The Texas Rangers have confirmed that a body found earlier this week is that of Father Bill Costello, 71, a former pastor on Cape Cod and elsewhere in the Diocese of Fall River.
Law enforcement officials on Thursday said Costello was still officially missing, but on Friday afternoon they confirmed that Costello is dead and believed to be the victim of foul play, according to the Valley Morning Star, a newspaper in Harlingen, Texas, which is in the southern part of the state about 30 miles from the Gulf of Mexico.
The $960 million MGM Springfield casino opened with a parade and other festivities Friday, the first day full-fledged gambling has ever been allowed legally in Massachusetts.
Local officials and residents of Springfield, one of the poorest cities in the state, are hoping the new casino will revive their downtown and the rest of their city.
