 and welcome to our newscast for the BU News Service. I'm Laura Stickles. We begin with important news about the vaccination timetable here in Massachusetts. Governor Charlie Baker just released the timetable, stating that by April 19th, all Massachusetts residents will be eligible to be vaccinated. The announcement was made mid-morning at the Shaw Vaccination Center in Brockton, Massachusetts. The dates are as follows. April 19th, all Massachusetts adults, 16 years and older, will be eligible for vaccines before President Biden's recommended May 1st deadline. Starting March 22nd, anyone age 60 or older, as well as grocery store and other essential workers will be able to make vaccination appointments. Starting April 5th, anyone 55 years or older, or with one co-morbidity becomes eligible. I think most people in Massachusetts have done all they can do to work their way through the past year. I think the, I certainly believe the arrival of not one, not two, but three vaccines that are all deemed to be enormously effective and like 100% effective at eliminating hospitalizations and death in such a short period of time is not only a wonder, but also a real sense of hope for people. The state already launched a registration system that alerts users to available vaccinations once they become eligible. And that timetable comes just as Massachusetts is receiving an unexpected shipment of 8,000 Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines. Officials say this additional shipment is a surprise. They were told to expect a pause in deliveries of the single shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine until the end of March. Additional vaccines increased the state's allotment this week to 1,070 doses. Last week that number was 1,055 doses. Eight people are dead and a suspect is in custody after shootings at three different massage parlors in the Atlanta area Tuesday evening. At least six of the victims appear to be Asian women. CNN's Holly Furfer has more. An investigation is underway in Metro Atlanta. Multiple people have been shot. Following shootings at three different massage parlors on Tuesday that left eight people dead. We just heard numerous gunshots coming from across the street. The first in Cherokee County at around 5 p.m. Northwest of the city. We're looking at three homicides and two people are injured. Then an hour later authorities, 30 miles away in Northeast Atlanta, responded to a call of a possible robbery. As we responded to the call, we were able to come upon the scene where an individual was shot inside the location while at that location we received another call across the street at Shots Fire. Responded to that to find another individual shot at that location. One suspect 21 year old Robert Aaron Long was taken into custody in connection with the shootings after a dramatic car chase. Georgia State Patrol troopers performed a pit maneuver which caused the vehicle to spin out of control. Police believe Long was likely responsible for all three shootings but they have not yet specified a motive. I don't know how you would go in there or what kind of motive would drive you to do such a thing. In Atlanta, I'm Holly Furfer reporting. Police have not yet identified a motive but some public officials think the attack was racially motivated. President Biden is discouraging migrants from coming into the U.S. following a spike in unaccompanied migrant children crossing the southern border. Over 4,000 migrant children are in border patrol custody today after attempting to cross the border alone. I can say quite clearly don't come over in the process of getting set up. Don't leave your town or city or community. But federal officials don't expect the surge to stop. The Department of Homeland Security said the U.S. is on pace to encounter more individuals on the southwest border than it has in the past 20 years. Today, Russia is denying it interfered in the 2020 election, despite a U.S. intelligence report concluding that President Putin tried to denigrate then candidate Joe Biden. The Kremlin says it had nothing to do with any information campaigns against any candidate. U.S. intelligence report released Tuesday found foreign adversaries, including Russia, attempted to undermine public confidence in the election process. Some Boston University students are eligible to receive federal financial aid as part of the original COVID-19 stimulus package signed into law almost a year ago. BU News Services reporter Bart Tocchi has more. Boston University is set to receive $23 million as part of the United States new relief package. The big news for students? BU is giving them half. $11.5 million is headed over to BU students whose expected family contribution is under $15,000. You don't need to apply for it. If you filled out the FAFSA, you're already being considered. I went to campus to see if anyone wanted to talk about it. And that's where I met Elvis Marrera. I mean, I think BU is pretty expensive, so there's a lot of kids who would benefit off of that. So, I mean, I think that's great, honestly, that they're at least giving some to the students. Most students I spoke with didn't know about the plan, but they seemed to echo Marrera's sentiments. For Boston University News Service, I'm Bart Tocchi. About 9,000 students are expected to receive up to $1,400. In Japan's ban of same-sex marriage is declared unconstitutional, the ruling is on the basis that sexuality is not a matter of individual preference. This is the first time any Japanese court has ruled on this issue, a significant win for same-sex couples. The new ruling could help other pending lawsuits and urge the government to change the law. More fallout today from the recent explosive interview between Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry, and Meghan Markle. Prince Harry spoke with his brother William and father Prince Charles over the weekend, but reportedly called those conversations unproductive. CBS anchor Gail King made the comment after calling Prince Harry and Meghan to see how they were feeling after suggesting that royal family members had made some racially insensitive comments about their biracial son. King suggested that the couple was disappointed about the palace's response to the interview. Coming up next, you'll never guess which fruit contains the most pesticides. In a report about who is usually misdiagnosed about a dangerous disease, those stories and more when we return. When I first saw a turtle, my heart was full, not anything but lonely. We had this deep connection, this heart connection. He just wants to be close to you and part of your life. Every day with a turtle is a perfect day. When I'm holding her, it makes me feel calmer. I think everything he does shows how much he loves us. When we adopt a shelter pet, we discover there are a little bit of a lot of things, but they're all pure love. I don't remember how it started. Our back and forth, it always came back. You probably don't remember what you told me. That was perfect. But I heard every word. Welcome back. Former president Donald Trump urged weary Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine in an appearance on Fox News last night. This is a notable shift for the former president who dismissed precautions like masks and social distancing while in office. Trump acknowledged that people should decide for themselves whether they would be vaccinated. Research found less than half of Republicans say they probably or definitely will not get the shot. 25 points lower than Democrats according to associated press research. Strawberries had the highest amount of pesticides of any conventional produce. More than 30,000 samples of common produce were tested for the study by the Environmental Working Group. Almost three fourths had pesticide contamination residue, a 6% decline from last year. The study has already received flak from growers, nutritionists, and scientists in California. Only one in 10 Americans are eating enough fruits and vegetables each day. Women are missing from studies on heart disease according to a study published this week. The European Society of Cardiology found that chest pain and heart attacks were more frequently misdiagnosed in women than men. Women waited 12 hours longer than men to seek treatment for chest pain. BU News Services, Daphne Mark reports on how women can take control of their heart health. As Kimbie Dragnan was waking up in the hospital after her gallbladder was removed, she thought the severe pain in her chest, arms, and neck was a side effect of the surgery. When I woke up, I had the most excruciating pain in both of my upper arms. Felt like they were on fire. At age 38, Dragnan was having a heart attack. The nurse ran over to start assisting me and she started asking me about my heart. I thought she had the wrong patient. It wasn't until the next morning that I was told that I had had a massive heart attack and that I wasn't expected to survive the night. Heart attacks, strokes, and high blood pressure are the leading cause of death in the United States. Breaking the silence about women's heart health starts with talking to a doctor, says Dr. Ami Bhatt, director of outpatient cardiology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Heart disease is the number one killer of women. Women and men share many of the same signs and symptoms of heart trouble. If you have concerning symptoms in this general area and you are a woman, you should think as much as a man would think that this could be a heart attack. Advocate for yourself. Don't feel that you're bothering someone by telling them you have a symptom. We really do wanna know. It's been seven years since Dragnan survived her heart attack. She has this advice for other young women. I've met people who are in their 20s who have had heart disease or a heart attack or even a stroke. So you're never too young to start learning your numbers. The most important thing she said is to talk candidly about heart disease with friends and family. If heart health and women could be brought up at the dinner table, it would make such a difference in raising awareness. For BU News Service, I'm Daphne Mark. Americans should strive for two and a half hours of moderate intensity aerobic activity spread throughout the week according to the American Heart Association. BOT recommends finding a fitness partner and ramping up your workouts little by little. Today is St. Patrick's Day, but Americans are asked to celebrate with caution. Traditional St. Patrick's Day parades, including one in Boston are canceled this year due to the COVID pandemic. 33 million Americans identify as having Irish roots. The holiday is meant to mark the death of St. Patrick 1500 years ago. He is the St. believed to have brought Christianity to Ireland. Still to come, a preview of March Madness and the Red Sox have a big name, new owner. All the sports news and the upcoming weather forecast when we return. Hey, chat. Why do I wear a mask? Because when I'm not behind the screen, my mask is my cheat code. And when we stop the spread, we level up. What's the next level? Hanging with friends again. You're right. Mask have always been a part of our community. I miss you guys too. Being face to face is truly the next level. Here's the cheat code. Stop the spread of Corona. Mask up America. I hear someone go, didn't it come from you guys? Strangers cough at me. Move away from me. Someone spit towards my direction. All the stereotypes that we've worked so hard to break are just going to be reversed. And it won't let that happen. We all have to play our part. I donate my plasma. I've been making masks. We deserve respect as much as everybody else. I'm a firefighter, not a virus. I'm a mass maker, not a virus. I'm a nurse. I'm a delivery woman, chef, a neighbor. Artist. Bus driver. I'm a doctor. Fight the virus. Fight the virus. We've got much more to discuss in the world of sports today from March Madness to the Red Sox newest owner. BU newest services sports anchor, Valerie Wences has more. March Madness is upon us with the first four of the NCAA tournament tipping off in Indiana this Thursday. The world's largest bracket is on display on the side of the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis. At 47,000 square feet, the billboard took 100 hours to print according to sports graphics, the company that created it. The team names are on stickers that were smoothed onto the building with a squeegee. Some teams had to withdraw from the tournament due to COVID. They'll be replaced by a few teams who did not originally make the cut. And while March Madness is getting underway, there was a different kind of buzz underfoot Tuesday as news broke of NBA player LeBron James becoming part owner of the Red Sox parent company Fenway Sports Group. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar, LeBron James can now add a new title to his resume, partial owner of powerful sports management company, Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Boston Red Sox. Fenway Sports Group spokeswoman Zineb Curran declined to comment on the partnership, but Scott Becker, who owns the partnership agency Win Win, says celebrity ownership is becoming a big trend. You're seeing athletes of all kinds now starting to become as much business men and women as they are performers on the field of play. Becker has a history working in sports partnerships and with sports legends such as NFL quarterback Drew Brees and NBA player and sports analyst Shaquille O'Neal. In addition to the publicity, he says there are major benefits to the team's players. If you're the shortstop of the Miami Marlins and you're trying to improve your game, you can just send a text to the owner of your team who might be one of the greatest shortstops in the history of baseball, Derek Jeter. That's really powerful for players to be able to access that kind of experience literally at their fingertips. James is the first black partner at Fenway Sports Group. He previously owned 2% of the soccer franchise Liverpool Football Club, which is part of the Fenway Sports Group as is New England Cable News. Becker says LeBron James is global fan base and business smarts are a perfect match for Fenway Sports Group's global ambition. He's a terrific resource, great ambassador and he's a media mogul at this point. So he certainly brings a lot more than just his skill as a basketball player. Fenway Sports Group also received a 750 million investment from Redbird Capital Partners. The deal is awaiting MLB approval, which will take place over the next several weeks. An outbreak of COVID cases is linked to a youth wrestling tournament in Hampton, New Hampshire. At least 19 cases are reported among participants in the King of the Mat Wrestling tournament held at the RIM Sports Complex March 6th. Authorities are warning anyone who attended that event to get tested. On the ice last night, the Bruins had a solid win against the Penguins thanks to power play by David Pasternak who scored his 13th goal of the season. The second period got rough with Penguins getting a five minute major game misconduct for boarding. Bees Trent Frederick broke the tie for the Bruins in the third period and rookie Dan Vladar had 34 saves last night, making the game his first career win. I'm just the happiest game I've ever been. I mean, it was always my dream to play in an NHL and I got an opportunity and I won. So there hasn't been a better day for me hockey-wise. The Bruins will play the Sabres in Buffalo on Thursday. The New England Patriots went on a $200 million spending spree before the NFL Free Agency signing period kicked off at 4 p.m. today. The Pat signed seven free agents and sent a warning message to NFL rivals by snatching two top tight ends off the market in John U. Smith and Hunter Henry. Cam Newton is also returning to Foxboro on a one-year deal, but that didn't stop rumors of Pat's interest in Houston Texan's star quarterback Deshaun Watson who publicly demanded a trade last month. A much different mood filled TD Garden last night as the Boston Celtics fell 117 to 109 to the Utah Jazz. This season went neck and neck with the NBA's best team this season until the fourth when they allowed Utah to pull away and snatch the win. But on a positive note, Boston University's cross-country runner, Andrea Clayson, bagged the Patriot League Scholar Athlete of the Year Award. A BU athlete has now received the honor for two straight seasons as Abigail Google earned it back in 2019. As many as 50 million people are dealing with a severe storm outbreak that could cause tornadoes in the southeastern United States. Central Mississippi and small parts of Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana are at highest risk for a tornado from the storm. This is footage of a tornado that broke out in eastern Kansas on Monday from the same front. This storm is caused by a low pressure front from the west colliding with a high pressure front from the east. That same southern storm front is supposed to move northeast to the Boston area tomorrow. In BU News Service, weather anchor Justin Schmithorst has the latest on what you can expect then and for the upcoming week. Thank you, Laura. Right now it is about 41 degrees and sunny and that temperature will increase throughout the day, reaching a high of about 52 by 5 p.m. Tonight, temperatures are to dip into the mid-30s. Tomorrow, that storm front from the south will reach Boston later in the day and it will rain about an inch and a half to an inch. The high will be in the mid-50s but the early spring weather will take a chilling turn Thursday night into Friday morning. Temperatures will drop overnight from the low 40s that night to the high 20s Friday morning. The rain could turn into one to three inches of snow from midnight to 7 a.m. And the high will only be in the mid-30s. However, on Saturday, it is supposed to be sunny and warm up into the high 40s. That weather will stay with us for the remainder of next week as will more spring-like temperatures in the mid-50s to the 60s. It looks like we will have lucky weather for today and for all of next week except Friday to usher in the early spring season. From BU TV 10, I'm Justin Schmithorst and let's take it back to you, Laura. Again, Labrador Retrievers top the list as American's most popular breed. The American Kennel Club's list names Labs as the winner for 30 straight years. But the runner-up is an upset choice. French Bulldogs are number two replacing German Shepherd dogs, which had been the second favorite breed for more than a decade. This year, German Shepherds are in third place followed by the Golden Retriever. And that's it for our newscast. I'm Laura Stickles. Thank you for joining us and have a great day.