Most MA Nursing Homes Don't Expect To Survive Pandemic: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Tuesday, June 29. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Two Massachusetts men will serve a combined 31 years in prison for a 2019 shooting in a Providence nightclub.
• The Cape Cod restaurant community is mourning the death of restaurateur William Zammer, the owner of the Flying Bridge, Red Horse Inn, Tugs Boats and several other popular restaurants throughout the region.
• A state lawmaker is warning Massachusetts residents can expect a "severe" egg shortage and higher prices for eggs when a new law goes into effect January 1.

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

Today's Top Story

Only about a quarter of the nation's nursing homes expect to survive the coronavirus pandemic and be operating a year from now, according to a survey released Tuesday by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living.

That includes several nursing homes in Massachusetts. State regulators have scheduled a July hearing to discuss the closing of Wingate at Chestnut Hill, which plans to end operations on Oct. 1. Other Massachusetts nursing homes expected to close in the coming months include Halcyon House in Methuen, Agawam HealthCare, Wareham HealthCare, and Town & Country Health Care Center in Lowell.

Nursing homes say the coronavirus pandemic saddled them with massive costs, including expenses for additional staff and training and personal protective equipment. About 84 percent of survey respondents said they were operating at a loss this year.

Read the full story.

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Tuesday's Other Top Stories

2 Worcester men sentenced in Rhode Island shooting: Two Massachusetts men will serve a combined 31 years in prison for a 2019 shooting in a Providence nightclub, Attorney General Peter Neronha announced Tuesday. The pair, both from Worcester, pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a shooting at Club Flow that seriously injured one person. "The notion that an appropriate response to being asked to leave a nightclub is to shoot up the place is outrageous," Neronha said. "This is 2021, not the 'Old West.'"

Beloved Cape restaurateur dies: The Cape Cod restaurant community is mourning the death of restaurateur William Zammer, the owner of the Flying Bridge, Red Horse Inn, Tugs Boats and several other popular restaurants throughout the region. Zammer, 75, died Friday, and friends and colleagues remembered him as a caring man, who worked relentlessly to make life better for his employees, friends and the Cape Cod community at large. "He was bigger than life," said Tyler Hayes, the general manager of the Flying Bridge in Falmouth for the last 25 years. "He took care of his staff like they were his family. He taught us all how to do things the correct way. He was more like a father figure."

Police chase, catch steer stealer: Downtown Marlborough looked a little bit like the wild west on Saturday. Around 1:30 p.m., a Marlborough officer saw a man crossing Bolton Street while holding a large plastic steer — one that looked very much like the steer that stands outside the Main Street Vin Bin store. The officer moved toward the fake-cattle rustler, and the man dropped the item and ran into a crowd gathered at the downtown common for an outdoor concert. The officer caught the man, but he fought back, attempting to steal the officer's stun gun before the officer was able to wrangle the 48-year-old Main Street resident.

Eat fresh: Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Market Guide

They Said It

"Casey's 10-stool dining car has been serving customers since 1922 and people still come today to experience a slice of history and to try the famous steamed hot dogs. Locals and visitors alike love the spot and recommend the consistently-good hot dog."

• United Kingdom-based site loveFOOD, which said Casey's Diner in Natick serves the best hot dog in Massachusetts.

In Case You Missed It

Beacon Hill food fight: A state lawmaker is warning Massachusetts residents can expect a "severe" egg shortage and higher prices for eggs when a new law goes into effect January 1. The problem, according to state Senator Jason Lewis, a Democrat from Winchester, is Massachusetts farms produce just a fraction of the eggs purchased in the state. Most out-of-state producers will not comply with the new law, meaning most will not be able to import eggs to Massachusetts under the current version of the law. Lewis supported the measure when it was on the 2016 ballot. He has filed an amendment exempting out-of-state producers from the rules.

By The Numbers

$250,000: The amount in damages a Massachusetts woman is seeking in a lawsuit she filed against amusement park operator Six Flags after she slipped on goose feces at the company's water park in upstate New York. The woman broke her ankle in the 2019 visit to the resort.