Wintry Mix May Be In Store For North Shore: Patch PM

SALEM, MA — It's Thursday, Dec. 16. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Dozens of carolers showed up to fulfill the dying wish of a Worcester woman who is in hospice care with cancer. They responded to a social media call from the woman's daughter, who said her mother wanted to hear Christmas carolers one last time.
• Two men unknowingly bought a 500-year-old masterpiece from an estate sale in Concord for only $30. The piece, "The Virgin and Child with a Flower on a Grassy Bank," is valued at over $50 million.
• A man was found guilty of first-degree murder in the shooting death of a chef in Beverly. Donald Fogg's killer was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

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

Today's top story

Massachusetts's next chance for wintry weather comes this weekend, when a messy mix of rain, snow and sleet is expected across the region.

At this point, it's hard to tell how exactly the storm will present itself, the National Weather Service said. Changes in air temperature will determine how much snow falls before warmer air turns precipitation into rain.

"What we know — snow will overspread Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut from west to east through the day [Saturday,]" NWS said. "What we don't know — the challenge, how much snow accumulates before warm air aloft changes snow to sleet, freezing rain and eventually rain?"

Read the full story.

Thursday's other top stories

Scores of carolers sing in Worcester for woman in hospice care: On a dark, rainy night in Worcester, dozens of people showed up to sing. Echo Louissaint put out a call on social media Tuesday asking for carolers to come to her home and sing to her mother, Morgan Freeman, who is in hospice care with cancer. It was the woman's dying wish to hear Christmas carolers one last time. On Wednesday, close to 40 people gathered outside Louissaint's Winslow Street home to sing to Freeman.

$30 drawing bought at Concord estate sale worth over $50 million: Two men in the Boston area unknowingly bought a 500-year-old masterpiece from an estate sale in Concord for only $30. The piece, "The Virgin and Child with a Flower on a Grassy Bank," by German Renaissance printmaker Albrecht Dürer is valued at over $50 million. The piece came from the estate sale for Jean-Paul Carlihan, who had inherited the drawing from his grandfather, who had purchased it in Paris in 1919, the New York Post reported.

Rollins tells of threats as she readies for US attorney job: Rachael Rollins says she has endured racist and threatening messages as she prepares to become Massachusetts' top federal prosecutor. Rollins, a Democrat, will be the first Black woman to serve as U.S. Attorney in Massachusetts following her confirmation by the U.S. Senate earlier this month. She discussed the harassment she has received during a radio interview on Tuesday with GBH News.

Medford jeweler among businesses hit by smash-and-grab thieves: A jewelry shop in Medford is among the businesses that have fallen victim to smash-and-grab-style robberies. The break-in happened early Sunday morning at Roland's Jewelry. Owner Roland Racicot told WCVB the thieves stole about $15,000 in jewelry that was both for sale and awaiting repairs. That same night, a Burlington jewelry store was also broken into, the network reported.

Picture this: Guilty verdict in Beverly murder

A New Hampshire man will spend the rest of his life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Beverly chef Donald Fogg (below).

They said it

"A mastery of contradictions—palatial and homey; sandy feet and designer sandals; kids menus and an adults-only spa—CBI has been loved by those who have been coming for generations."

• Condé Nast editor Cassie Shortsleeve, who named the Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod one of the best hotels in the world.

In case you missed it

Baker breaks down in meeting with domestic abuse survivors: In an emotional meeting with domestic abuse survivors Wednesday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker openly cried and apologized for not being able to push through legislation that would have offered them more protection.

"I literally wrote in my notes, 'I sometimes wonder whose side we're on'," Baker said during the live-streamed roundtable.