Massachusetts to use National Guard armory as shelter for illegal immigrants despite building's ongoing use



Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Maura Healey's office plans to convert a National Guard armory in Lexington into a temporary "safety-net" shelter for illegal immigrants, the Boston Herald reported Monday.

The Lexington Armory is roughly 35,000 square feet and includes an assembly hall, a mess hall with classroom space, a kitchen, showers, and administrative space.

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities stated that nine Massachusetts National Guardsmen are currently using the building to complete administrative tasks. Despite the facility's planned conversion into a shelter space, the guardsmen will continue to use the building daily.

Emergency Assistance director and retired Air National Guard Lt. Gen. Scott Rice told the news outlet that the armory will provide housing to 55 families. According to the Boston Herald, the site will also be open to homeless American families. The governor has claimed that many individuals utilizing the state's emergency shelter program are Massachusetts residents.

"We have identified a state-owned building in Lexington to use as a safety-net site for families experiencing homelessness. Preparations are underway in close collaboration with local officials, and we expect to open the site next month," Rice told the media outlet.

Many of the illegal immigrants who will move into the facility are currently residing at the Melnea Cass recreation center in Roxbury, one of Boston's poorest neighborhoods. Healey received a wave of backlash earlier this year for her office's decision to convert the space into an overflow shelter for illegal aliens. The community center is scheduled to reopen in May.

The MassGOP released a statement responding to the governor's decision to turn the armory into a shelter space.

"For years, homeless veterans have occupied our streets without access to the necessary options. Democrats didn't take such extreme measures to house homeless individuals until the migrant crisis took over Massachusetts. Now, we're witnessing these transitional housing facilities cropping up across the Commonwealth and veterans still aren't prioritized within the system. Representative Brad Jones made an attempt to address this through a recent amendment, but shockingly, Democrats swiftly shot it down. Clearly, Democratic priorities are not aligned with the values of the residents of the Commonwealth," MassGOP stated.

"It's crucial to emphasize to residents that the individuals slated for housing here and at all of these transitional sights do not fall within the 7,500 families limit imposed on the shelter system. They are categorized as 'in waiting.' The migrant population in the Commonwealth far surpasses the cap, with no end in sight. It's worse and more costly than folks realize," MassGOP added.

Massachusetts is the only state in the nation with a right-to-shelter law. Many have called for the law to be overhauled amid the ongoing illegal immigration crisis that has overwhelmed the state's emergency shelter system, which has a cap of 7,500 families.

According to the EOHLC, 7,483 families were in the state's shelter system as of Friday, the Boston Herald reported. Another 350 families are residing at "safety-net" sites while they wait for more long-term accommodations.

The influx of illegal immigrants seeking shelter is expected to place a significant financial burden on state taxpayers, totaling nearly $1 billion per year. Massachusetts budget writers reported that the state is currently spending $75 million monthly to support its shelter system, according to the Boston Herald.

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Nurse charged with murder after she injected 97-year-old man with 'something special' when he became agitated: Report

Nurse charged with murder after she injected 97-year-old man with 'something special' when he became agitated: Report



A nurse working in Lexington, Kentucky, has been formally charged with murder after reports state that she committed "intentional medical maltreatment" against an elderly patient who had become agitated.

James Morris, a 97-year-old WWII and Korean veteran, had been admitted to Baptist Health Hospital earlier this year after "a slip and fall injury," says a report from the state Board of Nursing. At some point during his stay, he had become agitated, and nurse Eyvette Hunter, 52, reportedly requested that he be given medication to calm him down. Her request was denied by both a doctor and a nurse practitioner, according to WKYT-TV.

Despite the refusals, Hunter was later allegedly spotted on April 30 injecting contents from a syringe either directly into Morris or into Morris's IV. When asked twice what she had administered to Morris, Hunter allegedly replied that it was "something special."

Reports claim that she gave him a dose of lorazepam, an anti-anxiety medication, which may have been intended for another patient. Lorazepam works by slowing brain activity.

Within a half-hour after the injection, Morris became sedated and began having difficulty breathing. When other medical care professionals attempted to assist him, they discovered that his oxygen saturation equipment had been turned off, presumably to silence its alarm.

The medical team managed to improve Morris's oxygen levels, but he had developed pneumonia from either some food or medicine he'd ingested. He then entered hospice, where he died two days later on May 5.

The report from the Board of Nursing claims that Hunter admitted to administering lorazepam to Morris without permission and that Morris died as "a direct result" of Hunter's actions.

"Despite the rapidly declining condition of the patient, [Hunter] never called for rapid response nor acted with any sense of urgency," the Board of Nursing stated.

Following a police investigation into the incident, Hunter was indicted for murder on Monday and taken into custody on Tuesday. She is currently being held at Fayette County Detention Center. Her bond has been set at $100,000.

The Kentucky Board of Nursing suspended her license after she was indicted. Baptist Health terminated her on April 30, though the hospital stated that she had no complaints lodged against her until her alleged treatment of Morris.

The Lexington Herald-Leader reports that Hunter was a traveling nurse who also worked at the University of Kentucky Chandler Medical Center, which likewise terminated her following her indictment. Until Monday, she had been a licensed and registered nurse in Kentucky since 2018. Before that, she had been a licensed LPN, beginning in 2007. The Herald-Leader claims Hunter had also been licensed as a nurse in other states, but which states and when she had been licensed remain unclear.


Kentucky police officer fired for supplying information to Black Lives Matter protesters



A Kentucky police officer has been fired for allegedly supplying law enforcement information to Black Lives Matter protesters.

Following a nine-hour hearing and two hours of deliberations, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council announced on Friday that Lexington police Officer Jervis Middleton was relieved of his duties.

Middleton was accused of overall misconduct, sharing internal police information, and being dishonest about his communication with Black Lives Matter protest leader Sarah Williams, a reported friend of the former police officer. A unanimous vote by the council found Middleton guilty of the first two administrative charges but not guilty of the third charge.

At first, Middleton denied he had given the information to Williams, but then admitted he did leak information after text messages from his phone obtained through a search warrant were shown to him, according to Keith Horn, a lawyer for the city of Lexington.

Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers recommended that Middleton be fired for several alleged policy violations, including putting fellow officers in danger by leaking information to Black Lives Matter protesters.

Weathers said he agreed with Middleton's firing, especially since he had previously been demoted for a formal complaint against him. "He was accused of using police computers to get information about a woman who had accused him of stalking and spying on her after their sexual relationship ended," according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

"I felt like the discipline he received last time should have been a message to him and allow him to come back and become the officer that I know he can be," Weathers said. "After this, I just can't see him coming back. To me, it was a violation of trust and a violation of the position of a police officer. He was supposed to protect the public, but he should also protect his fellow officers."

Weathers alleged that Middletown supplied BLM with "information that could be used to insult, intimidate and harass our officers while they were working the protests."

During the summer in Lexington, there were reportedly 59 social justice protests, including BLM and anti-police demonstrations.

Weathers said race was not a factor in the recommendation to dismiss Middleton, who had been on the force since 2007.

"Officer Middleton's conduct during a highly stressful and potentially vulnerable time during the history of our community — the most significant policing event in our community in 20 years — demonstrates that he should no longer be a police officer," Horn said.

Middleton's attorney Keith Sparks balked at the notion that the fired officer put law enforcement agents in jeopardy by sharing information, "The only harm is imagined harm."

The ACLU defended Middleton leaking inside police department information to Black Lives Matter protesters.

"Simply put, protest organizers should know whether and under what circumstances SWAT units (or other militarized police) will be deployed," Michael Aldridge, executive director of the ACLU of Kentucky, said. "Clear channels of communication and shared expectations make tense situations safer for police, protesters, and bystanders. Why does LFUCG feel that this information is so dangerous if shared?"