Police: Man Attacks T Conductor When Told To Wear Mask | Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Friday, Sept. 24. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Saturday's Powerball drawing is up to an estimated $523 million, with a cash option of an estimated $379 million.
• Several Brookline business owners have filed a lawsuit against the town, challenging the age-based tobacco ban that goes into effect on Sept. 27.
• A man tried to storm the cockpit during a JetBlue flight from Boston to Puerto Rico Wednesday night.

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

Today's Top Story

A Middleboro man was arrested Wednesday night after police say he assaulted a Keolis Commuter Rail conductor when asked to put a face mask on.

Transit Police officers responded to the Braintree MBTA Commuter Rail Station around 5:20 p.m. after receiving a report of a passenger assaulting a conductor when he asked him to put a mask on.

The conductor told officers he asked Daniel Libby, 40, of Middleboro to put a mask on while onboard the train, a mandate that has not changed its policy in over a year, even as Gov. Baker and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) updated guidance regarding face coverings for fully vaccinated individuals in May.

Read the full story.

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Friday's Other Top Stories

Stores sue Brookline over tobacco ban: Several Brookline business owners have filed a lawsuit against the town, challenging the age-based tobacco ban that goes into effect on Sept. 27. The plaintiffs, which include Brookline Sunoco, One Stop Market, and Commonwealth Mobil, claim the new amendment to Article 14, which prevents tobacco and vape sales to anyone born after January 1, 2000, is preempted by state law. The ban is the first of its kind in the U.S.

Man rushes cockpit on Boston JetBlue flight: A man tried to storm the cockpit during a JetBlue flight from Boston to Puerto Rico Wednesday night. Khalil El Dahr was arrested after an FBI affidavit obtained by Patch says he interfered with flight crew members and passengers. The FBI affidavit says El Dahr was aboard JetBlue flight 261 from Logan International Airport to San Juan, Puerto Rico when he became agitated after attempting to make an unsuccessful phone call in the last hour of the flight.

Department head's removal questioned in Medford: An outside investigator found no wrongdoing on the part of the city administration in connection with Veterans Services Director Michael Durham's claims that he was not properly compensated, that veterans were being discriminated against and that he faced retaliation for bringing these issues to light. The findings come amid public outcry over Durham's removal from his role. Durham was escorted from City Hall by police last Friday after he was placed on paid administrative leave pending a psychological evaluation. "The mayor is using a vicious stereotype that veterans are imbalanced and violent to smear the reputation of a good man," Durham's wife, Briana, told the city council at its meeting on Tuesday.

Picture This

Saturday's Powerball drawing is up to an estimated $523 million, with a cash option of an estimated $379 million. It's already the 10th-richest Powerball prize of all-time, and the highest since Jan. 20's jackpot of $731.1 million.

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

In Case You Missed It

Good news, bad news in latest COVID-19 counts: Coronavirus metrics continued to paint a mixed picture in Massachusetts over the last week, with the positive test rate falling but death rate rising. 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, down four from the last report.

By The Numbers: $51.3 million

That's the amount a Milford man is asking for in a lawsuit filed against Amazon. Joseph Graziano claims he sustained "grievous" injuries in a crash with an Amazon van and claims the high workload placed on employees caused the collision.