Bridge Repairs Will Last Months, I-93 Reopening Sooner: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Tuesday, Juy 20. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons was placed on leave after pleading not guilty to a drunk driving charge in Bourne on Monday.
• Police received a call that the rainbow Pride flag outside the First Church of Wenham had been cut down overnight on Saturday morning, then received a call that a progress flag at the Wenham Museum on Main Street had been ripped down shortly after.
• The owner of a farm on in Norfolk is issuing a warning to farm owners around the area after she says a man broke into her farm to have sex with a horse.

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

Today's Top Story: Latest On I-93 Mess

Transportation officials say all lanes will reopen on I-93 South once temporary repairs are made to an overpass that was hit by a truck, which could happen as soon as Wednesday.

But permanent repairs will force long-term delays on the overpass, which will extend through Roosevelt Circle and to Route 1 South, Route 16, Route 28, Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said.

"Our first priority is to safely stabilize the structure, which is underway," Gulliver said. "Drivers are urged to avoid the area and consider public transportation options until I-93 southbound can be fully reopened. Travelers who use Roosevelt Circle should expect restricted lanes for several months until permanent repairs can be made."

State police said a 2013 Peterbilt 367 truck crashed into the overpass around 3:20 p.m. Monday. The truck is owned by Dove Transportation of Lincoln, Alabama and was driven by a 57-year-old Alabama man, with a 54-year-old Alabama woman as a passenger, police said.

Read the latest updates.

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Tuesday's Other Top Stories

Police Chief on leave after OUI: Mattapoisett Police Chief Mary Lyons was placed on leave after pleading not guilty to a drunk driving charge in Bourne on Monday. According to the police report, a state trooper said he observed a 2014 Lexus GX460 operating erratically just before 11 p.m. Saturday night, on Route 28 north in Bourne. The trooper said he pulled the car over to find Lyons, 61, behind the wheel with the smell of alcohol on her breath when he spoke with her.

Pride flags vandalized: Police received a call that the rainbow Pride flag outside the First Church of Wenham had been cut down overnight on Saturday morning, then received a call that a progress flag at the Wenham Museum on Main Street had been ripped down shortly after. This isn't the first time incidents like this have occurred at the First Church of Wenham, as a rainbow flag was stolen from the church back in May. Police Chief Kevin DiNapoli says the department is continuing to investigate the theft, and now needs the public's help in finding out who is doing the vandalism.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

Not loving it: Beverly police are investigating after two people broke into a McDonald's restaurant on Elliot Street early Sunday morning. Once the two were inside, police say they broke glass, shattered computer screens and threw trash across the floor. (Beverly Police Department photo)

In Case You Missed It

Unvaccinated Cape woman who spread coronavirus theories dies of COVID-19: Former Bourne selectwoman Linda Zuern, who was not vaccinated against the coronavirus, was 70. According to the Cape Cod Times, which first reported this story, Zuren contracted the virus following a trip to visit her mother in South Dakota. Both women tested positive for the coronavirus, though Zuern's mother survived.

Bestiality suspect at large: The owner of a farm on in Norfolk warning other farm owners in the area after a man broke into her farm to have sex with a horse. Hillary Swarr, the owner of Turner Hill Equestrian Stables told police the horse is uninjured but wants to warn other farms of the man. Swarr told police the man attempted to unplug all of the security cameras but missed one, which sent surveillance footage of him in the act to an employee of Turner Hill after an alarm was sounded.