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Massachusetts is bracing for bitter cold in the coming days with wind chill temperatures expected to dip well below zero in some areas. Experts told NBC10 Boston that taking small steps now can help prevent major problems in your home later. Akian Plumbing, Heating, Cooling & Electric Founder Stephen Akian recommends: Taking a lap around your home, checking inside and outside for gaps, drafts, or cracks that can be sealed. Keep your heat at a consistent temperature—no lower than 60° even when you’re not home. “It’s hard for the system to keep up, so if you shut that off or ramp it down, that cold really penetrates the envelope of the home causing pipes to freeze or causing your system to shut down,” Akian said. Replace filters in heating systems. Test generators before the freeze hits. Check carbon monoxide detectors to make sure they’re working properly. Be cautious with constantly running faucets, as dripping water can freeze in drain lines. With temperatures expected to plunge well below zero with wind chills, these steps can help avoid burst pipes, system failures, and dangerous conditions. More on the cold and an incoming winter storm Weather 11 hours ago How to prepare for the winter storm that is set to hit half of the U.S. this weekend Extreme Weather 9 hours ago A January freeze is taking hold across the U.S. with little sign of letting up First Alert Weather 11 hours ago Big snow maker on the way this weekend? Updated timing, track and snowfall totals

Two people, including a firefighter, were hospitalized Wednesday after flames broke out at a home in Reading, Massachusetts. Crews responded to a call at 5:41 p.m. reporting the fire on James Road, Reading Fire Chief Rick Nelson said. Aerial footage showed flames bursting through a section of the roof as firefighters worked in frigid temperatures. A resident was treated for burn injuries before being taken to an area hospital. Fire officials did not give any information on that person’s condition. A firefighter also suffered an injury that is believed to be minor. He was hospitalized out of an abundance of caution, Nelson said. Two people were displaced by the fire. “I have known this family since I was a child,” said neighbor Alicia Zessis. “It’s a beautiful house, they’re a beautiful family.” Zessis has lived along James Road for 54 years. “Just so heartbreaking, it makes me want to cry. Really heartbreaking,” she said. The cold temperatures and ice complicated the crews’ response, and hoarding conditions inside forced all companies out of the building. “The conditions that they found inside were a lot of heavy personal belongings along the hallways and rooms,” Nelson said. “It made conditions very unsafe to be inside. They had high heat and heavy smoke conditions with very low visibility. So it was very dangerous.” Firefighters continued dealing with hot spots Wednesday night. Police said earlier that James Road was closed as crews battled the blaze. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

President Donald Trump said Thursday that proposed tariffs against European allies are off the table after what he described as a tentative agreement with NATO tied to Greenland and Arctic security. Trump said there is now a “concept of a deal” following talks in Switzerland, easing trade tensions that flared after European countries pushed back on his interest in acquiring Greenland. “I think it’s going to be a very good deal for the United States — also for them,” Trump said to CNBC. The announcement came after the president said the United States would not use military force to take Greenland from Denmark. Instead, Trump said the focus has shifted to cooperation with allies on security concerns in the Arctic region. “We’re going to work together on something having to do with the Arctic as a whole, but also Greenland — and it has to do with the security, great security, strong security, and other things,” Trump said. Earlier Thursday, the European Union said it would pause adoption of a U.S. trade deal reached last summer in response to Trump’s proposal to impose tariffs on a handful of EU countries opposed to U.S. ownership of Greenland. Trump later said those tariffs were removed as negotiations progressed. “We took that off, because it looks like we have, pretty much, a concept of a deal,” he said. “It’s a little bit complex, but we’ll explain it down the line.” Former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Alan Leventhal told NBC10 Boston he agrees with the president on security concerns in the Arctic, particularly as ice caps continue to melt. “Minerals and resources on the seabed in the Arctic Ocean are going to open up,” Leventhal said. However, he warned that pressuring allies could risk a broader trade conflict and send the wrong signal to adversaries like Russia and China as it pertains to taking over territory by force. “I think the best path is to work with the Danes and the Greenlanders to achieve whatever we want on Greenland, short of owning Greenland,” Leventhal said. Trump said the agreement would “last forever,” though he did not provide details. He also said owning Greenland would give the United States a greater incentive to defend it through his proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense system. More on Greenland Trump Administration 9 hours ago Trump pauses Greenland-linked tariffs on 8 European countries Trump Administration 16 hours ago Trump says he won't use force to acquire Greenland in Davos speech Trump Administration Jan 19 Trump links Greenland threats to Nobel snub as Europe eyes tariff retaliation

A May 2025 internal Immigration and Customs Enforcement document shows that the agency told officers and agents they can forcibly enter homes of people subject to deportation without a warrant signed by a judge. The memo, dated May 12 and which reads that it is from ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, was shared with U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., by two whistleblowers. It says that ICE agents are allowed to forcibly enter the home of a person using an administrative warrant if a judge has issued a “final order of removal.” Administrative warrants permit officers and agents to make arrests and are different from judicial warrants, which a judge or magistrate signs allowing entry into a home. Lyons notes in the document that detaining people “in their residences” based solely on administrative warrants is a change from past procedures. “Although the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has not historically relied on administrative warrants alone to arrest aliens subject to final orders of removal in their place of residence, the DHS Office of General Counsel has recently determined that the U.S. Constitution, the Immigration and Nationality Act, and the immigration regulations do not prohibit relying on administrative warrants for this purpose,” the memo reads. The memo says that agents may “arrest and detain aliens” in their place of residence who are subject to a final order of removal issued by an immigration judge, the Board of Immigration Appeals, or a U.S. district or magistrate judge. The memo says under general guidelines that officers and agents using a method called Form I-205 must “knock and announce” and that “in announcing, officers and agents must state their identity and purpose.” The Associated Press first reported on the document Wednesday. Immigration 8 hours ago Court lifts restrictions on immigration officers' tactics in Minnesota Trump Administration Jan 20 Trump's ICE force is sweeping America. Billions in his tax and spending cuts bill are paying for it Minnesota Jan 20 U.S. citizen says ICE took him from his Minnesota home in his underwear after warrantless search Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, said in a statement that immigrants in the country illegally who are served administrative warrants or I-205’s, which are removal or deportation warrants, “have had full due process and a final order of removal from an immigration judge.” “The officers issuing these administrative warrants also have found probable cause,” McLaughlin said. “For decades, the Supreme Court and Congress have recognized the propriety of administrative warrants in cases of immigration enforcement.” The group Whistleblower Aid, which is representing the whistleblowers who shared the memo with Congress, said, “This ‘policy’ flies in the face of longstanding federal law enforcement training material and policies, all rooted in constitutional assessments.” “In other words: the Form I-205 does not authorize ICE agents to enter a home,” the group said in a statement. “Training new recruits, many of whom have zero prior law enforcement training or experience, to seemingly disregard the Fourth Amendment, should be of grave concern to everyone.” Blumenthal said in a statement that the memo was “allegedly not widely distributed” despite being labeled “all-hands.” A copy of the memo shared with Congress is addressed to “All ICE Personnel.” “Instead, the disclosure claims that the memo was rolled out in a secretive manner in which some agents were verbally briefed while others were allowed to view it but not keep a copy,” Blumenthal said. “It was reportedly clear that anyone who openly spoke out against this new directive would be fired.” The memo is dated less than five months into the second term of President Donald Trump, who campaigned on mass deportations. Immigration crackdowns by the Trump administration against several Democrat-run cities have sparked protests and unrest,…