Feedback Earth reopens following fire on roof

By Maureen Sullivan Assistant Editor

fran Mutar, 20 — was crossing Route 9 at the intersection with South Street while she was on her way home at 10 p.m. after working at CVS when she was struck.

Mutar had been brought to UMass Memorial Medical Center where she later died of her injuries.

Law enforcement began searching for the suspect vehicle, which had left the scene of the crash.

Witnesses told police that the vehicle pulled into a nearby dealership where a man and woman exited the car to assess the damage. They then got back into the vehicle and continued on Route 9.

According to the statement of facts filed in Westborough District Court, surveillance footage showed the woman discard a bottle from the vehicle, and when police recovered it, they learned it was a bottle of tequila that was three-fourths filled with a pink liquid.

Westborough police located a vehicle at the Extended Stay America on Oct. 31 with heavy front-end damage.

Santiago was arraigned in Westborough District Court on Nov. 2 where a judge set his bail at $50,000. According to Early’s office, he is still in custody.

Santiago and Riopelle will be arraigned in Worcester Superior Court at a later date.

GRAFTON – Feedback Earth at 109 Creeper Hill Road has resumed operations following a fire on its roof on Jan. 30.

“Over the past two weeks, we have halted production as we investigate the root cause of the fire, implement facility and procedural changes to ensure the events cannot happen again, and inspect/repair our equipment to the highest standards,” according to a release from Feedback Earth.

“Through this time, we have been in close contact with the Grafton Fire Department, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, Town of Grafton and other agencies to ensure alignment in our proceedings and actions.

“We have completed our investigation and as a result have implemented new procedures and enhanced fire safety automation to prevent incidents like this in the future,” according to the release.

The facility, which converts food waste into animal feed, reopened on Feb. 13.

“We are extremely grateful to the multiple partners in the community who responded quickly to aid our cleanup and restoration efforts – Davron Equipment, All-Steel Fabrication, Killborn Construction, Aulo Brothers Trucking, EDI Electric, Petrone Plumbing and many others,” said Feedback Earth.

Feedback Earth was established in 2020, and is capable of upcycling 375 tons of food waste per day.