Commuter Rail Could Come To Cape Cod: Patch PM

BOURNE, MA — It's Wednesday, June 2. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• A ransomware attack hampered the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority Wednesday morning.
• It didn't come in time for Memorial Day weekend, but Massachusetts is about to get a heatwave. Thunderstorms are expected Friday, but after that comes a stretch of six consecutive days with temperatures of at least 85 degrees in Boston.

• In just the last three days, Woburn firefighters responded to five major highway crashes, all of which resulted in serious injuries
• Major League Baseball tapped Nancy Frates, the Beverly mother of late St. John's Prep and Boston College captain Pete Frates, to narrate a video honoring Lou Gehrig.

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

Today's Top Story

The Cape Cod Metropolitan Planning Organization will discuss plans to connect the region to the MBTA's commuter rail.

Officials scheduled a virtual meeting for 5: 30 p.m., June 9 to discuss two options for expanding public transportation. The meeting is open to the public through the Cape Cod Commission's website, or by phone at 929-205-6099 and entering the meeting ID 961 1903 7671.

The discussions are expected to center around two proposals. One would provide weekday service from Buzzards Bay to Wareham to Middleborough. The second option would also add service at a station in Bourne south of the Cape Cod Canal.

There would also be trips directly to and from South Station in Boston at select times outside of normal weekday operation.

Read the full story.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Holy Heat Wave: It's about a week late for Memorial Day weekend, but a legitimate heat wave is headed our way. Thunderstorms are expected Friday, but after that comes a stretch of six consecutive days with temperatures of at least 85 degrees in Boston. Three of those days — Sunday, Monday and Tuesday — will all be into the 90s, making for our first official heat wave of the season.

Janey 'eyeing new direction' on embattled police commissioner decision: Acting Mayor Kim Janey will make a decision whether to fire embattled Police Commissioner Dennis White "after careful deliberation," she said after a Wednesday morning hearing between the two. "I held the hearing for Dennis White this morning, providing an opportunity for him to present any additional information," Janey said in a brief statement. "I will make a decision after careful deliberation." The hearing was closed to the public.

After five crashes, fire department asks drivers to slow down: Woburn firefighters are asking drivers to ease up on the gas pedal the next time they hit the road. In just the last three days, firefighters said they've responded to two major crashes on Interstate 95 and three rollover crashes on Route 3. All five accidents have resulted in serious injuries.

MLB taps Nancy Frates for Gehrig tribute: As Major League Baseball remembers Lou Gehrig on Wednesday, the voice of his official tribute video will be a familiar one with a tragic and undeniable link to baseball's original Iron Man. Nancy Frates, the Beverly mother of late St. John's Prep and Boston College captain Pete Frates, narrated the video that will be shown at Yankee Stadium Wednesday night in honor of Gehrig. Like the pinstripe icon, Pete Frates died of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

Ferry delays after ransomware attack: A ransomware attack hampered the Woods Hole, Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket Steamship Authority Wednesday morning. The attacks, where hackers demand large payments after taking over an organization's computer system, can be devastating: the Registry of Motor Vehicles couldn't inspect vehicles for weeks after a malware attack in March. (Photo: Dave Copeland/Patch, file)

They Said It

"It is not lost on me that the NBA is overwhelmingly black men and we have fans who are overwhelmingly white men who believe they can engage in this type of behavior. It is not appropriate and it certainly is not going happen here in Suffolk County."

• Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, following the arraignment of Cole Buckley, 21, of Braintree. Buckley, who is accused of throwing a water bottle at Kyrie Iriving after a Boston Celtics game, was released on $500 bail and ordered to stay away from TD Garden after entering a not guilty plea Wednesday.

In Case You Missed It

MA Catholics defy Vatican, bless gay unions: Catholics across Massachusetts and the United States gathered for an online service Tuesday evening to kick off Pride Month by sharing blessings for LGBTQ+ people and same-sex couples. Catholic Pride Blessing, an event sponsored by the inclusive Catholic organization Dignity USA and 19 other activist organizations including NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice and the National LGBTQ Task Force, served as a way for Catholics to speak out against the Vatican's March decree to bar gay unions with the justification that God "does not and cannot bless sin."