Nathan Baldi, 21, is charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon that caused serious bodily damage after allegedly stabbing James Percent, 47, to death during an altercation at the home, according to the Middlesex DA Marian Ryan’s office.

Police were called when a Ledge Street resident reported an altercation at about 7:05 p.m., Saturday. Upon arrival, they found Percent unresponsive and suffering from an apparent stab wounds.

Percent was transported to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, according to the DA’s office.

According to police, an altercation initially broke out between Percent and a woman at the home. At some point Baldi, who also lives at the residence, got involved and the fatal stabbing occurred. Both Baldi and Percent suffered stab wounds, according to police.

Baldi was hospitalized after the incident. He’s due to be arraigned Monday at Malden District Court.

The recalled pressure cookers, sold under the brand Insignia, have incorrect volume markings on their inner pots that can cause consumers to overfill them. As a result, hot food and liquids can be ejected from the device when it’s vented or opened, according to a notice from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The 930,000 Insignia Multi-Function Pressure Cookers and inner pots — which were sold separately as replacements — under recall were sold at Best Buy stores nationwide, as well as online on Best Buy’s website and Amazon from October 2017 through June of this year.

Biden gets behind office conversions

The Biden administration is launching a multi-agency effort to encourage states and cities to convert more empty office buildings into housing units, with billions of federal dollars available to help spur such transitions.

The new initiative involves the departments of Housing and Urban Development and Transportation, along with the General Services Administration and the Office of Management and Budget in a multi-pronged effort to address both the national shortage of affordable housing and the post-pandemic surplus of vacant office buildings.

“This presents an area of opportunity to both increase housing supply while revitalizing main streets. It’s a win-win,” said Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council. “We’re utilizing resources from across the government.”

Boston Mayor Michell Wu has already launched a downtown office space conversion program in the city. That program has just started taking applications.

Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said the court issued the warrant three days after police began the search for Pennington who was previously sought in connection with his wife, Breanne Pennington’s death.

Police responded to the couple’s Cherry Street home in Gardner Sunday at around 9:14 a.m. after their four children went to a neighbor’s house and told the neighbor that “they could not find their father and that their mother was in her bedroom crying.” The 911 caller added the father’s car was no longer in the driveway.

Upon arrival, police found Breanne Pennington, 30, “lying in bed in an upstairs bedroom with obvious signs of death from an apparent gunshot wound to the head.” A responding paramedic declared Breanne Pennington dead at 9:30 in the morning, the warrant states.

The warrant features one new shocking detail not included in the affidavit seeking the warrant: a note dated Saturday at 7:04 p.m. found on a limited forensic examination of Aaron Pennington’s cellphone that reportedly read, “Don’t say anything. Be quite (sic) If she wakes up just say you’re getting nasal spray Get on side of bed — very close proximity to head Put hole in her head.”

The four children are in state custody. Police recovered three bullet casings at the scene, but not a gun, according to court documents.

The family had already decorated the house for Halloween, with a large “Boo” sign next to the front door and some small, colorful pumpkins flanking the stairs to the front door. A small object, unmistakably a child’s toy, rested in the front yard on Wednesday afternoon.

The house matched others in the neighborhood all spotted with stately maple trees. Nearby homes were decorated with the likes of skeletons and Nightmare before Christmas characters and several of their owners were bustling about with chores, including one taking in the trash bins for the Pennington home.

The neighbors, however, already showed signs of fatigue over being questioned about the Pennington family, with one woman throwing her hands up in disgust and shaking her head.

One man who declined to be interviewed did have a couple of small remarks.

“Nobody lives there anymore,” he said while doing some outdoor chores, adding one detail about the family: “They had their problems just like every married couple.”

Indeed, the application for a search warrant states that the Penningtons “had been dealing with marital issues for quite some time” and that Breanne Pennington “had plans of moving to Texas with the kids to be away from” him.

The document also states that Aaron Pennington “suffered from mental health issues and had threatened suicide.” While neither adult had a license to carry in Massachusetts, “Breanne Pennington was known to have a firearm at the residence for her protection,” though it is not clear if this was the murder weapon.

A massive search for Aaron Pennington began Sunday and has continued since.

A bow hunter spotted Aaron Pennnington’s 2013 white BMW 320 Monday in the vicinity of Camp Collier, a Boy Scout camp in Gardner.

Early’s office filed for the murder warrant, granted by Gardner District Court Wednesday.

The search for Aaron Pennington is ongoing. He is considered armed and dangerous.

Anyone who sees Pennington is encouraged to contact the Gardner Police Department at 978-632-5600 or the Massachusetts State Police at 508-829-8326.

Police officials said a call reporting the fall at 100 Summer Street  came in at 7:54 a.m. The victim in fall was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Boston Police spokesperson.

Homicide detectives have been requested and are responding to the investigation, according to police.

According to reports, the victim was a window washer at work at the buidling.

Federal investigators with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, have also been notified, according to Boston Police.

The building at 100 Summer Street is a 32-story, 1.1 million square foot tower in the heart of the Financial District.

– Developing  

Boston police report responding to the shelter at 112 Southampton Street at 9:44 p.m. Saturday for a report of a stabbing. The victim suffered injuries to his arm and shoulder and is expected to survive, according to police.

Arrested was Alexander Aulet, 40 of Fitchburg. Aulet is being charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He’s expected to be arraigned at Roxbury District Court.

The Southampton Street  shelter is operated by the Boston Public Health Commission.

Kearney, of Holden, appeared in the dock wearing a “Free Karen Read” hoodie, a design that matched signs displayed by followers of his blog that staunchly supports her innocence and floats conspiracy theories in the death of Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe.

Several of those Turtleboy readers, who call themselves “Turtle riders,” picketed on the sidewalk outside Stoughton District Court ahead of his arraignment Wednesday.

Prosecutors filed nine complaints against Kearney, each with lengthy but similar narratives. In total, he faces eight counts of witness intimidation, four counts of picketing a court officer or juror and one count of conspiracy. While a not guilty plea was entered on his behalf, outside of court he vehemently denied the charges and even the idea that he should be charged for what he believes to be within his First Amendment rights.

“I’m here right now because I’m exposing corruption. I’m exposing what really happened to John O’Keefe and the powerful and well-connected people who murdered him and covered up his murder. And this is what the state does to you when you do that,” Kearney told members of the media from the courthouse steps.

Judge Daniel W. O’Malley released Kearney on personal recognizance and did not impose GPS, but did allow the prosecution’s request that Kearney have no contact, either direct or indirect, with all the named alleged victims. The judge said the order was “broad on purpose” and that should Kearney violate it in any way then he would be subject to being held without bail.

Special prosecutor Kenneth Mello, who is not actually a prosecutor by trade but a private attorney from Fall River, read out two of the complaints in court and requested another hour to read the additional complaints, but O’Malley stopped him early as he had enough for the initial appearance.

The complaints begin with the same scene: John O’Keefe’s body discovered on the lawn of 34 Fairview Road in Canton the morning of Jan. 29, 2022, which, according to past Herald coverage followed a night out at two bars in Canton with O’Keefe, Read, and a few of the witnesses in the prosecution’s case against Read and who Mello says are among the number of people who Kearney has either directly harassed or welcomed his followers to harass.

Chief among these is Massachusetts State Police Detective Michael Proctor, who has been a consistent focus of Kearney’s ire in blog posts, YouTube videos and social media postings and whose phone number, Mello said, was shared by Kearney leading to so much harassment from Turtle riders that Proctor had to get a new phone number.

The first complaint focused on Proctor’s wife, Elizabeth, who Mello said was the focus of her own harassment campaign directed by Kearney that forced her employer to shut down some of its internet presence.

Kearney’s supporters and his detractors alike packed the courtroom, but many of those deeply interested in the case also tuned in via videoconferencing service Zoom, several of whom didn’t remain quiet.

Mello’s readings were punctuated by quotations from Kearney’s postings, like this one from the Turtleboy YouTube channel’s “Episode 598: *Breaking* Karen Read Defense Files Motion to Recuse” in which Kearney tells one of the alleged victims in this case: “You can’t leave the (expletive) country. Turtle riders, we’re gonna find you, they’re gonna find you. You can’t hid anymore, your private life is officially over, over. You can’t leave your house, you’re gonna have your picture taken.”

The criminal charges followed an extraordinarily rare public statement on an ongoing case by Norfolk DA Michael Morrissey in August, which he said was the “first statement of its kind in my dozen years” on the job: “The harassment of witnesses in the murder prosecution of Karen Read is absolutely baseless. It should be an outrage to any decent person — and it needs to stop.”

Morrissey did not name Kearney in his statement, but went on to refute a number of points of evidence raised by Kearney in his “Turtleboy blog.”

Regularly scheduled service on the Union Station and Medford-Tufts branches started earlier in the day following weeks of speed restrictions that were put in place when the agency discovered tracks were too narrow to safely operate trains, an anomaly MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng described last month as “certainly unusual.”

In a statement provided by the Department of Transportation, Eng said a “successful operation of test trains” on the Union Station branch led officials to bring back regular service. All speed restrictions on both the Union Station and the Medford-Tufts Station branches were removed, Eng said.

“Green Line trains today are traveling at regular line speeds on both branches. I wish to thank our riders for their patience while MassDOT completed the bridge project and we addressed the track defects discovered during an inspection last month,” Eng said in the statement, which also said work had been completed on the Squires Bridge in Somerville.

Eng, Acting Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt, and MBTA Board Chair Thomas Glynn were all at the State House later in the day and were seen entering Gov. Maura Healey’s office.

After a roughly hour-long meeting, a Healey aide did not let Eng answer questions from reporters as he left the building, saying the MBTA chief already had a media availability earlier in the day in Lynn.

At the Lynn press conference, Eng said the investigation into the narrow tracks is “still ongoing” and he looked forward to sharing more information “shortly.”

“We will certainly be sharing that information as that investigation continues,” Eng said. “We’re investigating everything right now with regards to that project, with regards to how this came about and when I have that information, I’ll share that. Everyone deserves to hear that.”

MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo said the issues on the tracks had been corrected but the agency was still “working to identify the root cause.”

“The issues discovered during last month’s inspection have been addressed, allowing trains to operate again at regular line speeds,” he said in a statement.

A public dashboard previously showed speed restriction limiting trains to 3 mph, the average walking speed for any given person. The transit agency said the speed restrictions were implemented after finding that tracks along the extension had narrowed.

At a board meeting last month, MBTA Chief of Infrastructure Doug Connett suggested that the Green Line Extension, which was built by a number of contractors, “didn’t meet construction standard.”

“They were notified,” he said. “We’re going to dig in why to see what it is. But we know we have a problem. The good thing is, somebody said it didn’t meet the number and they slowed the train down and they did what all books says their supposed to do.”

But Eng downplayed Connett’s comments after the meeting, telling reporters Connett was likely speaking in general terms.

“We have a new facility that just finished construction and we have something that is unusual,” Eng said. “So he’s looking at it from that perspective. I also talk generally about how I’m looking at capital projects moving forward.”

The Green Line Extension project cost $2.3 billion and the speed restrictions that came to light last month were met with outcry from local officials, with some accusing the MBTA of a lack of communication between the transit agency and the municipalities served by the new stations.

The branches of the extension opened in March and December 2022, a project former Gov. Charlie Baker said he “went back a long time with” as the ribbon was cut at the Medford/Tufts station.

Eng has not said whether contractors did something wrong when building the Green Line Extension.

“We are looking into that,” he said last month. “For me to say that, obviously, we’re going to look at construction, we’re going to look at inspections, we’re going to look at all of that. But for me to say that right now, I don’t know that.”

Previous Herald materials were used in this report.

Chelsea police responded to a shot-spotter activation on Congress Street  at about 10:23 last night. When they arrived, officers found  Santos David Canizales, 23, of Chelsea, on the ground suffering a gunshot wound. Canizales was transported to Mass General where he was pronounced dead a short time later.

“Once again we’re looking at a young life cut short and a family forced to live with eternal grief, all due to illegal guns too easily obtained and too willingly used. We are doing everything possible to identify and arrest those responsible for this tragedy,” said Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden in a statement Monday morning.

Detectives with the Massachusetts State Police, Suffolk DA’s office and the Chelsea Police Criminal Investigation Division are investigating the shooting.

One officer was flown to a Boston hospital with serious slash wounds to the face and back of his head, a second officer was treated at the hospital for knife wounds. Taunton’s police chief was treated for a stab wound at Morton Hospital and two additional officers were treated for injuries sustained in the mayhem.

“When our men and women in uniform walk out their door every day for their shift, they never know what they’re going to face. And today we had some of our police officers injured,” Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell said from the scene Tuesday night. “They did an excellent job tonight. We are grateful for their service to this community, for their sacrifice to this community, and our thoughts and prayers are with them and their families at this time.”

Police later identified the alleged assailant as Douglas Hagerty, 35, of Lakeville. Taunton Police Chief Edward Walsh said that Hagerty “is not familiar with us, but is familiar with neighboring departments” while speaking from the scene of the incident that night.

Hagerty was hospitalized following the incident and arraigned in Taunton District Court on multiple counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault with a dangerous weapon, and malicious damage to a motor vehicle, as well as single counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, armed assault with intent to murder, resisting arrest, reckless operation of a motor vehicle and failure to stop for police, according to the Bristol District Attorney’s office.

Police initially encountered Hagerty when he pulled alongside an unrelated traffic stop at about 6:45 p.m. on County Street and began shouting at officers, according to police.

“Earlier, different officers had a car stopped. He stopped and started an interaction with the officers there, making statements, being somewhat aggressive. The officers told him to leave, he left,” Chief Walsh told reporters. “A short period of time later, another officer came across him, performed a car stop because he was operating erratically on the road. And during that car stop, he took off, almost hitting the officer, at the car stop. So the officers at that point commenced to ensue.”

Police pursued him, according to the police report, during which he slammed into multiple cruisers before ultimately crashing his gray 2010 Honda Accord into a multifamily house on West Britannia Street.

The address, 55 W. Britannia St., matches the address for the Vanderburgh House, a “Zero Tolerance Men’s Sober House,” where rents start at $180 per week.

Chief Walsh said he believed Hagerty resided there and added that there could be a mental health issue involved: “I would make the assumption based on the actions tonight that there must be.” Another resident of the building allegedly told police that “Hagerty has not been acting right lately,” according to the report.

Two officers encountered Hagerty on the second floor of the building, according to the report, and struggled to apprehend him as he slashed away at them with a serrated knife. One officer was cut in the neck, face and back and the other officer was stabbed twice in his right arm.

Other officers, who according to the report were attending training at Holy Rosary Church, rushed to the scene after they heard about the attack at around 6:40 p.m., and the situation evolved into a “very fluid scene.” Chief Walsh, who lived nearby, breached the apartment door, according to the report, and another officer busted out the windows to a side bedroom where they saw Hagerty.

Hagerty then rushed Walsh with the knife, police allege, and stabbed him in the abdomen, breaking the blade.

The National Women’s Soccer League on Tuesday announced it selected Boston to host an expansion team, which is slated to take the pitch at the long-neglected venue at Franklin Park in 2026.

Boston Unity Soccer Partners, an all-female ownership group, won the expansion bid to become the league’s 15th team.

Tuesday’s official announcement comes after BUSP, in June, submitted the only response to the city’s request for proposals to lease, improve and use the stadium;s West Grandstand and adjacent areas in the park as part of a public-private partnership.

A powerhouse core of female business leaders that make up the BUSP joined a horde of local officials, owners from the other Boston professional sports teams, and excited fans, at City Hall Plaza on a blustery afternoon to celebrate winning the bid.

“Along with the world class athletes on the field, we strive to create a club of strong women who will be role models for our youth,” said the group’s controlling manager, Jennifer Epstein, pointing to the girl’s soccer team from Boston Latin Academy in attendance.

“We also intend to create an elite fan experience worthy of our unrivaled fan base,” Epstein added. “We are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment, both on and off the pitch. Community is paramount.”

Epstein, the founder of Juno Equity and a minority owner of the Boston Celtics, is spearheading BUSP with Stephanie Connaughton, strategic marketer and brand builder; Ami Danoff, co-founder and CFO of Women’s Foundation of Boston; and Ana Palmer, general partner of Flybridge Capital.

About 95% of the team will be invested by women and 40% by people of color, Epstein said. Boston Globe CEO Linda Pizzuti Henry is one of the investors.

Boston last held a professional women’s soccer team in 2017, the final season for the Boston Breakers, part of the NWSL, before it folded in 2018. The team played its matches at the roughly 4,000-seat Jordan Field in Allston.

White Stadium seats about 10,000 spectators, but BUSP’s proposal looks to increase that number to 11,000. The venue would host 20 matches between March and October, with many being played on the weekend.

BUSP expects its endeavor will have a wide range of economic benefits on the greater community. Construction would generate more than 500 jobs, and the workers would be employed onsite for two years. About 300 permanent jobs would then be created once the stadium is renovated, according to the proposal.

BUSP anticipates spending upwards of $30 million to renovate its share of the stadium. Its lease would be up to 10 years, with potential to renew.

The City of Boston would be responsible for improvements to the East Grandstand, destroyed by fire decades ago, making it unusable.

An assessment of the facility conducted earlier this year found that many spaces needed to be improved and expanded, with suggested improvements including a bigger staff office, modernized press box, improved locker rooms and an eight-lane track.

The city allocated $10.5 million to fund the stadium’s design in this fiscal year’s $4.2-billion capital plan

Not only will the project lead to a home for the city’s next NWSL team, it would also improve conditions for Boston Public Schools athletics, as many teams compete there.

This marks the first time a professional sports team will be co-housed alongside BPS athletes, Mayor Michelle Wu said. BUSP will operate and maintain the stadium’s field on behalf of BPS, allowing the district to redirect more than $400,000 to new educational programming.

The mayor recounted how the White Stadium has held world track championships among other major events.

“But for many decades, this is a venue that has been neglected and has not served the full potential of the student-athletes who continue to run, play and grow there,” Wu said. “I’m just so thankful that this ownership group approached the city to make sure we could launch this in a way that would make history, in a way that would bring people in, and in a way that would have lasting impact.”

NWSL Commissioner Jessica Berman called it an “absolute privilege” to name Boston the league’s next expansion city. The San Francisco Bay Area and Utah will be joining the growing NWSL as expansion franchises next year, bringing the league 14 total teams, before Boston’s anticipated arrival two years later.

“I don’t know if that will ever happen in the future,” Berman said of adding three expansion franchises within a span of 18 months, “and I’m not sure I would wish it on us in the future because we are trying to keep up with all of the demands around us because we are clearly making up for lost time. The demand for women’s sports is here. It’s knocking down our doors.”

John Michael Irmer was ordered held without bail at his arraignment Monday at Boston Municipal Court where he was charged with murder and aggravated rape in connection with the brutal slay of Susan Marcia Rose, 24, of Pennsylvania on October 30, 1979.

Irmer, now 68, approached the FBI in Portland, Oregon, and told agents at a field office there he met the red-headed at Rose at a skating rink, according to the Suffolk DA’s office.

Rose had left the Beacon Hill Pub around 2:15 a.m. and went to a friend’s to borrow a Halloween costume she was going to wear the next day, according to ADA John Verner.

After getting the costume, she encountered Irmer, who she did not know, and the two walked around the Back Bay and eventually entered a building under renovation 285 Beacon Street, a few hundred yards from Rose’s Dartmouth Street apartment. Inside, on a set of stairs going up, Irmer struck Rose in the head repeatedly with a hammer, Verner said.

He then dragged her up the stairs where he sexually assaulted her, Verner said.

Among the items found at the murder scene were the purple cape she was to wear on Halloween as Dracula’s helper, and her pink raincoat, according to Herald reporting at the time. The contents of her purse were found strewn about.

Police on Boston’s homicide cold case squad in 2005 had recovered a sample from the evidence in the case to create a profile, Verner said. After Irmer’s confession to the FBI, Boston police detectives traveled to Oregon where they interviewed and obtained a DNA sample from Irmer that provided a match.

When police interviewed Irmer, he also confessed to another unsolved case in the South. That case is now subject to investigation, Verner said. Additionally, Irmer told police he served 30 years in California for another murder and had been free for about 10 years before.

Verner argued Irmer should be held without bail. Judge James Coffey agreed.

Steven Sack, the attorney representing Irmer, said he wouldn’t contest bail, but highlighted Irmer’s decision to turn himself in.

“I would say on his behalf, he was a free man for 10 years. He walked into police and confessed, allegedly,” Sack said.

Another man was tried for Rose’s murder and acquitted in 1981. That man was an acquaintance of Rose, according to Herald reporting at the time

Irmer is due back in court on October 17.

In the early evening, police responded to an unruly group at South Bay about 4:52 p.m. near the movie theaters. As the disturbance grew and moved around the shopping area, police called in officers from districts across the city and state police in an effort to disperse the crowd.

Officers originally responded to the area for a report of a fight. Upon arrival, and in response to police efforts to get the crowd to disperse, members of the crowd became “confrontational” and multiple teens assaulted police, according to BPD.

In total, eight juveniles were arrested at South Bay. They include a 12-year-old-girl for assault, a 12-year-old boy for assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct; a 14-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy for assault on a police officer and disorderly conduct; another 14-year-old boy for assault on a  police officer, disturbing the police and resisting arrest, another 14-year old boy for disorderly conduct; a 17-year-old female for assault and battery and a 17-year-old male for assault on a  police officer, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.

In a later incident at Downtown Crossing, five teens were arrested when police responded to a report of fights and the crowd turned on the officers.

That scene unfolded at about 11 p.m. when police attempted to disperse the crowd in the area of  Washington and Avery Streets. As officers attempted to break up fights and diffuse the fray, the crowd of teens surrounded police and began hurling obscenities and assaulting officers, according to BPD.

One officer was pushed to the ground and kicked and punched by the group, according to police. A responding officer, when he attempted to help, was jumped by a teen who clung to his back, wrapping a choke-hold around his neck.

Multiple agencies including Boston Police, State Police, Transit Police and Suffolk Police responded to the disturbance and handcuffed a group of juveniles, ultimately placing five under arrest.

Charged were a 13-year-old boy for malicious destruction of property, and disorderly conduct; a 14-year-old boy for assault on a police officer, disorderly conduct, and affray;  a 14-year-old girl for affray; a 14-year-old boy for assault on a police officer, disturbing the peace, affray and resisting arrest; and, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, assault on a police officer, affray, disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.

The suspects in both incidents are expected to be arraigned Monday at Boston Juvenile Court.

Police said the gunfire erupted at about 6 p.m.  Officers assigned to the festival at Institute Park responded to the shooting at the area of Salisbury and Boynton Streets.

“This caused a chaotic scene in which the large crowd was attempting to run to safety,” Worcester police said.

Responding officers were able to identify the victims and provide first aid until they were transported to the hospital. Police said the injuries appear to be non-life threatening.

According to the initial investigation, police said the victims appear to be innocent bystanders otherwise unrelated to the shooting.

Police described the shooting as an “exchange” of gunfire that arose from a  dispute on Boynton Street near the intersection with Salisbury Street, according to investigators. The shooting remains under investigation.

The shooting at Worcester’s Caribbean festival comes a day after gunfire erupted on a Talbot Street lot adjacent to Boston’s Caribbean Carnival celebration Saturday, injuring 8.

Police in Boston have arrested 4 in connection with the investigation of that shooting and the incident remains under investigation.

Boston police said the stretch of the road between Binney and Blackfan Streets, a block that includes Boston Children’s Hospital, has been closed. Police are advising people to avoid the area.

The Boston Water and Sewer Commission said the sinkhole was caused by the breakdown of a 15-inch storm drain line.

A contractor from the emergency list was contacted shortly after the Commission received the assignment at around 12:30 p.m., Dolores Randolph, a Commission spokeswoman, told the Herald. She said they expect to have the problem fixed by late afternoon or the evening. A paving crew will then finish off the project.

She said that the fire department learned of the sinkhole a few hours ago, but she wasn’t sure at what time the sinkhole was originally reported.

Randolph said that Commission crews are out in force in the city ahead of the evening’s expected thunderstorms, which follow weeks of unusually heavy rains.

“Raining so heavily over this period of time causes floods and when it happens consecutively then that makes everything worse. So it’s a lot,” she said. “Crews go out to a high number of neighborhoods and during the storms clear out the catch basins.”

A representative for the Boston Children’s Hospital did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the sinkhole has affected their operations.

Traffic Advisory: Due to a large sink hole, traffic on Longwood Ave is shut down between Binney and Blackfan Streets. Please seek an alternative route.

— Boston Police Dept. (@bostonpolice) August 10, 2023

– Developing

The body was discovered by a person walking along the beach in front of Ocean Front Drive  at approximately 1 a.m. Tuesday.

Police responded and pulled the body from ankle deep water. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim has not been identified.

The death is being investigated by State Police detectives, the Essex DA’s office and Salisbury Police.

Just after noon today when police arrived at 6 Hartford Street in Dorchester, they found a male victim suffering from stab wounds. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene, said Filipe Colon, Chief of Investigative Services for the Boston Police, speaking at the scene.

Eduardo Bonilla, 43, of Dorchester, has been charged with murder.  Bonilla will be arraigned in Roxbury District Court Tuesday.

Colon had previously mentioned a person of interest in the case that was known to the victim.

Colon said there was no threat to the public.

Also known as Hartford Manor, the Hartford Street address provides transitional housing for veterans and is listed among the facilities administered by the Pine Street Inn.

The Pine Street Inn said in a statement Monday, “We’re aware of an incident at 6 Hartford Street in Dorchester, which serves as transitional housing for Veterans. As it is currently an ongoing police investigation, we do not have any further information to provide at this time.”

Colon said the accused is also known to staff at the home.

Details of the victim’s age, identity, and status as a veteran were not available, said Colon, who stressed that the investigation is in its early stages.

More information would be released as the investigation proceeds, Colon said.

Cheybane Vasconcelos-Furtado, 20, was arrested on Worcester Street Sunday in New Bedford by a team that included New Bedford Police, State Police, members of the state police violent fugitive squad and federal agents with ATF.

“I’m pleased with this arrest and the progress that was made today, said New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira on Sunday night. “This arrives following a very long week for all the New Bedford, State, and ATF investigators who have put a great deal of time and effort into this case.  Although today is a well-earned win, there is more work to be done as this investigation continues and we continue to follow up on leads,”

Vasconcelos-Furtado is charged with shooting Det. Lavar Gilbert last Monday. Gilbert was conducting an undercover investigation and is assigned to the department’s Organized Crime Intelligence Bureau.

Vasconcelos-Furtado was charged with two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, two counts of wanton destruction of property over $1,200, and one count each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon-serious bodily injury, carrying an illegal firearm and carrying a loaded illegal firearm.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges during his arraignment at New Bedford District Court Monday and was ordered held without bail.

Bristol DA  Thomas M. Quinn III called the alleged assault, “another senseless act of violence that could have cost the detective his life. The cooperation between all the agencies involved in this investigation has been outstanding.”

Gilbert was shot in the face a week ago while conducting an undercover investigation in the city’s Goulart Square neighborhood and drove himself to the hospital after he was hit.

During the stakeout,  gunshots erupted at around 8:45 p.m. Monday, according to a police. One bullet shattered the vehicle’s window and struck Gilbert in his face.

Oliveira said the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the shooting continues and that additional people could be charged.

“We will not rest until each person connected with this shooting has taken a seat in our booking room.  Until that time, I remain grateful for the collaborative effort and encourage everyone to keep Det. Gilbert in their thoughts as he continues to heal,” he said.

Mayor Michelle Wu’s office office on Monday announced the initiative that will offer tax breaks of up to 75% to building owners who jump on the chance to convert.

“We must take every possible action to create more housing and more affordability so that Boston’s growth meets the needs of current and future residents,” said Wu in a release announcing the push. “This program will help us take advantage of the opportunity we have to rethink Downtown as a space where people from all over come together to collaborate, create, live, and play.”

Post-pandemic vacancies are running about 20%, according to a study released last fall and cited in Monday’s announcement.

The tax discount is intended to offset the high cost associated with converting office space, which is designed and engineered differently, to residential uses.

According to a study conducted as part of the Boston Planning and Development’s ongoing, PLAN: Downtown, a 75% tax cut from the residential rate for a period of up to 29 years “could provide a strong incentive to encourage conversion.”

The BPDA is due to release a draft of its Plan: Downtown initiative in August.

Projects would be facilitated by a public-private partnership between the city, the BPDA and the project proponent and would result in a Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) agreement for the property going ahead.

In order to recoup forgone tax payments- the city would also require a 2% payment from future sales of the property.

“Through this conversion program, we seek to incentivize lenders, property owners, downtown stakeholders, and the State to partner with the City to increase the production of much needed housing in our downtown core,” said Chief of Planning Arthur Jemison. “This public private partnership opportunity is the right tool to unlock new housing and shape a new, mixed-use neighborhood Downtown.”

Wu’s office said the goal is to begin taking applications this fall. Additional program requirements and details will emerge with the applications open.

The program is being pitched for only a limited time as all applications would be due by June of 2024. Projects would then be required to start construction by October 2025.

Part of the overall set of goals driving the initiative, in addition to creating new units to ease the regional housing crunch, is “having more consistent foot traffic throughout the week to support Downtown businesses.”

“By converting office space into residential homes, we can fulfill the housing needs of our thriving City, while revitalizing and stabilizing our downtown neighborhood,” said the city’s Chief of Housing, Sheila Dillon. “New residents will enjoy the advantages of living in a neighborhood with many amenities, including shopping options, recreational spaces and multiple transportation hubs.”

Wu’s initiative in Boston is just the latest in a push by mayors across the U.S. to revive flagging downtowns struck by post-pandemic workplace changes, especially the move to remote and hybrid working.

Similar efforts are playing out in New York, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Philadelphia, among others.

JetBlue Airways said Wednesday that it wind down the deal with American in New York and Boston in the coming months and “turn even more focus” to its proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit.

The U.S. Justice Department sued to block the Spirit sale, saying it would hurt competition by eliminating Spirit, the nation’s biggest discount airline. JetBlue hopes that dropping the deal with American might persuade the government to allow the Spirit purchase to go ahead.

A federal judge decided in May that JetBlue and American must end their partnership because it violates U.S. antitrust law. American has said it will appeal the ruling.

Christmas Tree Shops expects to liquidate

Christmas Tree Shops is poised to liquidate all of its stores roughly two months after the struggling home-goods retailer filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

When Christmas Tree Shops filed for bankruptcy in early May, the Middleboro-based chain aimed to complete restructuring and exit Chapter 11 as a “financially stronger retailer” by the end of August. At the time, Christmas Tree Shops planned to close a small number of underperforming stores.

In a court filing last week, however, Christmas Tree Shops confirmed that it defaulted on a $45 million bankruptcy loan and had agreed to liquidate its more than 70 remaining locations across 20 states, unless a buyer emerges in the final hour.

Out of business sales could start as soon as Thursday, per court documents. Landlords also have until Thursday to file objections.

Flynn’s letter follows Lara’s crash Friday into a Jamaica Plain home while driving an unregistered car while she herself had a revoked driver’s license, according to a police report after the incident. Additionally, Lara’s son Zaire, who was injured, was not in a child seat as required, and the car she was driving lacked a current inspection sticker.

Police have summonsed Lara to court on the variety of motor vehicle charges and made a report to the Department of Children and Families in connection with the lack of a booster seat for her child.

A West Roxbury municipal court clerk’s office employee told the Herald on Wednesday that the office didn’t expect the summons to be scheduled for a court appearance until next week at the earliest. A police spokesman confirmed that when a court summons is scheduled it is out of the department’s hands and is up to the court.

Lara told police she swerved to avoid a car entering the street from the curb and then couldn’t brake in time before she crashed into the house, according to a police report. The driver of the second vehicle disputed that, according to police, and said Lara was traveling at a high rate of speed coming down the street before she crashed into the house.

Flynn said city residents have reached out concerned about the “troubling details” of the incident.

“The people of Boston deserve the highest standards of strong and ethical leadership,” Flynn wrote.

“Moreover, they want elected officials who show maturity, take responsibility as adults, and demonstrate the ability to follow the same basic rules and norms as the people they serve when placing us in positions of public trust,” he continued.

Flynn later on Wednesday told the Herald that while there are protocols in place to discipline city councilors, such an action “is not something I have considered yet.”

“We owe the residents of the city our best judgment and ethical leadership and it’s important that we provide that to them. I’m committed to doing that and working with my colleagues to help make that a reality eventually,” he added while speaking to the Herald.

Lara’s office did not respond directly to Flynn’s letter, and instead referred to their initial statement after the incident.

Lara’s office on Friday said that the crash was a “scary situation for everyone involved.”

“Thankfully Councilor Lara and Zaire are expected to make a full recovery. She asks for privacy at this time,” the statement said.

The accident occurred Friday afternoon and left Zaire, with “profuse bleeding” from a laceration on the left eyebrow and a home on Jamaica Plain’s Centre Street damaged, according to police.

Lara will be summonsed to West Roxbury Court on charges of operating a motor vehicle after suspension, operating an unregistered motor vehicle and operating an uninsured motor vehicle, according to police.

Lara’s driving record features multiple violations and sanctions, including failing to appear in court or trial in Connecticut, according to records obtained by the Herald.

The Connecticut violations, which also include not wearing a seatbelt and not obeying a traffic sign, occurred in 2014. The record also shows a violation in Dorchester for not possessing a vehicle registration in August 2010.

Lara’s driver’s license status is “revoked,” according to the driving record, which was verified through the councilor’s address.

Flynn also cited the recent $3,000 ethics violation fine agreed to by Councilor Ricardo Arroyo after he did legal work for his brother that involved the city after being elected to the council.

“These events, and others in the past, continue to draw negative attention to the institution of the Boston City Council, and distract our city from focusing on the people’s business,” Flynn wrote.

In a tweet releasing he statement, Flynn said plainly, “Boston residents deserve better.”

Boston residents deserve positive and responsible leadership from the Boston City Council. Troubling ethical and legal lapses continue to reflect poorly on Council members, and Boston residents deserve better. See my statement below: pic.twitter.com/BXo4qgY8wu

— Ed Flynn 愛德華費連 (@EdforBoston) July 5, 2023

In an open letter to the university community, Harvard wrote, “deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences.”

Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “concluded, wrongly, that the touchstone of an individual’s identity is not challenges bested, skills built, or lessons learned but the color of their skin. Our constitutional history does not tolerate that choice.”

The full statement from Harvard reads as follows:

Dear Members of the Harvard Community,

Today, the Supreme Court delivered its decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. The Court held that Harvard College’s admissions system does not comply with the principles of the equal protection clause embodied in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act. The Court also ruled that colleges and universities may consider in admissions decisions “an applicant’s discussion of how race affected his or her life, be it through discrimination, inspiration, or otherwise.” We will certainly comply with the Court’s decision.

We write today to reaffirm the fundamental principle that deep and transformative teaching, learning, and research depend upon a community comprising people of many backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. That principle is as true and important today as it was yesterday. So too are the abiding values that have enabled us—and every great educational institution—to pursue the high calling of educating creative thinkers and bold leaders, of deepening human knowledge, and of promoting progress, justice, and human flourishing.

We affirm that:

Because the teaching, learning, research, and creativity that bring progress and change require debate and disagreement, diversity and difference are essential to academic excellence.
To prepare leaders for a complex world, Harvard must admit and educate a student body whose members reflect, and have lived, multiple facets of human experience. No part of what makes us who we are could ever be irrelevant.

Harvard must always be a place of opportunity, a place whose doors remain open to those to whom they had long been closed, a place where many will have the chance to live dreams their parents or grandparents could not have dreamed.

For almost a decade, Harvard has vigorously defended an admissions system that, as two federal courts ruled, fully complied with longstanding precedent. In the weeks and months ahead, drawing on the talent and expertise of our Harvard community, we will determine how to preserve, consistent with the Court’s new precedent, our essential values.

The heart of our extraordinary institution is its people. Harvard will continue to be a vibrant community whose members come from all walks of life, all over the world. To our students, faculty, staff, researchers, and alumni—past, present, and future—who call Harvard your home, please know that you are, and always will be, Harvard. Your remarkable contributions to our community and the world drive Harvard’s distinction. Nothing today has changed that.

The vote was 6-3 in the North Carolina case and 6-2 in the Harvard case. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sat out the Harvard case because she had been a member of an advisory governing board there.

You can read the full decision, and the dissents, here.

According to the arrest warrant, based on an interview with Kayla Montgomery, Adam Montgomery turned from the driver’s seat, striking his daughter Harmony “with sets of three to four blows with a closed fist to Harmony’s head/face on three separate occasions over the course of a few minutes.”

The date of the alleged assault inside the car was December 7, 2019, according to the arrest warrant.

After the third flurry of blows, Kayla Montgomery told police that Adam Montgomery told her, “I think I really hurt her this time. I think I did something,” according to the document.

Harmony moaned slightly for about 5 minutes after the alleged assault and then fell silent, according to the warrant.

The family returned to parking lot of a Colonial Village Apartments in Manchester where they were living. No one checked on Harmony after the alleged assault, according to the document.

When the family set out again, the Sebring broke down. It was at this time, according to Kayla Montgomery’s testimony as recounted in the warrant, that they discovered Harmony had died.

Adam Montgomery emptied an Under Armour duffle bag he had in the trunk. He then allegedly placed Harmony Montgomery’s lifeless body inside, closed it, and carried it back to the Colonial Village parking lot and away from the broke down car, according to the warrant.

The warrant released tuesday was unsealed after a public records request from WMUR TV in New Hampshire.

Adam Montgomery was convicted by a jury last week on six unrelated charges including two counts each of being an armed career criminal, receiving stolen property, and theft.

He pleaded not guilty in October to second-degree murder, falsifying physical evidence and abuse of a corpse on charges in the alleged murder of Harmony. He’s scheduled for trial in that case in November.

Kayla Montgomery is serving an 18-month prison sentence. She had pleaded guilty to charges that she lied to a grand jury about where she was working the day she last saw Harmony.

Harmony hasn’t been seen since 2019, but authorities didn’t know she was missing until November 2021. Last year, police announced that they believed she was killed in Manchester in early December 2019, a time period that aligns with the events described in arrest warrant unsealed Tuesday.

“Evidence indicates that the victim in this incident, an adult male, intentionally jumped from the overpass onto I-93 below, where he was struck by at least one, and likely more than one, vehicle,” Massachusetts State Police spokesman Dave Procopio wrote in an update to the Tuesday morning incident. “Barring any unforeseen developments, no further updates are expected.”

State Police earlier reported that they found the victim in the area south of Exit 21 on I-93 at 4:30 a.m.

Lane closure were in place on I-93 south approaching Exit 21, Route 38/Mystic Avenue, while police investigated earlier Tuesday.

The state’s Department of Transportation said the closures generated a 10-mile back up.

The scene was cleared after 9 a.m., according to state police.

Drivers were advised to avoid the area if possible or consider using the MBTA’s Orange Line or commuter rail to get to work.

— Developing

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston said in an order Monday that the injunction he ordered last month will take effect 21 days after he issues a final judgment imposing terms on the airlines. It’s not clear when that will be.

The airlines had faced a deadline next weekend, just 30 days after the judge’s May 19 decision in favor of the U.S. Justice Department, which sued to break up the deal.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom said last month that his Texas-based airline will appeal the May ruling. New York-based JetBlue has not indicated whether it will appeal.

Wall Street hits 13-month high

Wall Street climbed Monday ahead of a big week for central banks around the world, vaulting the S&P 500 to its highest level in more than a year.

The benchmark index rose 40.07 points, or 0.9%, to 4,338.93 and its highest close since April 2022. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 189.55, or 0.6%, to 34,066.33, while the Nasdaq composite rallied 202.78, or 1.5%, to 13,461.92.

The U.S. stock market has been cruising on hopes the economy may avoid a recession and the Federal Reserve may soon take it easier on its hikes to interest rates. Traders are betting the Fed will hold rates steady at its next meeting, which concludes on Wednesday. That would be the first time it hasn’t hiked rates at a meeting in more than a year.

Investors see high-growth stocks as some of the biggest beneficiaries of lower rates, and they led the market Monday. Tech stocks alone accounted for more than half the S&P 500’s gain, powered by gains of at least 1.5% for both Microsoft and Apple.

Schools in Arlington were delayed by an hour after the bear made several appearances in the Boston suburb.

Then at around 2 p.m., the bear was seen exploring a Lexington farm.

” **Update** The most recent sighting of the bear was at Wilson’s Farm in Lexington,” Arlington Police tweeted, along with a photo of the bear.

Update**
Here’s a video of the bear at Wilson’s Farm! pic.twitter.com/V0PJripsPU

— Arlington MA, Police Department (@ArlingtonMAPD) June 12, 2023

Lexington Police confirmed that the bear was seen in the area of Pleasant Street, adding that the department was working with Massachusetts Environmental Police to locate the bear.

“There are no reports of the bear showing aggressive behavior, but we are asking residents to be aware of their surroundings,” police said in a statement. “If you are with your pet outside, ensure it is kept under control. It also is recommended that any outdoor food sources are brought inside if possible, such as bird food.”

The mere presence of a bear in a populated area is not a public safety threat, and the bear will leave the area on its own, according to state wildlife officials. Oftentimes, a bear will climb a tree to avoid people.

“If you happen to see the bear, leave it alone, and please report the sighting to the Lexington Police Department at 781-862-1212,” police said.

The black bear was first spotted on Monday in the area in the area of Scituate Street at Spring, according to Arlington Police.

The wandering bruin was then seen in the area of Paul Revere Road and Park Avenue.

Monday’s sighting comes after a bear caused a stir in Newton on Sunday.

Newton police on Sunday shared video of a black bear in that community after it made an appearance in Newton Highlands near Cold Spring Park.

Environmental police, in a statement to the Herald on Sunday, said that no aggressive behavior had been observed related to the Newton sighting.

“If a bear is seen in town, leave the animal alone and keep pets leashed,” a spokesperson for the  Environmental Police said in the statement. “A gathering of people not only stresses the animal, but adds the risk of having a bear chased out into traffic or into a group of bystanders. In most situations, if left alone, bears will return to forested areas on their own.”

With the black bear population’s range expanding east toward the most densely populated Bay State communities, bear sightings are increasing — especially during these peak months for bear activity.

May, June, and July are peak months for bear activity and reported conflicts with bears in Massachusetts. This is because 1-year-old cubs are leaving their mothers for the first time, and are finding new territories. June is also the peak of the bear mating season, leading to lots of activity and movement tied to mating.

Mateo Ventura, 18, was charged with one count of concealing terrorist financing by the US. Attorney’s office in Boston.

Ventura is due to appear in federal court in Worcester.

According to the charging documents Ventura provided  “multiple gift cards to an individual he believed was an ISIS supporter.”

In reality, he was communicating with an undercover FBI agent, according to federal documents.

According to the FBI, Ventura allegedly stated that he wanted the proceeds to go to ISIS “for war on kuffar,” (disbelievers).”

According to court documents, Ventura provided a total of $1,670 in gift cards to the agent: $965 as a juvenile and $705 after his 18th birthday. The gift cards ranged from Google Play cards to Gamestop, to Amazon. He even provided a gift card to Dick’s Sporting Goods, according to charging documents.

Ventura was taken into custody Thursday without incident. Wakefield and State Police assisted in his arrest.

– Developing

The Bristol District Attorney’s office on Monday announced the murder charge against  William O’Brien, 22, of Manchester-By-The-Sea for the alleged killing of Samuel P. Waters, 23, of Mansfield  O’Brien had previously been charged with weapons violations in connection with the deadly shooting.

The shooting occurred  at 42 West Church St., near Main Street in downtown and the Mansfield MBTA station. The area is heavily residential.

Police responded to the scene after receiving a 911 call at at 11:11 a.m.. Upon arrival, they found waters dead at the home.

O’Brien, who was already facing charges of carrying an illegal firearm and carrying an illegally loaded firearm, is expected to be arraigned on the murder charges today.

A report by the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General found that Rollins improperly used her office to influence the election in the race for Suffolk District Attorney. That report also concluded Rollins lied under oath to investigators, improperly attended a Democratic fundraiser featuring First Lady Dr. Jill Biden, and violated the policies of her office by improperly soliciting and receiving tickets to a Celtics game, among other things.

A separate investigation by the Office of Special Counsel concluded she made an “extraordinary abuse” of the poower of her office in violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits political activity by high ranking federal officials.

You can read both reports below.

Report from the Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General May 17, 2023

Report from the Office of Special Counsel May 17, 2023

The report calls her out for attempting to tip the scales in last year’s Suffolk District Attorney’s race — in which Boston Globe ran pre-primary stories leaked by Rollins damaging to then-candidate Kevin Hayden who was facing off with City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, who the document identifies as her preferred candidate.

The Herald received similar information but didn’t publish until after the primary, the report correctly points out.

“We found Rollins’s conduct … violated federal regulations, numerous DOJ policies, her Ethics Agreement, and applicable law, and fell far short of the standards of professionalism and judgment that the Department should expect of any employee, much less a U.S. Attorney,” the report issued by the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General concluded.

In a separate report, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel found that Rollins had violated the Hatch Act “and, in doing so, committed an extraordinary abuse of her power as U.S. Attorney.”

In the discussion surrounding Rollins’s attempts to manipulate the Suffolk DA’s race, the OIG report adds: “We also concluded that Rollins falsely testified under oath during her OIG interview when she denied that she was the federal law enforcement source that provided nonpublic, sensitive DOJ information to the Herald reporter about a possible Hayden criminal investigation.”

According to the report, during the pre-primary period, Rollins had attempted to get her First Assistant U.S. Attorney to write a letter suggesting Hayden was under criminal investigation. He refused.

“Rollins’s efforts to advance Arroyo’s candidacy included providing negative information about Hayden to The Boston Globe and suggesting where the Globe could look to find more information. The evidence demonstrated that at a critical stage of the primary race, Rollins brought her efforts to advance Arroyo’s candidacy to the MA USAO, when she used her position as U.S. Attorney, and information available to her as U.S. Attorney, in an ultimately unsuccessful effort to create the impression publicly, before the primary election, that DOJ was or would be investigating Hayden for public corruption.”

The report goes on to list other infractions including Rollins’ solicitation and receipt of free Celtics tickets.

“We have provided a copy of this report to the Office of the Deputy Attorney General, the Executive Office for United States Attorneys, and the Professional Misconduct Review Unit for any action they deem appropriate,” the DOJ states, suggesting the possibility of further criminal or professional misconduct investigations of Rollins.

In a footnote, the document states that the DOJ has already declined to prosecute Rollins for any charges related to providing false statements to investigators.

The OIG investigation “began with allegations concerning the presence of U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Rachael Rollins at a Democratic Party fundraiser featuring First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on July 14, 2022” in Andover. That possible ethics violation was first reported — and photographed — by the Herald, and a link to that article is included in the report.

The OIG’s report condemns her for laying the blame for the ethics breach with her staff, which the report’s authors say is “deeply disturbing.”

“The evidence shows that Rollins was advised on multiple occasions by her staff in advance of the Andover event that the plan was for her to meet Dr. Biden outside the home where the Andover event was occurring,” the report states. “Two members of her staff told us about clear and unambiguous conversations they separately had with Rollins about the event, in which conversations they told Rollins that Rollins would meet with Dr. Biden outside the event and not go inside the home.”

The second OIG finding is that “Rollins used her position as U.S. Attorney in an effort to influence the outcome of a partisan political election, namely the September 6, 2022 Democratic primary election that would select her likely successor as Suffolk D.A.”

The report found that when then-Interim Suffolk DA Hayden prevailed over Arroyo, “Rollins sought to damage Hayden’s reputation” by leaking information to reporters at both the Herald and the Globe “non-public and sensitive DOJ information that suggested the possibility of a federal criminal investigation into Hayden, a matter from which Rollins was recused.”

In response, Rollins’ attorney, Michael R. Bromwich, said that “I think the OIG report needs to be put in context.”

“The central truth is that she moved from being an elected official with virtually no restrictions on her activities to the highly-regulated environment of the US Attorney’s Office,” he wrote in a statement to the Herald.

“Most of the allegations amount to minor process fouls. Though Ms. Rollins could have raised many facts and arguments in connection with these issues, she had no interest in litigating them any further. She believed the better course was to step down and end the matter before it overwhelmed her office and DOJ.”

In local reactions, both Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayo Michelle Wu both said they hadn’t read the report yet.

“I haven’t had a chance to catch up today,” Wu said when questioned about her reaction to the news while answering questions following an AAPI Heritage Month event inside the State House.

Healey, at the same event, said, “I don’t know anything about that” when asked by a Herald reporter if she had, while state Attorney General, any indication that Rollins may have been influencing the Suffolk DA’s race.”

“I think that the important thing for people to know is that the US Attorney’s Office is strong,” Healey added. “There are so many great people who are working in that office, who have worked in that office and I know the good work of that office will continue.”