Soldier Killed In Helicopter Crash 'Loved By Everyone': Patch PM

It's Monday, Nov. 16. Here's what Patch has been covering in Middlesex County and across Massachusetts today.

AHS Grad Dies In Army Copter Crash In Egypt

An Army officer who in 2010 graduated from Arlington High School and received a scholarship from the Arlington Soccer Club, has died in a helicopter crash in Egypt. He was 27.

Chief Warrant Officer 2 Marwan S. Ghabour, a UH-60 Black Hawk pilot on his first overseas assignment as part of a U.N. peacekeeping force, was killed Nov. 12 with four other U.S. service members and two others, when their helicopter crashed on the Saudi Arabian island of Tiran off the Sinai Peninsula, officials said.

Sarah Ghabbour, Marwan's cousin, wrote Nov. 15: "Marwan and I were the same age and grew up in Arlington together. He was my childhood best friend and stood up for me on countless occasions. We attended Thompson Elementary, Ottoson Middle and Arlington High.

"He was well loved by everyone around him and was known for making people laugh. Our AHS history teacher reached out to me, saying, "Marwan will always stay in my memory as one of my funniest and most engaging students from my early years teaching."

Read more here.

Elsewhere in Middlesex County

Nearly Half Of Medford Coronavirus Cases Are Young Adults

Medford has seen a spike in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, and close to half of them are among younger adults, officials said. In her weekly update Friday, Health Director MaryAnn O'Connor said 27 percent of cases have been among people in the 20-29 age range, and 21 percent have been among people aged 30-39.

"Even though they may get less ill, they're spreaders, and they can spread it to folks who can get seriously ill," O'Connor said.

Medford has seen an "alarming number of cases" over the past two weeks, O'Connor said, averaging about 16 per day. The city reported 22 cases on Nov. 11 alone, its highest single-day case count since May.

Malden Man Shot By Police Identified

Authorities identified the man shot by police in Malden Thursday. Steve Brawley, 62, of Malden, was arraigned virtually from Massachusetts General Hospital Friday on two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon.

Police said Brawley was armed with a knife during an altercation with a Massachusetts State Police trooper and two Malden police officers on Beach Street.

Brawley was ordered held without bail. A dangerousness hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Former Winter Hill Gang Leader Howie Winter Dies At 91

Longtime Winter Hill gang leader Howie Winter died Thursday. He was 91 and had been living in Millbury.

Winter was a looming figure in the Boston underworld in the 1960s and 70s as the leader of the notorious Irish gang. Winter served time in prison for race-fixing and drug trafficking, during which James "Whitey" Bulger emerged as the gang's leader.

In his later years, Winter tried to help the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum recover $500 million worth of artwork stolen in an infamous 1990 heist, telling The Boston Globe in 2018 he was "an art lover myself."

Across Massachusetts

• More charges in 'Varsity Blues' college admissions investigation: The former fencing coach at Harvard University and a Maryland man were arrested Monday and charged with conspiring to secure the admission of the businessman's two sons to Harvard in exchange for bribes totaling more than $1.5 million. Peter Brand, 67, of Cambridge, was the head fencing coach from 1999 to 2019.
• Suspect hospitalized after chase, fiery crash: A car chase involving Peabody police, state police and a pickup truck abruptly ended on Monday when the truck crashed and burst into flames on Route 1 in Lynnfield, according to Massachusetts State Police. The driver was airlifted to a Boston area hospital.
• Coast Guard rescues fisherman off of Martha's Vineyard: A Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter launched and safely hoisted the fisherman from the ship around 7:30 p.m. The man was transported to Providence Hospital for treatment with stroke-like symptoms.
• Merrimack Valley town does away with snow days: The new ubiquity of remote learning means a sad end for a winter tradition, North Andover Public Schools confirmed Sunday: no more snow days. The district said that if there is enough snow to impact school, all students will instead attend their scheduled classes remotely. Other Massachusetts school districts will likely follow suit.