Family Finds Grief At End Of 'Methadone Mile': The HUB

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Today is Thursday, October 21. Let's get started.

Mass. and Cass. might be the epicenter of Boston's opioid addiction, but for visitors and even many city residents, it's a place they drive through or hear a story about and don't think about again for a while. But for people that live along "Methadone Mile" and their families, the public health crisis is their reality. WCVB Boston gave readers and viewers a glimpse into that reality, with its interview of Kristina Barboza, a mother whose son died homeless along Mass. and Cass. In 2017, CNN interviewed Kristina Barboza's son Billy Donovan about drug addiction along Mass. and Cass.

"I'm a junkie. I've been shooting heroin for 16 years," Donovan told a CNN reporter. "I'm homeless. I live on the sidewalk and this is my life."

Barboza told WCVB, when she saw that interview, she was both sad and relieved. At the time, she didn't know where her son was or even if he was still alive. After the CNN interview, Donovan went to a detox facility, but eventually, he ended up on the streets of Boston again.

"A lot of waking up and wondering, is today going to be the day that I'm going to get a call that he's dead?” Barboza told WCVB. "The phone would ring. The panic would start. What is it going to be?"

Barboza unfortunately would eventually get that call. Last April, Donovan had a heart attack and was placed in a medically induced coma. Barboza was with her son when he was taken off life support.

Read more from WCVB Boston.

Top stories

We all know you can't bring a gun on a plane, but apparently you can't bring a cane either — at least not one that looks like a gun. Transportation Security Administration officers at Logan airport stopped a woman at a security transport when it looked like she was carrying a weapon. It turned out it was a cane shaped like a gun. (NBC 10 Boston)

A man accused of killing his wife and a transgender activist in Dorchester was arraigned Wednesday and ordered held without bail. Prosecutors say Marcus Chavis, 35, killed his wife 28-year-old Fatima Yasin, and Jahaira DeAlto, 42, a widely respected activist. District Attorney Rachael Rollins said DeAlto's death "has shaken the entire LGBTQ+ community and supporters who had the opportunity to behold the incredible light she brought to the world. As an advocate for transgender rights and victims of domestic violence, she was a leader whose loss is felt across communities." (Boston Globe)

Federal regulators are expected to adopt a mix-and-match approach to COVID-19 booster shots, meaning someone that got two doses of the Moderna shot may get a Pfizer booster. But is taking this approach in your best interest? That's what three of Boston's top doctors tried to answer in a weekly interview with NBC 10 Boston. (NBC 10 Boston)

Just Next Door

Target is opening a new location in Quincy this weekend. This new spot can be found in a convenient space not far from the intersection of Hancock Street, West Squantum Street, and East Squantum Street, close to the North Quincy Train stop. (Quincy Patch)

A lighter touch

About four years ago, Rafaela Polanco was afraid to speak at Boston School Committee meetings. She was living in a homeless shelter and because she doesn't speak fluent English, she worried people would kick her out of the meaning and assume she's a rabble-rouser. A lack of translation options shut her out of having a voice, but now she serves on the school committee and is trying to lift the voices of parents that struggle with English. (Boston Globe)

Elsewhere in Massachusetts

After owning and operating a multi-million dollar unlicensed marijuana delivery service, a Milton woman must face four years behind bars. On Tuesday, Deana Martin, 53, was sentenced to four years in prison and three years of supervised release by a judge. She was also ordered to pay $528,146 in restitution. Martin owned and managed Northern Herb, a website offering marijuana products for sale without requiring customers to provide proof of a medical marijuana card. She had a 25-person staff, made $80,000 a month, and used the drug money to buy a Porsche, according to prosecutors. (Milton Patch)

Weather: The National Weather Service says mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 74. Southwest wind, 6 to 10 mph.

– Jimmy Bentley

About me: Jimmy Bentley is a Massachusetts and Rhode Island field editor for Patch covering Cape Cod, Braintree, Barrington, East Greenwich, East Providence and North Kingstown. He was a reporter at the Plympton-Halifax Express and interned for Patch while earning his master's at Emerson College. In his free time, Jimmy hits concerts (sometimes reviewing them for Patch), watches movies and plays ice hockey.