Garth Brooks Playing Gillette Stadium This Fall: Patch PM

FOXBOROUGH, MA — It's Wednesday, July 7. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Garth Brooks is playing Gillette Stadium this fall, marking the first time concerts return to the home of the New England Patriots since before the coronavirus pandemic began.
• There were no injuries after Coast Guard rescue teams saved 44 people trapped on a burning fishing boat in Gloucester Harbor Wednesday morning.
• Police arrested the suspect in Tuesday's robbery and fatal shooting in Malden.
• One of the great family traditions in Massachusetts is coming back this fall with the return of the Topsfield Fair.

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

Today's Top Story

Country star Garth Brooks will perform at Gillette Stadium for the first time this fall.

Brooks' show on Oct. 9 marks the return of live music to the stadium, following the coronavirus pandemic. It's also the first time in six years the seven-time CMA Entertainer of the Year will return to the Boston area.

The concert is a welcome announcement for country fans, following Kenny Chesney postponing his summer tour stop at Gillette Stadium until 2022.

Read the full story.

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Wednesday's Other Top Stories

Coast Guard saves 44 people: There were no injuries after Coast Guard rescue teams saved 44 people trapped on a burning fishing in Gloucester Harbor Wednesday morning. The Gloucester Harbormaster said there was an engine fire aboard Yankee Patriot II, which is owned by Yankee Fleet Deep Sea Fishing in Gloucester. Helicopters circled overhead after the safety call was radioed in.

Malden murder suspect caught in Ashland: Police arrested the suspect in a robbery and fatal shooting in Malden Tuesday morning. Brian Butler, 30, of Everett, was taken into custody in Ashland, the Middlesex District Attorney's office said. Butler is accused of shooting 30-year-old Erin Fitzgibbon, of Everett, inside a Fairmont Street home. Police also arrested Cody DiGaetano, 24, of Chelsea. DiGaetano is accused of driving Butler to Ashland after helping him flee the scene.

Man runs, can't hide from K-9 named Vlk: The Massachusetts State Police dog is being credited with helping catch a man who fled the accident. Vlk was able to locate the man's fanny pack, shirt, jacket and hat deserted in a thickly wooded and swampy area in Auburn, which led to his arrest.

Burlington begs residents to stop Facebook gossip: Much of the time allotted for the Department of Public Works director to update the Burlington Board of Selectmen on the E. coli situation in a recent meeting was filled with members griping about some of the online discourse during the short-lived crisis. "If the residents are listening, please be a little bit nicer until you get all the facts," Selectmen Joseph Morandi said. "Some of the stuff that was said was totally uncalled for ... I will never respond to a Facebook post that people put out there, but please, at least get your facts out straight, because this man [Sanchez] sitting here and his staff did an outstanding job to get this situation resolved."

Salem subsidizes restaurant hires: How bad is the local labor shortage for restaurants? So bad that Salem, with it's tourism-based economy, is helping restaurants recruit workers by picking up the tab for gift cards for part-time restaurant workers. The cards are being paid for under money Salem received from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Cares Act.

Cape Cod shark sightings: More than a half dozen great white sharks were spotted off the Coast of Cape Cod Monday, aerial images from shark biologist John Chisholm show. Chisholm in a Tweet said the sharks were seen along the coast from Plymouth to Provincetown. Some sharks measured up to 16 feet in length, according to Chisholm.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

Fair play: One of the great family traditions in Massachusetts is coming back this fall with the return of the Topsfield Fair. The 200-year-old fair — which was canceled for only the third time in its history because of the coronavirus crisis last fall — will return with "no restrictions" this October at the historic fairgrounds. (Photo: Dave Copeland/Patch)

They Said It

"Sorry, temporarily closed until further notice."

• A sign outside the Thirsty Scholar in Somerville. It's unclear if the popular bar is closed temporarily or for good. The Thirsty Scholar served as the backdrop of the opening scene in the 2010 movie "The Social Network," about Mark Zuckerberg and the founding of Facebook.

In Case You Missed It

UPDATE: FAA investigating flight disrupted by Winthrop teens

The Federal Aviation Administration is now investigating an American Airlines flight from Boston to the Bahamas after the airline delayed the flight overnight. American Airlines reported that a group of more than 30 people became disruptive when they were catching a connecting flight in Charlotte, North Carolina, and refused to put on their masks, ultimately causing the flight to be delayed on Monday. The teenagers, who are reportedly from Winthrop, had to spend the night in the airport because they were too young to use the hotel vouchers provided by the airline.