Confederate Flag At MA Memorial Day Ceremony Condemned: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Tuesday, June 1. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Local officials are condemning a person who brought a Confederate flag to a Memorial Day ceremony in Natick.
• A man was killed Monday night in a crash involving a tractor-trailer along Interstate 495.
• A Shrewsbury man was arrested and charged over the Memorial Day weekend after attacking people at two locations in Worcester.

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

Today's Top Story

Local officials are condemning a person who brought a Confederate flag to a Memorial Day ceremony in Natick Center.

Select Board Chair Karen Adelman-Foster and state Sen. Rebecca Rausch said the person moved to the front of the crowd during the Memorial Day ceremony Monday morning and held up the flag.
"[T]his individual desecrated the Grand Army Civil War memorial in Natick Center, the memories of all people who have fallen in defense of equality and freedom, and each and every person now fighting for meaningful anti-racism, diversity and inclusion in our communities," a joint statement from the two officials said.

The Confederate flag, long held up as a sign of Southern heritage, has been condemned as a symbol of slavery. The Anti-Defamation League calls the flag a "common white supremacist symbol."

Read the full story.

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

Tuesday's Other Top Stories

Search is on for missing wedding ring: A mother of three was enjoying a nice day out near the ocean with her family, looking forward to renewing her wedding vows with her husband of eight years next week, when she noticed a symbol of their love was missing from her finger. She is now hoping that someone who somehow found the ring at Salem Willows will return it in time for her vow renewal. "My ring means the world to me," she told Patch.

Holiday highway tragedy: A man was killed Monday night in a crash involving a tractor-trailer on Interstate 495 in Andover, officials said. Investigators believe Christopher Rigano, 40, of Malden, was driving a 2014 Chevrolet Corvette southbound around 11:20 p.m. Monday when he lost control, hit another vehicle and then went under the trailer portion of a tractor-trailer. He was declared dead at the scene.

One suspect, two attacks: A Shrewsbury man was arrested and charged over the Memorial Day weekend after attacking people at two locations in Worcester, according to police. Worcester officers went to the Shell gas station along Grove Street just before midnight Saturday on a report of a fight. According to police, Bryan Favuzza, 32, punched and kicked a customer inside the gas station after getting into an argument with employees. The victim in the gas station attack was in need of medical help, police said. Favuzza also punched a concierge at a Worcester apartment building about an hour before the gas station incident.

Two to get state's highest military honor: Two Milford men who died while serving in World War II this month will receive the state's highest honor for veterans killed in action, according to the Milford Medal of Liberty Committee.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

Picture This

A volunteer walks through a field of American flags planted on Boston Common ahead of Memorial Day. After more than a year of isolation, American veterans embraced a more traditional Memorial Day. They say wreath-laying ceremonies, barbecues at local vets halls and other familiar events were a welcome chance to reconnect with fellow service members and renew solemn traditions honoring the nation’s war dead.

They Said It

"I look forward to going to work. It's exciting and you get to help a lot of people…It's incredible."

• Watertown Police Sergeant Jeff Pugliese, who is retiring after 41 years. Not long after the Tsarnaev brothers sped into Watertown in a stolen SUV in April 2013, Pugliese found himself face-to-face with Tamerlan. Seconds later, when Dzhokhar Tsarnaev sped toward Pugliese and the two other officers holding his brother to the ground, Pugliese grabbed Tamerlan by the belt to pull him out of the path of the SUV. Dzhokhar ran over his older brother who was pronounced dead at the hospital. Never before in his career—or since—has Pugliese had to fire his weapon.

In Case You Missed It

Banned in Boston: A Braintree man was accused of throwing a bottle at Kyrie Irving's head as he left the court after the Brooklyn Nets defeated the Boston Celtics at the TD Garden Sunday. Cole Buckley, 21, of Braintree, was one of two fans arrested at Sunday's first-round playoff game. Buckley will be arraigned Thursday in Boston Municipal Court on a charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. TD Garden management also banned Buckley for life from attending events at the arena.

Also on Patch: Irving Says Banning NBA Fans Won't Solve Problem

By The Numbers

$32,000: The combined amount raised as of Tuesday morning by two GoFundMe campaigns for victims of a fire in Arlington over the holiday weekend. The three-alarm fire displaced five residents of the home and caused $600,000 in damage.