New England news in brief

CHESTNUT HILL

Greek PM to address BC grads

Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis will deliver the commencement address for Boston College when the Class of 2022 receives their diplomas next month, officials said. Mitsotakis, who was elected to the Greek parliament in 2004 and became prime minister after his New Democracy party won a majority in the 2019 elections, will receive an honorary degree from the Rev. William P. Leahy, BC’s president, at the May 23 ceremony, the college said in a statement Tuesday. Mitsotakis ran on a platform promising economic growth, jobs, and reduced taxes to revive Greece after it lost a quarter of its gross domestic product and its banks almost collapsed following the global recession of 2008, according to the statement. In 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Greece’s central bank reported 7 percent economic growth, and it has projected 5 percent growth for this year, officials said. Mitsotakis earned a bachelor’s degree at Harvard University, a master’s degree at Stanford University, and a master of business administration degree from Harvard Business School, according to the statement. His wife and son are Boston College alumni. Boston College will also present honorary degrees to alumni Yolanda Lyle, vice president of executive operations at Pfizer Inc.; the Rev. Nicholas Sannella, a former vascular surgeon who is now a parish priest in Lowell; Patrick T. Stokes, former chief executive of Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc.; and Arivee Vargas Rozier-Byrd, senior director of employee relations at Vertex Pharmaceuticals, officials said.

CAMBRIDGE

Driver cited for ‘dooring’ bicycle

A driver was cited for opening a car door into the path of a tandem bicycle around 1 p.m. Saturday, injuring the two riders, police said. Police responded to Rogers and Third streets for a crash involving two bicyclists and a driver of a motor vehicle around 1 p.m., said Jeremy Warnick, a police department spokesman. A woman on the bike suffered an arm injury and was taken to a hospital. The man suffered a hand injury, Warnick said. The driver was not identified. Dooring is a state law that requires people in cars to safely open their doors into moving traffic to prevent collisions.

EVERETT

Train strikes car stuck on tracks

Two people escaped from a car that got stuck on train tracks before a commuter rail train struck the vehicle early Saturday, according to MBTA Transit Police. The vehicle was destroyed and towed from the scene. A preliminary investigation indicates the driver was following directions provided by a GPS device, which put them on the tracks, Transit Police Superintendent Richard Sullivan said. There were no people on the train. There were no injuries. The investigation is ongoing.

PEMBROKE

Woman killed in crash

A 54-year-old Plymouth woman died early Saturday morning on Route 3 after she was thrown from her car during a two-vehicle rollover crash, according to State Police. The woman was driving south shortly before 2:30 a.m. when her 2019 Mercedes SUV sideswiped a Honda Ridgeline, which was operated by a 42-year-old Oak Bluffs man, State Police said in a statement. The Mercedes rolled over and the woman was ejected. She died at the scene. The man was not injured, State Police said.

SPRINGFIELD

Man charged with threatening LGBTQ violence

A California man was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to bomb Merriam-Webster Inc.’s Springfield headquarters and to commit anti-LGBTQ violence against employees over the dictionary company’s definitions of females, federal prosecutors said Friday. Jeremy David Hanson, 34, of Rossmoor, Calif., was arrested Tuesday on one count of interstate communication of threats to commit violence, and made an initial appearance in federal court for the Central District of California, according to the US Attorney’s office for Massachusetts. He is due to appear on April 29 in US District Court in Springfield, the statement said. Hanson allegedly sent Merriam-Webster various threatening messages and comments between Oct. 2 and Oct. 8, 2021 through its website’s “Contact Us” page and in the comments section on its web pages that corresponded to the word entries for “Girl” and “Woman,” prosecutors said. The statements demonstrated “bias against specific gender identities,” according to the statement. The threats prompted Merriam-Webster to close its offices in Springfield and New York City for five business days, the statement said.