Latest news with #EmilySweeney


Boston Globe
6 days ago
- Business
- Boston Globe
‘I'm still so shocked!' Woman thought she won $10K on a scratch ticket, but it was much more
Sloan was told to visit the Dorchester headquarters to claim her prize, and she ended up choosing the cash option, receiving a one-time payment (before taxes) of $650,000, lottery officials said. Sloan purchased the winning '$2,000,000 Diamond Cashword' scratch ticket at Village Knoll Variety in Millbury, according to lottery officials. The store will receive a $10,000 bonus for selling Sloan's winning ticket, lottery officials said. Advertisement Sloan said said she plans to invest her winnings and help her children. Visited our Worcester Regional Office thinking she hit for $10,000, but it was actually a $1 MILLION winner 🤩 Playing $2,000,000 Diamond Cashword ($10) — Mass. State Lottery (@MAStateLottery) Emily Sweeney can be reached at

Boston Globe
10-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Train service will be suspended on MBTA Red Line to allow for maintenance work
'Riders using shuttle buses should budget ample extra travel time,' according to the MBTA website. 'For example, a rider traveling to Downtown Crossing from Ashmont or Braintree should budget an additional 30–45 minutes of travel time in addition to their regular commute." MBTA officials are also recommending that riders use the commuter rail, which will be free between South Station and Braintree as well as between Porter and North Station. Advertisement Riders are also eligible to receive five free Bluebike unlocks during the Red Line work by using the code MBTAREDJUL10, officials said. For more information, visit Red Line Reminder: Beginning at 8:30 PM on July 10 - July 13 Shuttle buses replace service between Kendall/MIT and JFK/UMass. This work will also take place on July 17 (8:30 PM) - July 20 — MBTA (@MBTA) Emily Sweeney can be reached at


Boston Globe
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Cambridge to host its first-ever Porchfest on July 19 and 20
'As you probably know, PorchFest is a free, walkable, musical, community DIY event: local residents host talented local performers on their porches (or patios, or backyards, or whatever), and attendees enjoy the music and the neighborhood,' the Advertisement 'Better still, this will be a two-day celebration of music, community, and neighborhood vibes as the Central Square Business Improvement District will host a second day of music on Sunday, July 20, from 12-6pm, bringing live music to outdoor dining and gathering spaces in Central Square.' The Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association received a grant from the Cambridge Arts Council to kick off the inaugural event, and there are plans to expand Porchfest to other city neighborhoods next year, officials said. 'This will be a summer weekend worth sticking around for, and we hope it begins an annual tradition that eventually spans Cambridge,' the website states. A call for performers, hosts, and volunteers went out on July 3. Registration has closed for musicians, but as of Tuesday organizers were still looking for hosts and volunteers. For more information, visit Advertisement Emily Sweeney can be reached at


Boston Globe
02-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Police in Maine apologize for AI-altered photo of seized drugs
Westbrook police posted the original photo and AI-enhanced version of it together, side by side. Advertisement At first glance, the two photos look very similar. But upon closer inspection of the AI-enhanced photo, you can see the text on the products has been obscured, erased, or changed entirely to appear like gibberish. Some items in the original photo are also missing and others look different. For example, a scale in the original photo is covered in a white powdery substance. But in the AI-enhanced photo, there's less powder on the scale and the brand name of the scale (Fuzion Diablo) has been removed and replaced with unreadable words. The changes did not go unnoticed by Facebook users. 'How would photoshop 'just to add a logo,' change the brand of scale, make a penny look like a piece of paper, change the type of spoon, and screw up labels on packaging and Soooo much more wrong!?' one commenter wrote. Advertisement The post from the Westbrook Police Department said officials did not mean to change the image. 'It was never our intent to alter the image of the evidence,' police wrote. 'We never realized that using a photoshop app to add our logo would alter a photograph so substantially.' Police said in the past they've encountered drug-related materials with 'gibberish text' on their packaging. 'When initially alerted to the public concerns of the image, we assumed this was the case in this situation as well,' police wrote. 'Clearly, we should have looked further into the shared image.' Westbrook police said they would be inviting members of the news media to come in and view the original evidence, so they can see it exists as pictured in the original photo. 'We consider this a valuable lesson learned,' police wrote. 'This image distracted from the message we wanted to share, which is that dangerous drugs have been removed from our community.' Emily Sweeney can be reached at


Boston Globe
01-07-2025
- Boston Globe
Hitting the road for July Fourth weekend? These are the best and worst times to travel.
'Fourth of July weekend is one of the busiest travel times of the summer,' said Jonathan Gulliver, the Highway Administrator at the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. 'MassDOT encourages travelers to plan ahead, expect delays, and drive safely to make sure everyone enjoys the holiday weekend.' In order to avoid congestion on the roads, AAA generally recommends drivers to travel in the morning to avoid the worst anticipated traffic in the afternoons. Advertisement Based on nationwide trends, these are the best and worst times to travel by car, according to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights. INRIX AAA said Route 3 will likely be one of the busiest routes in Massachusetts, so be prepared for backups there. In an effort to encourage drivers to plan ahead, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation created its own travel forecast for the upcoming holiday weekend. 'The heaviest traffic is expected on Wednesday, July 2, and Thursday, July 3, with delays extending into the evening,' MassDOT officials said in a statement. 'On Friday, July 4, travelers are advised to avoid mid-day and afternoon travel due to expected peak congestion. Saturday, July 5, and Sunday, July 6, are also expected to see heavier traffic throughout the day, especially in the morning and afternoon hours,' the statement continued. Advertisement MassDOT officials said the I-93 Boston-Quincy HOV lane will deploy early for the holiday, opening at 2 p.m. on Wednesday and 1 p.m. on Thursday. The HOV lane will not be deployed on Friday, and will return to its regular schedule on Monday, officials said. MBTA officials are also reminding the public that subway, ferry, commuter rail and RIDE trips will be free after 8:30 p.m. on July 4, and passengers can purchase the The Red, Orange, Blue, and Green Lines will operate on a modified Saturday schedule with increased service after 3 p.m., T officials said. All bus routes and the Silver Line will operate on a Sunday schedule; all commuter rail lines will operate on a weekend schedule; and all RIDE services will operate a Sunday schedule, officials said. The last MBTA trains on July 4 are scheduled to leave North Station and South Station between 11:30 p.m. and midnight, but if the fireworks are delayed, they'll leave up to 30 minutes after the end the of the fireworks, officials said. Emily Sweeney can be reached at