Today's Top Headlines

Friday, October 9

Good morning Wypierdalaj,

The judge in Matthew Farwell's trial has said she expects opening statements today after jury selection is complete. Other top headlines we're following include a woman murdered in Reading, with her son named as a person of interest. Plus, Hurricane Isaias will makes its move to Pensacola, Florida, late today -- will we see any impacts in New England this weekend? I'm Kaitlin McKinley Becker, and these are your headlines.

Matthew Farwell’s trial could finally begin in full today after hundreds of potential jurors were screened.

The jury still needs to be seated, but Judge Denise Casper is still aiming to start opening statements before the end of the day. She believes they will have a jury by mid-morning after both sides get through the current pool.

After that, opening statements would start right away, and two witnesses will be ready to take the stand.

All eyes are on the Gulf as Hurricane Isaias makes its move to Pensacola, Florida late in the day.

Winds are increasing, high surf is battering the coast, and tropical downpours continue all across the Southeast.

Rainfall will top 8-10” in some spots. Storm surge – the inundation of sea water from a landfalling hurricane – could be as high as 5-7 feet from Dauphin Island in Mobile Bay to Indian Pass near Apalachicola.

A man who was a person of interest in the death of his mother in Reading, Massachusetts, has been taken into custody by state police in Vermont, officials said Thursday.

Reading police shared this statement afternoon: “Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Reading Police Chief David J. Clark have confirmed that Ryan Hanafin has been located and taken into custody by Vermont State Police. There is no further risk to public safety. More information to follow regarding apprehension and any court appearances.”

Hanafin, 22, had been sought as a person of interest in the death of his mother, 49-year-old Andria Hanafin, at her home.

Police in Waltham, Massachusetts, are investigating a fight between students at Kennedy Middle School after video of the incident began circulating, and the city’s mayor says several charges are expected to be filed.

The video appears to show one student repeatedly hitting another inside the school. NBC10 Boston has blurred the video because children are involved.

“Several charges are being filed, and some of them are very serious charges,” Waltham Mayor Jeannette McCarthy told NBC10 Boston.

A woman is dead after she was found in her assisted living apartment with the thermostat set to 99 degrees.

The family of 86-year-old Sheila Szczypinski is still waiting for answers more than a week after she was found dead Sept. 30 inside her apartment at Golden Pond Assisted Living.

According to Hopkinton police, an aide entered Szczypinski’s room to provide scheduled bathing assistance and found her in bed and unresponsive.

After lengthy contract talks Thursday, there’s still no deal between Brigham and Women’s Hospital nurses and management less than a week before a planned strike.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association, the union representing 4,000 nurses, met with hospital management Thursday to bargain with less than a week to go before an open-ended strike that 93% of the nurses authorized in September. It’s currently set to begin on Oct. 14 if negotiations are unsuccessful.

Both sides reported Thursday evening that they weren’t able to reach a deal.