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The Shrine of Divine Mercy in downtown Salem received a relic of St. John Paul II’s blood yesterday during a dedication ceremony by Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of the Archdiocese of Boston.The relic will be permanently housed in the shrine’s upper church, which was dedicated to the late pope yesterday.O’Malley received the relic as a gift from the longtime priest assistant to John Paul II and Archbishop of Emeritus Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz of Krakow, Poland.

The Malden Islamic Center was among many houses of worship and cultural centers that participated in Open Mosque Day yesterday across the state.Assistant director Nichole Mossalam said the event brought new faces and elected officials to the center, who learned more about the ­Islamic faith and its history.“It was a wonderful turnout. Many of our interfaith partners came,” Mossalam said. “We had a great variety of visitors ... . It was absolutely wonderful, and we had some new guests in addition to the ones that came last year.”

Two Mattapan teens — one with a stun gun — are being charged with armed robbery and attacking patrons at a store in Downtown Crossing.Police said they arrested a male and female, both 15, at the Downtown Crossing MBTA station after fleeing a store they robbed on Winter Street.The suspects were among a group of teens who entered the Xpress Store and stole an undisclosed amount of cash, according to police.Police said the teens became agitated and began assaulting patrons in the store.

The foiled knife plot targeting Berlin’s half marathon is a red flag for Massachusetts police who a week from today will be guarding the Boston Marathon’s 26.2-mile route.

Transgender women will race in next week’s Boston Marathon, officials say — a decision sparking controversy among experts who disagree on whether runners who identify as women but were born male might hold a competitive advantage.At least five openly transgender women are signed up to run April 16. And while they aren’t the first, they’re helping bring clarity to the race’s stance on transgender runners.

The Saskatchewan, Canada, bus crash that killed 15 young players, coaches and others has sent shock waves through the world of youth hockey all the way to New England.

BRAINTREE, Mass. _ The winning numbers in Sunday evening's drawing of the Massachusetts Lottery's "Numbers Evening" game were:4-4-5-7(four, four, five, seven)

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A North Adams stationery store with roots in the 19th century has been sold to a New York paper manufacturer.
The Berkshire Eagle reports Crane Stationery was bought by Mohawk Fine Papers Inc. of Cohoes N.Y. on Wednesday for an undisclosed purchase price.Mohawk says it will continue operating Crane's factory and maintain its 270-person workforce with no intention of eliminating jobs. The stationery shop sells products like boxed paper, wedding invitations and greeting cards.

HANOVER, Mass. — Customer calls to tree removal businesses started in earnest over a month ago when the first of several nor'easters slammed into southeastern Massachusetts.
The Patriot Ledger reports the calls from people seeking tree removal help have continued, often as much as 100 to 150 a day, to businesses like Glynn's Tree Experts in Hanover.Owner Chris Glynn says it's some of "the worst damage," he's ever seen. While roads are cleared of trees, new problems like trees falling after being weakened during the storms keep happening.

BOSTON — Several former U.S. governors will be gathering at the Harvard University School of Public Health to discuss the nation's ongoing opioid addiction crisis.The forum on Thursday will examine various long-term approaches for addiction treatment and the role state government has in developing and implementing treatment programs.The former governors participating include Republican Jim Douglas from Vermont and Democrats Steven Beshear from Kentucky; Ted Strickland from Ohio; Jack Markell from Delaware; and Kathleen Sebelius from Kansas.