FISHING INDUSTRY
Blue Harvest to close New Bedford processing plant, lay off 64 workers
“All Blue Harvest employees who perform food processing work at this facility will be separated. This action is expected to be permanent.” — March 24 letter to Blue Harvest Fisheries staff, signed by company president Chip Wilson
ARTS AND CULTURE
An evening with author David Sedaris, Cape Verdean gala, Spring Fling and John Cafferty
As always, Sedaris will be offering a selection of all-new readings and recollections, as well as a Q&A session and book signing. One night only at the Z.
CIVIC LIFE
It’s transportation week: Public comment sought on SRTA bus routes, Route 6 in Dartmouth, Cape Cod bridges
Have your voice heard when it comes to travel in the greater New Bedford area, whether it’s city bus routes to the Route 6 corridor in Dartmouth or replacing the Cape Cod bridges.
FISHING INDUSTRY
Daily Catch
The New Bedford Light brings you “The Daily Catch” — a listing of the latest seafood prices from the Buyers and Sellers Exchange.
THE CHAT
Register for The Chat with Rep. Chris Hendricks
Join Jack Spillane at 7 p.m. on Monday, April 3 as he talks with Rep. Chris Hendricks about work on behalf of the New Bedford’s first minority-majority district.
TRANSPORTATION
JACK SPILLANE COLUMN
Student protest exposes misguided loyalties of local politicians
The students called out the local elected officials for not doing what they should have done, standing up for the city’s transgender community as soon as the Oliver Facebook story broke.
New Bedford area elected officials’ react to offensive images posted on Facebook
SPECIAL REPORT
‘Home equity theft’ — in New Bedford and across Massachusetts
How one Boston real estate investment firm earned millions by foreclosing on property tax debts it purchased from cities and towns
Local lawmakers condemn ‘home equity theft’ as city officials defend tax collection tactics
“I’m sickened. What really concerned me is that big money can come in and pull the homes away from working people in New Bedford.” — Rep. Paul Schmid
PUBLIC HEALTH
Undocumented immigrants fall through the cracks with child lead poisoning
“Recent immigrants, especially undocumented immigrants, and refugees without economic means tend to settle in the same low-income communities and therefore are more likely to be at risk of lead exposure.” — Mass. Department of Public Health statement.
Dangerous lead pipes carry drinking water to thousands of city homes … Is yours one of them?
New Bedford’s efforts to remove the pipes have lagged in recent years and the cost of replacement can fall on residents.
FISHING INDUSTRY
INVESTIGATION: How foreign private equity hooked New England’s fishing industry
Owned by a billionaire Dutch family, Blue Harvest Fisheries has emerged as a dominant force in the lucrative fishing port of New Bedford. Its business model: benefit from lax antitrust rules and pass costs on to local fishermen.
HOUSING CRISIS
Ousted New Bedford tenants struggle to find shelter
One tenant is struggling to afford her new apartment. Another said the stress of moving led to an injury at work, and now he’s homeless and couch surfing. A third tenant found an affordable place, but he won’t give up the fight to save his neighbors from gentrification.
Homeless students are the unseen victims of New Bedford’s housing crisis
“The housing crisis is very real. I think there’s kind of this esoteric idea of what the housing crisis looks like, and all of us in the school department see it every day. We see it every day with students who don’t have a reliable place to stay at night.” — Margaret Silva, housing specialist…
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WIND
Windfall podcast: Listen to the series here
New Hampshire Public Radio examines the potential for wind power to reshape our energy future in this multi-episode series.
COVID-19
COVID-19 virtual memorial
As the city emerges from the long siege of COVID-19, we pause to take stock of what – and who – we’ve lost.
Please help build this community memorial by adding a tribute to your loved one.
Thank you to our sponsors
Founding benefactors:
Joan and Irwin Jacobs fund of the Jewish Community Foundation, Mary and Jim Ottaway
Learn more about our community of individual donors
For questions about donations, contact Chrystal Walsh, director of advancement, at cwalsh@newbedfordlight.org.
For questions about sponsoring The Light, contact Peter Andrews, director of business development and community engagement, at pandrews@newbedfordlight.org.