Burglars Target Asian Families In Newton: Patch PM

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

• A Medford firefighter's quick thinking while off-duty is being credited with saving a man's life.
• An unnamed newborn sloth is the first to be born in Buttonwood Park Zoo's 127-year history.
• Making the most of pork floss, grapefruit, a pizza cookie cake and wormwood liqueur was Alex Pineda's recipe for success as The Landing of Marblehead chef won his preliminary round of "Chopped: Alton Brown's Maniacal Baskets" that aired on the Food Network Tuesday night.

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

Today's Top Story

Newton police are investigating a series of house break-ins over the past few weeks that may be targeting Asian residents.

From June 1 through July 11, there have been five house break-ins that occurred during the day on weekends when no one was home. The victims were all of Asian descent, according to a statement released Tuesday by Mayor Ruthanne Fuller.

The break-ins took place on Walnut St., Dedham St., Helene Rd., Quinobequin Rd., and Country Club Rd. They all involved forced entry and the suspect(s) were able to get away with various items including jewelry, cash, and handbags.

Read the full story.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Firefighter goes to lunch, saves life: A Medford firefighter's quick thinking while off-duty is being credited with saving a man's life. David Piscatelli was having lunch with an off-duty Cambridge firefighter at the Horseshoe Grill in North Reading when another customer suffered a medical emergency. While the dispatcher gave CPR instructions to the caller over the phone, both men rendered aid until first responders arrived.

Sloth birth is zoo's first: An unnamed newborn sloth is the first to be born in Buttonwood Park Zoo's 127-year history. On June 22, the 12-year-old mother named Sandy gave birth to a two-toed sloth after an eleven-and-a-half-month gestation period, according to the New Bedford zoo's website. "Both baby and mom are doing exceptionally well," Dr. Erica Lipanovich, the zoo's veterinarian, said.

Marblehead chef advances on 'Chopped': Making the most of pork floss, grapefruit, a pizza cookie cake and wormwood liqueur was Alex Pineda's recipe for success as The Landing of Marblehead chef won his preliminary round of "Chopped: Alton Brown's Maniacal Baskets" that aired on the Food Network Tuesday night. Pineda outlasted three challengers in preparing dishes using an eclectic mix of ingredients that ranged from the unusual to the untenable for the chefs. Pineda will compete for the $25,000 grand prize in the "Maniacal Baskets" grand finale scheduled to air next Tuesday at 9 p.m. "It's far from over," Pineda said. "But I'm excited to continue.

Scammers target woman with dementia: The family of an 86-year-old Hingham woman told police she had fallen victim to several phone scams over the last two weeks, losing at least $42,000. The family of the woman, who is battling early stages of dementia, says the phone scammer claimed to be from "Publisher's Clearing House." The woman began receiving phone calls that displayed "Publishers Clearing House" on the caller ID on June 28 and continued receiving them until July 11.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

By The Numbers

3: The number of winning MassCash tickets with prizes of $100,000 sold by Bridge Street Food Mart in Weymouth Tuesday. There were only five winning tickets sold statewide for Tuesday's drawing.