CHATHAM, Mass.

Shark sightings lead to limits on swimming

Authorities have banned swimming in parts of the eastern shoreline in Chatham after a number of sharks were spotted.

The announcement was made Tuesday following the great white shark sightings near Monomoy Island and the North Beach Inlets.

Officials banned swimming along the entire eastern shoreline within 300 feet of the seals who bask offshore and are a food source for the great whites.

The town officials not closing its east-facing beaches to swimming entirely but are suggesting that swimmers play close attention to surroundings and not venture too far off shore.

GLOUCESTER, Mass.

High school offers stadium naming rights for $500,000

Pro teams do it. Some colleges do it. So why not a high school?

Gloucester is selling the naming rights to its high school sports stadium for $500,000.

Mayor Carolyn Kirk’s office has drafted a request for proposals for title sponsorship rights to the aging stadium that needs $3 million worth of repairs. A private fundraising effort is also under way.

Kirk tells The Gloucester Daily Times that any new name must include the current name of the facility, Newell Stadium. It was named after a local naval officer killed in World War I.

SALEM, Mass.

Man charged with stealing jewelry gets prison time

A Massachusetts man charged with breaking into women’s homes and stealing jewelry after offering to shovel snow from their driveways has been sentenced in six to seven years in prison.

The Eagle-Tribune of North Andover reports that 51-year-old Charles Rogers was sentenced Monday in Salem Superior Court after pleading guilty to receiving stolen property valued at more than $250 and breaking and entering in the daytime to commit a felony.

Rogers agreed to plead guilty in exchange for prosecutors dropping a habitual criminal charge.

Police said Rogers approached his victims during snowstorms with offers to shovel their driveways for a fee, only to steal jewelry from them later. Authorities said they were able to catch Rogers after receiving a tip from a pawnshop.