Today's Top Headlines

Friday, February 21

This morning, gas companies have been ordered to lower bills by at least 5% after customers report skyrocketing heating costs. Plus, the family of a late Mass. State Police trainee speaks out as lawmakers seek an update on the investigation into his death. And, a school resource officer resigns amid questions of grooming. All that and more in today's top headlines.

Massachusetts’ gas utilities have been ordered to lower prices for residents by at least 5% for March and April, saying immediate measures are necessary during this cold winter, during which many people have had extremely high heating bills.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities cited a “combination of increased supply costs, the recovery of unusually high programmatic costs through delivery charges, and a cold winter” for unsustainably high prices. The order says that the utilities will make up the cost of the move during the warm season.

The DPU’s order, filed Thursday, notes that the agency will investigate whether it makes sense to permanently shift gas costs to off-peak seasons.

It’s been almost six months since Trooper Enrique Delgado-Garcia died from injuries he suffered during a training exercise at the Massachusetts State Police Academy, and there’s been no major updates announced on the investigation into what led to his death.

Now, three Massachusetts state senators are calling for more information on this investigation, sending a letter to Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell asking for an update on its status, preliminary findings of the case and how much longer it’s going to take to get to the bottom of this.

“I understand that we can’t get the details of the investigation,” said state Sen. Michael Moore, D-Millbury. “There could be– look, if there was something that was wrong, you could have civil liability, you could have criminal.”

Questions have swirled over the town of Newbury, Massachusetts, since rumors began circulating last spring about the bond between a police officer and a teenager.

Nearly a year later, the town’s police department and school district only recently notified parents of a situation that resulted in the resignation of John Lucey III, the longtime school resource officer at Triton Regional High School.

Lucey had been the school district’s resource officer since 2011, so when the 2024-2025 school year began, parents were surprised to see he was not walking the halls.

Well, we steered clear of that storm. There were a few snow showers on Cape Cod and the Islands overnight. Now the clearing ensues, and we resume our “normal” spell of winter sun and cold.

But hang on. There’s a thaw in sight. Granted, today highs will struggle to make freezing and gusts near 30mph will make it feel every bit like winter. Tomorrow is the real turning point in our pattern.

Highs will recover to the mid-30s with bright sunshine and a lighter wind. Sunday has a few more clouds, but we’re climbing again – this time near 40. And for the first time in four weeks, we aren’t wrestling with a winter storm, either.

BOSTON — Canada is still the king of international hockey.

The Canadians defeated the United States 3-2 to win the 4 Nations Face-Off championship game Thursday night at TD Garden.

Canadian forward Connor McDavid scored the winning goal at 8:18 of the overtime period to end an incredible game.

Concerns over the spread of avian flu in Massachusetts continue a month in, with some residents in Plymouth expressing frustration over the local and state response to reports of dead birds in their neighborhood.

“In the last six years of me picking up the beach every day, I’ve never seen it like this,” said Nicole Young.

Plymouth’s Long Beach is practically in Young’s backyard. She has documented dead birds there since last month as bird flu has spread.