MA Gov Hopeful: Force Teachers, Cops To Get Vaccinated | Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Friday, March 19. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Plymouth County investigators solved a 37-year-old murder case in Pembroke.
• There's good news and bad news in the COVID-19 fight: Massachusetts fully vaccinated its one millionth resident Friday. But more communities were labeled "high risk," while at least 37 people contracted the coronavirus at a Weymouth cheerleading camp.
• Police asked for the public's help in two, separate missing persons cases.

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

Today's Top Story

Democratic candidate for governor Ben Downing believes all State Police, but also teachers and other first responders, should have to be vaccinated to remain on the job. His call for mandatory shots came in the wake of newly reported data showing that hundreds of State Police troopers did not take advantage of department-run COVID-19 vaccine clinics earlier this year.

"I do believe, short of a medical exemption, proof of a vaccination should be mandatory," the former state senator told the News Service.

Downing's position stands in contrast to the approach taken by Gov. Charlie Baker and other states that have stopped short of mandatory vaccinations for any group, including those prioritized early for shots because of their proximity to the public. It is also opposed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, which has been fighting with the Baker administration over where and how fast teachers should be vaccinated.

Read the full story.

Friday's Other Top Stories

Boston cop accused of drug possession in NH: A Massachusetts police officer has been arrested on drug charges in New Hampshire after a multi-month investigation. Andrew L. Johnson, 51, of Chestnut Hill, MA, was arrested on Friday on possession of controlled drugs-methamphetamine and possession of controlled drugs-amphetamine charges, both felonies.

37-year-old cold case solved: Investigators say Jesse Aylward, a Brockton man who died in 2020, killed a Pembroke woman in 1984. Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy J. Cruz said Aylward told a man about the murder, but the man waited until after Aylward died to call police. investigators matched Aylward's DNA to evidence taken from the crime scene.

Lowell woman's car found in NH: A Massachusetts woman, last seen last week, could be somewhere in New Hampshire and officials are asking the public to assist in finding her. Sinead Lyons of Lowell, MA, is 41, about 5 feet, 11 inches tall, and weighs around 150 lbs. She has blonde hair and blue eyes. Lyons was last seen in Lowell on Friday. Meanwhile, Cambridge police renewed calls for help finding a woman whose family has not seen her in nearly a year.

Latest On The Coronavirus Pandemic

A hopeful pandemic note: The Boston Symphony Orchestra hasn't played live for fans since the coronavirus pandemic hit a year ago, but it's returning to the stage in July for the outdoor Tanglewood festival. Concerts at Tanglewood, where fans spread blankets on the manicured lawns, sip wine and picnic beneath the stars, have been a rite of summer in New England since 1937.

COVID-19 at cheerleading school: Weymouth Health Department officials have confirmed a coronavirus cluster at a youth cheerleading camp. As of Friday, 37 participants from 14 cities and towns had tested positive after attending the Cheer Sport Sharks New England training facility. The number of people who have tested positive does not include family members or close contacts.

More updates on the coronavirus pandemic in MA:

• 1 Million In MA Fully Vaccinated
• MA Positive Test Rate Rises In Latest Report
• Stop & Shop To Offer Coronavirus Vaccines In MA

For information on getting a coronavirus vaccine in Massachusetts, visit Patch's information hub.

By The Numbers

1,000,000: The number of Massachusetts residents who had been fully vaccinated as of Friday morning.

They Said It

"Here we go again."

• A Patch reader on a rise in Barnstable's positive coronavirus test rate, which moved the town back into the high-risk, or red, COVID-19 designation. Massachusetts labeled 20 communities as high risk for the coronavirus Thursday in the latest town-by-town report from the Department of Public Health, up from 14 the week before.