Boston, Other MA Cities Hold Historic Preliminary Votes: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Tuesday, Sept. 14. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released its 2022 Best Colleges rankings, and a dozen Massachusetts schools made the lists.
• Police in Falmouth have located a car believed to have been involved in a hit-and-run crash that killed an 81-year-old man Friday night.
• A former clerk for the Boston Police Department who authorities said stole nearly $30,000 in overtime pay over two years pleaded guilty in federal court.

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

Today's Top Story

Boston is on the cusp of narrowing its field of mayoral hopefuls for the first time to two people of color, possibly both women — a stark change from the unbroken string of white men elected mayor in the city's first 200 years.

Voters are casting ballots Tuesday in a preliminary mayoral election that will select two top contenders from a field of five main candidates, all of whom are people of color, four of them women. The two winners will face off against each other on Nov. 2, ushering in a new era for the city which has wrestled with racial and ethnic strife.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey; City Councilors Annissa Essaibi George, Andrea Campbell and Michelle Wu; and John Barros, the city's former economic development chief, are all vying to be one of the top contenders.

Nearly a dozen other Massachusetts cities are also holding preliminary elections Tuesday, including Framingham, Malden, Medford, Newton, Peabody, Salem, Somerville and Worcester.

Read the full story.

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Tuesday's Other Top Stories

MA colleges make US News list: As colleges in Massachusetts continue to work through the academic challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic, several schools were recognized this week for their steadfast dedication to providing students a quality education. U.S. News & World Report on Tuesday released its 2022 Best Colleges rankings, which evaluate more than 1,400 U.S. colleges and universities on 17 different academic measures. A dozen Massachusetts schools made the list.

Hit-and-run suspect caught on Cape: Police in Falmouth have located a car believed to have been involved in a fatal hit-and-run Friday night. In a tweet Tuesday, police said they also may have found the person driving the car at the time of the crash.

Former police clerk pleads guilty: A former clerk for the Boston Police Department who authorities said stole nearly $30,000 in overtime pay over two years pleaded guilty in federal court Monday, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. Marilyn Golisano, 68, of Malden, pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement from an agency receiving federal funds and six counts of wire fraud.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

In Case You Missed It

Best grass in Mass: Massachusetts hosted the state's first Cultivator's Cup in Somerset, a competition designed to "empower and establish" emerging licensed recreational cannabis cultivators. Consumers and judges from Cultivator's Cup, hosted by Solar and the Farmacist, voted Natick-based Bountiful Farms and Stoneham-based Theory Wellness top scores, winning for "best overall," "best visual," "best taste," and "best cure."