By Molly Farrar The Connecticut man accused of killing a Massachusetts mother and her 4-month-old baby in a drive-by shooting last week was arrested in Puerto Rico Saturday, officials said. Jessiah Mercado, 20, and her son Messiah were shot in a vehicle Tuesday on New Britain Avenue in Hartford, police said last week. Another occupant of the vehicle was treated for a non-life threatening gunshot wound, and the driver was uninjured. Lance Morales, 23, of Waterbury, was arrested in Puerto Rico Saturday after Hartford police identified him as the alleged shooter, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Video showed Mercado’s car parked when Morales allegedly pulled up next to the car and opened fire, according to police. Morales has been charged with two counts of murder, first-degree assault, criminal possession of a firearm, criminal attempt to commit first-degree assault, and murder with special circumstances, the Marshals said. Mercado and her son were both from Springfield , but Messiah was in the state’s foster care system, MassLive reported . The agency said they are investigating the situation. When police suspected that Morales had fled to Puerto Rico, the Marshals’ Puerto Rico Violent Fugitive Task Force stepped in and arrested him at a residence in Fajardo, according to the Marshalls. Police there formally charged Morales as a fugitive of justice, and he will be extradited to Connecticut. “This arrest is a testament to the close collaboration between the U.S. Marshals Service and our valued law enforcement partners,” acting U.S. Marshal for the District of Connecticut Lawrence Bobnick said. “It demonstrates the reach these partnerships bring to the pursuit of justice.” Molly Farrar Molly Farrar is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on education, politics, crime, and more. Boston.com Today Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox each morning. Be civil. Be kind.
IT takes a village to raise a child. And the Philippine village — the myriad entities needed to feed, clothe, shelter, medicate, educate and morally form our children into self-reliant, responsible citizens — are weak or broken. Even as Filipino Catholics celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family on Dec. 29, the Sunday after Christmas, we cannot but lament the grave problems and failings in the protection, strengthening and development of the Filipino family. A third of Filipinos 5 years of age or younger are stunted in body and mind due to severe malnutrition in the first 1,000 days of life since conception — among the 10 highest stunting rates on the planet. Stunting cuts learning and earning potential for life. It is "the most bothersome" among challenges in child education, argues the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), a think tank of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). And despite worsening hunger — afflicting 25 million Filipinos, based on Social Weather Stations' June and September surveys — other matters distract national leaders, especially legislators who even slashed social services funding to boost expenditures in the 2025 budget seen as helping electioneering for the May polls (https://tinyurl.com/534ue5xh). Our housing shortage runs into several millions. Double that shelter-challenged number and that's how many Filipino children do not live in the security of their own homes, assuming there are only two children per household (the poor average more). Every year, hundreds of billions of pesos are spent on public health, not counting resources of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. collected from Filipinos but used by the government for non-health purposes. Yet our maternal mortality rate — the number of women who die while giving birth, a key measure of public health services — is estimated at 189.21 per 100,000 live births in 2021, based on Department of Health data. That's nearly triple the 2030 target of 70 set by the United Nations Strategic Development Goals. On education, there's the dismal performance of 15-year-old Filipino students in the 2022 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, where they ranked third-worst in science and sixth-worst in reading and mathematics. PIDS blamed poor PISA scores on late start of formal schooling, low parental support and models of aspiration, inadequate school resources like learning materials and classrooms, no information and communications technology at home, and bullying and ill-discipline in school. Who's minding families? What about the family itself? Is it staying together amid livelihood, learning, health and other challenges? Well, marital separation rates have steadily risen over the decades, though no agency is mandated by Congress to watch over the family. This is despite Article XV in the Constitution, titled "The Family," recognizing the family as "the foundation of the nation" and mandating that "The State ... shall strengthen its solidarity and actively promote its total development." Plus: "Marriage, as an inviolable social institution, is the foundation of the family and shall be protected by the State." Article XV also mandates "the right of children to assistance, including proper care and nutrition, and special protection from all forms of neglect, abuse, cruelty, exploitation and other conditions prejudicial to their development." And "the right of the family to a family living wage and income ..." Given the undeniable challenges and failings doing no little harm to the Filipino family, with even Congress enacting measures like the anti-poor, pro-electioneering 2025 national budget, there is more than ample reason for an executive order creating a Presidential Commission on the Family (PCOF) to coordinate government and other social entities for whole-of-nation programs and undertakings to fulfill the constitutional mandate to strengthen family solidarity and actively promote its development? Congress may eventually create a national authority like NEDA focused on Article XV, but Filipino families should not have to wait. The then-president Gloria Arroyo created the Commission on Information and Communications Technology in 2004, a dozen years before its successor department was established by law. President Marcos can do Filipino families a similar service while waiting for Congress to pass a law effectively implementing "The Family" article in our Constitution. What would the PCOF head do? As a Cabinet member advancing the family, he or she would combine the coordination of departments, agencies and local governments, which NEDA does for economic and social development, and the interface with nongovernmental organizations and sectors coordinated by the National Anti-Poverty Commission. The Family Commissioner should also monitor and assess government actions and policies as well as actions by the business, education, health and other sectors regarding their impact on families, especially vulnerable segments like women, children, the elderly and the poor. In advancing family protection and development, the PCOF should make sure to give attention to values formation, not just material aspects of its mandate. Rich, educated, healthy children who have no respect and concern for elders, as Article XV mandates, require PCOF action just as those suffering malnutrition, disease and poverty do. The Feast of the Holy Innocents on Dec. 28, the day before the Holy Family celebration, commemorates the appalling Gospel story from St. Matthew (Mt 2:13-18) about the massacre of infant boys in and around Bethlehem ordered by King Herod to assassinate the Messiah prophesied to become Israel's monarch. Today, political leaders continue to put families in harm's way, whether in wars in Ukraine and Israel decimating defenseless civilians, or through state budgets that advance political agenda at the poor's expense. To protect Filipino families from pernicious policies and actuations, and advance their solidarity and development as mandated by our Constitution, we need a Presidential Commission on the Family, or a similar entity by another name. May our beloved Santo Niño inspire our leaders to make it happen. Amen.
LONDON (AP) — Barely a month after quitting international rugby, former England prop Joe Marler has brought forward his retirement plans and will end his time in the sport completely this week. Marler’s last match will be for Harlequins, his team since 2009, at home to Bristol in the English league on Friday. The 34-year-old Marler had indicated he would continue playing club rugby until the end of the season. He has made 285 appearances for Harlequins since arriving in 2009 and retires with two English league winners medals. “The time has come to finally jump off the rollercoaster and walk away from this beautifully brutal game,” he said Wednesday. The charismatic Marler announced on Nov. 3 that his 95-cap test career was over, days after he left England’s camp ahead of the November internationals because of personal reasons. He had baited New Zealand in the build-up to England’s first autumn test match by criticizing the Haka, stating on social media that it is “ridiculous” and “needs binning.” He later apologized for the comments. ___ AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
DETROIT -- No legal action will be issued against Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams stemming from his traffic stop on Oct. 8, Wayne County prosecutors said. After reviewing a warrant request on a concealed weapons charge , the Wayne County Prosecutor's office concluded that the warrant was denied because the case law is silent regarding the specific issue, and the legislative intent of the Concealed Pistol License (CPL) statute does not support charges under these facts. Prosecutor Kym Worthy released a statement, saying that they looked at the case thoroughly and objectively, despite Williams' NFL status. "We did not consider that Mr. Williams is a Detroit professional athlete in our decision making," Worthy wrote. "We have charged Detroit area athletes before and would not have hesitated to do so again if the facts of this case could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. "When it comes to charging decisions, we do not take into consideration who the potential defendant is, how much power and influence they have, or how beloved they may be. We deal with the facts and the law only." Editor's Picks Lions WR Williams: PED ban 'complete surprise' 32d Eric Woodyard According to the report, Williams was riding as a passenger in a vehicle driven by his brother when they were stopped on Tuesday, Oct. 8 at approximately 1:02 a.m. by two Detroit police officers in a fully marked scout car. They observed a black sedan with an obscured license plate allegedly driving over the speed limit, and in an unsafe manner, the report said. Police asked Williams' brother if there were any weapons in the vehicle, and he said there were two guns -- one in the back seat and one under Jameson Williams' passenger seat. The gun in the back seat was registered to Williams' brother, who had a concealed pistol license, along with a valid Michigan driver's license, proof of insurance, and registration. The gun under the passenger seat was registered to Jameson Williams, who did not have a concealed pistol license, according to the report, but after review, he would be qualified to obtain a license to carry a concealed pistol and transport the same. There were also no facts in this case that would support a finding that Williams is a criminal or dangerous individual, Wayne County Prosecutor's Office analyzed. Jameson Williams, who repeatedly identified himself as a player for the Lions during the stop according to body camera audio, was handcuffed and put in the back of a police car, but was later released at the scene when a Detroit Police Department supervisor arrived. The brother who was driving the car was issued traffic citations. Worthy said they had a team of issued lawyers to evaluate the case, and all agreed that they reached the best decision under the unique circumstances of the law. "The CPL holder here was the driver and had care, custody, and control of the car. Guidance is needed for the future on how many weapons can a valid CPL say that they have control over? Despite all of this, if Mr. Williams had the gun on his person, he would have been charged," Worthy said. "I urge the legislature to immediately look closely at this law so that the prosecutors in Michigan can have steady and meaningful guidance in the future." Williams was selected 12th overall by the Lions in 2012 out of Alabama. He is the Detroit's second-leading receiver with 602 receiving yards and four touchdowns behind Amon-Ra St. Brown, despite missing two games without pay for violating the NFL's Performance-Enhancing Substances Policy, which he accepted on Oct. 24, calling it a "complete surprise." Since his reinstatement, Williams exploded for a career-best 124 yards with a touchdown in Week 11 versus Jacksonville. The 10-1 Lions are off to their best start in 90 years and Williams says he's learned to "move smarter." "I've always been the same person. It don't change me, never will change me. Certain people want to see you down, certain people want to see you with your head down and not doing the right thing, not making the right decisions, but I'm me," Williams told reporters on Nov. 6. "I always come out of every situation the same person and I'm always gonna be the same person every day. "So, I really just was telling (my teammates) that I'm good and thanks. I appreciated everybody who checked on me."First Horizon Names New Head of Investor RelationsIs Taiwan Semiconductor About to Surge? History Could Repeat Itself