More Barnstable In-Person Classes Not Possible Yet: Patch PM

BARNSTABLE, MA — It's Tuesday, March 2. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Barnstable Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown said expanding in-person learning isn't possible in town because of social distancing requirements, despite the state education commissioner's calls for more school re-openings.
• Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which oversees the business and legacy of the late, Massachusetts author, said it will stop publishing six titles because of racist and insensitive imagery.
• The overnight windstorm knocked down tress, left thousands without power and hampered the state's effort to distribute the coronavirus vaccine.
• Worcester police in December agreed to adopt a controversial new crime forecasting tool, nearly three weeks before the idea was presented to the public.
• Labor unions and elected officials were among those protesting at the future Massachusetts site of a large Amazon distribution facility.

Scroll down for those and other stories Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

Today’s Top Story

The state commissioner of education wants to phase-in full in-person learning at all Massachusetts schools, beginning in April, but Barnstable Superintendent Meg Mayo-Brown said that isn't possible in town because of social distancing requirements.

Since Oct. 16, Barnstable Public Schools have been fully in-person for prekindergarten through grade 3, but have used hybrid models for grades 4 through 12. This has remained the case except for temporary remote periods after Thanksgiving and winter vacation to limit potential coronavirus spread from holiday travel and gatherings.

"The primary reason we remain in a hybrid model in grades 4 through 12 is due to our commitment to 6 feet of social distancing," Mayo-Brown said Monday. "It's not possible to fit our entire enrollment in schools and maintain 6 feet of physical distancing."

Read the full story.

Today’s Other Top Stories In Massachusetts

Six Seuss titles get shelved — permanently: Dr. Seuss Enterprises, which oversees the business and legacy of the late, Massachusetts author, said it will stop publishing six titles because of racist and insensitive imagery. The announcement on Tuesday —which is Dr. Seuss's birthday —follows complaints from a Cambridge Librarian in 2017 and the 2018 removal of a mural at the Dr. Seuss museum in Springfield, where he was born.

Patch Exclusive:

Emails show backroom deal: Worcester police in December agreed to adopt a controversial new crime forecasting tool, nearly three weeks before the idea was presented to the public. The full adoption of the ShotSpotter Connect program is on hold pending City Council approval, but emails obtained by Patch show police pushed to close the deal before the end of 2020.

Amazon backlash: Local unions and elected officials were among those protesting Monday afternoon at the future site of a large Amazon distribution facility in North Andover. The protesters called for better working conditions for both the construction phase and the future operation of the facility, as part of the "Amazon Updates" campaign launched in October by the Merrimack Valley Construction and Building Trades Council. Amazon said it already offers what the 150 protesters were calling for.

Mother held on $100,000 bail: A not guilty plea was to a charge of attempted murder was entered for Marie Merisier, 33, Monday. Merisier, who has a history of mental health problems and recently lost her job, is accused of leaving her newborn baby in a trash can. She is being held on $100,000 bail.

They Said It

"The father was able to keep the mother warm and as calm as the situation allowed throughout the process."

• Massachusetts State Police in a statement on a trooper who helped deliver a baby girl on the shoulder of Interstate 95 Sunday.

By The Numbers

66 MPH: That was the wind speed in Dennis, MA at 7:09 a.m. Monday morning, the highest recorded in the state. Most parts of the state saw wind speeds topping 50 MPH overnight. The storm hampered efforts to put out a Salem fire, caused widespread damage and left thousands without power. Some people may not get their power back until this evening. The storm also hampered the state's effort to distribute the coronavirus vaccine. The National Weather Service says we can expect high winds throughout the afternoon before things calm down this evening.

The latest on the coronavirus response in Massachusetts

A local high school is helping to give free training to people who lost their jobs because of the coronavirus pandemic and want to get into the plumbing or automotive services industries, thanks to a $100,000 grant from the governor's office. Nashoba Valley Technical High School is one of eight schools to receive Career Technical Initiative grants from Gov. Charlie Baker's Workforce Skills Cabinet amounting to $1.3 million.

Today's other stories on the pandemic:

• Town Calls On Residents Not To Litter Masks
• 'We're Not Ending Here:' Melrose Ramps Up Full-Time School Return
• Danvers To Celebrate 'Superheroes' Amid Coronavirus Crisis