Regional Briefs
Cruise ship carrying 350 people stranded off Massachusetts
BOSTON (AP) — The US Coast Guard responded to a disabled cruise ship with 350 people onboard.
The ship became stranded at about 3:15 p.m. Friday in Buzzards Bay between Woods Hole and Martha’s Vineyard off the Massachusetts coast. There were no injuries reported.
The Coast Guard said in a tweet at about 4:40 p.m. that the “376-foot cruise ship Star Pride is anchored and holding” and that commercial tugboats were on the way. The cause of the loss of power was not immediately known.
Just after 5:30 p.m., the Coast Guard tweeted out an update saying “The cruise ship Star Pride has regained power but is not pulling anchor. No injuries are reported. Security zone is still in place.”
Man to plead guilty to sending Trump sons menacing letters
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man has agreed to plead guilty to sending threatening letters with white powder to President Donald Trump’s sons.
U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Andrew Lelling said Friday that 25-year-old Daniel Frisiello of Beverly, Mass. reached a plea deal on 13 counts of mailing a threat and six counts of false information and hoaxes.
Lelling said Frisiello mailed the envelopes to high-profile individuals, including Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., that contained white powder and a note indicating the powder was dangerous. The substance was nonhazardous.
Rhode Island awards fellowships to graduates in STEM fields
PROVIDENCE (AP) — A total of 240 Rhode Island college students working in science, technology, engineering, math and design occupations have been awarded state fellowships to help pay their student loans.
The state Commerce Corporation announced the awards Thursday, and says the average award is about $3,600 for student loan repayment. The Providence Journal reports the Wavemaker Fellowships are intended to keep college graduates living and working in Rhode Island.
Democratic Gov. Gina Raimondo says graduates are faced with a tough choice of moving out of the state or staying in Rhode Island, and the fellowships can help make that decision easier. Nearly 400 people applied for the program this year. In its first year, 2016, the program awarded tax credits to 208 people.
16-year-old charged in fatal shooting of 15-year-old
PROVIDENCE (AP) — A 16-year-old boy reputedly associated with a gang is facing murder and other charges in the shooting death this week of a 15-year-old student outside a Rhode Island high school.
The the suspect was brought into family court Friday in a wheelchair because he’s still recovering from a bullet wound to his thigh. He was held at a youth detention facility. His name hasn’t been released because of his age.
Police say he accidentally shot himself while fleeing the scene of Wednesday’s shooting outside Providence Career and Technical Academy. The victim, William Parsons, was a student at Central High School.