Danvers Schools Defends Response To Hockey Charges: Patch PM

DANVERS, MA — It's Monday, Nov. 8. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Danvers Public Schools said an independent investigation led to "appropriate" discipline following accusations of racist taunts and hazing within the high school hockey program.
• Marblehead's Shalane Flanagan completed her quest to run six major marathons in six weeks Sunday in New York City.
• Two people were arrested at a right-wing group's protest against vaccine mandates, which turned aggressive when demonstrators clashed with counterprotesters on Boston Common on Sunday.
• An Andover elementary school is a coronavirus cluster after 24 people tested positive for COVID-19 in the week ended Friday.
• Hundreds of nurses on strike in Worcester marked eight months on the picket line Monday as a return-to-work agreement continues to be at issue.

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

Today's Top North Shore Story

Danvers Superintendent of Schools Lisa Dana said the district hired an outside investigator "to complete an in-depth independent investigation" into accusations of hazing and racist behavior in the high school hockey program and that it then "addressed appropriate personnel and student discipline."

Dana provided the statement to Patch in response to a Boston Globe front-page story on Saturday that charged the district engaged in a cover-up of player locker room rituals within the program that included racial taunts and the use of sex toys to embarrass players who would not adhere to requests from older teammates.

The district's statement said it was made aware of the actions and behaviors within the program in June 2020 and that they "do not reflect the core values, mission and vision that we seek for our school system."

Read the full story here.

Today's Top Statewide Story

Two people were arrested at a right-wing group's protest against vaccine mandates, which turned aggressive when demonstrators clashed with counterprotesters on Boston Common on Sunday.

At Super Happy Fun America's "Rise Against Tyranny" rally, the opposing sides fought for several hours in confrontations that became "heated and at times violent," according to reports.

Though there was a heavy police presence in the area and officers had set up metal barricades, participants still confronted each other and some tore the barricades down.

No injuries were reported, though one person was spayed with a chemical irritant. Police in riot gear broke up the fights and arrested two people.

Read the full story.

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Monday's Other Top Stories

Strike hits 'sad milestone': Hundreds of nurses on strike in Worcester marked eight months on the picket line Monday as a return-to-work agreement continues to be at issue. Nurses at St. Vincent Hospital walked off the job in March, demanding new staffing levels inside the hospital and a new employment contract. Over eight months, the nurses and hospital executives have waged a bitter public battle over the strike.

Waltham carjacking: Police are investigating an armed carjacking that took place in Waltham early Thursday morning. Officers responded to a reported armed robbery on Adams Street and found that a man had his car and cash stolen, said police in a Facebook post. The vehicle made a stop in Woburn shortly after the theft, according to police. It was later abandoned in Manchester New Hampshire.

Massachusetts: Tell Someone You're Grateful For Them This Holiday Season

Picture This: Full Blood Lunar Eclipse

Mark Thursday and Friday, Nov. 18-19, on your calendar. You may want to plan a lunar eclipse party in Massachusetts and watch the full frost moon turn red. It's an overnight party, so get your paid time-off requests in — you may not want to drag your tired self to work.

They Said It

"From the moment I landed the emotional overload I have felt from being back in this beautiful city has been nothing short of overwhelming. I've only been here 24 hours, but New York has always had my heart."

• Marblehead's Shalane Flanagan completed her remarkable personal challenge ofrunning six marathons in six weeks when she finished the NYC Marathon in 2 hours, 33 minutes, 32 seconds on Sunday.

In Case You Missed It

'Political ambush' after election: Less than a week after Newton's local election, a light has been shined on some "dirty tricks" used to sway Ward 3 voters in the race between Jim Cote and incumbent Julia Malakie, including an email sent out by a fake political group and the dispersal of fliers labeling Cote a Trump Republican. "In a liberal bastion like Newton, no charge is more explosive than 'he's a Trumper'," the blogger who first broke the story wrote.

By The Numbers

24: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases at the South Elementary School in Andover. The school was given "a deep clean" over the weekend, according to a note sent to parents.