Massachusetts

Francisco Severo Torres, 34, is charged with interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon. A Leominster man pleaded guilty Tuesday to stabbing a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon after attempting to open an emergency exit door during a 2023 flight from Los Angeles to Boston, according to the US Attorney’s office. About 45 minutes before a United Airlines flight landed, an alarm alerted the cockpit that a right side door had been disarmed, the statement said. A flight attendant found the...

A local man accused of trying to stab a flight attendant in the neck with a broken metal spoon, and also trying to open the plane’s emergency exit door has pleaded guilty. Francisco Torres, 34, of Leominster, has pleaded guilty to one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office. The incident on the United Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Boston was back on March 5, 2023. About 45 minutes before the plane was...

In explaining why he took the name “Leo,” last used by Pope Leo XIII at the end of the 19th century, Leo XIV spoke of the industrial revolution then and the potential of a second revolution in work today caused by AI. Speaking on Saturday to the cardinals who elected him, the new pope also highlighted a concern that drew the attention of the Catholic Church only recently: artificial intelligence. In one of his initial public speeches since becoming the first US-born pope last week, Leo XIV raised points that...

Officials confirmed the first white shark of the season in the waters off Massachusetts after a dead seal with shark bite wounds washed ashore on Nantucket, the New England Aquarium said Tuesday. On Sunday, a witness off Smith’s Point in Madaket, located at the western end of the island, noticed a pool of blood in the ocean, according to officials. Directly after, a seal was seen swimming toward the beach with a shark following behind, according to the witness. The seal’s body washed ashore some time later, officials said. Pictures...

The annual report “analyzes health care spending, quality, and equity performance, and includes updated recommendations to improve system oversight and affordability,“ officials said. The increasing demand was a key driver of an overall 7.8 percent increase in the state’s health care spending in 2023 – growth that exceeded the state’s own 6 percent cost growth target, according to the 2025 “Health Care Spending and Quality in Rhode Island” report, published Monday by the state Health Insurance Commissioner Cory King. PROVIDENCE – Spending on GLP-1s , the pricey drugs used to...

A dead fin whale was found Thursday on a sandbar near Great Island in Yarmouth, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

Biologists identified the whale as a 65-foot female, weighing between 80,000 and 100,000 pounds, officials said.

Early Friday morning, an IFAW team conducted a “limited examination” of the whale and collected samples, officials said.

Piro Olive Oils from Tuscany both won gold medals at the 2025 NYIOOC World Olive Oil Competition held in New York, the most prestigious contest for olive oils. Piro, a Tuscan olive oil company, cold-presses its premium extra-virgin olive oil from groves of 300-year-old trees. The olives are milled quickly after picking, and the company uses a unique double filtration system. The result, they say, is an olive oil that’s exceptionally fresh with a high level of polyphenols —natural antioxidants — and vitamin E. Bottled in black UV-resistant glass (since...

Love searching for vintage clothing? Unique furniture? Or some oddities? The Brimfield Flea Market has it all. The flea market is opening Tuesday for the first time in 2025. More than 65 years after the first show, thousands of dealers and show-goers shop on 20 fields on more than a mile stretch in Brimfield, which help contribute millions of dollars in tourism to Massachusetts. The show starts May 13 and lasts until May 18. Some of the fields open Tuesday, while others wait until Wednesday, Thursday or Friday to open....

Get your butter, sugar, and flour ready because it’s World Baking Day. We looked for international inspiration to mark the day, selecting a bread with origins in Greece and a bar cookie popular in both Germany and the Jewish community worldwide. Greek Olive Bread With Rosemary and Oregano envelops savory Kalamatas in a honey-hinted dough, with herbal notes accentuating the flavors. Next, make a traditional mandelbrot, which is similar to biscotti, coating the slices in cinnamon-sugar to enhance their sweetness. Whether you try out a new recipe or revisit an...