Yesterday the City of New Bedford advanced its continuing effort on casino gaming with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s decision to extend the Southeastern region deadline for accepting applications for a casino gaming license.

This week the City also requested that the Gaming Commission change the Southeastern region criteria for determining costs that count toward a casino’s minimum $500 million investment required by the Expanded Gaming Act. The City took this step to help ensure New Bedford casino developments can be designed with maximum flexibility.

The City’s constructive exchange with KG Urban Enterprises continues. Likewise, the City is continuing the independent outreach to potential casino operators and developers it has conducted over the past several months.

In addition to KG Urban, the City made progress recently in inviting a dialogue with interested operators and developers. While the City is not prepared to detail the nature of the exchanges at this time, these discussions have been productive.

The City has made clear, in the course of these exchanges, the priorities and project elements that would allow the City to fully endorse a gaming proposal. As detailed in a March 20 op-ed in The Standard-Times, the ideal project elements are as follows:

• The project should be located on a site that does not negatively impact the growth of our fishing industry, cargo industry, offshore wind deployment and manufacturing, and should preferably lie outside our protected Designated Port Area while understanding that this consideration need not be an absolute condition.
• The project should not detract from the City’s heritage and brand, and fit well with our cultural landscape. We have built a strong maritime identity and new development must be executed in a way that enforces that positive image of New Bedford. That means, among other things, a project needs to be executed at a scale that does not physically dominate the City’s landscape.
• The project should be easily accessible by highway and not cause concerns for pedestrians or local vehicles.
• Any waterfront project should ideally offer major recreational boating opportunities to promote New Bedford as a destination recreation port, without interfering with current uses in key land-based and marine industries.
• If utilizing an already developed site, it should ideally take advantage of opportunities for the adaptive re-use of historic or existing structures at some level of integration with new facilities.
• A convention space should be included in the development to advance the City’s tourism and marketing goals and present New Bedford to a broader audience beyond gaming.
• The project should ideally complement the City’s existing economic development priorities by including or supporting ‘overflow’ hotel development in the downtown proper to increase population density in the urban core, promoting connections to the downtown and north end, creating high-quality public access to the waterfront, and acting as a catalyst for additional non-gaming investment and job creation.
• The project must supply significant resources that allow the City to invest in its future.

The response from potential operators and developers to this articulation of the City’s specific interests has been very positive, with the City and operators/developers reaching a shared assessment that two locations stand out as having strong potential to achieve the City’s goals, namely

(1) the Hicks-Logan area, and

(2) a large tract of City-owned developable land adjacent to the municipal golf course.

The City considers both locations suitable for a casino gaming development.

It is on this basis that the City today reiterates its open invitation to interested operators and developers to discuss proposals for casino gaming facilities on these preferred locations.

To be clear, the current NSTAR site remains under active consideration. Both the strengths and the challenges of the NSTAR location are much better understood today as result of the City’s site review conducted in partnership with KG Urban, and the City remains committed to an ongoing and constructive exchange with KG Urban.

On Wednesday morning (3/26/14) at approximately 11:20am downtown officers were sent to the Rite Aid pharmacy at 824 Purchase St. regarding a robbery. A store employee observed a male in the store that she had suspected of shoplifting in the past.

She observed him take a Rite Aid bag out of his pocket and proceed to fill it with items. She confronted him and took the bag away. As this happened, a set of hair trimmers fell out of the bag. The suspect then picked up the trimmers, struck her in the face with it, and fled the store with the item. The victim suffered a small laceration to her nose area. She did not require hospitalization.

Any one with information is asked to contact Det. William Sauve at 508-991-6300 ext. 130.

Description:

– White male in his late teens or early twenties
– Black baseball cap
– Light brown short hair
– Black hooded sweatshirt.
– The above described male turned himself in at Third District Court this afternoon.

Brett Cambra age 20 of New Bedford

– Armed Robbery
– Assault and Battery by means of a dangerous weapon

BCC Campus Police will engage in Active Shooter Training Friday, April 4th from noon – 6 p.m. in C-Building, 2nd floor only, on the BCC Fall River Campus.

1. There will be gunfire sounds. They will shoot water-filled pellets. NO live ammunition.
2. It is confined to the 2nd floor only.
3. No one other than Campus Police will be allowed on the 2nd floor of C-Building for the duration of the training.

THIS IS A TRAINING EXERCISE. If you have any questions, please call Campus Police at ext. 2218.

Early in the movie The Matrix, Neo is offered two pills. The pills offer two very different paths that Neo must choose from in a short amount of time. The first pill allows Neo to go back to his old lifestyle of being a copper-top that fuels the evil machines. The second choice offers him the opportunity to make a stand, stop supporting the machines and lead humanity to freedom.

After reading this article, you will also have two very different choices. The first choice allows you to continue down the path of buying your 10-day old, chemically treated and irradiated produce from foreign lands while filling the coffers of grocery corporations.  The alternate choice of purchasing a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) leads to a healthy lifestyle that supports local farmers and workers. (read: Buying Local is More Important Than You May Think). I’ll also showcase two local farms that offer two outstanding CSAs at a very reasonable price. Here are 5 reasons you should join me in the fight to free humanity from tainted, old and in many instances genetically modified, irradiated, soaked in pesticides fruits and veggies:

1. A CSA offers a consistent schedule of fruits and vegetables in your diet! With a CSA, you are basically purchasing the rights to a farm’s produce and pick up a bounty of fruits, veggies and other items on a weekly basis for approximately 19 weeks.

2. It doesn’t get any fresher than a CSA! When it comes to consuming fruits and vegetables, one of your primary goals should be freshness. CSA guarantees that the produce you pick up is harvested that day. It really doesn’t get any fresher than that. On average, produce in a large grocery store chain is several days if not weeks old. This is due to the global distribution of our food. Due to the low cost and longer growing seasons, large grocery stores in import much of their fruits and vegetables from California, Florida, Mexico and other southern hemisphere countries and states. Once picked, it’s not uncommon for produce to take a week to completely harvest, pack, transport and finally become available to consumers in a grocery store. With a local farm, the produce is harvested and offered to the CSA member that day.

3. CSA programs are healthier! Fruits and vegetables provide the body with fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants – all needed to live a healthy life. As produce ages the health benefits of consuming that produce diminishes. When you purchase your produce in a super market you really don’t know how old the produce is. The instant a fruit or vegetable is harvested, the vitamins (and health benefits) begin to deteriorate.  Additionally, produce shipped hundreds to thousands of miles can go through vast temperature changes, irradiation (to destroy microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects before shipping across borders) and other harmful processes before reaching your plate further reducing its health benefits. Buying local produce helps ensure you are getting produce that is richer in vitamins and minerals.

4. You support local farmers and workers! There is something special about eating something grown locally. First, you get to meet the people growing your food and see the farm the food is grown on. Second, your money goes into the pocket of local workers who will in turn spend their money locally. It’s a win-win for everyone!

5. CSA programs offer more than just fruits and vegetables! One of the biggest misconception with a CSA is that it is exclusively fruits and vegetables. Really, no CSA is the same and most offer things like local honey, cheeses, eggs, jams, mustard and meats. The key when choosing a CSA is price and what they have to offer. Most are VERY flexible when allowing you to substitute items (get more of one, less of another).

Recommended CSA Program:

Silverbrook Farm in Acushnet – This CSA lasts for 17 weeks and offers basic ($320), standard ($420) and Master ($795) CSA programs. Details on the program here: http://thesilverbrookfarm.com/farm.html. Full details here: http://thesilverbrookfarm.com/farm.html.

Roy M. Nascimento, IOM, President & CEO of the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce has been elected President of the Board of Directors of the Massachusetts Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (MACCE). Nascimento began his term as President during the 2014 MACCE Annual Meeting and will serve as President through April, 2015. He succeeds Peter Forman, President & CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce based in Rockland, Massachusetts.

MACCE is a volunteer led organization that represents the executives and staff of Chambers of Commerce of all sizes from throughout Massachusetts. MACCE’s mission is to be an accessible and valuable resource to the chamber professionals serving our state’s communities. MACCE provides a wide-range of resources and opportunities for all chamber professionals.

Nascimento has been President & CEO of the New Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce since 2006. He previously served as President of the Attleboro Area Chamber of Commerce for nearly two years and Vice President of the Metro South Chamber of Commerce in Brockton, Massachusetts for nearly seven years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and a master’s degree in public administration from Suffolk University in Boston. He is also a graduate of the Institute for Organization Management at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Institute at the American Economic Development Council.

He has been active in MACCE for many years, serving in a variety of leadership roles including regional vice president and annual meeting planning chair. In 2011, he mobilized support among chambers of commerce in Massachusetts to establish the MACCE Council of Chambers as a state-wide forum for chamber leaders to share information and collaborate on important advocacy issues that impact their organizations, their members, and their communities. Until 2013, he served as co-chair of the group, which operates as an affiliate of MACCE. In addition, he serves on the five member steering committee that led the effort to form the MACCE Health Insurance Cooperative, a buying group to help small businesses in Massachusetts negotiate better rates on their health insurance. He is also a past president of the New England Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives. In 2012, he was named New England Chamber Executive of the Year.

“It is both an honor and a privilege to have been elected by my peers in the chamber profession to this leadership position,” said Nascimento. “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Board to promote education and best practices that will support chambers of commerce and communities throughout the state.”

Other officers include: Melissa Fetterhoff, Nashoba Valley Chamber as Vice President; Jeannie Hebert, Blackstone Valley Chamber as Treasurer; Jeffrey Ciuffreda, Affiliated Chambers of Commerce of Springfield as Secretary; Peter Forman, South Shore Chamber as Immediate Past President; Stuart Loosemore, Worcester Regional Chamber as At-Large Director representing the Council of Chambers; Megan Story, Cape Cod Chamber as At Large Director representing MAMD; and Jack Lank, United Regional Chamber as At-Large Director representing NEACCE.

Other board members include: Suzanne Beck, Greater Northhampton Chamber; Mary Jo Bohart, Lexington Chamber; Kara Griffin, Tri-Town Chamber; Tim Murray, Worcester Regional Chamber; Marie Oliva, Cape Cod Canal Region Chamber; Ann Ormond, Greater Newburyport Chamber; and Tom O’Rourke, Neponset Valley Chamber.

According to the New Bedford Police Department, Kemar Omar Roselus, 18 years of age of New Bedford, has been charged with assault by means of dangerous weapon on a person over 60, and disturbing the school, and malicious destruction of personal property. He will be summons into court at a later date. No further information is available at this time. The School Department’s investigation is ongoing.

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What do you notice about the weather image preview to the left? If you guessed, that this is the first weekend this year where the temperature will NOT go below freezing, you guessed correctly. We will come close though, as Sunday morning will hit 32 degrees. While it won’t be snowing, it unfortunately will rain on Saturday – but no flooding! You won’t need a life preserver or inflatable raft to get to the many events taking place on the South Coast! We’ll reach almost 60 degrees! There’s a lot going on now that Spring has arrived, so head on out and enjoy!

As always, click on the title for more or detailed information on the event. Most of the events were pulled from our event calendar  where you can find hundreds of local area events each month. The event calendar is FREE, so if you are a local business, and not taking advantage of FREE publicity, shame on you! Are you a local business and want to sponsor this high traffic, weekend guide? Contact info@newbedfordguide.com for more details. Have an event to add? Check out our tutorial. For more info, you can click on each title. Know of another event this weekend? Post a reply!

Friday, April 4th

Mother Goose at the Zoo (10:30 am)
Gather your goslings and fly on over for our new Mother Goose at the Zoo program. Join our gaggle for rhymes, songs, and meeting new friends. Great for children under age 3. FREE with admission!

WAMS Rummage And Bake Sale (Acushnet) (5:30-8:00 pm)
Sponsored by the W.A.M.S. of the Acushnet-Wesley United Methodist Church. Flea market items will be sold as well as baked goods and clothing.

Harlem Ambassadors vs Tri Town Trotters- Comedy basketball (Marion) (7:00 pm)
The Mattapoisett and Rochester Lions Clubs are bringing the Harlem Ambassadors back to town in the ORR High School Gym. Enjoy an evening of comedy basketball for the whole family. Proceeds to benefit Tri -Town Schools and Lions Charities. Come early (5:30 p.m.) for burgers and hot dogs. Tickets available at tri-town elementary schools, ORR High School, or on line by clicking on the event title.

First Friday Open Mic (7:00-9:00 pm)
First Unitarian Church of New Bedford presents First Friday Open Mic, 7-9 p.m. first Friday of each month. Free admission, refreshments available for purchase.

FHS Drama Club presents “The Wizard of Oz” (7:30 pm)
Come support the local kids and enjoy a tale we all love! The Wizard of us is being presented by the Fairhaven High School drama club for this weekend only. Tickets $15 adults, $12 for students and $10 for children under 12.

Saturday, April 5th

WAMS Rummage And Bake Sale (Acushnet) (9:00am-12:00 pm)
Sponsored by the W.A.M.S. of the Acushnet-Wesley United Methodist Church. Flea market items will be sold as well as baked goods and clothing.

Monthly Wellness Walk at Buttonwood; Get Moving, Get Healthy! (10:00 am)
Hawthorn Cardiologist Dr. Michael Rocha will lead participants on a two-mile walk around Buttonwood Park. This will happen monthly at 10:00 am and people will meet in the parking area in front of the zoo entrance.

Healing Share (Reiki) @ Crescent Moon Holistic Therapy Shoppe (10:00-11:00 am)
Open to all levels of Reiki. It’s not only for practitioners, but also for those interested in becoming practitioners. Come join us for healing and sharing! Crescent Moon Holistic Therapy Shoppe on Brigham Street near St. Luke’s Hospital. $10.00.

WAG Annual Juried Spring Show “Surf and Turf” (10:00am-5:00pm)
Paintings and drawings that interpret the theme by WAG members and New England artists will be on display. Reception and Presentation of Awards on Sunday April 6, 3–5 pm.

FrogWatch Training (1:00-3:00pm)
Local frogs need your help! Amphibian populations are declining worldwide so it’s important to learn as much as we can about these animals. Here’s how you can help! Join the Buttonwood Park Zoo’s FrogWatch Chapter! FrogWatch USA is a nationwide frog and toad monitoring program. Learn to identify local frog and toad calls then explore local wetlands to help contribute critical data to the long-term scientific study. Ready to become a citizen scientist? Call to register 508-991-6178 x 31. (Ages 7+).

Our I-Dentities Event @ Gallery X (3:00-5:00 pm)
Celebrate Spring and the power of words with a gathering of local poets who will share their thoughts on Our I-Dentities at Gallery X. Hosted by Everett Hoagland with guest poet Tony Medina, winner of the 2013 Langston Hughes Society Award and a professor of Creative Writing at Howard University. Event is free and open to the Public. Featuring Local Poets Erik Andrade, Lauren Daley, Gerald Bourassa, Dawn Blake Souza, Ron Barboza, Megan Tench, an Catherine McLaughlin. Letisha Imani HarrisFor additional information, call the Historical Society at 508-979-8828.

Painting with a Splash: “Martini” w/ Ann (3:00 & 7:00pm)
Welcome to Painting with a Splash Where you are the artist! Painting with a Splash is the newest addition to Historic Whaling City Downtown New Bedford. Bringing you an experience of art as entertainment. Add a little wine (BYOB) that will surely tap into your creative side. With step by step instruction and a little music, you and your friends will create the evenings featured painting with a splash of your own uniqueness. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Just a desire to have fun.

Sunday, April 6th

Friends of Acushnet Troop 41 Spaghetti Supper Fundraiser (1:00 pm-6:00 pm)
The Senior Center of the Acushnet Council on Aging is a center of activity. Located in the old Mason Weldon Burt School Building. The ACOA is a gathering place for area seniors. A few of the senior programs are restricted to Acushnet senior citizens because of funding limitations. However, most of their activities and programs are open to all seniors. Come have S’ketti and help out! $5 adults, $2.50 children 12 and under.

FHS Drama Club presents “The Wizard of Oz” (2:00 pm)
Come support the local kids and enjoy a tale we all love! The Wizard of us is being presented by the Fairhaven High School drama club for this weekend only. Tickets $15 adults, $12 for students and $10 for children under 12.

Painting with a Splash: Fund Raiser for Braiden Norton w/ Ann + Fitz’s Wine Pour w/Fitz (12:00pm & 6:30 pm)
Welcome to Painting with a Splash Where you are the artist! Painting with a Splash is the newest addition to Historic Whaling City Downtown New Bedford. Bringing you an experience of art as entertainment. Add a little wine (BYOB) that will surely tap into your creative side. With step by step instruction and a little music, you and your friends will create the evenings featured painting with a splash of your own uniqueness. NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! Just a desire to have fun.

Want to sponsor this weekend guide? Contact info@newbedfordguide.com for more details. 

The Working Waterfront Festival is pleased to announce the winner of our 2014 Design Contest – Jason C. Eckhardt of New Bedford. Mr. Eckhardt has been a professional illustrator for over thirty years. His editorial cartoons have appeared in the New Bedford Standard-Times and have won the Best Cartoon award from the New England Newspaper and Press Association five times. His work has also appeared in publications from Dell Magazines, Doubleday, and various small presses. “The Festival Committee was impressed with Mr. Eckhardt’s ability to convey the 2014 theme Fishing Families” (Laura Orleans, Festival Director). Mr. Eckhardt’s design will appear on the Festival t-shirt, program guide, and poster.

The 2014 Festival will be held on the New Bedford waterfront September 27th and 28th. Festival performers will present programs in area schools during the day on Friday, September 26th and a Festival Sampler will be presented on Friday evening. This year, we put the spotlight on the historic and contemporary role of fishing families, both on shore and at sea. Programming will highlight the skills, knowledge, and traditions which are passed from one generation to the next. We will explore what it means to grow up in a fishing family; consider the important support role family members play; and pay tribute to the many family businesses which are part of the industry. We will encourage multiple generations to compete in fishermen’s contests; showcase family recipes on the Foodways Stage; and collect family stories in the FishTales Area.

The Working Waterfront Festival is a project of the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern MA, a non-profit organization. The FREE festival, a family friendly, educational celebration of New England’s commercial fishing industry, features live maritime and ethnic music, fishermen’s contests, fresh seafood, vessel tours, author readings, cooking demonstrations, kid’s activities and more. It all takes place in New Bedford, MA, America’s #1 fishing port, on the last full weekend of September. Navigate to us at www.workingwaterfrontfestival.org.

The City and Refuse District are helping you make the most of your spring cleaning tasks with four upcoming events.

National Drug Take-Back Day and Sharps Drop-off Day will take place on April 26th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Shawmut Avenue Transfer Station, 1103 Shawmut Avenue.

• Open to New Bedford and Dartmouth residents only, ID required

• Safely dispose of unwanted prescription drugs with the Drug Enforcement Administration

• Sharps include needles, syringes, and lancets

• Sharps must be in a red biohazard container prior to the drop-off day; sharps will not be accepted in any other type container.

• Call (508) 979-1493 to ask where to obtain one free biohazard container. Additional containers may be purchased from local pharmacies.

Household Hazardous Waste Drop-off Day will take place on April 26th from 9 a.m. to noon at the Crapo Hill Landfill. Call for directions or visit www.gnbrrmdistrict.org.

• Open to New Bedford and Dartmouth residents only, ID required
• Examples of accepted waste include oil-based paints, paint thinner and waste fuels.
• NO LATEX PAINTS. Dry out and throw it away in the regular trash.
• The maximum amount you can bring is 25 gallons or 25 pounds.
• Collection is for households only. No businesses, schools, or contractors.

Paper Shred Day will take place on May 3rd from 9 a.m. to noon in the parking lot across from City Hall on the corner of William Street and North 6th Street. Shredding is provided by Doc Shredding.

• Open to businesses and residents of New Bedford and the surrounding communities
• Fee is $5 per box (not more than 40 pounds each)
• Paper clips and staples do not need to be removed, but please remove paper from folders and binders.

Tire Drop-off Day will take place on May 17th from 9 a.m. to noon at the Shawmut Avenue Transfer Station, 1103 Shawmut Avenue.

• Open to New Bedford and Dartmouth residents only, ID required
• Fees (cash or check only) – $1 each for car tires, $5 each for light duty truck tires and $15 each for heavy duty truck tires(greater than R24 not accepted, no off-road equipment tires)
• No commercial loads

For more information about any of the events, contact Marissa Perez-Dormitzer, District Recycling Coordinator at (508) 979-1493 orrecycling@newbedford-ma.gov.