Proposed Local Gun Store Riles Neighbors: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Monday, April 19. It's also Patriots' Day, or Patriot's Day if you live in Maine (note the apostrophe). Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• A prominent doctor is suggesting communities that have mandated face coverings in outdoor spaces reconsider.
• A Facebook group "Stop Gun Stores In Newton" was formed within hours after plans to open a gun store in Newtonville were disclosed.
• A trial set to begin this month will showcase former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia's dramatic rise and fall.

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

Today's Top Story

A Facebook group "Stop Gun Stores In Newton" formed within hours after plans to open a gun store in Newtonville came to light. The group had more than 1,700 members within four days. Residents are petitioning city officials to change zoning laws to keep gun stores out of Newton.

The City Council has broad authority to regulate the location of firearms dealers, but because of Constitutional protections, city officials say the more firearm sales are regulated, the more likely such regulations will be subject to a court challenge.

That's not deterring those opposed to the prospect of a gun shop opening in town. Residents are organizing picketing events, and have raised nearly $2,000 in less than 24 hours to put toward the creation of signs. Read the full story.

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Monday's Other Top Stories

From "wunderkid" to "defendant": Former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia heads to trial this month on charges that he stole more than $230,000 from investors in a smartphone app he created to pay for things like a Mercedes, casino trips and adult entertainment. As mayor, he's accused of convincing his chief of staff to give him half of her salary in order to keep her city job and extorting hundreds of thousands of dollars from marijuana businesses seeking to operate there. The trial will showcase Correia's dramatic rise and fall in the southeastern Massachusetts city of 89,000 that's still hurting by the collapse of its once-booming textile industry.

Suspects arrested in Newton burglaries: Police arrested three men Friday in connection to a string of recent burglaries in Newton. Joiser O. Zapata, 36, of Boston, Joseph R. Sarro, 39, of Mattapan, Ernest E. Woods,52, also of Mattapan, were arrested after more than a dozen reported break-ins in Newton over the past two months.

Masks outdoors might not be necessary: A prominent doctor is suggesting Massachusetts and communities that have mandated face coverings in outdoor spaces reconsider those rules. Read the full story.

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

They Said It

"My career has been one of complete accidents."

• Former Bruins player and broadcaster Johnny Peirson, who died Saturday. He was 95.

In Case You Missed It

Split on vaccine passports: About half of Patch readers who responded to a survey about so-called vaccine passports think Massachusetts should not require a document that proves one has been vaccinated against the coronavirus, a split in public sentiment that leaked into other questions about how life might get back to "normal." The survey is not meant to be a scientific poll, but rather a broad look at the public's mindset.

Related story: 5 Things To Know About Vaccine Passport Debate In MA

Latest Updates On The Coronavirus Pandemic

• CVS Announces Over The Counter, At-Home COVID-19 Test Kits
• Some Newton High Schoolers Will Be Required To Get COVID Tests

By The Numbers

4: The number of states which observe the third Monday in April as Patriots' Day (or Patriot's Day, as it's known in Maine). Connecticut is the most recent state to join the list, having first observed the holiday marking the start of the American Revolution in 2018.

Related: Colonial Reenactors March From Sudbury To Concord And Lincoln To Mark Patriots' Day

Photo of the day

The blossoms are out!