Competition at the ISU World Figure Skating Championships begins Wednesday at the TD Garden in Boston. Skaters manage emotions heading into competition At this international competition, Alisa Efimova feels right at home. “I just took the commuter rail,” she told NBC10 Boston at practice on Tuesday. Efimova and her partner Misha Mitrofanav live in Norwood and train at the Skating Club of Boston. “I think that plays to our advantage, no timezone difference or anything like that, so, that definitely will help us,” Mitrofanav said. But their hometown competition appearance is bittersweet. The eve ..read more

A Quincy, Massachusetts, man accused of torturing a raccoon by putting the caged animal over a fire pleaded guilty to an animal cruelty charge Tuesday. Andrew Chieu, 64, was arrested after the incident in December 2023. According to the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office, on Dec. 30, 2023, a neighbor captured video of Chieu with the raccoon over the fire before confronting him and calling police. “The video showed the defendant stoking a fire in a can with newspapers and repeatedly placing the raccoon, which was trapped in a cage, on top of the fire,” Norfolk District Attorney Michael M ..read more

A series of break-ins at three Boston-area smoke shops overnight Tuesday caused thousands of dollars in damage and losses. At City Smoke Shop in the North End, the manager says he was shocked to see how, in a matter of seconds, three individuals stole thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise and caused serious damage. Waldy Nova, partner at City Smoke Shop, told Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra the suspects were in and out in less than 30 seconds, and that they have a system. Surveillance videos captured the suspects standing guard in front of the establishment until they saw no one passing by, be ..read more

The Patriots took some big swings at wide receiver earlier this offseason and came up empty. On Tuesday, they hit, coming to an agreement with free-agent wideout Stefon Diggs, per a league source. The 31-year-old is coming off a torn ACL he suffered back in October, but Diggs was still able to pull in a deal that ESPN says will pay him $26 million guaranteed — a significant sum for someone that age and coming off that particular injury. The dollar figure came as a surprise to some in the league, with one AFC executive saying it was “(more) than everyone thought” Diggs would get this offseason ..read more

Researchers at Mass General Brigham have developed a test that may help determine your risk of developing Alzheimer’s. This simple smell test could be a game-changer in the battle against the disease. Basically, a person would sniff odor labels to assess their ability to identify and remember smells. Having this information can alert doctors to intervene with treatment before memory loss begins. Dr. Mark Albers, the senior author of the study, said the “aroma brain test” can be done at home. He explained that a person’s ability to smell is intimately connected to memory, and there are two reas ..read more

There will be a buffer zone around the courthouse for Karen Read‘s second trial that extends to a larger area than the one originally set for the first trial. The order from Judge Beverly Cannone comes in response to a request from the commonwealth, which requested the buffer zone that was granted for the previous trial be reinstated and extended. Read is accused of hitting and killing Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe, her boyfriend, with her SUV in January 2022. However, her defense team claims she is the victim of a law enforcement cover-up. The case has drawn widespread media attention an ..read more

The pattern is turning much busier in the coming days. Weather systems will zip by, some may even slow down, clouds will persist on some days, and the temperature contrasts will be stark. It’s almost like a true New England spring. Showers scoot off Cape this morning, then the focus will turn to a few sprinkles this afternoon. No part of the day is washed out, and no part is dominated by sun, either. Highs make it near 50, with a slight onshore breeze. Much of the same tomorrow temp-wise, but the day will be much brighter. Friday sees us nudge the temperatures up a bit as the clouds gather l ..read more

Tufts University says it has reports that an international grad student was taken into custody last night outside an off-campus apartment in Somerville. University officials say they had no prior knowledge that this was about to happen, and did not share information with federal authorities. They say they’ve also been told the student’s visa has been terminated. The student has not been identified. It’s unclear at this point why the student was taken into custody or why their visa was allegedly terminated. Tufts is one of several Massachusetts universities facing a federal investigation in res ..read more

What to Know CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel are among those who were asked to testify. Officials will likely be questioned again over their use of a group text to discuss plans for military strikes in Yemen. The National Security Council has said it will investigate the matter, which Trump on Tuesday downplayed as a “glitch.” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday will visit the high-security El Salvador prison. President Donald Trump’s top intelligence officials will brief House lawmakers Wednesday ..read more

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appeared on “The Daily Show” Tuesday, praising the city on the national stage. Speaking with host Ronny Chieng on the Comedy Central late-night talk show, Wu got a standing ovation from a New York crowd that mostly cheered her on throughout the interview — but she drew some boos at one point early on. “Don’t make me go against New York here — better sports teams, better quality of life,” she said. The mayor talked about her mother’s struggle with mental health challenges and the role she played taking care of her while raising her younger sisters. “Boston has really gi ..read more