Concord Journal

If you have to cut or bend a fence out of the way, it's a good sign that that area of the beach isn't open to you. The state park is reporting that visitors to Concord's Walden Pond are hiking off-path, swimming in water not designated to the beach and cutting and bending fences marking restricted areas in the effort to find a swimming spot.

CONCORD — The state's oldest medium-security correctional facility is no longer housing incarcerated men, even before the Legislature takes up an annual budget that will officially authorize its closure after nearly 150 years, the Department of Correction announced Wednesday.

CONCORD — Authorities say a 62-year-old man who was pulled unresponsive from Walden Pond on Wednesday afternoon has died. In a press release, the Middlesex District Attorney's Office said that according to preliminary reports, the Allston resident was swimming outside the designated swimming area and had been observed wearing snorkeling gear. The DA's Office said the man, who has not been identified, was found unresponsive by other swimmers about 200 feet from shore.

CONCORD — These shots may have been among those "heard round the world," but their remnants weren't found for nearly 250 years. Five musket balls dating back to the start of the Revolutionary War were recently unearthed by archaeologists working at Minute Man National Historical Park.

One of New England's most historic sites relating to the Revolutionary War is once again caught up in a battle of past and future. Minuteman National Park in Concord has been placed on the list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2024 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a non-profit organization that advocates and organizes to preserve sites relevant to the American history.

CONCORD — In 1999, Elmer Melendez emigrated with his wife and two young children from El Salvador to the United States. He did not speak English well but was eager to learn and not afraid to work hard. He washed dishes, bussed tables and cleaned hotel rooms. Twenty-five years later, Melendez, 51, owns four restaurants with his wife, Delmy Madana, including Dario’s and Tacos Tequilas in Fitchburg, Bandoleros Mexican Grill in Devens and Concord.

Sammy Grobman Boston University Statehouse Program CONCORD — The influx of migrants into Massachusetts, on top of an ongoing housing crisis, has generated controversy and headlines throughout the state. Meanwhile, one upscale Middlesex County town has quietly opened its arms, converting a motel into an emergency shelter. Last year, the Best Western in Concord was converted into a family shelter.

CONCORD — The Healey administration plans to close the state's medium security prison in Concord by this summer. According to an Executive Office of Public Safety and Security spokesperson, the incarcerated population at the prison stands at about 300 men, or about 50% of the prison's capacity. The prison has been in Concord for more than 150 years.

CONCORD — A carbon monoxide leak Wednesday at a senior living facility forced the evacuation of 70 residents, authorities said. Two contractors working at Newbury Court, 100 Newbury Court, and two residents were taken to a local hospital as a precaution, Fire Chief Thomas Lodge said in a press release. Newbury Court is a senior living facility for those over 55.

Submitted content CONCORD - Minute Man National Historical Park will receive approximately $27 million from the Great American Outdoors Act to address maintenance needs for the park’s buildings, structures, landscape, trails, signage and monuments.