Boston.com

Worcester police seek car involved in scooter hit-and-run

Worcester police are asking for the public’s help locating a vehicle allegedly involved in a hit-and-run earlier this month with a scooter that left the rider with serious injuries. 

Police said a man on an electric scooter was traveling east on June Street around 3:10 a.m. on July 19 when he was struck by a car. The 26-year-old man was hospitalized with serious injuries as a result of the crash, and police said the driver of the car did not stop, fleeing the scene. 

Surveillance video captured the car, which police described as a blue four-door sedan with fog lights and rims. 

“Any damage on the vehicle would be located on the front passengers’ side bumper, hood, or even windshield,” police said. 

The investigation into the crash is ongoing, and police are asking anyone with information to share information anonymously with investigators by texting 274637 TIPWPD, submitting a message at worcesterma.gov/police, or calling (508) 799-8674.

China sanctions a Mass. congressman for ‘interference’ in its domestic affairs

BANGKOK (AP) — China sanctioned Rep. Jim McGovern Wednesday for “frequently interfering” in China’s domestic affairs, in its latest effort to express displeasure with U.S. politicians who have criticized China’s policy and practice.

McGovern is the top Democrat on the House Committee on Rules, and he co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission. He represents Massachusetts and is a member of the Congressional-Executive Commission on China, which focuses on China’s human rights record.

The sanctions against him are symbolic, since McGovern has no assets or business dealings in China. The sanctions include freezing his assets and properties in China, prohibiting any organization or individual in China from conducting transactions or working with him, and denying him and his family a visa to enter the country, according to a statement from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

McGovern called the sanctions absurd and said he would wear his “as a badge of honor.”

“If (Chinese) leaders don’t like it when people speak out against their horrific human rights record, maybe they should improve their horrific human rights record,” McGovern wrote on the X social media platform. “They can start by ending their oppression of Tibetans, ending their genocide in Xinjiang, and ending their crackdown on democracy in Hong Kong.”

Beijing has previously sanctioned a number of U.S. lawmakers, former Trump administration officials, and companies.

It sanctioned Rep. Michael McCaul, also chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and former Rep. Michael Gallagher over their support for Taiwan, a self-governed democracy that China claims as its own. In 2020 it sanctioned Rep. Chris Smith and several U.S. senators, including Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz.

McGovern and McCaul, along with two senators, last year introduced bicameral legislation calling for stronger U.S. support for Tibet, a region in China where human rights groups have criticized authorities for the treatment of ethnic Tibetans. Congress approved the bill in June, and President Joe Biden signed it into law in July.

Tang reported from Washington.

Explosions, garage fire in Gloucester leave 82-year-old man injured

An 82-year-old man was injured after a fire broke out in his garage on Wednesday, authorities said. 

The Gloucester Fire Department responded to reports of a structure fire around 10:30 a.m., Fire Chief Eric Smith said in a statement. Firefighters found a garage engulfed in flames and the 82-year-old man outside his home, suffering from injuries, according to the statement.

Gloucester fire said flammable containers, including an oxygen tank, burned in the fire and caused several small explosions. The man, a retired auto shop worker, was welding on his car when the fire broke out, WHDH reported. His neighbor, an off-duty police officer, heard explosions and helped him evacuate. 

The fire department contained the fire to just the garage, saving the home from destruction. However, the home does have smoke damage, the statement said. 

“Crews did an outstanding job attending to the victim and knocking the fire down quickly,” said Smith. “We’re hoping his injuries are minor and that he is released soon.”

MBTA’s new contactless payment system launches Thursday

The MBTA’s long-awaited contactless payment will officially launch Thursday, allowing rushed commuters to pay their fare with just the tap of a phone, credit card, or smartwatch. 

Starting Aug. 1, the “tap to ride” option will be available at all gated subway stations as well as on MBTA buses, Green Line trolleys, and Mattapan Line trolleys, the agency said. Transit officials have said the new initiative aims to save time for riders and make travel easier. 

Commuters still have the option of paying for travel using a CharlieCard on the existing fare gates or fare readers; CharlieCards will not be read by the new, “tap” fare readers.

Those who opt for the contactless, pay-as-you-go system can use a credit or debit card with the four-waved contactless symbol on it or a smartphone or watch that has a card set up in the mobile wallet by tapping their chosen method on the new readers. 

Then, it’s a matter of waiting for a green checkmark in order to ride, the MBTA said, “instead of acquiring and reloading a CharlieCard.”

Riders in reduced fare programs, such as seniors and students, can link their benefits to the contactless credit card, debit card, smartphone, or watch they want to use for the payments, the T has said.

“While onboard buses, Green Line trolleys, and Mattapan Line trolleys, riders should be mindful of the location of the tappable fare readers near the vehicles’ doors,” the MBTA said in a statement. “To avoid the possibility of accidental taps and charges of their contactless credit or debit cards, riders are encouraged to hold their purses, bags, and backpacks away from the contactless readers.”

The MBTA said riders who pay using cash, ride the Commuter Rail or ferry, use a weekly or monthly pass, or who use a pass from a school or employer should continue using their typical payment method.

Devers hits game-winning double in 10th as Red Sox beat Mariners 3-2

BOSTON (AP) — Rafael Devers doubled home the winning run in the 10th inning for his third hit of the game, and the Boston Red Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 3-2 on Wednesday.

Zack Kelly (4-1) pitched out of a major jam in a scoreless 10th for the win. Danny Jansen hit a tying single in the sixth and Boston took two of three from the Mariners, who are locked in a tight race with Houston atop the AL West.

Josh Rojas homered for Seattle, and Dylan Moore had an RBI single.

Tyler O’Neill was the automatic runner at second as Devers led off the bottom of the 10th. With an open base at first and left-hander Jhonathan Díaz on the mound, Seattle manager Scott Servais chose to pitch to the left-handed-hitting Devers — and the All-Star slugger made the Mariners pay.

Devers drove a 2-0 slider from Díaz (0-1) off the bottom portion of the Green Monster in left-center, and O’Neill scored easily as the ball caromed away from Seattle’s outfielders.

It was the fourth Red Sox walk-off win this season, and the first game-ending hit for Devers since June 14, 2021.

Kelly threw a wild pitch in the top half that allowed automatic runner Cal Raleigh to reach third with nobody out. But the right-hander struck out Mariners newcomer Justin Turner and retired Leo Rivas on a grounder that kept Raleigh pinned at third.

After Luke Raley was hit by a pitch and Moore walked to load the bases, Mitch Garver grounded out to end the inning.

Ring lights to Olympic rings: Mass. natives share their Olympics experiences through social media

Only a select few (okay, select 10,500) people really get to see what it’s like to be an Olympian. Previously, the rest of us got to watch them perform from the stands, our TVs, or our phones, and that was it. Social media has changed that.

Content creation and social media has upended how fans interact with the Olympics. You have viral stars like Ilona Maher, of Burlington, Vermont, using her TikTok account to showcase women’s rugby. But you also have Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez, of Boston, showing her point of view as she shoots archery under the Esplanade des Invalides. 

Social media content, whether posted by an official organization like Team USA or an athlete themself, is a relatively new way to view the games. Data released by the United Talent Agency showed that around 80 percent of Olympics viewers in the US planned to engage with the games via social media, Deadline reported.

If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like inside the Olympic Village, what an athlete about to compete eats in a day, or how an Olympian celebrates a win, these Massachusetts natives have you covered. 

Gabby Thomas

Harvard alum Gabby Thomas is from Northampton. She’s in Paris looking to add a third medal to her collection for track and field. On TikTok, she posts what her practices look like, vlogs from around Paris, and a few Olympic Village tours.

@itsgabbythomas they didnt have to snap like that😂 #fyp #olympics #brat #paris #usa #track ♬ original sound – gabbriette

Frederick Richard

Stoughton native Frederick Richard — FrederikFlips on social media — might spend more time in the air than on the ground. His sport is artistic gymnastics, where he specializes in all-around exercises. You can catch him on TikTok posting practice videos, a Team USA gear haul, and a room tour of his Village dorm.

@frederickflips What an unbelievable night🤌🏾 one more to go.. #olympics #usa #paris #emotional ♬ My eyes slowed and reverb – Octive down

Kristi Kirshe

Rugby player Kristi Kirshe is from Franklin. She and the U.S. women’s rugby sevens team just won a bronze medal, a first for the U.S. in women’s rugby. After some apparent prodding from teammate and fellow content creator Ilona Maher, Kirshe started posting Instagram reels. Her videos show her Team USA gear, practice videos, and what rugby plays looks like from her point of view.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kristi Kirshe (@klkirsh)

Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez

Jennifer Mucino-Fernandez was born in Boston, but moved to Mexico when she was young. She returned home to chase her dream of competing in the Olympics. The archer has posted a few videos to Instagram showing what it’s like to compete in Paris.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jennifer Mucino (@jennifer.mucino.9)

Ruby Remati

Artistic swimmer Ruby Remati is vlogging much of her experience at her very first Olympics. On TikTok, the Andover native vlogged the Opening Ceremony from her point of view, and recently reviewed one of the TikTok-famous chocolate muffins in the Olympic Village dining hall.

@roooooobsss Loll #olympicvillage #olympicvillagebeds #TeamUSA ♬ WHY AM I THE ONLY ONE – Jayy

Zuri Ferguson

Zuri Ferguson was born in Attelboro, but is representing Trinidad and Tobago. The 17-year-old swimmer posts mainly pin trading reviews to TikTok.

@zuri..ferguson officially an olympian ✅ #olympics #trinidadandtobago #swimming #olympian #paris ♬ original sound – A2

17-year-old arrested, 2 others sought in Cambridge carjacking

Police arrested a teenager and are searching for two other suspects in a carjacking that took place in Cambridge on Tuesday night.

Officers responded to the report of the incident on Marcella Street around 9:40 p.m. and began searching for three masked suspects who allegedly took a vehicle and were possibly armed with a gun, police said.

Police said that “early on” a 17-year-old was arrested in connection with the carjacking but two other suspects fled.

The stolen vehicle was recovered on the 100 block of Tremont Street in Cambridge and some of the items that were taken from the car have been located, according to the department. Police said they did not have descriptions for the two remaining suspects.

One officer was checked out at a local hospital for an injury sustained while responding to the incident, police said.

Police said the investigation into the incident remains active and asked that anyone with information contact investigators through the department’s anonymous tip line at 617-349-9151 or online at cambridgepolice.org/TIPS.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the main plotter of 9/11 attacks, agrees to plead guilty

WASHINGTON (AP) — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the mastermind of al-Qaida’s Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department said Wednesday. The development points to a long-delayed resolution in an attack that killed thousands and altered the course of the United States and much of the Middle East.

Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to enter the pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as next week.

Defense lawyers have requested the men receive life sentences in exchange for the guilty pleas, according to letters from the federal government received by relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 people killed outright on the morning of Sept. 11.

Terry Strada, the head of one group of families of the nearly 3,000 direct victims of the 9/11 attacks, invoked the dozens of relatives who have died while awaiting justice for the killings when she heard news of the plea agreement.

“They were cowards when they planned the attack,” she said of the defendants. “And they’re cowards today.”

Pentagon officials declined to immediately release the full terms of the plea bargains.

The U.S. agreement with the men comes more than 16 years after their prosecution began for al-Qaida’s attack. It comes more than 20 years after militants commandeered four commercial airliners to use as fuel-filled missiles, flying them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon.

Al-Qaida hijackers headed a fourth plane to Washington, but crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit, and the plane crashed into a Pennsylvania field.

The attack triggered what President George W. Bush’s administration called its war on terror, prompting the U.S. military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and years of U.S. operations against armed extremist groups elsewhere in the Middle East.

The attack and U.S. retaliation brought the overthrow of two governments outright, devastated communities and countries caught in the battle, and played a role in inspiring the 2011 Arab Spring popular uprisings against authoritarian Middle East governments.

At home, the attacks inspired a sharply more militaristic and nationalist turn to American society and culture.

U.S. authorities point to Mohammed as the source of the idea to use planes as weapons. He allegedly received approval from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, whom U.S. forces killed in 2011, to craft what became the 9/11 hijackings and killings.

Authorities captured Mohammed in 2003. Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding 183 times while in CIA custody before coming to Guantanamo, and targeted by other forms of torture and coercive questioning.

The use of torture has proven one of the most formidable obstacles in U.S. efforts to try the men in the military commission at Guantanamo, owing to the inadmissibility of evidence linked to abuse. Torture has accounted for much of the delay of the proceedings, along with the courtroom’s location a plane ride away from the United States.

Daphne Eviatar, a director at the Amnesty International USA rights group, said Wednesday she welcomed news of some accountability in the attacks.

She urged the Biden administration to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center, which holds people taken into custody in the so-called war on terror. Many have since been cleared, but are awaiting approval to leave for other countries.

Additionally, Eviatar said, “the Biden administration must also take all necessary measures to ensure that a program of state-sanctioned enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment will never be perpetrated by the United States again.”

Strada, national chairperson of a group of families of victims called 9/11 Families United, had been at Manhattan federal court for a hearing on one of many civil lawsuits when she heard news of the plea agreement.

Strada said many families have just wanted to see the men admit guilt.

“For me personally, I wanted to see a trial,” she said. “And they just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment.”

Michael Burke, one of the family members receiving the government notice of the plea bargain, condemned the long wait for justice, and the outcome.

“It took months or a year at the Nuremberg trials,” said Burke, whose fire captain brother Billy died in the collapse of the World Trade Center’s North Tower. “To me, it always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks, or the crime. I never understood how it took so long.”

“I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, ‘Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison,” he said.

Burke’s brother, New York City fire captain Billy Burke, ordered his men out but remained on the 27th floor of the North Tower with two men who’d stayed behind: a quadriplegic who, because the elevators had gone out, was essentially stuck there in his wheelchair and that man’s friend.

Neumeister and Sisak reported from New York.

Trump appearance before Black journalists leads to memorable confrontation with ABC’s Rachel Scott

Primarily due to sharp questioning by ABC News correspondent Rachel Scott, an appearance by former President Donald Trump before a gathering of Black journalists turned remarkably contentious on Wednesday.

Scott pressed Trump on past statements about Black leaders, his support of Jan. 6, 2021, rioters and diversity hiring — leading the former president to repeatedly complain about how he was treated.

“She was very rude,” the former president said, pointing at Scott.

Trump’s appearance at a meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists was dripping with bad vibes from the start. Some members objected to the Republican candidate for president’s invitation to address the group in the first place, while others said it was their obligation as journalists to question him.

The onstage panel — with Trump questioned by Scott, Fox News Channel’s Harris Faulkner and Semafor’s Kadia Goba — was delayed for more than a half hour due to technical issues.

Scott, ABC News’ senior congressional reporter and a campaign correspondent, has worked at ABC News since 2016, her visibility increasing lately when she anchored the network’s live coverage of President Joe Biden dropping out of the presidential race. In her first question, Scott referred to the controversy over Trump’s appearance, and specifically cited several Trump statement about Black leaders in the past, including his false accusations about former President Barack Obama’s birthplace, and rude remarks to members of Congress, district attorneys and journalists.

“Now that you are asking Black voters to vote for you, why should Black voters trust you after you’ve used language like that?” Scott asked.

Trump immediately went after the questioner.

“I don’t think I’ve ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner, a first question,” he replied. “You don’t even say ‘hello, how are you.’ Are you with ABC? Because I think they’re a fake news network.”

The opening haymaker was directly reminiscent of Trump’s first campaign debate in 2016, when then-Fox News Channel reporter Megyn Kelly brought up things he had said about women and asked, “Does this sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president?”

When Trump began talking Wednesday about what his administration did for Black Americans, Scott attempted to cut him off, saying, “Mr. President, I would love for you to answer the question on your rhetoric and why you believe Black voters can trust you for another term.”

Trump said he was doing so, and made a claim he’s made before, that he was the best President for Black people since Abraham Lincoln.

“Better than President Johnson, who signed the Civil Rights Act”? Scott asked.

Scott then asked whether Trump backed supporters who suggested that his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, was a DEI hire, leading to a back-and-forth between them over what the phrase — for diversity, equity and inclusion — meant.

“Do you think Vice President Kamala Harris is only on the ticket because she’s a Black person? Scott asked, leading to Trump’s most newsworthy statements of the session, questioning Harris’ racial background.

Scott also asked pointedly about Trump’s support of people convicted for their actions in the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

“One hundred and forty police officers were assaulted that day,” she said. “Their injuries included broken bones, at least one police officer lost an eye, one had cracked ribs, two smashed spinal discs, another had a stroke. Were the people who assaulted these 140 officers … patriots who deserve pardons?”

Trump turned the subject to demonstrations held by those in support of liberal causes.

The panel ended in some degree of confusion. Scott, who was the moderator, cut off an attempt by Faulkner to ask about the Project 2025 blueprint, saying Trump’s time was limited.

After the session, Trump posted on his Truth Social account that “the questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!”

A student journalist attending the conference, Kelly Arrington of Savanah State University, said, “I assumed that Trump came just so he could win over more Black voters … But, unfortunately, in this conversation, he did not answer the questions that were given to him.”

The session became a quick topic on social media, with some people praising Scott for asking tough questions, and others who suggested Trump was led into an ambush.

Associated Press correspondent Matt Brown contributed to this report. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://twitter.com/dbauder.

Salary ranges will now be posted for most Mass. job listings, thanks to new law

Most employers in Massachusetts are now required to post a job’s salary range under a new law signed by Governor Maura Healey Wednesday, a move advocates praised as a step toward wage equity.

The law applies to public and private employers with more than 25 employees.

These employers are also now required to provide a salary range for an employee who is offered a promotion or transfer, under the new law. Employees are also able to ask the salary range of current employees or people applying for the role, Healey’s office announced.

Appearing on Boston Public Radio Wednesday, Healey said the law is a step toward wage equality for women and people of color. It builds on the pay equity bill signed in 2016, when Healey attorney general, she said.

“I want to give a shout-out to former Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Murphy for her leadership over decades on this, and it’s a privilege to be able to sign this important bill for women’s equity,” Healey said.

Murphy, who became the first woman in Massachusetts to hold a constitutional office while serving under Governor Michael Dukakis, is now co-chair of the Wage Equity Now Coalition.

“Gender and racial wage gaps are real,” Murphy said in a statement. “They cause wealth gaps. With this legislation, Massachusetts claims (a) lead position in building economic prosperity through equitable treatment of every worker.” 

The legislation is called the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, named for a Boston-born labor rights activist who served as the first woman U.S. secretary of labor.

Boston.com readers overwhelmingly agreed with the legislation last fall, when 86 percent of readers polled said job postings should include a salary range. 

“With the signing of this legislation, Massachusetts is one step closer to ensuring equal pay for equal work,” House Speaker Ronald Mariano said in a statement. “Pay transparency will not only make our workplaces more equitable, it will also make Massachusetts more competitive with other states.”