Cop On Leave After Video Shows Him Kneeling On Student: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Thursday, Nov. 18. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Residents in north Wayland, Stow, Maynard and Bolton — and even as far as away as Framingham and Harvard — all reported a loud boom and shaking around 10 pm Wednesday, with one resident reporting a flash in the sky.
• Newton City Council candidate Jim Cote has called for Councilors Julia Malakie and Emily Norton to resign following what he is calling an "illegal smear campaign" that was brought to light days after the 2021 election.
• The longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century will be visible over Massachusetts overnight from Thursday into Friday.

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

Today's Top Story

A Brockton police officer has been placed on leave after video surfaced of him appearing to kneel on a student he was arresting outside of Brockton High School on Wednesday.

The video, which was recorded outside during the school's lunch break and was posted to social media, shows the officer kneeling on the student's back

In a phone message to families, Superintendent Michael P. Thomas said the officer, who has not been named, has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of an investigation launched by Brockton Police Chief Manny Gomes.

Read the full story.

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Thursday's Other Top Stories

"Boom" rattles Wayland, western suburbs: An unconfirmed seismic event may have struck an area north of Wayland late Wednesday night, according to reports from local residents. The event happened near 10 p.m. Wednesday, according to the website Volcano Discovery. Residents in north Wayland, Stow, Maynard and Bolton — and even as far as away as Framingham and Harvard — all reported a loud boom and shaking, with one resident reporting a flash in the sky.

Accusations of election 'sabotage' in Newton: Ward 3 Newton City Council candidate Jim Cote has called for Councilors Julia Malakie and Emily Norton to resign following what he is calling an "illegal smear campaign" that was brought to light days after the 2021 election. The issue was first reported Nov. 3 by Newton resident Jerry Reilly, who shared information on Village 14 about several last-minute efforts that seemed like an attempt to sabotage Cote's campaign, including an email sent out by a fake political group and the dispersal of fliers labeling Cote a Trump Republican.

Danvers holding vigil against hate: Organizers of the Danvers "Vigil of Inclusion" are hoping to bring town residents together on Saturday amid a rash of painfully divisive incidents. The Danvers Human Rights and Inclusion Committee is joining with the Danvers Interfaith Partnership to host what they are calling "a town-wide affirmation in response to homophobia, racism and antisemitism in the town of Danvers."

Massachusetts: Tell Someone You're Grateful For Them This Holiday Season

Picture This: Full Blood Lunar Eclipse

A partial lunar eclipse will be visible overnight from Thursday into Friday. The full frost moon will turn red, and since the partial eclipse will last three hours, it will be the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century, according to NASA. Usually, light from the sun paints the face of the moon a grayish-white. But when the eclipse peaks around 4 a.m. Eastern Time on the 19th, our planet will block 98 percent of the sun's light from reaching the moon's surface, washing it in a reddish hue.

In Case You Missed It

CVS closing 900 stores: CVS Health will close 300 stores in each of the next three years in response to changes in shopping habits, population shifts and changing healthcare needs. The Woonsocket, RI-based company did not say which stores it would close or which states would be most affected by the closures. The first round of closings will begin in the spring of 2022. The company did not say how many workers would lose their jobs.

Coronavirus rebounds in MA: State health officials on Wednesday reported the highest daily COVID-19 case count since February, a concerning trend as sinking temperatures and approaching holidays mean more groups of people spending time indoors. The Department of Public Health said there were 2,650 new coronavirus cases, the most since 3,004 cases were reported on Feb. 7. At that point, most people weren't vaccinated; now, most adults and many children are. The state is scheduled to release its weekly, town-by-town COVID-19 report later this afternoon.

Also on Patch: First Vaccine-Only Pharmacy To Open In Beverly

By The Numbers

$174,000: The estimated value of 84 pounds of marijuana found in an apartment at Assembly Row in Somerville. Police called the stash "illegally possessed" marijuana and are investigating.