Dead Dog Found In Plastic Bag Near Lawrence School: Patch PM

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — It's Thursday, April 7. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued guidance to public schools urging them to cancel proms for a second straight spring.
• The new, marathon-themed Red Sox uniforms unveiled this week were met with mixed reviews when shown to fans.
• Worcester officials say they are working on opening restrooms to serve homeless residents, but are having trouble finding a site in the city that won't cause controversy.

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

Today's Top Story

A 1-year-old Jack Russel-type dog was found dead in late March wrapped in a "pee pad" and a black plastic bag near a Lawrence school, the Animal Rescue League said Wednesday.

An autopsy found that the dog's death was caused by extensive abuse, the league said in a release.
A Lawrence police officer found the dog along a walking trail behind South Lawrence East Middle School on March 17 around 10:45 a.m. There was blood in the bag and on the dog's body and pee staining on the dog's tail.

The dog appeared to have suffered "extreme cruelty and abuse," according to the news release.

Read the full story.

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Thursday's Other Top Stories

Red Sox, sans red: The new, marathon-themed Red Sox uniforms unveiled this week were met with mixed reviews when shown to fans at the team's nearby souvenir store across the street from Fenway Park. The Sox will honor the Boston Marathon and the city by wearing blue-and-yellow uniforms, the colors that stretch across the finish line of the famous race, during their games over Patriot Days weekend. "I think they're a little too yellow. I don't understand the yellow at all," said 25-year-old Allison Feinberg of Leominster.

Bad news for the class of 2021: The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education issued guidance to public schools urging them to cancel proms for a second straight spring. The traditional, end-of-high school dances are "an inherently high-risk activity, as it is a social gathering that involves dancing and singing (both of which are activities with increased respiration)."

Ex-Northeastern coach arrested: Federal prosecutors are accusing a former Northeastern University track coach of using phony social media accounts to trick women on his team into sending him nude photos of themselves. FBI agents arrested former Northeastern University track coach Steve Waithe, 28, of Chicago, Wednesday morning. Waithe is also accused of stalking at least one woman.

Dangerous times for storefronts: A 20-year-old man trying to evade Brookline police crashed his car into a Subway restaurant just over the Boston city limit. The driver, who is facing multiple charges, suffered minor injuries. And in Tewksbury, a driver trying to park outside a dry cleaner crashed into the building Wednesday morning. No one was injured in that incident.

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

They Said It

"This is really, really a public health issue, and an issue of human dignity."

• Worcester City Councilor Sarai Rivera on efforts to open restrooms to serve homeless residents. Many public restrooms in Worcester and other Massachusetts communities have been closed since the start of the pandemic last year.