“Calling all cAHs…Calling all cAHs!

If you’re anything like me, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME you see someone post a bathroom selfie, you laughingly say, “That’s a great bathroom selfie…said no one ever!”

Well, apparently that is not the case in this instance, as this Mensa International stud muffin provided us with a couple of potty pictures of himself…which he took with a stolen Android phone.

By this time, you’re surely asking,”How did you get those pictures, DPD?” Well, what Einstein neglected to remember (or never knew in the first place), is that the owner of a phone can automatically save their photos and videos to their Google Account when they have backup turned on. The owner can then access their saved photos and videos from any device that they sign into ??

Dartmouth Police Department photo.

Anywho, if you have any information that can help us identify this guy, we strongly encourage you to either send us a private message or call Detective Kyle Costa at 508-910-1755.

In addition, you can also send us an anonymous tip by clicking on the following Tip411 link (Unless you’re first name is Courtney. Just kidding. It’s an inside joke):

https://www.dartmouthpd.org/resources/tip411-submit-a-tip/”-Dartmouth Police Department.

Dartmouth Police Department photo.

New Bedford and Umass Dartmouth are at the center of groundbreaking scientific research that finds Cape Cod as one of the world’s largest hotspots for great white sharks.

In a scientific article named, “An open spatial capture−recapture framework for estimating the abundance and seasonal dynamics of white sharks at aggregation sites“ all 3 scientists are either working out of a New Bedford-based facility and/or affiliated with Umass Dartmouth.

The 3 cited scientists are:

Photo credit: Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’ Megan V. Winton.
Megan V. Winton who is a ’23, PhD candidate at UMass Dartmouth’s School for Marine Science and Technology (SMAST) in New Bedford, MA 02744, USA and staff scientist at the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) in North Chatham, MA 02650, USA.

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Photo Credit: Boston University.

Gregory B. Skomal PhD, is a leading Massachusetts shark researcher and an experienced aquarist and Marine Fisheries Biologist conducting this research out of Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries, New Bedford, MA 02744, USA.

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Photo Credit: The University of Washington.

Gavin Fay who is a professor at the Department of Fisheries Oceanography, School for Marine Science and Technology, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, New Bedford, MA 02744, USA.

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This study has deservedly made national headlines with researchers collecting nearly 3,000 videos of shark sightings from 137 trips to Cape Cod beaches which determined about 800 white sharks paid a visit to Cape waters between 2015 to 2018.

Sometimes we forget how truly lucky we are in the south coast to be surrounded by so many amazing scientific programs and world renown researchers.

Lets all tip the cap to these hard working individuals and look forward to all of the exciting research to come!

“As a government agency, we should support locally owned businesses. This is something that I filed legislation on when I was a State Representative. In 2013, I was given a MA House of Representatives lapel pin and on the back, it read ‘Made in China.’ For a State Rep who was representing Attleboro, which was the one time jewelry production capital of the world, and still had companies that made lapel pins, this was disappointing. Later I found that a mug sold in the gift shop at the State House was also ‘Made in China.’

“I filed legislation that prioritized purchasing from Massachusetts and the USA over foreign products. It was well received by Democrat and Republican members of the joint committee the bill was heard in, but never made it to a floor vote by the entire body.

“As Sheriff, I am now in a position to implement this as a policy. The BCSO policy effectively states that when purchasing goods, first we will purchase from a Bristol County company. If not available, then from a Massachusetts company. Then if not available from a USA company, and then finally, when not available, from a foreign manufacturer.

As a matter of practice, the BCSO may also purchase goods from the next level if the good at the most local level is unreasonably expensive.

“The first implementation of this policy was during the recent Employee Appreciation Week here at the BCSO. As a show of appreciation, we purchased T-shirts for all employees. But for the first time, we made sure the T-shirts were ‘Made in the USA.’ I told a gathering of employees that “Something doesn’t feel right about giving government employees a gift that was made overseas. So we spent a bit more money and got something that was Made in the USA.” When announcing this at the employee appreciation week, it was received with a round of applause by the dozens of present employees.”

By Alison Kuznitz
State House News Service

More than five weeks after the Healey administration pledged to establish more resource centers to help migrant families and people experiencing homelessness, state officials opened their second site in Quincy on Monday as makeshift hotels and motels being used as emergency shelters continue to fill up.

The new “Family Welcome Center” is situated at the Cove Fine Arts Center on the campus of Eastern Nazarene College. It comes as the state grapples with a surge of migrants coming to Massachusetts, which is a right-to-shelter-state, from Haiti and South America. State officials and refugee advocates have been unable to pinpoint the volume of migrants arriving here due to a lack of standardized data collection methods.

“This second Family Welcome Center will help increase access to services and expedite the rate at which we are able to connect eligible families experiencing homelessness with safe and secure shelter,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a statement Monday morning. “We’re grateful for the hard work and collaboration of staff, providers and local officials who are going above and beyond to support families in need.”

When the Healey administration established its first Family Welcome Center above the Brazilian Worker Center in Allston on June 23, officials said in a press release that the “administration is working to open additional Family Welcome Centers in other areas across the state in the near future.” But for weeks, spokespeople for Healey have not been able to say how many more centers may launch and where they would be located.

At the Allston center, some eligible families were diverted to stay in townhouses at Joint Base Cape Cod, which could support up to 60 families. Within a week, the base was nearing capacity as it housed 53 families, comprising 179 individuals.

Eligible families who come to the new resource center at the Cove Fine Arts Center will be enrolled in MassHealth, the government-funded health insurance program, and other state benefits, according to the Healey administration. The center is operated by Bay State Community Services and teams from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the Healey administration said.

The Quincy center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekends. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh toured the center Monday morning, alongside EOHHS Director of Policy for Children and Families Allison Bovell-Ammon and Lenita Reason, executive director of the Brazilian Worker Center, which is operating the Allston welcome center.

A dorm at Eastern Nazarene College will also be used as a shelter to house up to 58 families, with operations helmed by AMI Expeditionary Healthcare, which the administration said is a state-contracted shelter management firm that provides “support services for newly arrived migrants across the U.S.”

There are 55 rooms in the dorm and three apartments. The building has free laundry machines and common areas, and state officials say the space “will be furnished with child-appropriate activities.”

“As this crisis continues, I appreciate Eastern Nazarene for being so willing to provide not only a Family Welcome Center, but also opening a dorm to provide on-site shelter,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll said in a statement. “Communities across Massachusetts are finding ways to meet immediate needs of these families. Through this unprecedented challenge, cities and towns are working together to help their neighbors in unprecedented ways. I look forward to continued collaboration as we work together to find a long-term solution.”

Costs related to the crisis are stacking up. In March, Healey signed off on a supplemental budget allocation of $85 million for emergency assistance. And the fiscal 2024 budget accord reached Sunday night includes $325 million for emergency assistance family shelters.

Karissa Hand, a Healey spokesperson, wouldn’t say how many additional centers may open across the commonwealth to keep up with the influx of migrants.

“We’re continuously working to expand as necessary to meet the demand for services and shelter,” Hand said in a statement to the News Service.

The Allston center has helped more than 550 families access shelter, food and other basic necessities, as of July 27, the Healey administration said. State officials didn’t immediately respond to News Service questions about how many families have stayed at Joint Base Cape Cod since last month, as well as how many are currently sheltering there.

Separately, 43 hotels and motels around Massachusetts are being used as emergency shelters — a slight bump from 39 in mid-July — a spokesperson for the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities told the News Service Monday. Overall, 80 municipalities across the state are “hosting families” as part of the emergency assistance program, the official said.

There were 5,356 families in state-funded shelters as of Saturday, the official said, including 1,737 families in hotels and motels.

Over the weekend in Framingham, more than a dozen “asylum-seeking” families were directed to a hotel.

Mayor Charlie Sisitsky, elected city and state officials, and other stakeholders worked with state agencies and local nonprofits “to coordinate the immediate needs of these roughly 40 individuals,” city officials said in an alert Sunday. Driscoll was also “in touch” with Framingham leaders, according to the alert.

“I want to thank all the many volunteers who stepped up over the weekend providing services to these asylum seekers from Haiti,” Sisitsky said in a statement. “I appreciate everybody’s desire to help, but at this time we are asking the public to wait at least a day until we can finish assessing the needs of these families.”

Meanwhile, the state’s welcome centers are accepting donations, including wipes, strollers, new car seats, portable cribs, diapers of all sizes, formula, powdered milk, toothbrushes, toothpaste, body wash, unscented Dove bar soap, deodorant, CeraVe baby lotion, Vaseline, individual packets of Pedialyte and Target giftcards. They can be dropped off at the Brazilian Worker Center at 14 Harvard Ave. in Allston or online; or at A New Way Recovery Center at 85 Quincy Ave. in Quincy or online.

“Delta Airlines Flight 5770, Boston to Newark, returned to Logan Airport after an anonymous third part caller reported to a New Jersey police agency that a passenger aboard the plane had allegedly made threats related to the safety of the flight.

Massport Fire and Massachusetts State Police were waiting when the plane landed and Troopers escorted the male passenger off the airplane. The passenger’s two carry-on bags were searched by members of the MSP Bomb Squad and explosive ordinance detection dogs. No hazards were located. The passenger had no checked luggage.

After the passenger was removed and his bags cleared, the airplane departed again for Newark.

No charges have been sought at this time. The investigation is ongoing. No further information is being released at this time.”-Massachusetts State Police.

The New Bedford Police Department are voicing some frustration with New Bedford District Judges after yet again, a suspected violent criminal with a lengthy criminal history is released back onto the streets less than 24 hours after being arrested.

Christopher Fernandes, 39 of of 1085 County Street has a history of over 29 adult arraignments and was just arrested for armed robbery. New Bedford Police Officers acted quickly to catch Fernandes after a victim who was apparently robbed at knifepoint flagged down an officer in the south end of New Bedford.

Fernandes has two previous convictions in Bristol County Superior Court for firearms possession for which he was sentenced to 3 years, and then 5 to 7 years respectively.

The New Bedford Police noted in a press release:

“Following his armed robbery arrest on Wednesday night, he was brought to arraignment at New Bedford district court on Thursday morning. During this proceeding, the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office requested that FERNANDES be kept in custody until a dangerousness hearing could be held. Against the wishes of the prosecutor, and in spite of a lengthy criminal history, FERNANDES was released back onto the streets without bail by Judge Robert Ovoian.”

The New Bedford Police Chief, Paul Oliveira had a lot to say on the situation,

“It’s very disheartening to know that your officers are risking life and limb in pursuit of these individuals who are committing serious crimes, only to take them into custody, and then see them released not even 24 hours later by New Bedford District judges.

The police have accepted their accountability to the public, and so too should the judges at the district level of our court system.”

“Bishop Stang High School is pleased to announce the appointment of Ricardo Aguiar as the new Head Boys Soccer Coach.

Coach Aguiar, a lifetime New Bedford resident, will bring 10 years of Stang assistant coaching experience to his new position. A current teacher and alumnus of New Bedford High School, Coach Aguiar will be taking over for Nate Greene who steps down after transitioning to his new role as Athletic Director.

“We are thrilled for Ricardo to take this next step as the new head coach for Bishop Stang Boys Soccer. He has been an integral part of the success of the program over the past 10 years, as he predates all of us who currently coach on staff.

Bishop Stang photo.

Those who know Ricardo know that he is a staple in the local soccer community as a player for New Bedford High School, and then as a coach in his varying roles across clubs and teams. Ricardo has a true passion and love for the game and is incredibly knowledgeable and skillful at communicating his message to the players. This program has been a huge part of my life and I am excited to be able to pass on to Ricardo what we have shared for the past 6 years,” commented Nate Greene, former Head Coach, and newly appointed Athletic Director for Bishop Stang.

Coach Aguiar shared: “After 10 years of fulfilling the role of Assistant Boys Soccer Coach for Bishop Stang, I could not be more thrilled and honored to have the opportunity to lead the boys soccer program by accepting the position as the new Head Coach. I will strive to continue the ongoing success that we have achieved as a program these past 10 years due to the excellent efforts and goals set by my predecessors.

I would like to thank Athletic Director, Coach Greene, as well as the administration at Bishop Stang High School for making this dream of leading a high school soccer program a reality. I am looking forward to helping continue to grow the success of our program through the many teachings and learnings I have experienced with the Spartan family.

I have worked towards this moment for a decade now and am excited to share my passion and knowledge of the beautiful game along with what I have acquired from the head coaches with which I have been lucky enough to work alongside. I have seen and experienced what Bishop Stang High School is capable of and alongside my predecessor, Nate Greene as the Athletic Director, I am excited for what we can achieve together! Thank you again and God Bless!”

You’ll be able to see the Bishop Stang Boys Soccer team open the season at home on September 8th at 4:00 p.m. vs. Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.”

Wareham Officers assisted Barnstable Police in locating Marckell Gordon, twenty- two years old, of Centerville, MA. Gordon had an active arrest warrant out of Barnstable District Court for; Assault to Murder (firearm), which stemmed from a shooting that occurred in their town.

Gordon was a passenger of a vehicle and was placed in custody without incident. Two additional arrests were made as a result of the motor vehicle stop, which led to the seizure of a .380 firearm, approximately twenty-three grams of suspected Fentanyl, and US Currency.

Guilherme Jalo, 21 years old, of Wareham, MA was placed in custody for an outstanding arrest warrant out of Wareham District Court; for Carrying a firearm without license, Possession of Ammunition, and Carrying a loaded firearm. The charges were from an incident that occurred in Wareham back in July of 2022.

Zavain Alvarez, twenty years old, of Hyannis, MA was charged with; Carrying a firearm without a license, Possession of a firearm with defaced serial number andPossession of ammunition without a license, and Trafficking Fentanyl.

Gordon will be arraigned at Barnstable District Court.

Jalo and Alvarez will be arraigned at Wareham District Court.

Chief Walter Correia praised the collaborative effort between the Wareham Police and Barnstable Police departments, and the officers involved for taking potentially lethal drugs and a firearm off the streets of Wareham, MA.

“Just before 2:00 am on July 29, 2023, a Wareham Sergeant conducted a motor vehicle stop with a white Chevrolet Camaro on Main Street. The Camaro fled as the Sergeant was approaching the vehicle, and took off at a high rate of speed.

The Camaro led officers onto Interstate 195 westbound and hit estimated speeds of 130 MPH. For safety concerns the pursuit was terminated. Shortly after the pursuit was terminated, a Rochester officer spotted the Camaro on Route 105 in Marion, MA as it was getting onto Interstate 195 eastbound heading back towards Wareham.

Wareham officers were able to successfully deploy “Stop Sticks” (tire deflation devices) as the Camaro entered Wareham on Interstate 195 eastbound. Even after several deflated tires the Camaro continued onto Interstate 495 northbound, where it lost one (1) of its tires and rims before finally coming to a stop and safely ending the pursuit.

The operator, Peter Rezendes IV, thirty-five (35), of Onset, MA was placed in custody without incident.

Officers located in the vehicle was a large amount of US Currency, and a quantity of suspect Fentanyl.

Rezendes IV, was charged with; Failure to Stop for Police, Operating after Suspension subsequent offense, Plate Violation, Marked Lanes, Operating to Endanger, and Possession with intent to distribute Class A (Fentanyl) subsequent offense.

Rezendes IV, will be arraigned at Wareham District Court Monday morning.

Rezendes IV, has a lengthy criminal history which include numerous narcotic related convictions.”-Wareham Police Department.

The Town of Holden, Massachusetts discovered that the contractors that they hired to do some road painting at a local school had made a typo without realizing it.

It’s hard enough to believe someone would make a typo on such a short, common word, but even harder to believe that no co-workers or supervisor noticed. They did the job, packed up, and moved on.

Town officials weren’t mad at all and, in spite of probably getting 28 gajillion calls by local Grammar Nazis, kept things in perspective, and even injected a little humor.

Apparently, the word is harder to spell than many think and here at New Bedford Guide any time there is the slightest possibility of snow, dozens of high schoolers will inbox us asking if school, er…um…shcool, ha sbeen cancelled. At least 1 out of every messages spells “school” incorrectly and 90% of the messages have 3rd grade English, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and syntax with my all-time gavorite being”Y is they shool damn”

“We are aware of the typo in the road near Mountview School and we informed the contractor shortly after the error occurred two weeks ago.

Due to recent weather conditions they have not been able to return to repaint the text. We expect it to be corrected shortly and we are eternally grateful for everyone’s input on this matter.”-Town of Holden.

Town of Holden photo.