Today's Top Headlines

Thursday, October 8

Good morning Wypierdalaj,

A search is underway for whomever was responsible for a deadly shooting in Boston's Hyde Park neighborhood yesterday, and we continue to follow the Matthew Farwell trial with jury selection resuming today. We're also tracking Hurricane Isaias, and how its remnants could impact New England this weekend. I'm Kaitlin McKinley Becker, and these are your headlines.

A man has died after being shot Wednesday afternoon in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood.

Boston police said officers responded shortly after 5 p.m. to the 1100 block of Hyde Park Avenue.

An adult male was found suffering from a gunshot wound, Boston Police Superintendent Paul McLaughlin said at a press conference. He was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The case against former Stoughton Police Det. Matthew Farwell over the death of Sandra Birchmore is moving closer to testimony, with jury selection well underway.

Prosecutors say Farwell killed 23-year-old Birchmore, who was pregnant, and staged her death to look like a suicide. Yet Farwell is not facing a murder charge.

NBC10 Boston chief legal analyst Michael Coyne explains that murder is primarily a state crime handled by the local district attorney. In this case, because the medical examiner initially found Birchmore’s death was a suicide based on the original autopsy, state murder charges were not filed.

A weak cold front is crossing this morning. This is perhaps our only worthy topic in New England over the next couple of days. While a sprinkle may pass in some communities, many of us stay dry. What’s noteworthy is our return to the low 70s this afternoon, with a brisk breeze.

Temps tomorrow drop only a bit (we said the cold front was weak) – back to the upper 60s. Then down a couple more degrees – thanks to a chilly start – on Saturday.

Right now, Saturday looks like the pick of the week with sunshine dominating.

A growing number of injuries and declining participation have forced a Massachusetts high school football team to cancel a game this week.

Millis High School won’t play its scheduled game Thursday against Bellingham, leaving players and families disappointed as the school works to keep its football program going.

Millis junior Jayden Montaro is one of the players who won’t be taking the field this season. He is recovering from torn ACL and MCL injuries suffered during the preseason.

The MBTA is looking into the possibility of solving their pigeon problem by bringing in birds of prey.

The T says the pigeons are a hazard for riders and transit workers alike. Bird droppings can corrode infrastructure and create unsanitary conditions. Here’s a quick look at the dozens of Boston 311 reports about pigeon problems on the MBTA.

According to Boston.com, the T is now seeing if falcons and hawks can be used to scare off the birds. The MBTA sent out a request for information to falconry experts asking them to weigh in on the feasibility of initiating a birds of prey program across 200 stations.

Isaias surged toward the U.S. Gulf Coast on Thursday as the first hurricane of the Atlantic season, prompting mandatory evacuations and school closures in parts of Florida.

Isaias was forecast to intensify rapidly and bring strong winds and a life-threatening storm surge to the Florida Panhandle, southern Alabama and southern Mississippi when it makes landfall on the northern Gulf Coast late Friday or early Saturday. Heavy rain with the risk of flooding was possible into the weekend as far inland as the Tennessee Valley.

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds around 80 mph (129 kph) and was moving east-northeast at 9 mph (15 kph) early Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. It was centered about 420 miles (676 kilometers) south-southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River.