Suffolk County, Boston | featured news

BOSTON — Fenway Park, TD Garden, Gillette Stadium and other prominent landmarks will be lighted blue and yellow this week to mark World Down Syndrome Day.Organizers say Wednesday's colorful displays will commemorate an event the U.N. has observed since 2012, and to underscore how individuals with Down Syndrome need to be valued in their communities.World Down Syndrome Day is held annually on the 21st day of the third month to signify the tripling of chromosome 21 which causes the condition.

TAUNTON — State transportation officials are planning a public meeting to discuss ongoing efforts to develop a South Coast commuter rail line from Boston to New Bedford and Fall River.The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Martin Middle School in Taunton.The Massachusetts Department of Transportation last month filed a draft supplemental environmental impact report for the project.The report describes MassDOT's approach to providing the new commuter rail service by taking advantage of existing active freight rail lines.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Three people have died in a major Springfield fire that forced panicked residents to jump from second and third-story windows.MassLive.com reports firefighters arrived at a residential building shortly after 7:20 a.m. to find residents had jumped out of windows to escape the flames.Fire officials say four people, including a pregnant woman and a child were taken to local hospitals with injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening. Three more residents were also injured.

BOSTON — From cracks at President Donald Trump's lawsuits, to jokes about a video of Gov. Charles Baker's holiday bar hop, Boston's St. Patrick's Day breakfast is a hoot to many.The breakfast, started over a century ago, has grown into an annual political roast. This year's event is held at the Ironworkers Local 7 union hall, and is co-hosted by Congressman Stephen Lynch and Boston city councilor Michael Flaherty.

BOSTON — Legislation has been filed on Beacon Hill that would require the state's pension fund to divest from any companies that manufacture guns and ammunition.Democratic state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, whose office oversees the pension fund, proposed the bill along with two Democratic lawmakers, Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem of Newton and Rep. Lori Ehrlich of Marblehead, in the aftermath of the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

As the city made final preparations for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, more than a hundred people gathered in a church basement to raise more than $100,000 for a local food panty.“There’s so much going on on St. Patrick’s Day, we thought it would be nice to do something different,” said James Brett, a former state representative and one of the organizers of the Dorchester St. Patrick’s Day Brunch, now in its 12th year.

WASHINGTON — Andrew McCabe, the onetime FBI deputy director long scorned by President Trump and just fired by the attorney general, has turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller’s team of investigators personal memos describing interactions with the president that are similar to the notes compiled by dismissed FBI chief James B. Comey Jr., The Associated Press has learned.Mueller’s team of investigators has been examining Trump campaign ties to Russia and possible obstruction of justice.

A Boston Latin School seventh-grader who spent the last year thinking about the misspelled word that earned her a second-place finish in last year’s Boston Centers for Youth and Families citywide spelling bee proudly hoisted the first place trophy yesterday.After misspelling “cacophony” during last year’s competition at Boston Public Library, 12-year-old Mira Yu, said she vowed that this year would be different.

Firefighters braved freezing conditions while battling a fast-moving fire that destroyed a vacant home in Easton early yesterday morning.Firefighters responding to multiple 911 calls about 7:40 a.m. found flames shooting out of the windows of the 2 1⁄2 story single family home on Washington Street, Easton fire Chief Kevin Partridge said. During the 30-minute fight to extinguish the flames, Route 138 was closed to traffic.

Police restricting parking in Southie for today’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade are encouraging people to take public transportation to the festivities.The parade starts at 1 p.m. at West Broadway at the Broadway T Station and ends on East Broadway at Farragut Road.Traffic on Broadway will be closed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.A road race, sponsored by the South Boston Boys and Girls Club, starts at 11 a.m.