MA Liquor Stores, Restaurants Spar Over To-Go Cocktails: Patch PM

TEWKSBURY, MA — It's Tuesday, May 18. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• A Massachusetts man who faked his own suicide pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to conspiring to commit bank fraud and failure to appear in court.
• Four teens found incapacitated near Morses Pond in Natick were hospitalized Friday night after using drugs suspected to be psychedelic mushrooms.
• The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association on Tuesday morning said it will follow new guidelines from the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environment Affairs and allow both competitors and fans of outdoor events to ditch the face masks as of Tuesday afternoon.

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

Today's Top Story

Restaurants are pushing state lawmakers to extend rules that were aimed at propping up their businesses during the coronavirus state of emergency, including rules that allowed them to sell to-go cocktails and capped fees third-party delivery services like DoorDash and Uber Eats could charge.

Those rules, however, will expire when the state lifts its emergency order on June 15. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio, a Methuen Democrat, has filed bills that would extend those rule for two years after the end of the emergency order. The bills were filed as amendments to the state budget, which will not be finalized and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker until after the emergency order is lifted.

DiZoglio wrote Senate President Karen E. Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano Monday and called for immediate action on the bills. At the same time, the Massachusetts Package Stores Association is calling for the rules to expire with the emergency order. The association of liquor stores in the state says the to-go cocktails have hurt their members' businesses.

Read the full story.

Real Estate Roundup

Looking to buy a home on a budget? Here are the cheapest realtor.com listings in five nearby communities:

• Andover's Cheapest Home Listing: $150.7K Haverhill Street Condo
• North Andover's Cheapest Home Listing: $239K Walker Road Condo
• Tewksbury's Cheapest Home Listing: $324.9K Main Street Condo
• Wilmington's Cheapest House Listing: $439.9K Walker Street Home
• Woburn's Cheapest Home Listing: Downtown Condo For $225K

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Tuesday's Other Top Stories

MIAA ditching masks: The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association on Tuesday morning said it will follow new guidelines from the state's Executive Office of Energy and Environment Affairs and allow both competitors and fans of outdoor events to ditch the face masks as of Tuesday afternoon's contests. The decision comes one day after Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said face masks will no longer be required when playing youth sports outdoors as of Tuesday.

Feds say MA man faked suicide after being accused of PPP fraud: A Massachusetts man who faked his own suicide pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence to conspiring to commit bank fraud and failure to appear in court. David Adler Staveley, along with his partner, were the first people in the country to be accused of fraud related to federal coronavirus relief funds. Staveley, who also went by Kurt David Sanborn and David Sanborn, is a 45-year-old resident of Andover.

Bad trip followed by trip to hospital: Four teens found incapacitated near Morses Pond in Natick were hospitalized Friday night after using drugs suspected to be psychedelic mushrooms. The four teens were located by police after a resident noticed suspicious activity in the woods on Border Road in Natick. It's not clear if the teens will face any charges.

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

Picture This

Patch's 2021 Massachusetts Farmers Guide: If you're looking to buy fresh produce from a local farmers market, bookmark this page as your go-to guide. We've arranged farmers markets in Massachusetts into two lists: one where you can browse by location, and a second list where you can browse by day of the week. Know of a farmers market in Massachusetts that should be added to this guide? Email dave.copeland@patch.com and check back here throughout the season for updates (Photo: Dave Copeland/Patch)

They Said It

"We were derailed by COVID-19, just like every other micro business."

• Kevin Venti who, along with his wife Beth, decided to close Wild Goose Chase in Brookline. The home decor and gift store, which the couple bought in 2014, had been a fixture in town for more than 40 years.

In Case You Missed It

UFO sightings in Massachusetts: Sunday's report on CBS News' "60 Minutes" about the U.S. government's acknowledgement of unidentified aerial phenomena — UAP, or what is commonly known as UFOs — naturally caused a buzz about flashes of light and other phenomena that can't be explained in the skies over Massachusetts. So far in 2021, there have been 15 UFO sightings in Massachusetts.