A swimmer died early Thursday morning after slipping under the water at a pond in Harvard, police said.  Harvard police in a statement said the incident started near 12:30 a.m. Thursday when a 911 caller told a dispatcher that their friend was no longer visible after going swimming at Bare Hill Pond.  Police said the caller reported last seeing their friend approximately 250 feet from shore.  Emergency crews responded and soon called on a mutual aid dive team involving crews from several area fire departments to aid in their search for the missing swimmer.  Shortly after 2 ..read more

A married couple died overnight Tuesday after a fast-moving fire tore through a three-story home on Hancock Street in Worcester. Firefighters found Juana Candelario, 59, and Daniel Gonzalez, 62, dead on the first floor of the home. Five adults and five children were displaced and two firefighters were also taken to an area hospital with exhaustion symptoms, according to Worcester Assistant Fire Chief Adam Roche. “This is tragic for the city of Worcester,” Roche said in an early-afternoon press conference. City officials in a statement said the Worcester Fire Department first responded to the s ..read more

A 64-year New York man died Sunday after a motorcycle crash in Auburn, state police announced.  Police in a statement said the crash happened shortly after 4 p.m. on the eastbound side of I-90.  Citing a preliminary investigation, police said John Huff, 64, of Queens Village, New York appeared to have lost control and veered onto the right side of the road before hitting a guardrail. Police said Huff was ejected from his motorcycle and was pronounced dead at the scene.  The left lane of I-90 East was closed after this crash, according to police.  The crash remained und ..read more

A local restaurant is giving back – in a big way. Reza Rahmani owns three restaurants in Massachusetts and recently decided his “Bar 25” location in Ayer was feeling a bit too small for his business. But, wanting to ensure it remains independently owned, Rahmani decided something unusual: he’d give it away. “There are four years left on the existing lease,” Rahmani said. “With an option on it, they get to take over the lease itself, they get all the business assets, there are no strings attached here, they get everything, we don’t keep any percentages or anything like that. This is really to g ..read more

Worcester police arrested a 38-year-old man accused of attacking his neighbor with a knife in an apartment building Saturday morning. “Upon arrival, officers discovered a male who suffered a laceration to his throat,” police said in a statement. “He stated that he had gotten into an argument with a neighbor who attacked him with a knife.” The incident took place on June Street. Authorities said the victim was “alert and conscious” as he was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Witnesses said he was bleeding from the neck and running into an alleyway. According to a security video, he ..read more

A driver found with a gunshot wound after crashing into a home in Worcester last month has died, police announced. The incident happened on April 30 on Paine Street. Police said officers first responded near 9 p.m. after receiving a report of a car that crashed into a home.  Emergency crews soon found the driver and brought him to a hospital.  A matter of weeks later, police in a post on X Friday morning said the driver died from his injuries and the case will now be considered a homicide.  Police already arrested a 16-year-old in connection with the shooting. The teen has been ..read more

BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts teen who participated in a spicy tortilla chip challenge on social media died from eating a large quantity of chile pepper extract and also had a congenital heart defect, according to autopsy results obtained by The Associated Press. Harris Wolobah, a 10th grader from the city of Worcester, died on Sept. 1, 2023, after eating the Paqui chip as part of the manufacturer’s “One Chip Challenge.” “We were and remain deeply saddened by the death of Harris Wolobah and extend our condolences to his family and friends,” the manufacturer said in a statement Thursd ..read more

Authorities are investigating an early morning shooting at a large gathering in Northboro that left a 16-year-old dead and a 17-year-old hospitalized with what were considered non-life-threatening injuries, officials said. The name of the teen who died has not been released. Officers responding to a report of of a person brandishing a gun at a large gathering on Howard Street heard shots being fired and responded around 1:25 a.m., according to Worcester District Attorney Joseph D. Early, Jr. After an investigation, three people were arrested on firearms charges. None of the three people arrest ..read more

A nurse at UMass Memorial Medical Center is sharing their story on National Nurses Week and encouraging others to find a place in the rewarding profession. Philippe Berry’s story is one that comes full-circle. Berry was born at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester in 1995 and now works there as a registered nurse. Berry said, “What really brought me into nursing was another nurse who said, ‘Hey, there’s a big world out there, there’s a lot of things that need help, a lot of problems that need to be solved.” The relationships formed with patients is among the most rewarding parts of the j ..read more

The Best Buddies Friendship Walk, the leading event in the country supporting inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), drew hundreds of people to Polar Park in Worcester on Saturday. Walkers joined 50,000 participants at 70+ Walks across the globe to support the Best Buddies programs in schools, workplaces, and communities. The events raise money aimed at making the world more welcoming to people with IDD — one friendship, one job, and one life-changing connection at a time. The Polar Park event included a morning of dancing, games, activities, and more! Lea ..read more