MA Braces For Right-Wing Protest, Counterprotest: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Friday, July 23. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Gov. Charlie Baker would be "hard-pressed" to support any proposal to bring back the discounted alcoholic drink specials, voicing concern they could lead to a spike in drunk driving incidents.
• A three-year-old boy pulled out of a pond in Plymouth Thursday is the state's latest drowning victim.
• An armor-piercing projectile found by a scallop boater Thursday will be turned over to the military after causing a stir for New Bedford residents.

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

Today's Top Story: Saturday's Protests In Auburn

A fundraiser and right-wing gathering Saturday in Auburn is being met with resistance from local social justice groups whose members say the organizer — the alt-right group Super Happy Fun America (SHFA) — promotes hatred and insurrection.

Saturday's event at the Century Sportsman's Club will have a dual purpose, according to SHFA president John Hugo: to gather Massachusetts right-wing groups in one place, and to raise money for two SHFA members arrested and charged in connection to the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

In recent days, the Worcester chapter of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) and the group Defund WPD have been petitioning the Century Sportsman's Club to cancel the event. The group MassEquality, meanwhile, will host a protest near the club at the intersection of Southbridge and West streets in Auburn.

Read the full story.

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Friday's Other Top Stories

Hero cops in Framingham: Four Framingham police officers and a resident of a home along Brackett Road were injured Friday morning during a fire. The fire broke out around 9 a.m. in a multifamily home near the intersection of Brackett Road and Draper Road, which is in a neighborhood off of Route 126 near the Ashland town line. The four officers were among the first on the scene and rush inside the home to help the residents. They were able to rescue a person trapped in an upstairs room.

Gov. Buzzkill: A MassINC Polling Group poll released Wednesday found that 70 percent of Massachusetts residents would support revival of happy hour specials for alcoholic beverages, and Rep. Mike Connolly filed a restaurant and bar relief bill (HD 3896) that would once again authorize the practice. But Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday said he would be "hard-pressed" to support any proposal to bring back the discounted alcoholic drink specials, voicing concern they could lead to a spike in drunk driving incidents. Related story: Why Can't I Go To Happy Hour In Massachusetts?

Another Massachusetts drowning victim: This time, it's a three-year-old boy who was pulled from a Plymouth pond Thursday night. Plymouth Fire Chief Ed Bradley said the 3-year-old was with a group of people attending Family Night at the YMCA's Camp Clark on Hedges Pond Road when they went into the water. Bradley said even though the child had a life vest on, their face still managed to go underwater.

Two police officers, student hospitalized after school bus fight: A fight broke out in Jamaica Plain on a Boston Public School bus carrying students Friday morning. Sergeant Detective John Boyle said police were notified around 8 a.m. to reports of a fight breaking out on the bus on Centre Street, near the Jackson Square Train Station. One student was transported to a Boston hospital accompanied by a parent who arrived at the scene. Two Boston police officers, the bus driver, and a bus monitor were also taken to Boston hospitals.

Scallop boater catches more than scallops: An armor-piercing projectile found by a scallop boater Thursday will be turned over to the military after causing a stir for New Bedford residents. Massachusetts State Police said its Bomb Squad was dispatched Thursday morning after a scallop boater found the round. It was brought to shore and the squad determined it did not pose an explosive hazard. The 57 mm projectile was secured and will be turned over to U.S. Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal personnel, police said.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

Worcester as Wakanda: "Wakanda Forever," the sequel to the 2018 Marvel Studios film "Black Panther," will shoot scenes in Worcester in August. Production on "Wakanda Forever" began in June in Atlanta, and the movie is set for a 2022 premier. It's unclear what type of filming will take place in Worcester, but scouts were in the city last month to scout locations for a chase scene, according to the report.

Latest On I-93 Bridge Repairs

All lanes on I-93 South in Medford reopened Thursday following temporary repairs to the Roosevelt Circle overpass, MassDOT said. The overpass sustained extensive damage when it was hit by an over height tractor-trailer on Monday.

Transportation officials said the eastbound bridge at Roosevelt Circle is expected to reopen Friday morning. The bridge will have some lane width restrictions in place until permanent repairs are made, which is expected to take several months.

Drivers should expect delays on Route 28, the Fellsway and on- and off-ramps for I-93, MassDOT said.

Read the full story.

They Said It

"Most important, it's just fun. People are allowed to have fun. And sports betting is fun."

• Rep. Dan Cahill of Lynn on the sports betting bill passed by the Massachusetts House of Representatives Thursday. Some said they hoped the House's lopsided vote would send a message to the Senate, which has been less enthusiastic about sports betting, that the people of Massachusetts want to bet legally.

In Case You Missed It

Candidate targeted by racist slurs: A Brockton candidate for city council is working with police to find who left gallon-sized jugs of urine with racial slurs written on them in his driveway Tuesday morning. Marlon Green told police he sees this act of vandalism as an extreme response to his candidacy for Ward 1 city councilor. Multiple messages found on the jugs included, "BLM Sucks," in reference to the Black Lives Matter movement, and "Black Nazi." Green, who is Jamaican, says he feels targeted and what happened makes him feel uncomfortable and concerned for the safety of his family.

COVID deaths, hospitalizations rise: Massachusetts reported increases in all coronavirus measures over the last week, including deaths and hospitalizations. Vaccinations have slowed down, with nearly two-thirds of the population fully vaccinated, while the positive test rate has risen to a level not seen in two months. The majority of cities and towns reported rising positive test rates and case counts in the latest Department of Health town-by-town report.

By The Numbers

$255,000: The amount Brookline police officer Amy Hall is seeking for lost wages and emotional distress in a lawsuit she filed against the department. Hall, who previously filed discrimination and harassment complaints against the department, has been with the department since 2001.