The owner of two Boston pizza shops already facing a forced labor charge for allegedly coercing an employee not legally in the U.S. to work long hours has been indicted on additional charges. Federal prosecutors said Wednesday that Stavros Papantoniadis has been indicted on four counts of forced labor and three counts of attempted forced labor in connection with seven workers. Prosecutors allege he hired people who were not in the U.S. legally, forced or attempted to force them to work long hours, underpaid them, and kept them in line by verbally and physically abusing them. A message was left with his attorney.

A Massachusetts man whose SUV crashed through the glass storefront of an Apple store, killing one man and injuring nearly two dozen other people, has been charged with murder. Prosecutors say 53-year-old Bradley Rein was indicted by a grand jury on Tuesday on second-degree murder and 22 counts of assault and battery charges in connection with the Nov. 21 crash at a shopping plaza in the Boston suburb of Hingham. Kevin Bradley, a 65-year-old Wayne, New Jersey, man who was working construction at the site was killed. Twenty-two other people were injured. Rein's attorney says she was “astounded” by the murder charge. Authorities say Rein had no alcohol in his system.

A New York man who shot and killed the mother of his fiancee’s ex-boyfriend in Rhode Island on New Year’s Day in 2020 has been sentenced to two consecutive life terms. Prosecutors say 27-year-old Jack Doherty was sentenced Tuesday in the death of 54-year-old Cheryl Smith who was shot four times when she answered the door of her Pawtucket home on Jan. 1, 2020. Prosecutors say Doherty and Shaylyn Moran developed a plan to kill anyone who answered the door at the home where Moran’s ex-boyfriend lived. Moran previously pleaded guilty and was sent to prison for life.

Officials say portions of a Rhode Island state driver’s manual are being eliminated following objections from activists. They include a section that instructs drivers to avoid assumptions that a traffic stop was based on gender, race, nationality, religion, sexual orientation, or ethnic origin. It also advises drivers turn off their phones during a stop. The American Civil Liberties Union of Rhode Island executive director says the manual ignores the lived experience of many people of color and also ignores the fact the drivers have the right to film their interactions with police. State officials say the sections have been removed.

The U.S. Energy Department said Wednesday it has a new strategy to help meet the nation’s goals to vastly expand offshore wind energy. The Biden administration wants to deploy 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy by 2030 using traditional technology that secures wind turbines to the seafloor to generate enough electricity to power more than 10 million homes. It also wants to deploy up to 15 gigawatts of electricity using floating wind turnbines by 2035, enough to power 5 million homes. The DOE developed its Offshore Wind Energy Strategy to lay out its plans for supporting offshore wind development to meet the targets.

WILMINGTON, Mass. (AP) — WILMINGTON, Mass. (AP) — UniFirst Corp. (UNF) on Wednesday reported profit of $17.8 million in its fiscal second quarter.

SOMERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — SOMERVILLE, Mass. (AP) — Bluebird Bio Inc. (BLUE) on Wednesday reported fourth-quarter net income of $32.2 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.

The Coast Guard has initiated an investigation into a fire that damaged a harbor cruise vessel docked in Boston. The Coast Guard said Tuesday that no one was on board the 153-foot Spirit of Boston when it caught fire late Friday night while it was moored at Commonwealth Pier in Boston’s Seaport District. The investigation will allow for a full understanding of the events that led up to the fire help prevent similar fires. The vessel has a capacity of 675 passengers and offers dinner and holiday cruises, a DJ and other on-board activities.

Federal prosecutors have charged a man with firebombing a prominent Wisconsin anti-abortion lobbying group's office last year. The U.S. attorney's office in Madison announced that 29-year-old Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury was arrested Tuesday at Boston's Logan International Airport and charged with one count of attempting to cause damage by means of fire or an explosive. Prosecutors believe Roychowdhury threw Molotov cocktails into the Wisconsin Family Action office in Madison on May 6. The attack came about a week after a draft opinion suggesting the U.S. Supreme Court would overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion leaked. The court did overturn the ruling in June. Online court records did not list an attorney for Roychowdhury.

BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) — BURLINGTON, Mass. (AP) — Progress Software Corp. (PRGS) on Tuesday reported fiscal first-quarter earnings of $23.7 million.

A New Hampshire man facing a murder charge in connection with the disappearance of his 5-year-old daughter who has not been seen since 2019 and is presumed dead has been indicted on unrelated gun charges. The Hillsborough County Grand Jury indicted Adam Montgomery on two counts each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and being an armed career criminal. He is alleged to have been in possession of guns even though he has multiple felony convictions. He is scheduled to be arraigned on the new charges on April 4. An email seeking comment was left with his attorney.

The brother of the late New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez is facing criminal and motor vehicle charges in Connecticut. Dennis Hernandez, who has been known as D.J. and Jonathan, was issued a misdemeanor summons by Bristol police over allegations he threw a brick onto the ESPN headquarters campus on Thursday. Cheshire police also have charged him with reckless driving and other crimes for allegedly leading officers on a chase on March 8. Hernandez didn't immediately return a message Tuesday seeking comment. No lawyers are listed for him in court records. Aaron Hernandez, a tight end for the Patriots, killed himself in prison in 2017 while serving a murder sentence.

An Army sergeant from Rhode Island who was captured during the Korean War and died of starvation in a POW camp has been accounted for. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency says Sgt. Lawrence J. Robidoux, of Cumberland, will be buried in Arlington National Cemetery on a date to be determined. Robidoux was accounted for in January after his remains were identified using mitochondrial DNA, dental and anthropological analysis. The Army says Robidoux was reported missing in action on Nov. 27, 1950, after his company came under attack from Chinese forces. He was captured and POWs released in 1953 reported that Robidoux died in May 1951.

A “stable share” of Americans has participated in religious services in some way – virtually or in person – during the coronavirus pandemic, but in-person attendance is slightly lower than it was before the COVID-19 outbreak. Those are among the key findings in a comprehensive report released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center on how the pandemic affected attendance at U.S. religious services. It surveyed more than 11,000 U.S. adults in November of last year. Researchers said the report could not analyze the attendance patterns of Buddhists, Hindus Muslims, and other smaller non-Christian religious groups due to sample size limitations.

State police say a man struck and killed by a bus at Boston’s Logan International Airport was a 47-year-old Lexington resident who had gone to the airport to pick up a friend. Police said Tuesday that Vishwachand Kolla was standing outside his SUV parked curbside at the Terminal B lower level roadway at about 5 p.m. Monday when the Dartmouth Transportation motor coach made contact with him. Police say he was dragged along the driver’s side of his vehicle, sustained severe injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene. The bus driver declined medical attention. The investigation is ongoing.,

A prosecutor says two juveniles have been charged with breaking into a Massachusetts State Police cruiser and stealing a rifle and ammunition. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan says the 14- and 15-year-old male youths are accused of breaking into the police cruiser, parked in an apartment complex garage in Malden, during the overnight hours of March 23. Ryan said the firearm and other stolen items were later recovered in a Malden home connected to the 15-year-old. The juveniles are scheduled to be arraigned Tuesday. It wasn’t immediately known if they had lawyers.

A pedestrian was struck and killed Monday by a bus outside of a terminal at Boston Logan International Airport. The crash occurred just before 5 p.m. on the Terminal B lower roadway, according to the Massachusetts State Police. The adult male was struck by a motor coach owned by Dartmouth Transportation Company of Concord, New Hampshire, according to an initial investigation, police said. The victim sustained severe injuries and was determined to be dead at the scene. No further information was being released by police. The investigation is ongoing.

The stalled effort to replace the Massachusetts state motto and seal, condemned by many as racist for its depiction of the state’s Indigenous peoples, is regaining momentum. Lawmakers last week gave the panel established in 2021 an extension until Nov. 15 to review and suggest changes after its missed its original deadline late last year. Commission co-chair Brian Boyles says the panel is ready to get back to work. The current seal features a depiction of a Native American man beneath a colonist’s arm holding a sword that critics say is racist.

Phillip Eng, an engineer with decades of experience running public transit systems, has been named the general manager of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, the Boston area’s troubled public transit agency. Democratic Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey made the announcement Monday. Eng, the former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road and one-time interim President of New York City Transit, is currently executive vice president at an engineering consultant firm. The MBTA oversees the nation’s oldest subway system as well as commuter rail, bus and ferry service and has come under intense scrutiny in recent years for a series of safety issues that led to a federal review.

Massachusetts Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has announced she will seek a third term in 2024. Warren is a prominent voice for the liberal wing of the Democratic Party. She said Monday she’s running for reelection to end corruption in Washington, make the economy work for the middle class and protect democracy. Warren first won election to the seat in 2012, becoming the first woman elected to the Senate from Massachusetts. Warren, who is 73, ran for president in 2020 but dropped out after failing to win any of the states that voted on Super Tuesday. It’s unclear who might challenge her for the Senate seat.

The October 2002 votes in the House and Senate to authorize war with Iraq were grave moments in American history that would have reverberations for decades. Only now, 20 years after the Iraq invasion in March 2003, is Congress seriously considering walking it back, with a Senate vote expected this week to vote repeal the 2002 and 1991 authorizations of force against Saddam Hussein’s regime. For senators who cast the votes two decades ago, it is a full-circle moment that prompts a mixture of sadness, regret and reflection on a war that killed thousands of U.S. troops and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis.

A massive fire has destroyed five homes and damaged three others in a beachfront neighborhood in Scituate. The fire broke out Friday night near Minot Beach. No injuries have been reported. The fire chief told nbcboston.com that the American Red Cross of Massachusetts is helping about a half dozen people who were displaced. The Scituate Police Department said Friday night that residents should expect potential power outages and issues with water pressure and discoloration. Crews are expected to remain on the scene on Saturday to extinguish any hotspots. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum confirmed that he and team president of basketball operations Brad Stevens had a phone call with Jaylen Brown this offseason reassuring him that he was a valued part of the franchise. Brown has been consistent in saying he hasn't let rumors that have swirled about the Celtics' willingness to trade him be a distraction the court. But he also acknowledged in a recent interview with The Ringer that rumors involving a possible deal between Boston and Brooklyn for Kevin Durant did prompt him to reach out to Stevens and Tatum. Brown had 27 points in the Celtics 120-95 win over Indiana. He's also averaging career highs in points and rebounds as Boston tries to catch Milwaukee for the East's top seed.

Democratic House Speaker Ronald Mariano said Friday that the House won’t meet with state Auditor Diana DiZoglio about an audit DiZoglio has launched into the Legislature. DiZoglio, a Democrat who served as both a state representative and senator, said she’s forging ahead anyway, She's described the audit as the first such review in a century. Mariano said in a letter to DiZoglio that the House’s financial accounts are already public and any “performance assessment” by her office would violate constitutional principles. Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka has also pushed back, citing the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches.

An airline passenger who helped tackle a man trying to stab a flight attendant with a broken metal spoon has been honored by his hometown police department. Jeff Neil is a former bouncer who now works for a software company. He received the “Citizen Award” from the police chief of Exeter, New Hampshire. At Friday's ceremony, Neil said he doesn’t consider himself a hero. But he acknowledged he was in the right place at the right time. Investigators say the suspect tried to open the airplane's door minutes earlier. The man admitted knowing that people would die if he opened it. He awaits a mental health evaluation.

A Rhode Island man who admitted to federal authorities that he used a cellphone to record himself sexually assaulting two teenage girls has been sentenced to 30 years in prison. Federal prosecutors say 42-year-old Francis Scott was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty in June to sexual exploitation of a minor and possession of child pornography. Authorities say Scott pretended to be a driver for a ride-hailing service in February 2017 and offered to give a 15-year-old girl a ride to school. Instead, he drove her to a secluded area and assaulted her. A 17-year-old girl the came forward to report that she had been assaulted by Scott.

Hearst Connecticut Media. March 22, 2023.

Massachusetts lawmakers approved a spending plan Thursday that would extend programs launched during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic including outdoor dining regulations and remote access to public meetings. The $389 million supplemental budget also includes $130 million to extend an enhanced federal food benefit program. The spending bill also sets aside money for early education grants, free school meals, emergency shelter assistance, and affordable housing for immigrants and refugees. The bill would also allow the to-go sale of beer, wine and cocktails to be extended for a year. The legislation now heads to Democratic Gov. Maura Healey for her signature.

The New Hampshire House has rejected a measure aimed at sending fewer children to the state’s troubled youth detention center after child advocates argued it would have had the opposite effect. Proponents said the measure, an amendment in a broader funding bill, would keep low-level offenders out of the facility. But child advocates said the measure would have hurt more than it helped because sometimes teens need to be temporarily detained while safer living arrangements can be secured. The disagreement arose as lawmakers inch closer to replacing the Sununu Youth Services Center in Manchester. The House passed a bill Thursday allocating $22 million for a 12-bed facility.

Officials say a department-issued rifle has been stolen from a marked Massachusetts State Police cruiser. An agency spokesperson said Thursday it appears that someone forced their way into the vehicle overnight and took the rifle from its secured mount. The vehicle was locked and parked in the garage of a residential complex in Malden, just north of Boston. The spokesperson says there is no indication the weapon has been used since it was reported stolen. It is standard department procedure for troopers who are assigned patrol rifles to secure them in their cruisers while off duty.

There were no hazardous materials on a freight train that derailed in Massachusetts on Thursday, fire officials say.

A former Massachusetts police detective has been convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting death nearly five years ago of his wife. Former Westfield Detective Brian Fanion was sentenced Wednesday in Hampden Superior Court to a mandatory term of life in prison after being found guilty by a jury of killing 51-year-old Amy Fanion in May 2018. The prosecutor said Brian Fanion was having an affair and did not want to share his pension with his wife. He even used his work computer to look up the effect of divorce on a pension. The defense argued that Amy Fanion took her own life during an argument.

WEST WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — WEST WARWICK, R.I. (AP) — AstroNova Inc. (ALOT) on Thursday reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $1.4 million, after reporting a loss in the same period a year earlier.

A Boston pizza shop owner accused by federal authorities of abusing employees who were not legally in the U.S. has been ordered held without bail. A magistrate judge cited a history of violence and threats in Tuesday's detention order for Stavros Papantoniadis. He's been charged with forced labor, and federal prosecutors say he may face more charges. A lawyer for the owner of two Boston pizza shops says the allegations were fabricated by disgruntled employees who had incentive to lie because they are being allowed to remain in the U.S. during the investigation.

A Massachusetts man convicted of helping to steal millions of dollars from hundreds of people in online romance scams, often regaling the victims with stories of oil rig explosions, now faces a 4 1/2-year prison sentence. Federal prosecutors say 30-year-old Kofi Osei and his alleged accomplices from 2016 to 2020 targeted mostly older people seeking companionship by creating fake online dating profiles. They gradually gained their victims’ trust before directing them to transfer money to one of dozens of bank accounts Osei opened. Once the money was in the bank account, it was quickly withdrawn.

Police say a 19-year-old man has been accused of assaulting a 2-month-old girl who suffered head trauma and bruising. Manchester, New Hampshire, police responded to a report on March 7 of an unresponsive baby girl. Police said she was brought to a Boston hospital for further treatment, due to the severity of her injuries. Her current condition wasn't immediately known. Police said a warrant was issued for the man “who is known to the child." He was arrested Tuesday on a first-degree assault charge. His bail was set at $10,000 and he awaited a court hearing date. It wasn’t known if he had a lawyer.

BOSTON (AP) — BOSTON (AP) — Spectrum Pharmaceuticals Inc. (SPPI) on Wednesday reported a loss of $9 million in its fourth quarter.

ACTON, Mass. (AP) — ACTON, Mass. (AP) — Psychemedics Corp. (PMD) on Tuesday reported a loss of $688,000 in its fourth quarter.

Dont’a Hightower is making a quiet exit to a memorable career with the New England Patriots. The veteran linebacker who did not play last season announced his retirement from the NFL in an essay posted on the Players’ Tribune website. It ends a decade-long run in New England that included three Super Bowl rings and a pair of Pro Bowl selections. He also was named a second-team All-Pro in 2016. With his wife expecting their first child, Hightower sat out the 2020 season because of concerns about COVID-19. He returned in 2021 but his production was down. He became a free agent that summer but didn’t sign a new contract.

Two-time Academy Award winning actor Tom Hanks has been named the principal speaker at Harvard’s commencement on May 25. Harvard President Lawrence Bacow on Tuesday called Hanks “a true master of his craft.” The 66-year-old Hanks has appeared in almost 100 films. He was nominated for an Oscar six times and won best actor for “Philadelphia” in 1993 and “Forrest Gump” the following year. A comedic actor early in his career, Hanks transitioned seamlessly to dramatic roles, such as “Saving Private Ryan,” “Apollo 13,” and “Captain Phillips.” He’s also known for his philanthropic work and advocacy, and has produced several projects exploring U.S. history.

Linda Villarosa's exploration of racism’s impact on the American healthcare system and Deborah Cohen’s history of a network of journalists who confronted fascism before World War II were among the winners of awards announced Tuesday by the J. Anthony Lukas Prize Project. In addition to “Under the Skin” and “Last Call at the Hotel Imperial,” the project also gave $25,000 awards to two books in progress that are “significant works of nonfiction on American topics of political or social concern.” Those were Jesselyn Cook’s “The Quiet Damage: QAnon and the Destruction of the American Family” and Mike Hixenbaugh’s “Uncivil: One Town’s Fight over Race and Identity, and the New Battle for America’s Schools.”

BOSTON (AP) — BOSTON (AP) — X4 Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (XFOR) on Tuesday reported a loss of $29.1 million in its fourth quarter.

An attorney for three Haitian men who claim in a U.S. lawsuit that the former mayor of their small hometown subjected his political opponents to violence and terror called the defendant “a small, petty tyrant” during closing arguments. But an attorney for the defendant said Monday in U.S. District Court in Boston that the testimony of witnesses in the case was full of holes and the plaintiffs were motivated by money when they brought the case. The case against Jean Morose Viliena, a lawful permanent resident of the U.S. who now lives in Massachusetts, shed light on the broader issue of political violence in Haiti and its weak judicial system.

One of President Joe Biden’s nominees to a federal appeals court has generated rare concern from some Democrats and outside groups. They question the nominee's involvement in a legal brief defending a New Hampshire parental notification law, injecting the issue of abortion into the confirmation fight from an unexpected flank. Michael Delaney is nominated for the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Also sparking questions was Delaney's representation of a private boarding school sued over a sexual assault. New Hampshire's two Democratic senators support Delaney's confirmation. Up to four other Democrats in the closely divided Senate have reservations. Delaney said in written testimony to senators he did not write the 2005 brief.

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha said Friday that investigators are reviewing hundreds of criminal cases that could be undermined by the possible contamination of evidence at the state’s forensic chemistry lab. Neronha said his office was notifed of what he described as a “possible contamination event” Tuesday. He said the situation potentially affected the results of drug-related evidence used by his office, specifically tests to detect cocaine. Neronha said the investigation focused on tests by a single laboratory scientist that may have yielded false positive results for cocaine. Fifty-two lab cases that are potentially impacted. Aother 263 are pending review.

A supplemental budget proposal by Gov. Maura Healey would extend a pilot program in Massachusetts offering universal school meals through the end of the 2023-2024 school year. The $734 million proposed spending plan filed Friday includes $171 million for the state-funded school meals program. The move comes as states have grappled with the end of a pandemic-era federal aid program that made school meals available for free to all public school students — regardless of family income levels. Healey's proposal also includes $20 million to help the beleaguered Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recruit and retain employees to combat slowdowns on the system.

A Connecticut lawmaker has been removed from her leadership roles after being arrested on drunken driving charges when her car flipped and landed on its roof near the state Capitol. State Rep. Robin Comey was an assistant majority whip for her Democratically led chamber. She was handcuffed at the scene by Hartford police following a field sobriety test. House Speaker Matt Ritter says he removed her from committee and leadership roles “in light of the seriousness of this situation.” He is urging Comey to focus on her health and well-being.

A Massachusetts man who tried to hire a contract killer to kill his wife after she sought a restraining order against him has pleaded guilty. Federal prosecutors say 56-year-old Massimo Marenghi faces up to 10 years in prison at sentencing after pleading guilty on Thursday to murder for hire. Authorities started investigating in January 2021 when someone went to law enforcement and reported that Marenghi had complained about the restraining order and asked for assistance in killing his wife. Federal investigators directed that person to introduce Marenghi to an undercover agent posing as a contract killer. They twice met to discuss the job.

Hearst Connecticut Media. March 16, 2023.

The owner of a Boston pizza parlor has been charged with physically and verbally abused a longtime immigrant employee who couldn't legally work in the U.S. The owner forced him to work long hours, threatening to turn him over to immigration authorities if he protested. Federal prosecutors said Thursday that 47-year-old Stavros Papantoniadis is charged with forced labor. According to court records, although he only faces one charge, he victimized at least seven employees. He is being held pending a detention hearing scheduled for Monday. An email seeking comment was left with his federal public defender.