Court Upholds Verdict In Firefighter Racism Case: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Wednesday, April 28. The march toward May and more glorious weather begins. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Not all Massachusetts cities and towns are planning to stick to the timeline Gov. Charlie Baker laid out this week for lifting business restrictions and easing mask mandates.
• The Massachusetts chapter of the National Lawyers Guild called a police reform ordinance passed in Somerville an "important and historic piece of legislation" that places the city at the "forefront of the movement to de-militarize America's urban police forces."
• The theft of Prius parts is on the rise nationally, including six reported thefts in Belmont early Tuesday morning.

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

Today's Top Story

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial court Tuesday sided with former Brookline firefighter Gerald Alston, whose supervisor left a racial slur on his voicemail and was promoted, while Alston was fired after reporting harassment.

"We conclude that there is substantial evidence to support the commission's determination," a unanimous SJC wrote in its 49-page opinion, and agreed that the commission's earlier order that Alston be reinstated and the town continue to pay him — even if he doesn't physically come to work— stand.

"The commission's findings show that the board's handling of the use of racist language by [Alston's supervisor] was woefully deficient and insensitive given the concerns raised by Alston about racist behavior and retaliation," the opinion read.

Read the rest of the story.

Nearby News:

• Bench Goes Missing In North Chelmsford
• Marijuana Retailer Gets Approval To Open In Brookline, Barely
• Dozens Flock To Newton Pharmacy Walk-In J&J Vaccine Clinic
• Brookline Rallies To Help Support Farmers Market

Like this article? Sign up for our newsletter and get it delivered every weekday. It's free!

Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Mask off? Not so fast: By now, you may have heard that the state plans to lift all business restrictions by Aug. 1. But not all Massachusetts cities and towns are planning to stick to that timeline. Boston and Somerville and Salem are all planning to take it slow, and there will likely be others. Related story: Dunkin' Plans To Reopen Most Store Dining Rooms By Summer

"Historic" police reform passes in Somerville: An ordinance unanimously passed by Somerville City Council that bans the use of tear gas by police and places restrictions on non-lethal projectiles and other crowd control measures was signed into law by Mayor Joseph Curtatone Friday. The Massachusetts chapter of the National Lawyers Guild called the ordinance an "important and historic piece of legislation" that places Somerville at the "forefront of the movement to de-militarize America's urban police forces."

Voters want to keep 'Warrior' mascot: After all the Facebook wars, sign skirmishes and an actual official decision, the people have finally spoken: The Wakefield Warrior logo should stay. An unofficial look at precinct-by-precinct numbers showed a few-hundred count advantage for the "Yes" side of a nonbinding question of whether to keep the logo.

Thieves target Prius parts: Six Belmont Toyota Prius owners reported that catalytic converters were stolen from their cars Tuesday morning. Theft of catalytic converters, a device which limits the emission of pollutants, has been on the rise nationally, the New York Times reported in February. The reason is that they contain palladium, a metal that has risen in value due to its use in controlling pollution — so much so that it is more valuable per ounce than gold, according to the Times.

Learn more about getting a COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts at Patch's information hub.

Picture This

Swiss Cheese Street: The morning after a massive water main break near a major intersection in Melrose, traffic has mostly resumed and water service is back on. But the long-term impacts of Tuesday night's break are still unknown.

They Said It

"To state the obvious: A woman should be able to ride a public bus without fear of kidnap and sexual assault. Women, just like all people, have the right to not be harassed, violated, harmed, or objectified. As I have said, fathers need to start speaking to their sons, and men need to tell their brothers, friends and colleagues about a new vision of masculinity where men are working to end violence against women and girls. The allegations outlined in this case are deeply disturbing."

• Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins on a MBTA bus driver accused of sexually assaulting a passenger after preventing her from getting off his bus.

Only In Massachusetts: Why Do Bostonians Drop Their Rs?

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.

"Non-rhotic" is the word linguists use to describe dialects where the R is not pronounced. In other words, non-rhotic is the fancy pants way of saying "Boston accent." And people in eastern Massachusetts, as well as parts of New Hampshire and Maine, have been dropping their Rs since around the time Harvard (or Hahvahd) was founded in 1636.

"In the evolution of R-less pronunciation, Boston led the English-speaking world," Richard Bailey of the University of Michigan writes in 2012's "Speaking American: A History of English in the United States." Dropping Rs was a feature of the language in rustic Britain, Bailey writes, and the more settlers that came to Massachusetts from southeastern England, the fewer Rs were enunciated.

Read the article.