This report is provided to NewBedfordGuide.com by the New Bedford Station One Police Department. If you have information on a crime and you can report it at 508.991.6340, or anonymously at 508-961-4584. This report (and future reports) is public information and published to inform the public on high crime areas. This report provides information on stolen goods that can be recovered by contacting 508.991.6340. You can also find deneral information at: http://www.newbedfordpd.com/. The persons named in this report have been charged, but are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. These are the accounts of the New Bedford Police officers.  

Station One (Central New Bedford) has been experiencing several auto breaks in the past several weeks. In response directed and proactive patrols have been initiated.

This morning at approximately 01:41 a.m., Officer Abraham Nazario was conducting a directed patrol in the Buttonwood Park area. In the meantime, calls came in for suspicious males carrying a box were looking into cars on Elm Street near Rockdale Avenue area. Officer Nazario was nearby responded along with Officer Norman Duchesneau. As both officers converged on the two males from opposing directions on Elm Street the males fled. Officer Abraham Nazario, after a foot pursuit in the area of Brownell & Court Street, apprehended Tyler Trinidad.

Meanwhile Officer Daniel Sweeney, Officer Clint Medas and Officer Steven Alers were in route to assist. Officer Norman Duchesneau continued with his pursuit to the area Florence and Morgan Street. These officers with the direction and coordination of Officer Sweeney established a perimeter coordinating officers from both Station One and Station Three. While waiting for a K-9 officer, Officer A. Nazario heard some noises coming from 32 Florence Street. He notified Officer Duchesneau that he was going to investigate and subsequently discovered the second suspect (Tiquan Mello) hiding underneath a pool deck and placed him in police custody.

The suspects have been charged with two of the six car breaks that were reported this morning. The arresting officer Abraham Nazario is continuing the investigation. Several items were recovered and listed below.

Crime intervention success is greatly enhanced when the community alerts the police with timely and detailed information fortifying a true partnership which is augmented by a timely and professional police response. I am extremely proud of the officers at Station One and their professional response in this case and their dedication. We are very fortunate to have such a commendable cadre of officers devoted to our profession.

Items recovered – Large Subwoofer, Stereo Amplifier, two phones, two watches , 2 scratch tickets, deck of cards, necklace, 1 bottle Ibuprofen, deodorant, red notebook, Marijuana grinder and a Michael Jordan backpack.

Defendants

• Tyler Trindad, 20 years of age
• Tiquan Mello, 19 years of age

The Women’s Fund of Southeastern Massachusetts will be hosting a networking event on Thursday, February 7th at the New Bedford Whaling Museum from 5-8 p.m. Tickets are $30 and can be purchased on their website http://www.womensfundsema.org/ or by calling Jeanette at 508-717-0283. You can also e-mail jdoyle@cfsema.org.

The City of New Bedford Parks Recreation & Beaches has announced it will offer a lifeguard training program in partnership with the Friends of Fall River Heritage State Park and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The program will train participants in American Red Cross lifeguarding, first aid, Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for the professional lifeguard, and automatic external defibrillation (AED).  The program will consist of in-class lessons as well as water-based training.  Classroom hours will be held at New Bedford’s Buttonwood Park Senior Center and pool hours will be held at the New Bedford High School pool.

All youth must be 15 years of age or older prior to April 20, 2013 to participate in the lifeguard training program.  There is a $175 registration fee to participate.  A pre-requisite swim test will be held on Sunday, March 3^rd at 12:30pm at the New Bedford High School pool.  This swim test will test participant’s endurance, strength and ability to swim underwater.   Upon successfully completing the pre-requisite swim test, participants will be invited to register for the training program.

Lifeguard Training Program Schedule

Classroom Sessions/Pool Sessions

March 3 (pre-requisite swim test)

March 9/March 10

March 16/March 17

March 23/ March 24

March 30

April 6/April 7

April 13/April 14

April 20

*All sessions are 12:30pm-3:30pm

For more information, please contact the City of New Bedford Parks, Recreation & Beaches at (508) 961-3015 or Fall River Heritage State Park at 508-675-5759 ext 503.

New Bedford Parks Recreation & Beaches has announced the release of the “2013 Field Permit Application” for the use of city parks and fields. Applications can be obtained through the administrative office of Parks Recreation & Beaches at 181 Hillman St., Building # 3. The 2013 application has been updated and interested parties are encouraged to read through the application package to better understand the process required to obtain a field permit from the City of New Bedford.

Organizations or individuals interested in using field space at the various fields in the City of New Bedford must complete the field application and required materials by the following deadlines:

• Spring and Summer Activities – March 1st, 2013
• Fall Activities – July 26th, 2013

All applications should be returned to the Parks, Recreation and Beaches administrative offices located at 181 Hillman St., Bldg 3, Attention: Ross Moran, Assistant Director of Recreation.

In addition, the application is available online at the City of New Bedford website: www.newbedford-ma.gov under City Offices on the Parks and Recreation page. Applications will not be accepted via email.

For further information please contact the Administrative Offices of Parks, Recreation and Beaches at (508) 961-3015.

As policy, New Bedford Guide does not endorse candidates. Our philosophy is to provide facts to the public and let the people make up their own minds. What New Bedford Guide does offer to political candidates is a platform to get their voices heard by tens of thousands of New Bedford residents. If you are a political candidate for office in New Bedford, New Bedford Guide offers one interview, two articles submitted by the candidates (one preliminary election and one final election article), ad space on NewbedfordGuide.com and the option to maximize the reach of the articles on Facebook. All articles will be maintained on a 2013 New Bedford Elections page, much like our 2012 election page: http://www.newbedfordguide.com/2011-new-bedford-elections.

Candidate Interviews

This is a one-time interview on a first come, first serve basis. E-mail us at info@newbedfordguide.com to set up an appointment. This interview is done FREE of charge and is not political. It is guaranteed to reach thousands of New Bedford residents. The interview is conducted to gain basic, personal information on the candidate, not to push a political agenda. What current and previous careers did they have? What do they read to stay informed? What hobbies do they have? The primary goal of this interview is to provide information on what makes the candidate tick. For an example, check out our 2011 interview with then mayoral candidate Jon Mitchell: http://www.newbedfordguide.com/an-interview-with-jon-mitchell/2011/11/04.

Candidate Submitted Content

New Bedford Guide will also publish candidate submitted articles; one article in the preliminary election and one article in the final election. This is where the candidates can get political and promote their agendas. For an example, check out the article the Antonio Cabral campaign submitted in 2011: http://www.newbedfordguide.com/mayoral-candidate-tony-cabral/2011/11/02. E-mail your content at info@newbedfordguide.com.

Buying Banner Space on New Bedford Guide

New Bedford Guide offers banner space to any candidate on a first come, first serve basis. We do restrict the amount of banner space that any one candidate can buy. This ensures New Bedford Guide banner space is NOT monopolized by a single candidate.

• Banner information and rates: http://www.newbedfordguide.com/advertise/banner-advertising.

To schedule an interview, submit content for publication, or buy ad space, contact info@newbedfordguide.com.

The New Bedford Superintendent Search Committee announced today the availability of an online survey through which the  public can weigh in on the selection criteria for the new superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools as well as share opinions and ideas regarding the future of the school district.  The online survey allows each community member an opportunity to convey his or her opinions and ideas to the New Bedford School Committee.

Mayor Jon Mitchell explained that the Committee and the district will benefit from the public input and perspective.  “I encourage New Bedford residents to participate in this online survey as it is an opportunity for the School Committee to learn the characteristics and qualities the public would like to see in the next Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools as well as the district’s strengths and shortcomings,” he said.

The online survey is available at the New Bedford Public Schools homepage: www.newbedford.k12.ma.us or at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/NEWBEDSUR.

New Bedford residents have a love/hate relationship with South Coast Rail, the rail line that will restore train service to Boston from Taunton, Fall River, Freetown, and New Bedford. We love the idea of being able to take a train from New Bedford to Boston for work or recreation. We hate that South Coast Rail has been promised so much in the past, that most New Bedford residents either sigh or laugh when they hear that “South Coast Rail is coming soon” in the news or from a politician’s mouth. In 1991, Massachusetts Governor Weld made the infamous promise to a Chamber of Commerce audience at White’s of Westport, “If you don’t have commuter rail by 1997, you can sue me.” Who’s ready for a class-action lawsuit? Four governors later, and 16 years past the deadline, we are not much closer to having South Coast Rail service even though Governor Deval Patrick has recently promised $1.8 billion of funding. Even the most optimistic forecasts state that South Coast Rail service wouldn’t start until 2018, or more than two decades past Weld’s promise. Based on what I know today, 2020 would be a more realistic estimate.

South Coast Rail is an expensive, complex project. There’s a lot of information (and misinformation) out there. With this article, I hope to explain the basics of South Coast Rail, examining the past, present and future of the project. For those that want to delve into the 100+ page documents produced by the state, check out my document sources at the bottom of this article.

Origins of South Coast Rail

South Cost Rail was first proposed in the 1980s with the intent of bringing economic development to the Fall River and New Bedford areas. New Bedford and Fall River peaked economically in the 1940s and declined significantly in the 1970s. New Bedford, once the whaling capital of the world, glass capital of the world (known as the “City of Light” at one point) and textile producing powerhouse, became a shell of itself with the fishing industry (mostly scallops) saving it from becoming a Flint, Michigan. South Coast Rail was to become the economic stimulus needed to boost New Bedford and Fall River’s economy.

South Coast Rail service will allow people to commute to Boston for higher paying jobs and bring significant tourism in the southcoast, Massachusetts. For New Bedford, it would stop the one-way migration of our most talented workers. Rather than commute, many simply relocated to Boston. New Bedford and Fall River generally have twice the unemployment rate of the state average. South Coast Rail would help bring New Bedford’s unemployment rate closer to parity with the state average.

Proposed South Coast Stations

South Coast Rail is a network of 10 new train stations that will run southward from Stoughton to Taunton and then fork off to Fall River and New Bedford. New Bedford is proposed to get two train stations, a King’s Highway station and the Whale’s Tooth Station just off of Route 18 near downtown New Bedford.

• New Bedford Branch: King’s Highway and Whale’s Tooth Station (Route 18)
• Fall River Branch: Fall River Depot, Battleship Cove and Freetown
• Others: North Easton, Easton Village, Raynham Park, Taunton and East Taunton.

Heading North, these stations will connect to the Stoughton Station. Check out an interactive map here.

New Bedford Station Types

Not all train stations will be the same. For South Coast Rail there are four types;  Multimodal Hub, New Center, Village Station and Park-and-Ride stations.

The Whale’s Tooth Station on Route 18 in New Bedford will be a larger, Multimodal Hub Station. It will combined bus and rail with structured parking. Other Multimodal Hub stations will include Fall River Depot and Downtown Taunton. Here’s a conceptual look at The Whale’s Tooth Station.

The King’s Highway Station will be a New Center station proving rail only with surface parking. Other New Center stations will include Freetown and Raynham Place. Here’s a conceptual look at King’s Highway Station:

The other types of stations:

• Villiage Station – Rail only with limited parking. Village Stations include Taunton, Barrowsville, Easton Village and Stoughton.
• Park-and-Ride Station – Built to include sizeable surface lots to serve transit riders driving to the station from around the region. Park-and-ride stations include Taunton Depot and North Easton.

South Coast Rail Timeline

• 1980s – First Proposed
• June 2010, the state of Massachusetts finished purchasing track from freight company CSX.
• 17 February 2010, MBTA received $20 million in TIGER grants from the federal government to rebuild bridges in New Bedford for the future rail line, the first construction on the line.
• 22 March 2011, an environmental report on the South Coast Rail project by the US Army Corps of Engineers was released.
• 14 January, 2013, Gov. Deval Patrick proposes $1.8 billion in spending for South Coast Rail.

Documentation

• South Coast Rail Plan for Action – April 4th, 2007
• South Coast Rail Economic Development and Land Use Corridor Plan – June, 2009
• South Coast Rail Fact Sheet – October, 2010
• South Coast Rail Official Website
• Facebook Page Dedicated to South Coast Rail

Mayor Jon Mitchell is pleased to join with the Greater New Bedford Area Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee in welcoming the public to attend the “Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Remembrance Celebration.” The celebration will be held on Sunday, January 20, 2012 at 3:00pm at the Pilgrim United Church, 635 Purchase Street, New Bedford.

“This is an important day for our city and I encourage everyone to attend the Celebration and take advantage of the opportunity to reflect on Dr. King’s message of peace and unity,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell.

Dr. King was an integral part of the Civil Rights Movement which laid the foundation for the theory and practice of inclusion and diversity in American society and around the world. Though he was assassinated in 1968, Dr. King’s dream lives on, touching the hearts and minds of people throughout the world.

The theme for the 2013 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Remembrance Celebration is “I Have A Dream…50 years later.” It was 50 years ago that Dr. King spoke those famous words. The 2013 program has been tailored to encourage reflection in those inspiring words and the progress the world has made toward becoming the world Dr. King envisioned.

The keynote speaker this year is Victoria Reggie Kennedy. The Kennedy family has played an important role in civil rights history in the sixties and beyond. With the loss of revered Senator Kennedy the planning committee thought Victoria Kennedy, given her broad experience in public service would be a perfect voice to add to this reflective mood, stated 2013 Chairwoman, Marci Pina-Christian.

Other program highlights will include musical selections from the Carlos Pacheco School chorus, the New Bedford Public Schools All City Jr. Show Choir and two special musical presentations from classical baritone and New Bedford native, Philip Lima, accompanied by William Merrill, one of New England’s most highly respected collaborative pianists. The duo will perform an excerpt of Dr. King’s I Have A Dream speech.

The Members of the New Bedford Area Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Planning Committee include representatives from: Baha’i Faith, United House of Prayer, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, Pilgrim United Church, Grace Episcopal Church, The Interchurch Council, the New Bedford Branch of the NAACP, The Department of Community Services, & The Human Relations Commission

For additional information, please visit the City website at www.newbedford-ma.gov or contact Marci Pina-Christian at (508) 979-1464.

Project New Bedford is having a ‘Have Mercy!!” fundraiser to help raise funds for Mercy Meals and More, Mobile Loaves and Fishes, and P.A.C.E. at Rasputin’s Tavern (122 Main Street, Fairhaven, MA) on February 16th at 7pm. Tickets are $10 prior to the event, or $15 at the door. Ticket holders will receive an appetizer and one raffle ticket for a door prize. There will also be raffles for gift cards from local businesses and a 50/50 raffle. Entertainment will be provided by Fun 107′s DJ Billy Teed.

Tickets will go on sale Monday January 14th. You can purchase tickets at 767 Clothing Exchange, and other local establishments in the downtown area.

The Greater New Bedford unemployment rate is much higher than the rest of Massachusetts, but believe it or not there really are a lot of jobs available for qualified applicants. Sometimes the barrier to a new job can be the lack of information on available job openings.  To solve this, each week New Bedford Guide will be working with the New Directions Southcoast (also known as the Greater New Bedford Career Center) to inform job seekers about the hottest jobs in the area. We will define “Hot Jobs” as those jobs that need to be filled by the employer immediately. For those looking to search some large job databases, checkout my Best Job Search Resources for New Bedford Residents article. Unless noted otherwise, those interested in these positions or want more information should go to the Greater New Bedford Career Center at 618 Acushnet Avenue. Here are the Hot Jobs as of January, 3rd, 2012.

Interested in any of the positions listed below, please contact Sharon Martin, Business Services Representative at 508-990-4115 or feel free to stop by the Greater New Bedford Career Center.  These positions are posted on mass.gov/jobquest.

1. Telephone Operator #1677245 – Local transportation company is looking for a phone operator. Must have good phone manners, computer skills in data entry, and be able to multi-task in a fast paced office.

2. Transportation Shuttle Driver #1677310 – Transportation Services at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth is looking for responsible people to drive 14 passenger University shuttles. The main task is to transport passengers, guest, students, and employees on campus and off campus to special events, satellite locations and community service locations. Must have experience with 14- passenger shuttles and vans.
Transportation Services is currently hiring for (2) shifts.

Monday thru Friday. This will be a 5 to 6 hour shift. The time frame will range between 5:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. The shift time will be finalized at the time of hiring.

3. Senior Account Clerk #1677335 – Maintenance of specialized clerical work related to department accounts and responsibility of more difficult phases of account maintenance work. Applies moderate to complex accounting principles in regard to balancing all accounts on the City’s general ledger. Reconciles bank statements to the City’s general ledger. Maintains financial accounts and records in general. Summarizes expenditures and balances for department. Prepares payroll for department. Maintains records and other payroll liabilities. Makes general ledger entries to correct accounts. Accounts for receipt and disbursement of cash transactions and cash accounts. Processes and verifies accuracy of all department accounts. Prepares warrants and purchase orders. Performs all clerical duties. Handles telephone inquiries. Maintains filing system. Graduation for a high school or GED equivalent with specialized course work in general office, and two years of increasingly responsible related experience; or any equivalent combination of education and experience.

4. Cook #1678379 – Cook Breakfast/Lunch – Experience a must. Hours range from 20 to 40 hours per week.

5. Warehouse Selectors #1678367 – IMMEDIATE NEED–Full time positions open for Warehouse Selectors, must be able to work ALL THREE SHIFTS including weekends. Must have a solid work history and experience working in a warehouse. This is a very physical and demanding job consisting of heavy lifting. Job consists of picking groceries or produce products from pick slots, stacking pallets and loading trailers. Must be able to lift up to 100lbs. repeatedly, operate mobile equipment walk or stand on concrete for several hours per day and working varying temperatures down to 34 degrees. Must be able to pass three employment tests: drug test, physical, and lifting abilities.

FOR IMMEDIATE CONSIDERATION: Please apply in person at the Greater New Bedford Career Center ONLY. Do not call the career center or Stop & Shop Warehouse. Apply at:

618 Acushnet Ave, New Bedford, Ma. 02740. Qualified candidates will be prescreened, and scheduled for an interview within a few days of applying.

6. Driver’s Education Teacher #1681223 – Professional driving school looking for a driver’s education teacher. Fun, easy, rewarding and flexible hours. Perfect part time job. Must be able to pass a CORI check.

7. Driving Instructor #1681230 – Professional driving school looking for a driving instructor. Fun, easy, rewarding, and flexible hours. Perfect part time job. Driving instructor’s license preferred, but not required. Must be able to pass a CORI check.

8. Crew Members #1684348 – Tropical Smoothie Café is pleased to announce a new Café in Fairhaven. They offer a refreshing variety of eat-better, fell-better food & real-fruit smoothies. Currently, they are hiring 30 friendly, motivated, reliable part time Crew Members. Positions are 15 to 28 hrs per week for days, nights and weekends. Prior customer service or restaurant, hospitality and TROPITUDE experience helpful. Share the Tropical Experience and become part of an upbeat friendly atmosphere and team. Applications are available at the Greater New Bedford Career Center or Tropical Smoothie Café, 29 Alden Road, Fairhaven.