MA Electors Meet To Cast Votes For Biden, Harris: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS —It's Monday, Dec. 14. Here's what Patch has been covering in Massachusetts today.

A former high school classmate of President-elect Joe Biden was one of 11 people from Massachusetts who cast electoral votes Monday. Former Springfield mayor Robert Markel first met Biden when they were both freshmen at Archmere Academy, a Catholic high school in Delaware.

"I see the face I know so well, I hear the speech patterns and mannerisms and none of that has changed, other than his stutter is gone," Markel told the Boston Globe. "It gives you a certain strange feeling to see someone you know so well rising to this position."

Markel and the other 10 electors were selected by the Massachusetts Democratic Party, and all the electors cast their votes for Biden and Harris when they met at the State House Monday afternoon. The other electors include Kathleen Donaghue, Joseph F. Kelly, Nicole M. LaChapelle, Thomas J. Larkin, Linda Monteiro, Jay Manuel Rivera, Norma Shulman, Ronald R. Valerio, Teresa Walsh, and Wayne D. Yeh. The state Democratic Party was expected to name an alternate for Ronald R. Valerio, the 11th elector, who died unexpectedly last week.

Read the full story.

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Pfizer's Coronavirus Vaccine Will Be Made In Massachusetts

Andover will be one of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine manufacturing sites, the company said after it received emergency use authorization Friday. The company's vaccine was the first to receive the Food and Drug Administration's approval for use in the United States. Andover is home to a 70-acre Pfizer research, development and manufacturing campus. That site will be one of five production facilities, along with ones in St. Louis, Kalamazoo, Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin and Puurs, Belgium, the company said.

Medford Restaurant At Heart Of Coronavirus Cluster Reopens

A Medford restaurant that local health officials linked to a cluster of coronavirus cases reopened Saturday with a "renewed spirit." Raso's Grille closed Dec. 1 after being told that a customer tested positive for the virus. Two days later, Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn announced the city was tracking two separate case clusters, one of which stemmed from a "potentially oversized" gathering at Raso's.

Woman Breaks Into Cigar Shop, Steals $290 Worth of Stuff

Framingham Police are searching for a woman who broke into a local cigar shop early Monday morning and left with about $300 in merchandise, including pipe tobacco and a wooden humidor, police said. The break-in took place at the Watch City Cigar Company at 497 Worcester Rd. just before 3 a.m. when a police department spokeswoman said the female suspect was able to enter the store through an unlocked door.

2 Charged In Fatal Woburn Shooting

Pauliasky Jean Francois, 34, of Plymouth, and Eric Mills, 29, of Hyde Park, Boston, were arrested and charged with murder, unlawful possession of a firearm, assault and battery by means with a dangerous weapon and assault with a dangerous weapon following the fatal shooting of Lloyd Borgella, 26, of Roslindale, outside a Woburn bar Saturday night.

Also Today:

• Film Industry Donation Creates Toy Drive For Needy Worcester Kids
• UMass Memorial To Receive 1,950 Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine Tuesday
• Cape Man Seriously Injured After Crashing Stolen Dump Truck: MSP
• Man Leads Police Chase, Tries Running Over Officers
• North Andover Man Hit And Killed By SUV On Chickering Road

And, finally today: A 21-year-old Massachusetts used the $10 bill his father left him six years ago to buy his first beer. Read the heartwarming story.

Dave Copeland writes for Patch and can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).