Latest news with #BostonGlobe
Daily Mail
6 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Terrified woman, 69, savaged by 'monstrous' raccoon while letting her spaniels into backyard
A Massachusetts woman was savaged by a large raccoon after letting her dogs into her backyard over the weekend. Katharine VanBuskirk, 69, of Somerville, suffered horrific injuries to her arms, legs and face after the ordeal on Saturday morning. She had just let her two dogs, Blue, a three-year-old black cocker spaniel, and Rubi, a one-year-old Cavalier King Charles spaniel, outside when the animal lunged at her. 'I was almost instantaneously leapt on by a raccoon', she recalled in an interview with the Boston Globe. 'It was a giant ball of viciousness. It bit me and scratched me. It attacked relentlessly, from every angle, it was terrifying', she said. She also described it as 'monstrous' to WCVB. VanBuskirk recently underwent shoulder surgery and had one arm in a sling during the attack. She fought the animal off while screaming: 'Help me!' The feral animal scratched her eyelid and cheek so bad that blood started pouring out of her face. Images of her injuries show VanBuskirk with deep gashes on her left cheek, her arms and legs are also covered in similar marks, with bite marks also visible. She managed to free herself and made her way back indoors where she immediately called 911. VanBuskirk was then taken to Mount Auburn Hospital where she was treated with rabies shots and antibiotics. Both of hers dogs escaped unscathed and she is expected to make a full recovery from the attack. She later discovered from a neighbor that they had seen a raccoon with four cubs in the area. VanBuskirk believes the animal was on her back porch looking for food in her compost bin. She has since moved it on to her street. Despite her ordeal, she told NBC Boston that she remains a nature fan, adding: 'I just want other people to be careful. I'm gonna never blame the raccoon.' The animals are found all over the state of Massachusetts, except for Nantucket, and are typically active at night, dawn and dusk. According to the state wildlife site, they can carry a number of diseases including rabies. Nearly all patients who develop a rabies infection die from the disease, which has a death rate of 99.9 percent. Authorities urge anyone bitten by a raccoon to wash the wound before seeking immediate medical care. To limit the risk of contact, homeowners are told to limit the access of food in or near a property. Cayenne pepper is often used as a repellent due to their sensitive noses and a dislike of strong smells.
Boston Globe
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Quiz: As the film turns 40, test your knowledge of ‘Back to the Future'
In addition to the first film, director Robert Zemeckis and co-writer Bob Gale made two sequels. All three starred Michael J. Fox as Marty and Christopher Lloyd as Doc Brown. While the sequels are not as revered as the original, I personally think the Western-spoofing 'Back to the Future Part III' is the best in the series. Don't tell anyone! Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Instead, pop 'The Best of Huey Lewis' into your Sony Walkman — it might just save your life — and hop into the Globe's DeLorean for this fun little quiz. Where we're going, you won't need roads! Just bring your knowledge of 'Back to the Future.' Advertisement Good luck! Advertisement Odie Henderson is the Boston Globe's film critic.
Boston Globe
15 hours ago
- Climate
- Boston Globe
These heat wave maps show just how hot it will get in New England this week
Here's how Tuesday will shape up temperature-wise throughout the day. Boston Globe This week marks the third time this summer that New England has experienced a heat wave, or temperatures of 90 and above for at least three straight days. The last one hit at the tail end of the Fourth of July weekend, running from July 6 to 8. A Boston officials issued their own heat advisory Monday for the city through Wednesday, stressing the dangerous levels of heat that could lead to Advertisement Boston's Chief of Emergency Preparedness Adrian Jordan said they're urging residents 'to take heat advisories on neighbors, and use available cooling resources across the city.' Advertisement These maps detail how hot it will get in New England during this heat wave: Tuesday will be even hotter than Monday across New England, reaching near 100 degrees. Boston Globe Rising dew points will make it feel quite muggy through Wednesday before they taper off for a more comfortable remainder of the week. Boston Globe The sweltering heat and humidity Tuesday could affect your health, so try to keep cool and hydrate. Boston Globe High temperatures Tuesday to Thursday for New England. Notice how Thursday is forecast to be much cooler. WeatherBELL Tuesday's forecast highs will be hotter, up to 97 degrees with heat index values to 100. Boston Globe The 7-day outlook for the Boston region. Boston Globe This map shows the temperature change from Monday to Thursday across the country. Temperatures peak in the Northeast before lowering on Thursday. Departure from normal temperatures - July 1-July 27: The departure from normal temperature. Nearly all of the Northeast has seen more cooling degree days than average, meaning more energy is needed to keep cool. NOAA/Cornell University Most of Massachusetts has been drier than average, with a small, narrow exception near the Mass Pike. WeatherBELL Lows for the week across the Boston region. Boston Globe for our that will arrive straight into your inbox bright and early each weekday morning. Marianne Mizera can be reached at
Boston Globe
a day ago
- Climate
- Boston Globe
You thought Monday was hot. The heat soars to near record levels on Tuesday.
The intense heat will get hotter. Heat index values soar on Tuesday to 95 to 100 across New England. Boston Globe Heat advisories are in effect from 11 a.m., Monday through 8 p.m., Wednesday for most of Southern New England and Southern New Hampshire. Boston Globe The dew points are going to remain high even as temperatures fall toward Thursday and Friday. There are some signs that a stuck frontal boundary may bring a steady round of showers Thursday afternoon into Friday morning. It's after this boundary finally moves out that the drier air will move in, and right now the weekend is looking completely dry for both days — and sunny. Rising dew points will make it feel quite muggy through Wednesday before they taper off for a more comfortable remainder of the week. Boston Globe Advertisement The reason for the hot weather is a strong area of high pressure to our south. This is bringing a westerly flow of air across the region at the high levels. This keeps the cooler Canadian air from reaching our region and also keeps the humidity across much of the East. Wednesday's highs will be about the same as Tuesday's, although the heat index should stay under 100 degrees. Boston Globe This map shows the temperature change from Monday to Thursday across the country. Temperatures peak in the Northeast before lowering on Thursday. Some of the smoke you've been noticing this summer at times may waft across the region again on Tuesday in that flow of air. It remains to be seen just how much smoke ends up in the region, but it's possible air quality again decreases. Advertisement Tuesday's breakdown Greater Boston: Look for mostly sunny skies for your Tuesday, with temperatures in the mid-90s. It will also be hot on Wednesday with temperatures in the mid-90s and a small chance of a thunderstorm in the afternoon. Central/Western Mass.: Temperatures will be in the low to mid-90s both Tuesday and Wednesday, with plenty of sunshine. Wednesday afternoon look for the chance for a shower or thunderstorm. Southeastern Mass.: Temperatures are likely to exceed 90 both Tuesday and Wednesday. There's a chance for a thunderstorm or a shower Wednesday evening. Cape and Islands: Mostly sunny skies after patchy morning fog both Tuesday and Wednesday. Temperatures will be more comfortable than inland areas, staying in the 80s, but humidity will be high. Rhode Island: With the exception of the southern part of South County, everybody will be in the 90s on Tuesday and Wednesday. There might be a shower or a thunderstorm Wednesday afternoon or evening. New Hampshire: Look for temperatures in the low to mid-90s over extreme southern sections on Tuesday, also in the lower 90s on Wednesday with slightly drier air and the chance for a shower or a thunderstorm. The 7-day outlook for the Boston region. Boston Globe for our that will arrive straight into your inbox bright and early each weekday morning.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
$1,000 bonus among efforts by schools to counter chronic absenteeism
Schools are paying students $1,000 bonuses to attend class as absenteeism continues to stalk American campuses five years after the pandemic. The rates of 'chronic' non-attendance - defined as students absent for 10 per cent or more of teaching per year - jumped 31 per cent year in the 2021-2022 academic year. But rates remain stubbornly high even four years after the coronavirus crisis, the Department of Education (DoE) figures show. Absenteeism has dropped to 19.3 per cent but student absences are 'more common' and 'more extreme' following the pandemic, a study by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) has found. The latest data, which includes figures through March 2025, shows absenteeism rates still remain 50 per cent higher than before Covid. Absenteeism declined 0.3 points since last year, but experts warn that at the current rate it will take at least two decades for student absence rates to return to pre-pandemic levels. Educators are trying to incentivize students to come to school, with some districts even paying students for their attendance. Others have encouraged teachers to have attendance count towards grades or limit the number of assignments that can be completed online, The Boston Globe reports. Twenty states reported that more than 30 per cent of their students missed at least three weeks of school in 2022-23, according to latest figures from the DoE. Absenteeism remains highest in Oregon, Hawaii, New Mexico and the District of Columbia, the report - published earlier this year - revealed. Oregon recorded absenteeism levels of 44 per cent during the 2022-23 academic year, followed by Hawaii and New Mexico at 43 per cent. Washington DC, however, recorded an absenteeism rate of 47 per cent - the highest in the country, according to the data. The AEI report, which includes data from last year, found the highest rates of absenteeism are in Hawaii, which recorded a level of 34 per cent in 2024. Connecticut followed at 30 per cent and DC came ranked third worst at 29 per cent, according to the AEI data. Researchers say that absences derive from multiple - but often interconnected - factors including student disengagement, lack of access to student and family supports, and student and family health challenges. They allege absenteeism is highest among 'high-needs populations,' including students who come from low-income households. Students with disabilities are 36 per cent more likely to experience chronic absenteeism than students without disabilities, the DoE has found. Absenteeism is also 20 per cent higher among students who are English language learners than those who are fluent or native speakers. The DoE has called on states and school districts nationwide to address the factors driving absences and 'send a clear message' to students and families that children 'need to be in school.' District officials in Detroit, Michigan and Oakland, California, have used money to motivate students to come to school. Detroit spends up to $1,000 per student per year to encourage attendance, which experts allege increases attendance by as much as several days annually. A Boston School Committee member has called on officials to launch a similar program in the Massachusetts city, the Globe reports. Massachusetts recorded a statewide absenteeism level of 15 per cent last year, latest figures reveal. Other experts have encouraged schools to create 'negative nudges' or punishments for students who fail to meet attendance requirements. Robert Balfanz, of Johns Hopkins University School of Education, suggests that having attendance affect academic grades could get students who are on the verge of skipping to turn up to class. Tim Daly, CEO of education nonprofit EdNavigator, has suggested that schools increase attendance rates by helping tackle students lacking sleep. A survey conducted by the organization found that after sickness, 'not enough sleep' was the most common reason for student absences. Daly suggested schools could 'help kids with their nighttime routines' by disabling capabilities on district-issued technology at certain times. 'Sometimes when kids stay up too late, they're using the devices to "do homework" but really they're using them to stream,' he said during AEI's chronic absenteeism symposium in May. 'Not only would [disabling them] prevent them that, [schools] can message to parents, when that goes off, it's time to go to sleep.' Some school districts have even adjusted high school start times to better align with adolescent sleep cycles. Mary Beth Miotto, a pediatrician and former president of the Massachusetts chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, has also urged medical professionals to treat school attendance like a 'vital sign.' Miotto argued that high absenteeism negatively affects physical and mental health, such as increasing high school dropout rates and lowering life expectancy. She said it is critical for doctors to encourage parents to get their children to school and have positive conversations about attendance without sparking fears about truancy. The pediatrician believes that all primary care physicians, ER staff and urgent care doctors should be asking families about school attendance. 'We can pour all the money into schools and teachers, but if kids aren't showing up, it's not helping,' Miotto told the Globe.
