MA High School Athletes Don't Need Vaccines — Yet: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Friday, Oct. 1. Rabbit, rabbit! Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Wakefield school officials found a racial slur scratched into the boys' and girls' bathroom stalls at the high school, prompting a police investigation.
• Police in Charlton are alerting Mass Pike drivers about two dogs that have "taken up residence" in the median of the highway.
• A two-year wait for the return of the Topsfield Field came to an end Friday afternoon when the fairgrounds opened for the first time since 2019.

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

Today's Top Story: MIAA Punts On Vaccine Mandate

This weekend, high school football, soccer and field hockey games will take place outdoors across the state with very few, if any, virus restrictions at all despite infection rates that are approximately what they were late last summer.

One major difference allowing for the relaxed protocols is that all those 12 years old or older are now eligible to be vaccinated against the virus. However, being eligible to be vaccinated and actually getting the shots are two different things, especially when comparing community vaccine rates among teens across the state.

The MIAA Board of Directors this week took one step toward making sure all student-athletes get on the same page when it comes to protection when they voted 22-0-1 to "highly recommend" vaccination for all eligible student-athletes.

The vote fell in line with the recommendation of the Sports Medicine Committee — made up of principals, athletic directors, athletic trainers and medical professionals — but fell short of a vaccine mandate as a condition of participation.

Read the full story.

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Friday's Other Top Stories

Wakefield school system plagued by 'racist acts': Superintendent Doug Lyons on Thursday night briefed the School Committee about what he said were "really concerning" events. School officials found a racial slur scratched into the boys' and girls' bathroom stalls at the high school. Lyons said he was unsure if they were connected. Lyons said the incident was reported to police, and the school is investigating.

Lost dogs living on Mass Pike median: Police in Charlton are alerting Mass Pike drivers about two dogs that have "taken up residence" in the median of the highway. Charlton police say they have so far received hundreds of reports about the two dogs, who are located near the Charlton service plaza just east of the I-84 split. Police are warning drivers not to leave their vehicles to try to capture the elusive canines. Chasing the animals could end up causing a collision or worse.

Some Pats fans in New England may not be able to watch Brady's return: Google-owned YouTube TV and NBCUniversal are having major contract disputes, so much so that YouTube TV could lose more than a dozen NBC channels after Thursday. That means that NBC (along with MSNBC, CNBC, The Golf Channel and many other popular channels) won't be available to YouTube TV. And that means "Sunday Night Football" — featuring Tom Brady's return to New England — won't be available to YouTube TV subscribers.

The 2021 Boston Marathon is Oct. 11. Read the latest on Patch's 2021 Boston Marathon hub.

Picture This: Topsfield Fair Reopens After COVID Hiatus

A two-year wait for the return of the Topsfield Field came to an end Friday afternoon when the fairgrounds opened for the first time since 2019. Last year's Topsfield Fair was canceled because of the coronavirus health crisis and there are changes in store for this year as the pandemic lingers.

They Said It

"This issue of gun safety and gun violence is a critically important issue because our most important obligation is to protect our children and the teachers and other staff in the school. To me, the idea that anyone would politicize it in a misleading way is tremendously disappointing and saddening"

• Paul Levy, a candidate for Newton School Committee. Newton Gun Violence Prevention Collaborative endorse Levy's opponent, Shawn Fitzgibbons. The group is being accused of politicizing a public safety issue.

In Case You Missed It

Freak, fatal crash in Danvers: A driver was killed on Route 95 north Friday morning when a piece of metal crashed through the windshield of his vehicle, according to Massachusetts State Police. Police said the man driving the vehicle was killed. A female passenger was also in the vehicle. Her condition had not been updated as of 11 a.m. The state Department of Transportation reported the crash about 9 a.m. and said at the time it involved serious injuries.

Coronavirus metrics heading in right direction: All statewide coronavirus metrics showed a decline in the latest data released Thursday by the Department of Public Health, with the positive test rate falling below 2 percent for the first time since late July. At the town level, the majority of communities reported falling positive test rates, according to town-by-town data released Thursday. Sixteen Massachusetts communities didn't report a single positive test over the last two weeks, level from the last report.