Jack Spillane
Columnist covering all things New Bedford
City Council ward races present a test of loyalties
In Ward 1 and Ward 6, the incumbents have been among Mayor Jon Mitchell’s most reliable supporters. And both challengers sound like members of the minority opposition led by councilors Linda Morad and Brian Gomes.
In redistricting battle, it’s every pol for the incumbents
Late Thursday the House passed a plan that creates a minority-majority district in New Bedford but keeps three suburban legislators representing small parts of the city’s far North End.
Alma del Mar Charter Schools making the grade
By January, Alma will have built two entirely new school buildings, its original Ottiwell campus on Belleville Avenue and a second $24 million Douglass campus on Church Street.
Right-leaning voices ring out at New Bedford debate
You really would not have been surprised if former President Trump had made an appearance shouting, “Make New Bedford Great Again!” and candidates at the council table all started banging their fists and shouting, “Four more years!”
New Bedford loses yet another grand old church
St. Joseph-St. Therese’s may join four other impressive but nearly impossible to reuse church buildings — St. John the Baptist, St. Kilian, St. Ann, and Trinity Methodist.
Lawmakers look to crack down on failure to report school arrests
Since 2009, New Bedford schools have reported “zero” as the number of school-based arrests, according to The New Bedford Light’s investigation.
Long COVID patient McCarthy: ‘I have a wildfire going through my kidneys’
“I’ve had a good life so far, and I’m hoping to continue to have a good life.”
COVID cases climbing in New Bedford schools
Between Sept. 16-22, 61 New Bedford school students tested positive for COVID-19, the second-highest number in the state after the much larger city of Springfield.
High patient volume forces ‘rare’ transfers at Southcoast Health
Radio host Chris McCarthy, who is recovering from COVID, says he was directed to North Shore hospital because no ICU bed was available.
Even some health workers resist vaccines in New Bedford
Both Southcoast Health and Greater New Bedford Community Health Center are now requiring employees to be immunized.
COVID tragedies spark costly pension grabs for city, state
Ward 3 Councilor Hugh Dunn’s plan would make any death of any police officer or firefighter from COVID-19 exactly equal to the heroism of an officer who is shot to death on the street or a firefighter who loses his life in a burning building.
Shocking sewer and water bills on tap for New Bedford
New Bedford has lost an $11 million state Revolving Fund grant for this year’s work, and it could incur fines of up to $56,000 a day, plus legal costs, according to a letter from city infrastructure chief Jamie Ponte.
Difficult questions persist in City Councilor Dunn’s OUI case
The three New Bedford patrolmen had no good answers for why they did not ask Dunn where he was coming from that rainy Friday night; if he had been drinking; and how he crashed his Hyundai Genesis into both a Chevy truck and a Toyota SUV.
Running for office in New Bedford? No thanks
There are so few candidates running for office in New Bedford this year that there will be no preliminary election in five of the city’s six wards.
Business sizzling for Latino entrepreneurs in New Bedford
The city’s Community Economic Development Center began a pilot program, showing would-be entrepreneurs how to get into the food-vending business.
Class and race issues dominate the New Bedford redistricting debate
It is a battle over who gets to talk for Southeastern Massachusetts in Washington and Boston, and where the emphasis will be on the issues in New Bedford, Fall River, and even Cape Cod and the South Shore.
New Bedford suburbs lag far behind the state in vaccinations
Dartmouth’s fully vaccinated rate of 49% is 16 points lower than the statewide rate of 65%. And the rates in Acushnet, Fairhaven and Freetown are not much better, coming in at 54%, 57% and 57% respectively, as of Aug. 10.
Time for truth about New Bedford, vaccines and COVID-19
The sad and bitter truth is that because we have failed to get vaccinated in great enough numbers in the city, our school kids will probably spend at least part of another year with their faces covered while they learn.
New Bedford’s panhandler remedy is on the rocks
The goal is to make it difficult for panhandlers to walk on the traffic island where they hold signs saying they are homeless.
Josh Amaral bows out of School Committee race
Amaral, who will not seek a third term, has been on the School Committee since he was little over a year out of UMass Dartmouth, where he was a political science major.
Jo-Jo doesn’t live here
Fortes deceived the city for the last seven elections, voting from a residence where he did not live. He also ran for Ward 4 City Council two times from the same bogus address, city election officials say.
New Bedford COVID-19 cluster surges to 45
Among the 39 people who attended the July 10 event and tested positive, only 5 were vaccinated. Six others, who later came in close contact with 39 partiers, also tested positive.
Getting neighborly with New Bedford’s at-large challengers
Taking a look at where a candidate lives in the city can provide a glimpse into who they are and what their personal interests are.
Is COVID-19 cluster at The Vault a warning for New Bedford?
The five confirmed cases were traced to four separate groups within the club that night, including one member of an 11-person bachelorette party.
DA seeks justice in case of Councilor Hugh Dunn
State police say an EMT and paramedic on the scene the night of the accidents described it as “obvious” that he had been drinking and that they smelled alcohol on his breath.
Inside New Bedford’s blockbuster offshore wind deal
They agreed to devote a portion of the Cannon Street site for a modern seafood offloading facility where the public could view the fishing boats as they purchase fresh fish.
Water, Water everywhere
This year DATMA is up and down Union again, and over on MacArthur Drive, between the State Pier and the Black Whale.
City councilors look for free lunch in budget cuts
Councilors tend to avoid making any cuts to the salaries, health care and pension benefits of city employees, lest they incur the wrath of municipal unions.
Getting vaccines to New Bedford’s Latino neighborhoods
The number of fully vaccinated Hispanics in New Bedford is just 24%, compared to 40% of whites, 36% of Blacks and 17% of people who identify as multiracial.
Fairhaven sends a message for Pride month
The three-member Board of Selectmen has made it clear over the last month that the Pride flag has no place on the property that is the seat of town government in Fairhaven.
New Bedford looks warily at new COVID-19 variant
As people get ready for a big summer of art and music, the city continues to lag behind most of the state in the number of folks who are vaccinated.
It’s beach time in New Bedford
Cisco Brewers is going to draw back the curtain on what lovely city beaches New Bedford has, with vistas every bit as breathtaking as West Island and sparkling ocean as charming as Horseneck.
What the heck is happening in the South End?
A month into the 2021 municipal election’s campaign filing period, the William Street political world is abuzz over a Ward 6 race that would normally be a low-key affair.
Gentrification a solvable problem in New Bedford?
“If the city has the political will, it can make any of this work,” said Robert Terrell, a lecturer at Tufts University.
Battle brewing over future of New Bedford neighborhoods
As real estate prices increase, there is evidence that low-income residents are being forced out of homes in New Bedford.
Sad ending for hard-working New Bedford mill employees
Work in the mills may have allowed New Bedford residents to make a living, but it was never a good living for most. And it was never an easy life.
Chris McCarthy’s harrowing COVID-19 survival tale
After suffering three strokes, a heart attack and double pneumonia, the WBSM host tells columnist Jack Spillane he does not know for sure whether he literally died.
COVID-19 has left the city deeply traumatized
Columnist Jack Spillane surveys the pandemic’s toll on New Bedford, from the Latino community to health care workers.
TARBY RICHARDS, 72, ‘THE ONE TO BRING JOY’
Tarby was a fun-loving guy who people liked to be around. He would just go up and talk to total strangers.
POLICE SGT. MIKE CASSIDY, 52, HERO AND ‘GOOD GUY’
After graduating from Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical High School, Michael P. Cassidy enlisted in the Marines and fought in Operation Desert Storm. He died on April 28, 2021, after a long battle with COVID-19.
JOAN M. STRATTON, 70, ADVOCATE FOR LGBTQ+ COMMUNITY
Joan Stratton had lung issues and died at St. Luke’s Hospital on Feb., 12, 2021, from complications due to COVID-19. She was 70 years old.
FORMER MAYOR KALISZ, 63, WAS A FAMILY MAN FIRST
Fred Kalisz died from COVID-19 complications on Jan. 27, 2021. He was 63 years old.
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