Braintree
O’Malley leads call for climate change action
Cardinal Seán P. O’Malley, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Boston, led hundreds of local religious leaders and scientists appealing for action on climate change on Wednesday. O’Malley was among the 500-plus signatories to endorse an appeal calling for the climate crisis to be addressed “with the boldness and urgency it requires, with substantive and immediate action. “Climate change is an ecological and moral emergency that impacts all other aspects of our shared lives and requires us to work together to protect our common home,’’ read the appeal released to mark the third anniversary of the papal encyclical, Laudato Si.’’
Boston
Salemme witnesses to testify in disguise
Two government witnesses in the trial of former New England Mafia boss Francis ‘‘Cadillac Frank’’ Salemme will be disguised by a ‘‘movie-industry’’ quality makeup artist to protect their identities. Judge Allison Burroughs agreed to the plan Wednesday to protect the identities of two inspectors for the federal Witness Security Program. The US Marshals Service had urged the judge to keep the public out of the courtroom while they’re on the stand and broadcast their testimony into another room. Salemme is on trial for the 1993 death of a nightclub owner Steven DiSarro. Salemme denies involvement in the killing. He was in the witness protection program when DiSarro’s body was found in 2016 in Providence. (AP)
Boston
Ex-hospital secretary charged in RX scheme
A former medical secretary at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Brighton was charged with allegedly stealing prescription forms that allowed herself and others to access painkillers, according to the Suffolk district attorney’s office. Jillian Curran, 28, of Brighton is charged with trafficking in Oxycodone, possession of Oxycodone with intent to distribute, uttering a false prescription, and multiple counts of conspiracy to violate the state’s drug laws, according to indictments unsealed Wednesday. Prosecutors allege that Curran forged more than two dozen prescriptions, “primarily for 10mg tablets of Oxycodone in quantities of 60 tablets at a time.’’ Five other Boston residents were also indicted on drug charges in connection with the alleged scheme. All six defendants were arraigned at Suffolk Superior Court on Wednesday. A clerk magistrate imposed $1,000 cash bail for Curran and bails ranging from personal recognizance to $500 for the other defendants. The defendants are due back in court May 31.
Rockland
Catholic school to close in June amid debt
After operating for 77 years, Holy Family School will close June 13 because of escalating debt and declining enrollment, according to a letter sent to parents. The Reverend James Hickey’s letter to parents and staffers reported that the school is currently $152,831 in debt, an amount that is projected to balloon to $346,200 at the end of the next school year. “Our school has entered into the severe hardship of a steep decline in enrollment. That decline has brought us into a financial crisis,’’ Hickey wrote.
