Local Businesses Named Top Massachusetts Workplaces: Patch PM

WILMINGTON, MA — It's Thursday, Dec. 2. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Several Medford High School students staged a walkout on Wednesday over recent violence at the school.
• Massachusetts residents may be looking at the prospect at shelling over a lot more money for eggs in a month if lawmakers can't come to an agreement over changes in an animal rights referendum that is set to become law on January 1.
• Proposals to update alcohol licensing limits, rewrite worker status and benefits for app-based drivers, and impose spending limits on dental insurers remain on track to make next year's ballot.

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

Today's Top Story

Businesses in several local communities were named among the state's top employers in the latest edition of the Boston Globe's annual "Best Workplaces" special issue.

The Boston Globe worked with the Pennsylvania-based "employee research and consulting firm" Energage to anonymously survey employees for the 2021 ranking.

• Andover's ALKU was ranked the state's sixth-best "medium-sized" company to work at, a category for companies with 100 to 249 employees in the Bay State. Read the full story.
• Wilmington's Charles River Laboratories, Analog Devices and Serur Agencies were named to the 2021 list of the state's 150 top employers. Read the full story.
• Woburn's Triverus Consulting, NEWPRO and STR also made the list. Read the full story.

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Thursday's Other Top Stories

Murder suspect free on bail: A Cherry Valley man charged with murder after a fatal November 2020 stabbing has been released on bail after the emergence of new evidence in the case, according to court records. A grand jury in June indicted Dana Gaul, 43, on a murder charge in the Nov. 24, 2020, stabbing of Jehlon Rose. But on Tuesday, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. asked a judge to release Gaul on bail after Worcester police received "additional information suggesting another individual was responsible for the death."

Violent incidents prompt student walkout: Several Medford High School students staged a walkout on Wednesday over recent violence at the school. In a letter to families, Principal Paul D'Alleva said there were two incidents on Tuesday that left students "shaken and concerned over how such unacceptable conduct could happen within our school." D'Alleva did not elaborate on the nature of the incidents, but said, "we will not tolerate violence in Medford High School."

'Temporary Chaos' for MA egg market: Massachusetts residents may be looking at the prospect at shelling over a lot more money for eggs in a month if lawmakers can't come to an agreement over changes in an animal rights referendum that is set to become law on January 1. The bill is scheduled to be signed into law on Jan. 1, which according to those in the egg business, would make 90 percent of the eggs currently being sold on Massachusetts illegal. That gives lawmakers a month to iron out differences and reach an agreement in the bill.

Shots fired at Encore Casino: Police are investigating a report of shots fired at Encore Boston Harbor late Wednesday. State police said the shots were reported in the casino's garage area shortly after midnight. Responding troopers found evidence in the garage, police said. "As of this time we are not aware of any victims and no arrests have been made, but the investigation is currently ongoing," Massachusetts State Police spokesperson Dave Procopio wrote in an email. Rosie Abrams, a spokesperson for the casino, confirmed there was an incident involving a firearm in the parking garage around 11 p.m.

Plane catches fire on Nantucket runway: No one was injured Thursday morning when an aircraft caught fire at the Nantucket Airport, which is causing delays in planes coming and going, airport officials said. Airport officials have not offered many details on the fire but said in social media posts that the crew and passengers have been evacuated from the plane without injury.

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Picture This: Nicest Guy In Worcester

Possibly the nicest guy in Worcester — a UMass Memorial pediatrician, a person who loves baseball hats — is asking: please remember to wear your masks while you're out in stores, restaurants and other public places. "A lot of people aren't wearing those masks," Hirsh said in a public service announcement on Wednesday. "And people are afraid to say anything. And the retail folks don't want to alienate customers." Worcester brought back its mask mandate in September.

Election 2022: Wide Open Governor's Race

MA reacts to big Baker decision: Even though several candidates have already declared their intention to run for governor, the 2022 gubernatorial race kicked off in earnest Wednesday morning when Gov. Charlie Baker announced he will not seek re-election. Baker's lengthy indecision — there's less than a year until the election — afforded opponents and those in the political arena plenty of time to think about life after Baker. Now we're hearing from them.

Also on Patch: Baker Scoffs At Any Trump Factor In Re-Election Decision

3 measures move closer to 2022 ballot: Proposals to update alcohol licensing limits, rewrite worker status and benefits for app-based drivers, and impose spending limits on dental insurers remain on track to make next year's ballot, though it will not be clear how many signatures each petitioner filed until Secretary of State William Galvin's office counts the submissions in the coming weeks. Collecting the required 80,239 voter signatures proved an insurmountable hurdle for all but three campaigns, eliminating from contention potential ballot questions that would have legalized the sale of consumer fireworks, reversed the state's decades-long ban on happy hour, and imposed new restrictions on hospital CEO compensation.

Meet "Waffles"

The new Tewksbury police comfort dog will be named Waffles, a name suggested by a second-grade student, Chief Ryan Columbus said Wednesday. The department held a contest to name the Labradoodle puppy, inviting suggestions from Tewksbury Public Schools students. Waffles was introduced to the contest winner, second-grader Jack Johnson, and his parents Adrianne and Shaun Johnson at the Tewksbury Police Station after school Wednesday.

By The Numbers

3: The number of horses running loose on Route 1 early Thursday morning, causing traffic delays in Topsfield. The horses were taken to a safe place with the help of fire officials, police and "the hospitality of a helpful resident."