Mandatory Flu Vaccine For Students Here For Good: Patch PM

Today is Thursday, Aug. 19. Here are some of the top stories we are covering.

This won't be the only year that flu vaccines are required for Massachusetts students. The vaccine will be mandated for all students going forward, said Marylou Sudders, the state secretary of Health and Human Services during Gov. Charlie Baker's Thursday news conference.

The immunizations will be required from the age of six months on for attendees of Massachusetts child care programs, pre-schools, K-12 schools, and colleges and universities, the Department of Public Health announced.

All public school students must get the flu shot by Dec. 31, unless they have a medical or religious exemption or are homeschooled, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said, noting the flu vaccine is "the smart thing to do."

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Other top stories

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Endorses Joe Kennedy In Senate Primary

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed Rep. Joe Kennedy Thursday in his primary challenge to incumbent Sen. Ed Markey.

"Never before have the times demanded we elect courages leaders as today and that is why I'm proud to endorse Joe Kennedy for senate," Pelosi said in a video released by the Kennedy campaign.

Pelosi credited Kennedy with campaigning across the country as part of the House Democrats' successful effort to win a majority in the 2018 midterm elections.

Domestic Abuse Victim Sues Beverly Police Chief Over Tweet

A domestic abuse victim claims in a lawsuit filed in Salem Superior Court this week that Beverly Police Chief John LeLacheur revealed details about the victim and her children on Twitter.

LeLacheur, who frequently uses Twitter to communicate with the public about police issues, posted the tweet on Oct. 18, 2017 as police searched for the woman's ex-boyfriend. Charles Dixon, the ex-boyfriend, had threatened to kill the woman, her child and her then-unborn child. The lawsuit claims the tweet included the woman's name, address, her child's name and the address where she was staying under police protection.

LeLacheur quickly removed the tweet, but not before people saw it, the complaint said. LeLacheur declined comment to the Salem News, which first reported this story.

Historic Pub Owned By Dropkick Murphy's Singer Closes

A Boston pub owned by Dropkick Murphys lead singer Ken Casey has closed for good, the latest Boston drinking place to fall victim to the coronavirus.

"With a landlord unwilling to find a middle ground in the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, McGreevy's has permanently closed after 12 years on 911 Boylston Street in Boston," Casey wrote on Instagram Wednesday.

The pub has been in business at various Back Bay locations since 1894, surviving prohibition, the Great Depression and two World Wars. But the coronavirus crisis, which has decimated the restaurant industry, was too much for a bar that also billed itself as "America's first documented sports-themed bar" and "the birthplace of "Red Sox Nation."

Also

Natick Firefighters Save U.S. Mail — From A Fire

The Natick fire department responded to an engulfed U.S. Postal Service truck Thursday morning.

Bomb Threat At Brandeis University: Shelter-In-Place Lifted

Police finished sweeping campus after someone called in a bomb threat Thursday morning, officials said.

Moulton Has Upper Hand In Fundraising Ahead Of Primary

Rep. Seth Moulton has raised more than his two challengers combined with less than two weeks to go before the Sept. 1 Democratic primary.

Shooting Stemmed From Argument At Encore Casino: DA

Authorities have arrested a man they say waited for another man after an altercation in the casino lobby and shot him early Sunday.

Shark Sightings Temporarily Close 5 Cape Cod Beaches

Beaches in Truro and Wellfleet closed Wednesday morning following great white shark sightings.