Newton Divided Over Gun Shop: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Tuesday, May 11. It was 40 years ago today that legendary singer Bob Marley died. Fun fact: He headlined the social justice Amandla Festival at Harvard Stadium in 1979. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• The Biden Administration gave approval to the Vineyard Wind project Tuesday, the nation's first large-scale offshore wind farm.
• More than 500 people logged into a four-hour zoning meeting Monday night to hear about a controversial proposal that would strictly regulate gun shops in Newton.
• Eight Massachusetts residents were among 19 Brazilian nationals charged Tuesday in a nationwide conspiracy to set up fraudulent ride-share and delivery accounts using more than 2,000 stolen identities.

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

Today's Top Story

More than 500 people logged into a four-hour zoning meeting Monday night to hear about a controversial proposal that would strictly regulate gun shops in town.

The proposal was largely met with approval, though several residents asked for more strict regulations —if not a ban.

Several others argued against any regulation, calling the scramble for such "hand wringing," and an infringement of rights.

Read more about the FOUR HOUR hearing.

Nearby News

• Why Trains In Waltham Are Honking All Hours In Waltham
• Brookline To Offer Trash Amnesty Pick Ups
• Chelmsford High School Group Competes In National Championship

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Tuesday's Other Top Stories

DA dropped the charges, but teacher won't return: A Westford Academy history teacher who had been accused of harassing a resident through Facebook will not return to the school. The Middlesex District Attorney's office dropped charges against Michel Colson last month, saying it was unable to meet its burden of proof. Colson has been on leave since winter, and at Monday's school committee meeting School Superintendent Bill Olsen said Colson had resigned.

Why are trains so loud in Waltham?: Trains are blaring their horn (whistle?) at all hours of the day in Waltham after the city was among a handful of communities that had its status as a "Quiet Zone" revoked in the past two weeks. This has residents up in arms and the city council scrambling to do whatever it can to get to the bottom of the issue, which it isn't entirely clear on.

Wind farm gets federal okay: The Biden Administration gave final approval to the Vineyard Wind project Tuesday, providing the green light for the nation's first large-scale offshore wind farm. Vineyard Wind, located approximately 15 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard, will have a generating capacity of 800 megawatts and provide enough clean electricity to power over 400,000 homes.

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

Picture This

Cross-state donut war: Two doughnut shops — one on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island and the other in New Bedford, MA — are at odds over who has the rights to their name.

They Said It

"They thought it would be an easy way to generate some quick money, but in doing so they potentially compromised public safety by putting people behind the wheel who couldn't get jobs with these companies on their own."

• Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. Eight Massachusetts residents were among 19 Brazilian nationals charged Tuesday in a nationwide conspiracy to set up fraudulent ride-share and delivery accounts using more than 2,000 stolen identities and then selling those accounts to those who might not be qualified to drive for those services.

In Case You Missed It

Baker under pressure to reopen MA sooner: As of Tuesday, 25 states have fully reopened and lifted all the coronavirus restrictions that had been placed on businesses. Five more, including Rhode Island, plan to do so by the end of this month. Other states are targeting being fully reopened in June or July, with July 4 being the latest reopening date in all but one of the 15 states that have laid out a schedule. And then there's Massachusetts, which under the current reopening timetable won't lift restrictions until Aug. 1. On Monday, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker hinted that date may be moved up, but declined to commit to an earlier reopening.

Brookline, meanwhile, is keeping the masks on til May 22.

By The Numbers

$100 million: The estimated amount Jordan's Furniture will refund to customers if the Red Sox throw a no-hitter between Aug. 3 and Oct. 3. The company has a policy with an insurer, which is reportedly "nervous" after four no-hitters were thrown in the young Major League Baseball season.