MA National Guard Called Up Amid Bus Driver Shortage: Patch PM

MASSACHUSETTS — It's Monday, Sept. 13. Here's what you should know this afternoon:

• Gov. Charlie Baker is calling up 250 members of the National Guard to help with the school bus driver shortage in the state.
• A Milton man apparently fell to his death from a staircase at an MBTA train station that had been deemed unsafe.
• A Massachusetts cannabis retailer is being bought for $91.2 million.
• A fight over the weekend in Worcester ended with a man stabbed in the eye.

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

Today's Top Story

The Massachusetts National Guard is being called in to help kids get to and from school.

Gov. Charlie Baker's office on Monday said that 90 guard members will begin training on Tuesday to help communities experiencing severe bus and van driver shortages. Up to 250 will be made available to districts where they are needed in the coming weeks.

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said the Guard members will be trained as school van drivers. They will begin training in Chelsea, Lowell, Lawrence and Lynn.

The state said: "The mission will not interfere with the Massachusetts National Guard's ability to respond to and assist in emergencies within the Commonwealth."

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Today's Other Top Stories

MA cannabis retailer Nature's Remedy bought for $91.2M: A national cannabis company will pay $91.2 million to buy the Massachusetts retailer Nature's Remedy, which operates dispensaries in Millbury and Tyngsborough, and a grow operation in Lakeville.

DA releases name of man killed in Northborough fire: A two-alarm fire that broke out at 129 Maple St. early Friday morning claimed the life of one of the residents. When firefighters arrived, flames 30 to 40 feet high were blowing out the second floor front window, Fire Chief David Parenti said.

PorchFest is back in 2021: The moveable Natick music fest features an array of performers stationed on porches throughout the downtown area. The marks the first live PorchFest since 2019.

Framingham Coronavirus Test Site Closing: The temporary closure will last until Thursday because testing site at St. Tarcisius is also a polling location. Framingham will have a primary election on Tuesday.

Man stabbed in face in Worcester: Police arrested a 33-year-old city man after a fight in the Canal District. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital with a "serious" wound to the eye, police said.

Milton man dies after falling from stairs near MBTA station: Police say a man from Milton died over the weekend after using stairs near an MBTA train station that had been deemed unsafe. State police were notified by MBTA Transit Police around 1:30 p.m. Saturday that a body was found across from the JFK/UMASS station at 599 Old Colony Avenue.

Picture This

Salem Halloween 2021: Tourists welcome, but mask up indoors: A year after Salem officials made the painful and unprecedented decision to tell tourists to "stay away" for Halloween amid the coronavirus crisis, the holiday's unofficial hometown is once again opening its arms to visitors during the spooky season as long as they are willing to mask up inside businesses.