Pet rally for Ollie's Law; candlelight vigil: Top 5 stories in the Brockton area last week
BROCKTON — In the spirit of Thanksgiving, The Enterprise asked what Brockton-area residents they are thankful for. From friends to family, people and things they loved, our neighbors took stock and counted their blessings.
In the tradition of giving, St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Bridgewater held its 20th annual Thanksgiving dinner and Father Bill’s & MainSpring provided more than 1,300 Thanksgiving meals to those in need on Thursday, hosting in-person gatherings at six sites in Brockton and Quincy and delivering meals to hundreds more households.
Speaking of Thanksgiving, the annual Plymouth Thanksgiving parade was downright historical.
In other news, a pet rally was held in support of bill for regulation of the boarding kennel industry and a West Bridgewater assessor avoided forced resignation through retirement.
Thanksgiving Day high school football was also back this year, and we have all the scores, highlights and photos.
In case you missed it, here are five stories from the past week throughout the Brockton area that resonated with our readers.
Brockton kennel owner says what happened to Ollie the puppy should never happen again
Jeni Mather, owner of JM Pet Resort on Pearl Street in Brockton, is drumming up support for a law that would regulate her own industry. She held a rally in support of bill H.305, also known as Ollie's Law, where legislators, animal advocates and Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan spoke in support of the bill and of the need to have "common sense" regulation of the boarding kennel industry. It all started in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, last October. Ollie, a 7-month-old puppy, was left by his owner, Amy Baxter, at a doggy day care for the day, when a group of dogs mauled him, leaving him horribly injured. "He was attacked at a facility that was not required to have a kennel license and was not inspected or overseen by any municipal or state agency," Baxter said at the rally.
Brockton pet rally: Brockton kennel owner says what happened to Ollie the puppy should never happen again
Pet rally photos: Brockton pet rally urges support for Ollie's Law
Massasoit offers free EMT program amid 'crippling workforce shortage'
To help people who are unemployed or underemployed jumpstart their healthcare careers Massasoit Community College is offering its upcoming emergency medical technician basic certificate program at no cost. "There is a shortage of EMTs and paramedics, so what's happening now is that ambulance services are using medical transport specialists, people that can drive an ambulance but don't have any EMT or paramedic training," said Scott Meagher, director of EMT and paramedic programs at Massasoit.
Free EMT program: Massasoit offers free EMT program amid 'crippling workforce shortage'
'His music will live forever': Budding Brockton artist killed in crash remembered
Jeffrey Cullen is being remembered by friends and family as a genuinely nice person with an ambitious heart who dreamed of making it big one day with music. "My brother was pursuing music for three years solid. I remember him being a kid playing with the guitar on the steps," said Joseph Cullen, the brother of Jeffery Cullen. "Jeff was the type of person who looked out for everyone. He was a genuine and giving person and music was his biggest dream." Cullen, 28, died on Nov. 17 after crashing his vehicle into a parked U-Haul truck and utility pole.
'His music will live forever':Budding Brockton artist killed in crash remembered
Candlelight vigil photos: Candlelight vigil held in Brockton for crash victim Jeffrey Cullen
Fatal accident: Brockton man, 28, dies after crashing into parked truck, utility pole
West Bridgewater assessor avoids forced resignation through retirement after incident
West Bridgewater Principal Assessor John Donahue was asked to resign by selectmen after a September incident where he and a resident got into an aggressive verbal altercation. Despite a unanimous vote by selectmen to ask Donahue to resign immediately, the Board of Assessors chose not to have him resign, but instead take a short unpaid suspension before retiring next spring.
Assessor asked to resign: West Bridgewater assessor avoids forced resignation through retirement after incident
Thanksgiving Day high school football was back
Brockton held on to beat Bridgewater-Raynham to capture the Southeast Conference title for the second straight season and East Bridgewater beat Rockland. Here's a roundup of all the local football games from Thanksgiving week.
High school football roundup: All South Shore scores and highlights from Thanksgiving rivalries
Brockton High wins: Brockton High football survives against Bridgewater-Raynham to capture conference title
WB beats Southeastern: HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Injured teammate's return inspires West Bridgewater past Southeastern
Brockton-B-R photos: Brockton vs. Bridgewater-Raynham Thanksgiving high school football
EB-Rockland photos: East Bridgewater vs. Rockland Thanksgiving high school football
Southeastern-WB: Southeastern vs. West Bridgewater Thanksgiving high school football
Abington-W-H photos: Abington vs. Whitman-Hanson Thanksgiving high school football
Cardinal Spellman photos: Archbishop Williams vs. Cardinal Spellman high school Thanksgiving football
Staff writer Kathy Bossa can be reached by email at kbossa@enterprisenews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Enterprise today.
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Pet rally, Thanksgiving football: Top Brockton-area stories last week
