Massachusetts Briefs
Life-sized cutout of police cruiser slows down drivers
LAKEVILLE, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts man has gotten drivers to slow down for years with the help of a life-sized cutout of a police cruiser posted in his driveway.
Kelly Tufts says he got the life-sized Crown Victoria sign from a friend who owned a salvage yard. The sign is made of plywood and aluminum siding.
He puts it outside his Lakeville home on weekends and during holidays to slow down drivers in the area. The sign is reflective at night.
Tufts says town police are OK with the sign, but some passing drivers have given offensive hand gestures.
He says they'd enjoy the sign "if it was their neighborhood" where speeding cars were being slowed down.
More than 1,200 nurses at Boston hospital start strike
BOSTON (AP) — More than 1,200 nurses at a Boston hospital have started a oneday strike after last-minute negotiations between their union and hospital administrators were unsuccessful.
The strike by Tufts Medical Center nurses started at 7 a.m. Wednesday with picket lines outside the hospital. Hospital officials have locked out striking nurses for four additional days and hired more than 320 temporary nurses.
The union and the hospital are at an impasse over staffing levels, pay and retirement benefits. A union representative says hospital management was "determined to force a strike." Hospital CEO Dr. Michael Wagner said it's "extremely unfortunate that the union has continued to hold out for more money and an ill-conceived pension plan.”
Detained Iranian researcher sent back to home country
BOSTON (AP) — An Iranian cancer researcher who was detained at Boston's Logan International Airport has been sent back to his home country.
U.S. Customs and Border Patrol spokeswoman Stephanie Malin said Mohsen Dehnavi and his family were put on a return flight shortly after 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Dehnavi was arriving in the U.S. to start work at a prominent Boston hospital.
Boston Children's Hospital said in a statement earlier Tuesday that Dehnavi was prevented from entering the country with his wife and three young children despite holding a J-1 visa for visiting scholars. They arrived at the airport Monday.
The hospital said the reasons for the detention were unclear.
"Boston Children's hopes that this situation will be quickly resolved and Dr. Dehnavi and his family will be released and allowed to enter the U.S.," hospital spokesman Rob Graham said in the statement. "The hospital is committed to doing its utmost to support Dr. Dehnavi and his family."
Malin said the Dehnavis family's detention was for "reasons unrelated" to President Donald Trump's executive order on travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries. She said the stop was based on information discovered during the agency's review. She didn't elaborate. But Malin noted that visa applicants "bear the burden of proof" to meet all requirements and can be denied entry for a range of reasons, including healthrelated issues, criminality or security concerns.
Man who inspired ice bucket challenge is home from hospital
BOSTON (AP) — A man who inspired the ice bucket challenge to raise millions of dollars for Lou Gehrig's disease research has been released from the hospital.
Pete Frates' family posted on their Facebook page Wednesday evening that Frates is home.
Frates posted a picture on Twitter of him surrounded by his family. The post says: "good to b home."
Frates was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital last week. His brother recently told a Boston sports radio show he had his "fingers crossed" that Frates would be released this week.
Pete Frates was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012. The disease weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning. There is no known cure. The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $220 million when it took off worldwide on social media in 2014.