Suspected Robbers Crash Near State Police Building: Patch PM

It's Monday, Nov. 9. Here's what Patch has been covering in Middlesex County and across Massachusetts today.

Pair Arrested After Police Chase Will Face Charges In Stoneham

Two men will face charges in Stoneham after leading troopers on a chase that ended at a State Police building in Boston. Police tried to stop a gray Kia Optima around 11 a.m. on the ramp from I-93 South to Leverett Circle. State Police said the car had previously been used in a robbery in Stoneham and an attempt to drive at a police officer.

The Kia drove around Leverett Circle several times and passed the Museum of Science on Charles River Dam Road, traveling on the wrong side of the road, police said. Police ended the pursuit over safety concerns, but later found the car driving on Nashua Street

Police followed the Kia onto Beverly Street, a dead-end that runs behind the State Police Marine Unit headquarters. It struck a curb, and two men fled on foot, police said.

Read more here.

Elsewhere in Middlesex County

Somerville Axing Washington St. Parking Spots For Bus, Bike Lanes

A series of roadway changes on western Washington Street will be installed in mid-November in an effort to improve mobility on Somerville's heaviest-used bus corridor. The first phase includes converting 55 parking spaces between Dane Street and Webster Avenue to improve pedestrian safety, speed up buses to reduce transit time and provide protected lanes for bicyclists.

The project is considered a pilot and is supported in part by the MBTA's COVID-19 safety initiative to reduce commuters' exposure to the coronavirus.

New Metrics Take Towns Out Of High-Risk Category

Several high-risk communities have been downgraded under the state's new metrics for designating coronavirus risk levels. Over 100 cities and towns, including Medford, Malden and Wakefield, fell out of the high-risk zone due to the change.

Communities like Malden and Wakefield, which had to roll back their reopening plan under the old metrics, will still need to mark three consecutive weeks outside the "red" category before they can move on to Phase 3, Step 2.

Medford City, School Websites Offline For Days

An outage among Medford's municipal websites has left residents in the virtual dark for at least two days. Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said Saturday afternoon the city of Medford and all associated school websites were down due to technical issues.

The sites remained offline Monday afternoon. An issue with the site host is believed to be the cause of the outage.

North Reading PD Collect Nearly 400 Pounds Of Unused Drugs

The North Reading Police Department and Community Impact Team's Drug-Take Back Program collected 396 pounds of unused drugs this year.

The total reflects drugs disposed of in the NRPD take-back kiosk as well as those collected from October's DEA Drug Take Back Day, which saw almost 50 cars participate in the drop-off event.

Newton Votes To Change Columbus Day To Indigenous Peoples' Day

Newton City Council on Nov. 2 voted to change the name of the holiday celebrated on the second Monday in October from Columbus Day to Indigenous People's Day. The city joins the likes of Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville and Amherst, which have all exchanged Columbus Day for Indigenous People's Day in recent years.

"It is now in the hands of the Mayor to change it on City Calendars," Newton City Clerk David Olson said.

Across Massachusetts

Struggling MBTA Plans Deep Service Cuts Across The Board

All weekend commuter rail service, 25 bus routes, ferry service, any rapid transit after midnight, and far more would be eliminated.

442K In MA Could Lose Health Coverage As ACA Hits Supreme Court

The number of uninsured MA residents could more than double and more than $3 billion of federal funding could be lost, a new report says.