MA Schools Beef Up Security After Social Media Threats: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Wednesday, Dec. 15. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• December has been extremely snow-free so far. But that could change this weekend, with a low-pressure storm system brewing in the Ohio River Valley that will move into New England on Saturday.
• Despite not participating in a Monday meeting with Gov. Charlie Baker and House Speaker Ronald Mariano this week, Senate President Karen Spilka's office said Tuesday that she is "feeling much better" after her recent illness which disrupted her schedule in the waning days of formal sessions last month.
• A Worcester woman is asking for local singers to visit her mother on Wednesday evening to sing Christmas carols. Echo Louissaint's mother recently moved to Worcester from Maine to undergo hospice care, and her family fears she may not make it to see another Dec. 25.

Scroll down for more on those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today's Top Story

Two Massachusetts schools became the latest to increase security after being targeted in social media threats.

In Burlington, police are investigating after someone posted a threat against Burlington High School to an anonymous Instagram account. In the message, which school administrators were made aware of on Tuesday, someone posted "a desire to cause harm at the school prior to winter break," officials said.

The language was generalized, officials said, and investigators don't believe the school is in active danger.

And in Wrentham, police are investigating a Snapchat post that said the King Philip Middle School will be shot up on Friday.

The post in question, which has made its way to Wrentham Police Chief Bill McGrath, states, "KP High School is planning to shoot up the KP Middle School on Friday." In a warning to parents, McGrath posted to the Wrentham Police Department's Facebook page, saying, "there will be increased police presence at both King Philip Middle and High Schools Wednesday, out of an abundance of caution."

Wrentham police say they investigated Tuesday's incident and say it was a case of bad judgment on the student's part and not a real threat.

Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Dying mom's wish: If you can carry a tune, you might be able to make a Christmas miracle come true. A Worcester woman is asking for local singers to visit her mother on Wednesday evening to sing Christmas carols. Echo Louissaint's mother recently moved to Worcester from Maine to undergo hospice care, and her family fears she may not make it to see another Dec. 25. "Professionals. Amateurs. Music groups. Neighbors. Families. Choirs. Bands. Who cares. I need people to come by and sing outside my mom's window so she knows she is loved and feels the Joy of Christmas and the Lord," Louissaint said in a Facebook post.

Weekend snowstorm? December has been extremely snow-free so far. But that could change this weekend. There's a low-pressure storm system brewing in the Ohio River Valley that will move into New England on Saturday. The system could either bring rain or snow, depending on how far north the system travels. As of Wednesday, it was "too soon to say anything for sure" about what the storm will bring, National Weather Service meteorologist Bryce Williams said. It all depends on where the northern edge of the system will fall."

Senate President on the mend: Despite not participating in a Monday meeting with Gov. Charlie Baker and House Speaker Ronald Mariano this week, Senate President Karen Spilka's office said Tuesday that she is "feeling much better" after her recent illness which disrupted her schedule in the waning days of formal sessions last month. Baker and Mariano met during the 2 p.m. hour this Monday, a window traditionally reserved for the semi-regular "leadership meetings" which also include Spilka and other officials. The two politicians may have talked about the governor's actions on the $4 billion COVID-19 relief bill which he was preparing to release that afternoon.

Beloved Boston Marathon dog has terminal cancer: Spencer, the beloved 12-year-old golden retriever that appears at the Boston Marathon each year, has been diagnosed with terminal spleen cancer, a post on the dog's Facebook page announced. After having a roughly softball-sized tumor surgically removed last week, Spencer's owners said Tuesday morning that the tumor was not benign, and that the golden retriever has a rare, terminal spleen cancer.

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Picture This: Worcester County Gets Lucky

November was an especially lucky month in Worcester County. Between Nov. 8 and Nov. 29, six Worcester County residents won $1 million prizes in state lottery games, according to the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission.

They Said It

"We should protect the vaccinated people of the city of Salem from the unvaccinated. And we should make it difficult for unvaccinated people to interact with vaccinated people."

• Salem Hospital President Dr. David Roberts at Tuesday's Salem board of health meeting. Despite concerns raised by Roberts and Salem residents, the board did not vote on any renewed indoor business mask mandate or a business-entry vaccination order.

In Case You Missed It

Danvers High suspends wrestling team: Danvers school officials are dealing with more "hazing and hateful" accusations against student-athletes this week, just hours after administrators delivered a 90-minute presentation to the School Committee about the progress they believed they were making in diversity, equity and inclusion. The latest incident includes a fight among two members of the wrestling team last week in which officials said one member was confronted about using racist language on a video three years ago. Danvers officials said in a statement Tuesday afternoon that an investigation into the fight also revealed a Snapchat group that included some members of the team and had references to "hateful and hazing and biased language." The wrestling program has been suspended pending a school and Danvers police investigation.

By The Numbers

$22,925: The amount raised, as of Wednesday morning, in a fundraiser for the family of Michael Norton, 26, of Saugus, who died in an apparent homicide Saturday night. His first cousin, Erica Ramos, is raising money to cover the cost of his funeral and related expenses, with all donations going directly to his family.