“(BOSTON, MA)- Rep. Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett) is pleased to note that up to $100K will be distributed to the town to defray costs incurred from the August, 2023 tornado. The EF-1 tornado left homes, trees, power lines including the town’s water treatment building damaged.

“The funds going to the town will certainly help with the associated costs of the ongoing repairs and restoration”. I applaud the Healey-Driscoll Administration for the inclusion of the Governor’s year end closeout supplemental budget and recognizing Mattapoisett as a municipality that was affected by a natural disaster.”-Rep. Bill Straus.

“The Biden-Harris Administration today announced it is awarding nearly $150 million to 24 grant recipients in 20 states to make existing electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure more reliable. The grants will be used to repair or replace nearly 4,500 existing EV charging ports and in some cases, bring them up to code.

These targeted investments complement the tens of billions in Federal and private sector funding that is building out a national EV charging network, and support good paying jobs across the country installing, maintaining, and repairing EV infrastructure. Today’s announcement is the latest milestone towards the President’s goal of bringing at least 500,000 public EV chargers online by the end of the decade.

“The EV revolution is here. To make the most of it we must ensure that everyone, from the largest cities to the most rural communities, has access to reliable EV charging infrastructure,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “These grants bring us another step closer to a national EV charging network that keeps up with the EV transition that’s well underway.”

em>The 20 states who will benefit from the Biden-Harris administrations grants.

“President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is building an EV charging infrastructure that can power our clean transportation future,” said U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm. “These investments will ensure that Americans have a convenient and reliable experience when they charge their vehicles at public stations.”

The funding for today’s awards is part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda and comes from a new program from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program that was newly created under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. NEVI is a $5 billion program administered by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and supported by the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to help States build out EV charging.

Program rules stipulate a 10% set-aside for States or localities that require additional assistance to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure. This first round of funding focuses on improving the reliability and accessibility of the current network by repairing or replacing existing EV charging infrastructure. This funding direly complements larger-scale investments being made by the Biden-Harris Administration and by private companies to construct new charging stations.

“Increasing reliable access to EV charging is key to increasing EV adoption,” said US DOT Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “Today’s announcement is another investment in a national network that will be interconnected, interoperable, user-friendly, accessible, affordable, and reliable.”

“Charging your electric vehicle should be as easy and convenient as filling up a gas tank – and these grants will help do that by making our EV charging network more reliable,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “We’re building a bigger and better EV charging network to keep up with driver demand, and we’re also ensuring the existing network works when you need a charge.”

“Making it easy for everyone to ride and drive electric means making sure that drivers can always count on EV charging stations to work when they’re needed,” said Gabe Klein, Executive Director of the Joint Office. “Repairing and replacing existing stations gives drivers the confidence they need to choose electric, complementing the buildout of much-needed, new infrastructure while creating good jobs across the country.”

Eligible applicants and projects for the EV Charger Reliability and Accessibility Accelerator Program were outlined in a Notice of Funding Opportunity published in September 2023. For a full list of grant recipients, please visit the FHWA web site.

Under President Biden’s leadership, EV sales have more than quadrupled, and the number of publicly available ports has grown by over 70% since he took office. Read more about the Biden-Harris Administration’s $7.5 billion investment to make our EV charging network bigger and more reliable and how it has helped spur more than $130 billion in new private sector investment in electric vehicle, battery, and EV charging manufacturing – including over $155 billion in U.S. EV battery manufacturing alone.”

“Chief Oliveira and Assistant Deputy Chief Carola took a ride over to the Va New Bedford Clinic to drop off buckets filled with winter coats and other goodies ??

The buckets were distributed at the annual #Coats4Vets event at Gillette Stadium in collaboration with the New England Patriots Foundation, the Massachusetts Military Support Foundation Inc., Ocean State Job Lot, and The Home Depot.”-City of New Bedford Police Department.

City of New Bedford Police Department photo.

Cherie Kostant photo.

Cherie Kostant photo.

Video by Cherie Kostant:

“Congratulations to our recruits who graduated from the 75th Class of the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy! They will be sworn into the New Bedford Police Department on Friday ??‍♀️?.”-City of New Bedford Police Department.

“PLYMOUTH – Yesterday, the Municipal Police Training Committee Executive Director Robert Ferullo and Plymouth Academy Director Eileen Goodick announced the graduation of 48 police officers from the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy’s 75th Recruit Officer Class. The graduates successfully completed over 20 weeks of intensive, standardized training in all aspects of law enforcement and will now serve as full-time officers representing 27 police agencies across Massachusetts.

The women of the 75th ROC Plymouth Police Academy. Photo by MPTC Plymouth Police Academy.

“The latest MPTC graduating class represents our investment in the future generation of public safety leaders who are well-prepared to protect and serve their communities and advance public safety across the Commonwealth,” said MPTC Executive Director Robert Ferullo (Ret. Police Chief). “I commend their commitment to meeting our statewide professional training standards, which has prepared these officers to provide communities with exceptional policing services by putting into practice the advanced skills, values, and principles engrained throughout their training.”

In a graduation ceremony at the Plymouth Memorial Hall earlier today, members of the 75th ROC took an oath and received their badges for service. The new officers represented several police departments and agencies, including Attleboro, Auburn, Barnstable, Bourne, Bridgewater, Brockton, Bunker Hill Community College, Duxbury, Eastham, Emerson College, Foxborough, Harwich, Leominster, Marlborough, Massachusetts Environmental, Middleborough, Milton, Nantucket, Needham, New Bedford, Northeastern University, Pembroke, Plainville, Plymouth, Provincetown, Truro, and Whitman. They join over 300 officers who have graduated from MPTC-operated academies in training year 2023-2024.

Administering the Oath of Honor to the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy 75th Recruit Officers Class graduates this afternoon at Plymouth Memorial Hall. Congratulations to the recruits and their families. Be safe! Photo by District Attorney Tim Cruz.

The Recruit Officer Course provides over 800 hours of course curriculum designed to prepare student officers for the safe and effective performance of their duties. In keeping with mandates established by the landmark 2020 police reform law, the MPTC curriculum includes de-escalation training based on new use-of-force policies and regulations. Student officers also receive uniform training based on best practices related to essential modern-day policing needs, including effective communication skills, victim-centered and trauma-informed incident response, missing persons and human trafficking investigations, mental health-related emergency response, active shooter and hostile event response, patrol duties, and officer safety and wellness.

Upon successful completion of the Academy, student officers have met all training requirements to be eligible for Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission certification.”- MPTC Plymouth Police Academy.

Administering the Oath of Honor to the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy 75th Recruit Officers Class graduates this afternoon at Plymouth Memorial Hall. Congratulations to the recruits and their families. Be safe! Photo by District Attorney Tim Cruz.

Administering the Oath of Honor to the MPTC Plymouth Police Academy 75th Recruit Officers Class graduates this afternoon at Plymouth Memorial Hall. Congratulations to the recruits and their families. Be safe! Photo by District Attorney Tim Cruz.

75th ROC Graduation – Law Enforcement Oath of Honor Administered by Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz. Photo by MPTC Plymouth Police Academy.

City of New Bedford Police Department photo.

Seeks Acceleration of Fine Schedule for Repeat Offenders; Chance to Reset After 1 Year.

NEW BEDFORD – “Mayor Jon Mitchell has submitted a proposal to the City Council which would accelerate the fine schedule for irresponsible absentee landlords and give them an opportunity to start fresh after 12 months of compliance.

Mayor Mitchell announced the proposed changes in his Inaugural Address on Jan. 1, and in a Thursday filing to the City Council, wrote that the “amendments would encourage more responsible management of residential property, strengthen neighborhoods, and conserve the City’s enforcement resources.”

The current fine schedule requires 25 separate violations before City inspectors can issue the maximum fine allowed by state law, $300. Penalties start with a warning and escalate in increments of $25 until the maximum is reached after 25 separate offenses. Mayor Mitchell said the current fine schedule is too gradual and has impeded the City’s enforcement efforts.

Over the last five years, more than 585 properties have had more than 10 violations. Of those properties, 177 had between 20-49 violations, 49 had 50-99 violations, and 12 had more than 100 violations.

“The City’s current fine schedule has proven inadequate to curb the irresponsible management practices of some landlords,” Mitchell wrote. “Some of them have violated the trash ordinance so often that it is evident that they are simply ignoring their fine tickets … in part because the current fine schedule does not create a strong enough incentive for repeat offenders to change their management practices.”

Mayor Mitchell proposed changing the fine structure to reach the maximum $300 penalty after seven violations, starting with a warning and increasing in $50 increments for each violation.

“I believe any landlord who fails to address a chronic problem after a handful of fines simply lacks the will to do it, and must be forced into compliance by the threat of higher fines,” he wrote.

City Council President Naomi R.A. Carney shared the Mayor’s sentiment that the number of fines to reach the maximum should be reduced.

“I agree that we need to look at the Code of Ordinance and reduce the 25 violations number before reaching maximum,” she said. “I look forward to the discussion.”

Additionally, Mayor Mitchell proposed a reset for landlords who actively seek to improve the conditions of their property. Under the filed amendment, the violation tally would reset to zero for any property that goes an entire year without a new violation.

“If a property owner is making genuine improvements, that landlord should have the opportunity to start over,” he wrote. “I believe this would create a compelling incentive for a landlord to improve their management practices.””-City of New Bedford.

“Former Mayor John A. Markey passed away Sunday at 89. Mayor Jon Mitchell has ordered flags at City facilities be flown at half-staff in his honor. Mayor Mitchell’s statement on Mayor Markey’s passing:

“I was saddened to learn of the passing of former Mayor John A. Markey, whose legacy is evident across New Bedford today. Mayor Markey was first elected in 1971, winning a three-way race between incumbent George Rogers and former Mayor Edmund Harrington.

The history of the City would show that Jack Markey was the right leader at the right time. Arriving in office in the wake of riots and strikes that rocked the City, and a time when America’s democratic institutions were losing credibility, Mayor Markey restored trust in municipal government and stability to the City. His tenure in office would come to define New Bedford in the 1970s, one marked by an unfailing integrity and clarity of purpose.

Despite the headwinds of a contracting manufacturing economy, he maintained the City’s focus on the long term, and hired a capable team of public servants to carry out the work. His tenure was replete with investments that make up much of the bulwark of the City today, nearly 50 years later: The construction of New Bedford High School and GNB Voc-Tech, four new elementary schools, a modern drinking water plant, and numerous major housing and road projects. But his signature achievement was the establishment of the Historic District and the restoration of its cobblestoned streets.

In 1977, the City was allotted $13 million from the then new Community Development Block Grant program, and despite calls to spend the windfall on various immediate needs, Markey was convinced that an investment to help bring the City’s storied past to life would pay off in the long run. No one today doubts that his decision was the right one. Thanks to Mayor Markey’s clear understanding of the City’s core interests and the courage to advance them, the Historic District is today the most photographed part of the City, and an enduring source of pride for our residents.

Mayor Markey prevailed in six mayoral elections, leaving office in 1982 as the longest continuously serving mayor in the City’s history. In his second act in public service, he served as the presiding judge of the New Bedford District Court until his retirement, where he was known for his fairness, his incisive analysis of the law, and his commitment to justice for all. In 2014, the City officially named the plaza along what is arguably the City’s most central intersection and the gateway to the Historic District “Jack Markey Plaza” in honor of his long and distinguished service to New Bedford.

Mayor Markey left New Bedford a stronger, more confident City for his efforts. His accomplishments are many, but he will be remembered most by those who knew him as a thoroughly loyal, honest and humble man, committed unwaveringly to his family, his City and his Faith. I will be forever grateful for his support and encouragement, especially at the beginning of my tenure. Ann and I offer our condolences and prayers to his wife Carol, his children, John, Carol Ann, Chris and Jennifer, his grandchildren, and his many friends. I have ordered the flags at City facilities to be flown at half-staff in his honor.”-Jon Mitchell.

“New Bedford natives Amalya Romero and Zane DeSousa are getting ready for their close-ups.

On Saturday, February 3, Amalya and Zane will serve as co-hosts of the 48th Annual Meeting Street Telethon, which will be broadcast live on WPRI-12 at 7 p.m.

The youngest member of the Team Telethon squad is Zane, a first grader at The Schwartz School in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. According to Zane’s mom, Alissa, Meeting Street has been a “game changer” for Zane, who has complex medical and developmental needs. Zane is beyond happy attending The Schwartz School, where his family celebrates “inchstones,” rather than milestones. “Special needs parenting is isolating. I love the community we found here.”

Meeting Street photo.

The veteran dynamo of the 2024 Team Telethon squad is Amalya, an eighth grader who was born with spina bifida and has been receiving physical therapy at Meeting Street since her family moved from Puerto Rico more than a decade ago. “We immediately saw the positive change in Amalya once she began receiving therapy at Meeting Street,” says mom Naitsabeth.

You will see both Zane and Amalya on billboards around the region – he’s the blue card and she’s orange! – and you can learn more about their stories by tuning in to WPRI-12 on Saturday, February 3 at 7:00 p.m., or by visiting MeetingStreet.org.”

“MISSING PERSON

Who: Flordan Bazile
Height: 6’2
Age: 21

Student at Umass Dartmouth. He’s from Orlando Florida but he attended Keith Middle School and New Bedford High School. Last seen in Fairhaven wearing Red Nike Joggers, black sweater with white/gray writing going across it, and black shoes.

Please reach out if you have information regarding Flordan’s disappearance, we are worried about him and his whereabouts.

Contacts:
New Bedford Police: (508) 991-6300
Flore (407) 558-5480
Guerdaline (508)-991-1378.”Brianna Magnant.

Brianna Magnant photo.

Brianna Magnant photo.

Brianna Magnant photo.

Brianna Magnant photo.

“Just before 4 PM on Friday, the Freetown Fire Department and Bristol County Technical Rescue Team were called to respond to County Road for a Horse needing assistance.

They were assisted by a local Contractor with an Excavator. The operation was successful and “Red” was able to walk around the yard once he was back on his feet.

The Bristol County Technical Rescue Team is a group of highly trained and equipped Firefighters from Departments across Bristol County. Large Animal rescue is just a small part of their capabilities.

Freetown has 4 Firefighters that are members of the team.”-Freetown Fire Department.

Freetown Fire Department photo.

Freetown Fire Department photo.

Freetown Fire Department photo.

Freetown Fire Department photo.

Freetown Fire Department photo.

“!!! Boston Police Department Missing Person Alert- 14 Year Old Malek Louati !!!

Malek “Angel” Louati, a 14 year old female resident of Boston, 5’2”, black hair, brown eyes was last seen on 1/11/24 at 12:00 PM leaving Weymouth High School (1 Wildcat Way, Weymouth, MA).

Anyone with information regarding her whereabouts is advised to please call 911 or contact D4 Detectives at 617-343-5619.”-Boston Police Department.

Boston Police Department photo.