attorney announced.

53-year-old John Rose, who was the chief of Oak Bluffs Fire Department on Martha’s Vineyard for seven years, was charged with photographing, videotaping, or electronically surveilling partially nude or nude persons.

The Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois said state police launched their investigation on Dec. 14 after their office received a report that Rose possessed “a video recording of an individual performing sexual acts on him, and that this was done without this individual’s consent.”

Rose’s departure from West Tisbury and Oak Bluffs

The charges come after Rose was suspended from his new fire department role in neighboring West Tisbury. His indefinite suspension was due to a court-held harassment prevention order against him, the Vineyard Gazette reported.

West Tisbury said they gave Rose a “second chance” in 2022 after he stepped down from Oak Bluffs two years earlier. He resigned as chief amid allegations of sexual harassment against him and a federal inquiry into the town’s ambulance finances, the Gazette reported at the time. Oak Bluffs ended up paying the former town worker who accused Rose of harassment almost $100,000.

Rose is currently being held without bail and is expected in Edgartown District Court Monday, the DA said. 

“Due to the nature of these charges, the Cape & Island District Attorney’s Office will make no further comment at this time regarding the charges against John Rose,” Galibois’s office said in a statement.

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