Alpaca-Buying Former Beverly Pizzeria Owner Indicted: Patch PM

BEVERLY, MA — It's Wednesday, May 26. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• The former Beverly pizzeria owner accused of using PPP funds intended for pizza shop employees to buy an alpaca farm in Vermont was indicted on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges.
• A Salem brewer's social media postings have led to more than 1,000 women in the craft brewing industry sharing their stories of enduring sexist comments, harassment and abuse.
• A 28-year-old woman was found dead inside her Framingham apartment Tuesday morning, and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office says she was the victim of a homicide.
• A video showing Barnstable officers making an arrest at gunpoint with children present has raised questions about appropriate police tactics.
• The late Arlen Specter's son and a longtime aide to the Senator say Donald Trump offered him campaign cash in 2008 to stop his probe into the Patriots' spygate scandal.

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

Today's Top North Shore Story

BEVERLY — The former owner of Rasta Pasta Pizzeria of Beverly, accused of using Paycheck Protection Program funds to buy an alpaca farm in Vermont, cars and weekly airtime for his cryptocurrency radio show, was indicted on federal wire fraud and money laundering charges.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said Dana McIntyre, a former resident of Beverly and Essex, was indicted on four counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering in federal court on Tuesday.

He is accused of securing more than $660,000 in PPP loans for the pizzeria, as well as other loans for fictitious businesses, and using them for personal items.

Read the full story here.

Today's Top Statewide Story

BOSTON — Raise a glass and say goodbye to two of the few bright spots in the coronavirus pandemic: rules that allowed restaurants to serve "to-go" cocktails and capped the fees third-party food delivery services could charge restaurant customers.

In a voice vote, the state Senate rejected two budget amendments that would have extended the rules for two years after the current, coronavirus pandemic state of emergency is lifted in Massachusetts on June 15. Both amendments were sponsored by Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Methuen Democrat.

The Massachusetts Package Stores Association called for letting the rules expire with the emergency order. The association of liquor stores in the state says the to-go cocktails have hurt their members' businesses.

Read the full story.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Salem brewer spurs "watershed moment" in the industry nationwide: A callout on social media from a Salem brewer to share stories of sexist comments, sexual harassment and other inappropriate behavior within the industry has drawn more than 1,000 responses and led to resignations nationwide from those cited in the accusations.

Latest on Framingham homicide: A 28-year-old woman was found dead inside her Framingham apartment Tuesday morning, and the Middlesex District Attorney's Office says she was the victim of a homicide. Framingham police responded to the Halstead Apartments, 1640 Worcester Road, near 8:30 a.m. after an acquaintance found the woman dead inside her home. The woman had signs of "obvious trauma," Middlesex DA Marian Ryan said in a news release Tuesday night. Read the latest updates.

Video shows police drawing guns near toddlers: A video showing Barnstable officers making an arrest at gunpoint with children present has raised questions about appropriate police tactics. The video stemmed from a May 13 arrest, where police had a warrant for Tanya Devine's 18-year-old son. Devine said several police cruisers and undercover police cars surrounded her vehicle, and officers had their guns pointed before her son had a chance to stop the car.

Massive Dorchester fire: Firefighters battled a 7-Alarm fire in Dorchester that ripped through several homes Wednesday afternoon. Just before noon Boston Commissioner John Dempsey ordered the seventh alarm, calling in more aide to help fight the fire on Fayston Street. Fire officials said multiple three-family homes were on fire, with the heaviest fire at the back of the buildings, prompting the porches to collapse.

DA, police investigate ex-youth service director: Essex County prosecutors and state police investigated allegations regarding Bill Fahey and found they "did not rise to the level of criminal conduct," an official confirmed. District attorney's spokeswoman Carrie Kimball confirmed that Andover police referred allegations against the former Andover Youth Services director to the Essex County District Attorney's Office. The town hired an independent investigator, then fired Fahey on May 10 after receiving the investigator's findings.

Owner got offer he could not refuse: A popular Somerville bar moved out this week. R.F. O'Sullivan's, the Beacon Street watering hole known for its burgers, closed May 25, owner Richard Sullivan said. In an announcement on the bar's Facebook page, Sullivan said the business will move to Lynn and be run by his son Richard Jr. The Somerville space is under new ownership, which plans to keep the current staff and continue serving burgers.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

Boston Calling's 2022 headliners: Boston Calling announced the headliners for next year's show, which were the same bands scheduled for last year's canceled festival: Foo Fighters and Rage Against The Machine, with a third headliner and the rest of the 60 or so bands on the three-day bill to be announced at a later date (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartMedia).

They Said It

"My father told me that Trump was acting as a messenger for Kraft. The offer was Kraft assistance with campaign contributions. … My father said it was Kraft's offer, not someone else's."

• Shanin Specter, the son of the late U.S. Senator Arlen Specter. Shanin Specter and a longtime aide to the Senator say Donald Trump offered Specter campaign cash in 2008 to stop his probe into the Patriots' spygate scandal.

In Case You Missed It

Baker wants outdoor dining, remote meetings to survive the pandemic: Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday proposed keeping some pandemic-era policies such as remote public meetings and expanded outdoor dining in place beyond the state of emergency's end scheduled for June 15. Baker will file legislation targeting three specific issues for extensions of several months: public bodies meeting remotely on platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, special permits for outdoor dining, and a ban on medical providers billing patients for COVID-related care above the costs paid by insurers. He also forecast additional debate on permanent reforms.

Storm Warning

A line of severe weather will sweep across Massachusetts from the northwest beginning around 4 p.m., according to forecasts. The storms will lose steam as they get closer to I-495.

Looking ahead, the hot, summer-like weather we had today will not stay with us for the unofficial start of summer this weekend. High temperatures will only get as high as 65 over the three-day holiday weekend, and there's a chance of rain on each day, including Monday.

Only In Massachusetts: Who Invented The Fluffernutter?

Only In Massachusetts is an occasional series where Patch tries to find answers to questions about life in Massachusetts. Have a question about the Bay State that needs answering? Send it to dave.copeland@patch.com.

Durkee Mower holds the registered trademark for "Fluffernutter." But the of the famous sandwich that is equal parts peanut butter and Fluff on two slices of bread, preferably plain white.

That's because the sandwich was invented by a competitor.

Read the full story.