State Welfare Names New Head Official After Critical Reports
The state welfare agency has officially named its new commissioner in the wake of a scandal in which payments to dead people were rendered. The Boston Herald reports Stacey Monahan has been named the new commissioner of the Department of Transitional Assistance. She had been an interim commissioner since Daniel Curley resigned in February after an Inspector General report cited broad overpayments. The February report said fraudulent welfare payments have cost taxpayers $ 25 million per year. Auditor Suzanne Bump released a report in May which says the agency has paid benefits to 1,164 people who received benefits after they had died, according to WCVB.com. Monahan has served as the executive director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party and is the former chief of staff for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. SOUTH END PATCH: Facebook | Twitter | E-mail Updates South End Patch
MIT Officer Killed, Reports of Shootout in Watertown
Update 1:26 a.m. Police may have unexploded devices on Laurel and Dexter, getting residents out of there. Another possible suspect may be involved. Update 1:25 a.m. Suspect is being held at Mt. Auburn St. and Adams St. in Watertown. Update 1:22 a.m. Boston Police Chief Linskey is on scene. Update 1:20 a.m. Police believe they have second suspect in custody. Potential mistaken identity, police are confirming. Update 1:17 a.m. “Party on the ground, Boston PD is requesting assistance on Upland.” – Watertown PD Scanner Update 1:16 a.m. One suspect remains at large. Another in custody. Update 1:03 a.m. Two officers are down at the scene in Watertown, as is one of the two suspects, according to police scanner reports. Update 12:55 a.m. Two men allegedly hijacked a black Mercedes SUV in Cambridge around midnight, according to police scanner reports. The men let the driver out of the vehicle on Memorial Drive about 30 minutes later, according to the reports. Police then tracked the vehicle to Watertown and are currently in a shootout with the suspects near 105 Laurel St. in Watertown, according to the reports. There are also reports of explosions in that area. It is unclear if this incident is related to the MIT shooting at this time. —– A MIT Police officer is dead after a campus shooting near Vassar and Main Streets, the Middlesex District Attorney confirmed early Friday morning. The officer was responding to a report of a disturbance when he was reportedly shot, a press release reads. Evidence was found of “multiple gunshot wounds.” He was pronounced deceased at Mass General Hospital. Authorities are aware of no other victims. No arrests have been made and the situation is ongoing. According to a report in the The Atlantic, MIT released an emergency alert at 10:48p.m. Thursday. “Shots fired near 32 Vassar Street (Stata Center),” the notice read. “Police officer down. Please stay inside.” At 12:01 a.m., the official MIT Twitter account tweeted, “Police are sweeping the campus in relation to the shooting at Building 32/76 (Stata/Koch), continue to stay indoors until further notice.” Patch will update this story as more details become available. South End Patch
Boston Marathon 2013 Explosion: Social Media Reports
Reports and pictures from the reported explosions at the Boston Marathon today are coming in via Twitter and Facebook. Reload this article as Patch pulls together more reports from social media. South End Patch