The World Series is now set. Our American League East compatriots the Toronto Blue Jays will take on the reigning champion Los Angeles Dodgers — and our old friend Mookie Betts, now going for his fourth ring. (Want another local connection? Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got his start playing just up the road in New Hampshire .) Game 1 is this Friday in Toronto. But first, let's swing through the news: A disaster debrief: The Fall River Fire Department released its report yesterday on the devastating blaze that killed 10 people at an assisted living facility in July. The 27-page after action report , complete with photos from the chaotic scene, commends the firefighters who responded: "While multiple challenges were encountered including building construction and complex evacuations, decisive actions by command and crews mitigated further loss of life," the report said. But the report also offers up lessons learned and makes suggestions for preventing future tragedies. Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon told WBUR's John Bender that they're disseminating the report to help other departments learn from what happened in Fall River. "We wanted it to be a vehicle to start to move the needle in the direction of the change that is needed to help protect the most vulnerable populations in our society," Bacon said. - A challenging building: The former hotel-turned-assisted living facility had no fire doors or ways to contain smoke. Many of the windows were blocked by screwed-in air conditioning units. The only elevator was engulfed in flames. And, most difficult, many of the residents of Gabriel House were medically vulnerable. More than half of the 53 residents evacuated had to be carried down by ladders.
- Stricter standards: Bacon said he wants assisted living facilities like Gabriel House held to the same regulations as nursing homes, which would mean stronger building codes and more inspections. That would require action by state lawmakers.
- More money for more staff: Already, the state pledged $1.2 million for Fall River to hire more personnel. The report noted that, on the night of the fire, 33 firefighters were on scene within 15 minutes. But that's not enough for high-risk building incidents, according to safety standards, which call for 42 firefighters there within 10 minutes.
- The known cause: Investigators back in July said the fire was unintentional and started in a resident's room on the second floor. It was caused by either a failed oxygen concentrator or smoking materials. The person in the room died. Medical oxygen throughout the facility was deemed a "significant factor" in the rapid fire spread.
- What's next: The report notes investigators are still reviewing whether the facility met fire and building codes. According to MassLive, at least eight lawsuits have been filed against the building's owner, Dennis Etzkorn.
Proctor backs down: Former state trooper Michael Proctor, who became notorious when his crude and misogynistic texts about Karen Read were read out loud at her first trial, is abandoning his attempts to get his job back. Proctor was fired in March; he had appealed his firing to the state civil service board, which began hearings in August. (Just like Read's trial, there was a rapt audience watching the livestream of the hearings.) He notified the board yesterday he's dropping that appeal. - Catch up: In case you could have possibly forgotten, Proctor was initially the lead investigator in the Read case and testified at her first trial, which ended in a hung jury. In the retrial this past spring, Read was acquitted in the killing of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O'Keefe.
- The ripple effects: Attorneys for Brian Walshe, the Cohasset dad accused of murdering and dismembering his wife, say they might call Proctor as a witness. (Proctor also led that investigation in 2023 before he was fired.) Walshe's defense attorneys want a look at Proctor's phone relative to their case, too.
Bet on it: New numbers out of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission show sports betting was way up last month compared to last year. More than $800 million in wagers were made in person and online in September — a 18% increase over September 2024. Casino gambling, meanwhile, saw a modest increase of 4%, with $96 million spent at the state's three casinos. The commission didn't offer up any clues to the increase in sports betting (though we have some theories). - Meanwhile, the gaming commission is looking to crack down on the VIP programs offered by online sports betting companies, like DraftKings and FanDuel. There are concerns they target gamblers who are already losing money by offering up betting credits or even trips.
P.S.— If you want to dive even deeper into the murky world of online sports gambling, check out this hour from On Point about how it's changed how fans interact with sports — and the costs of the sports betting boom. |
