A vehicle slammed into a Dunkin’ in Cranston, Rhode Island, Tuesday morning, according to NBC affiliate WJAR. Firefighters responded to the Dunkin’ on Reservoir Avenue crash at about 6:30 a.m., where they found the vehicle entirely inside the coffee shop, the Cranston Fire Department said. The driver of the vehicle had his learner’s permit and was learning how to drive, WJAR reported, citing Cranston police. Instead of putting the vehicle in reverse, the teen driver accidentally hit the gas pedal and went through the front window, police said. “I was like, ‘American just doesn’t just run on Du ..read more

Homeless shelter providers in Massachusetts are raising concerns as lawmakers move to pass legislation that would limit stays to nine months for the first time in the 40-year history of the state’s “right to shelter” law.  Massachusetts is the only state to provide families and pregnant women with a right to shelter, which has existed since 1983. But the system has come under historic strain due to an influx of migrant families and a growing number of Massachusetts families displaced under an increasingly unaffordable housing market, public officials and community leaders say. Accord ..read more

The former Weymouth, Massachusetts, police officer accused of punching a man while he was in custody is due in court Tuesday. Justin Chappell resigned from the Weymouth Police Department after being notified he was facing termination for the incident, which occurred on July 2, 2022. Chappell is accused of punching the man about 13 times “without legal justification” during an arrest. Bodycam footage of the incident was released last year. Chappell and other patrolmen responded to a report of an intoxicated man, identified as Donald McAdam, causing a disturbance, according to police reports. Mc ..read more

The Federal Trade Commission sued to block Tapestry, Inc.’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Capri Holdings Ltd., saying that the deal would eliminate direct head-to-head competition between the fashion companies’ brands like Coach and Michael Kors in the so-called affordable luxury handbag arena. The agency also said Monday that the deal, announced in August 2023, threatens to eliminate the incentive for the two companies to vie for employees and could depress employees’ wages and workplace benefits. The combined Tapestry and Capri would employ roughly 33,000 people worldwide, the agency said. “Wi ..read more

Aidan Kearney, the controversial blogger known as “Turtleboy,” is expected in court Tuesday for a pre-trial hearing. Kearney is facing charges in connection with the Karen Read murder case. He’s been covering the case, which has garnered extensive attention, and has led prosecutors to charge him with witness intimidation. He’s pleaded not guilty. In February, prosecutors accused Read of feeding confidential information to Kearney through a third party. Read is being charged with second-degree murder in the January 2022 death of Boston police Officer John O’Keefe. Her defen ..read more

BOSTON — For the second straight year, the Bruins followed a Game 1 win in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a lackluster performance in a Game 2 loss. The Toronto Maple Leafs were the more desperate team Monday night at TD Garden and earned a well-deserved 3-2 victory. The series is now tied at one win apiece as the action shifts to Toronto for Game 3 on Wednesday night. The Bruins had a chance to win Game 2 thanks to a stellar effort in net by Linus Ullmark, who made 30 saves in his first action of the series. The Bruins also scored another power-play goal. But they also made ..read more

A Rhode Island mother is trying to get her two children back home after they were left stranded in Mexico following a cruise emergency, according to NBC affiliate WJAR. Sarah Martin’s two children were on a spring break cruise vacation with their grandparents. Then, their grandmother suffered a heart attack, leaving the kids stuck in Mexico with no passport. Martin said the grandma was too critical to return to their original Port of Miami. The grandma was rushed to a hospital in Cozumel, where she remains in a medically induced coma, according to WJAR. “They keep on asking me the same thing ..read more

If you filled your gas tank recently, you may have experienced some sticker shock, as gas prices are soaring. According to AAA Northeast, gas in Massachusetts is up 19 cents a gallon over the last week. Compared to one month ago, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is up 27 cents. AAA Northeast says the biggest factor in this double-digit price jump is the switchover to summer blend fuel last week – that’s why prices generally increase this time of year. They say winter blend is cheaper to produce, but summer blend tends to not vaporize as easily in the heat, so you get bett ..read more

Chilly starts are common in April, and Tuesday morning is no exception. Bit of frost to shake off in the suburbs, but this is quickly overcome by all the sun we’ll see. Keep in mind that the UV index is still high during the day, despite the cool high temperatures. Tuesday sees some recovery in that department as we leap to the mid-60s in some spots. Wednesday sees the only real threat for showers this week. A fast-moving front will glide in during the day, triggering a couple of morning showers, then a round in the mid-afternoon. Not much water out of these, so we’re not seeing a washout. Gu ..read more

A longtime tabloid publisher was expected Tuesday to tell jurors about his efforts to help Donald Trump stifle unflattering stories during the 2016 campaign as testimony resumes in the historic hush money trial of the former president. David Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher who prosecutors say worked with Trump and Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, on a so-called “catch-and-kill” strategy to buy up and then spike negative stories during the campaign, testified briefly Monday and will be back on the stand Tuesday in the Manhattan trial. Also Tuesday, prosecutors are expected to tell ..read more