UPDATED: 8:14am Saturday, June 3:

The victim in this morning’s murder-suicide on Phillips Road in New Bedford can now publicly be identified as eight-year-old Dante Hazard.

The Bristol County District Attorney’s office, along with Fall River Police, New Bedford Police and Massachusetts State Police have been actively been investigating the March 2019 disappearance of Lisa Hazard. Through our Missing Persons and Unidentified Bodies Initiative, the Lisa Hazard case was one of several cases highlighted on our website, in press releases and through regional media interviews.

As part of this missing person investigation, about two-and-a-half weeks ago detectives executed a court-issued search warrant at 1643 Phillips Road. Those search warrants have been sealed by the court as part of the ongoing investigation into Ms. Hazard’s disappearance.

George Scott aand Lisa Hazard.

Original article:

The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office and New Bedford Police Department are investigating the death of a man and a young child at a New Bedford home in what appears to be a murder-suicide.

At approximately 8:00am on Friday, June 2 multiple agencies responded to a home at 1643 Phillips Road in New Bedford, blocking off traffic and creating a crime scene. Detectives could be seen walking in and out of the home wearing white plastic covers on their feet and at one point carrying knives.

We spoke with neighbors and they tell us that allegedly there were two individuals found deceased inside the Philip Road home after police did a wellness check. According to the neighbors, family and friends could not get a hold of the occupants of the home for some time.

Found deceased in the home was George Scott III son of former Boston Red Sox player George “Boomer” Scott, as a person of interest in the disappearance of his girlfriend Lisa Hazard in 2019 and an 8-year old boy, believed to be his son, appears to have serious injuries. Several knives were recovered from the scene. “There’s been a lot of work put into this case, again, since 2019, investigating her disappearance,” Bristol County District Attorney Quinn said.

Video by Carlos Pimental Felix:

“After 2 great cleanups this season, we are looking forward to our next cleanup of New Bedfords West End.

Join our cleanup on June 10th in the west end! Our headquarters will be located at Southcoast Health, 101 Page Street.

• Free t-shirts to all volunteers
• Gloves and tools provided
• Wear closed-toe shoes

Coffee and donuts provided by Bask, Inc. Pizza provided by Domino’s. Pre-registration preferred but not required. Walk-ins welcome. Sign up at operationcleansweep.net.

This cleanup would not be possible without you, and we are so grateful to have you help to make a difference for the West End.

Hope to see you on June 10th. And please bring a friend.”-Operation Clean Sweep.

Operation Clean Sweep photo.

Operation Clean Sweep photo.

Operation Clean Sweep photo.

Operation Clean Sweep photo.

“Jenny was driving when she noticed a baby raccoon fall from very high up in a tree. She pulled over and rescued the stunned baby. He was breathing, but not moving much at all. She brought him here for an assessment before we tried to reunite him with his mother.

When he arrived late last night, I picked him up out of the carrier he was in to have a look at him. He was cold, incredibly thin and very dehydrated. He clearly hadn’t seen his mother in a long time. As I held him in my gloved hands, he looked up at me with those helpless eyes and starting cooing.

Both Jenny and her cousin, Amanda, broke into tears. They said it was the first sound he had made since they rescued him. It was such a relief.

“This is what it’s all about.” said Amanda.

I looked at them both and smiled, then looked back at this tiny baby. His life was saved today because two kind and wonderful people would do whatever it took to get him the help he needed.

She was right. This truly is what it’s all about.”-Newhouse Wildlife Rescue.

“Boston Bruin Brad Marchand came by MEP’s Boston Registration Office to conduct business yesterday.

While there, the Stanley Cup champ took time to talk with staff members, sign autographs, and snap some photos with our team.

A big thank you to Mr. Marchand for taking the extra time out of his day to spend with our staff and for providing them with a very memorable day at the office.”-Massachusetts Environmental Police.

Massachusetts Environmental Police photo.

“New Bedford Police Department school resource officers were happy to be invited to the Special Olympics game day at Carney Academy earlier yesterday.

It’s a privilege to be able to hand out awards to all the excellent students. Thank you for having us!”

All photos by the New Bedford Police Department:

“Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) issued the following statement today after voting against the debt deal:

“I was obligated by my commitment to our planet and to the everyday families across the Commonwealth and nation struggling to make ends meet to vote against the debt limit deal. This package will fast-track dirty fossil fuel projects at the expense of environmental justice and local communities, and will give Big Oil and Big Gas a Get Out of Jail Free card.

“This legislation will keep seniors and young families who rely on SNAP and TANF from keeping the lights on and putting food on the table. This legislation undermines bedrock environmental law and creates major new exemptions to the environmental permitting process, which will leave local, state, and Tribal leaders vulnerable and voiceless on polluting projects in their backyards. And this legislation fails entirely to address the transmission and staffing issues that are real blockades to bringing affordable clean energy onto our grid, adding a new yearslong delay to our effort to ensure our regional electric grids are resilient and interconnected in case of emergencies. Meanwhile, Americans face higher energy costs from fossil fuel profiteering, and corporate executives get bigger bonuses.

“Republicans racked up trillions in debt under Donald Trump, giving tax breaks to corporations and billionaires, and now would rather deprive struggling families of food and financial security than ask the wealthy to pay their fair share in taxes. It’s despicable that the GOP held our economy hostage, and I could not vote for legislation that put pipelines over lifelines. We must abolish the debt ceiling to bring an end to the Republicans’ hostage-taking—for good.”

“It is frequently asserted by divorce attorneys that a separation agreement that leaves both parties unhappy is a fair deal.

But that is questionable, as how does one party getting physical custody of the children measure compared to the other spouse receiving seventy percent of the marital assets and a low child support order?

When the agreement plays out and the non-custodial parent has visitation for four overnights a month, it is hardly relationship sustaining, and the custodial parent, and children, have a significantly reduced level of income how comparable is that as to its impact upon the parties when put into practice?

All too frequently divorcing parties are coerced and pressured into signing separation agreements that were redrawn and amended the very day of the divorce hearing. They are reminded that a continuing insistence on more visitation or increased support may not be ordered by the judge and they will remain in limbo indefinitely causing great uncertainty and a tremendous increase of legal fees.

And similarly legislators were presented with dire national and international consequences if the debt ceiling issue was not resolved presently, and they were provided insufficient time to absorb, digest and analyze the consequences of the fine print.

Compromised agreements have devastating effects sometimes and the only winners are the legislators who prepared, promoted and paraded their accomplishment to their constituents. And so too divorce attorneys can proudly shakes hands and be thankful for a time consuming trial that has been averted.

But the reality is all too often the compromised divorce agreement and the bipartisan debt ceiling legislation have unforeseen and devastating consequences that are patently unfair, and only cause incivility and inequity in the country and to the divorced family.

Betty Ussach.”

“The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of June 5, 2023 – June 9, 2023, and they are as follows:

Eversource will be working on gas main relays and services on:

• Main relay on Brownell Ave from Hawthorn St to Gaywood St.
• Main relay on Church St from Park Ave headed South to Wood St.
• Main relay/regulator on corner of Potter St and Rockdale Ave headed East towards Nashua St.
• Main relay on Sheldon St. from Brownell to Dartmouth Town Line
• Abandonment holes on David St @ West Rodney French and Brock Ave
• Abandonment holes on George St @ West Rodney French and Brock Ave.

Other:

• Contractor (PA Landers) will continue sidewalk work at the road reconstruction project on Clifford St from Acushnet Ave to Ashley Blvd.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working at the intersection of County St x Union St. Lane closures and detours to be in place.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will begin work at various locations along Sassaquin Pond for drainage swale rehabilitation.
• Contractors (PA Landers and various utility companies) will be working at MassDOT’s Kings Highway project. Minor traffic impacts and lane shifts required.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working at MassDOT project #609201, located at the intersection of Acushnet Ave & Peckham Rd/Sassaquin Ave.
• Contractor (SCR Constructors) will continue site work at the future South Coast Rail station platform locations in the city. (Church St at Carlisle St and Wamsutta St at Acushnet Ave.) If you have questions, please email the project team at SouthCoastRail@dot.state.ma.us
• Contractor (K5) will be working on West St and Priscilla St on sidewalk work and road reconstruction
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be at various location throughout the city painting paving markings and line painting.”

“Buttonwood Park Zoo is mourning the loss of ‘Yellow,’ a female Atlantic harbor seal, who came to BPZOO after being rescued from a Cape Cod beach in 1983. One of BPZOO’s most beloved and iconic animals, Yellow exceeded life expectancy for an Atlantic harbor seal, as she was less than a week from her 40th birthday.

Yellow, as one of BPZOO’s oldest residents, and the oldest female Atlantic harbor seal in an institution accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) was under careful monitoring and care for many age-related illnesses. Recently, animal care staff noticed a reduction in her appetite, and increasing troublesome neurological signs, such as lethargy, decreased mobility, and, finally, seizures.

Buttonwood Park Zoo photo.

After a variety of diagnostic tests, including bloodwork, a whole-body CT scan, and infectious disease testing it became clear that her condition was continuing to deteriorate. Due to advanced age, poor prognosis, and a major decline in her quality of life, Zoo leadership, animal care and veterinary teams made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize her. She passed peacefully surrounded by her animal care teams. A necropsy has been performed and biopsies were submitted with results pending.

“It was an incredibly difficult decision; one that we did not come to lightly,” said BPZOO’s Director, Gary Lunsford. “Yellow was a wonderful ambassador for her species and beloved by so many. We know her loss will be profoundly felt by her extensive animal care team as well as the many volunteers and guests who had the pleasure of interacting with her over the last 40 years.”

Known for being very sweet, and a little sassy, Yellow thrived under the expert care at BPZOO. Kristy Kaeterle and her twin sister Kerry Silvia cared for Yellow for more than two decades.

Buttonwood Park Zoo photo.

“There are so many things that we loved about her and will miss forever – like her impatient little snorts when we were taking too long with the fish that she loved so much. She also had impeccable timing, knocking the pool brush out of our hands at just the right moment bringing a laugh from us, every time.”

It wasn’t just animal care staff that noticed her silly behavior – guests also commented on Yellow’s quirky habit of napping at the bottom of her pool.

“Guests would constantly ask us ‘What is she doing?’ – and we would assure them that she was just taking a little nap!”

Yellow gave birth to Blue, her sole living offspring, in 2003 and together they built strong relationships with their caretakers. These strong connections allowed for hands-on vet exams and close monitoring of their health, contributing to her longevity. Yellow knew more than 25 trained behaviors, including stationing on a scale, allowing keepers to brush her teeth, place drops in her eyes and even presenting herself for x-rays, vaccines, and blood draws.

Buttonwood Park Zoo photo.

One of the most beautiful ways this relationship was showcased was through Yellow’s unique artwork, featured yearly in BPZOO’s annual Art Gone Wild Auction as well Zoolala.

“If you have a seal flipper print in the shape of a flower – cherish it. It was her specialty. She taught us many things over the years, but one of the most important lessons we learned was the importance of trust in a friendship,” said Kaeterle and Silvia.”

Free Concerts Every Other Friday Alternating Between Lower Union and Purchase Streets.

“The Summer Sound Series presented by Mayor Jon Mitchell returns June 9 through September 15, offering a free concert every other Friday. Alternating between lower Union Street and Purchase Street, these block party events feature high-energy danceable varieties of musical genres and participation from local restaurants and organizations.

“We are looking forward to offering another summer of free high-quality entertainment for residents and visitors,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “Nothing brings people together like live music outdoors, and our Summer Sound Series has been going strong for ten summers. I encourage everyone to enjoy the opportunity this summer.”

Downtown New Bedford is home to destination attractions such as the New Bedford Whaling Museum, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, New Bedford Fishing Heritage Center, New Bedford Art Museum, and the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center.

“Once again, the City is excited to host the Summer Sound Series in our historic downtown area and provide the residents an opportunity to enjoy an evening of wonderful local entertainment,” said City Council President Linda Morad. “I am certain that this year’s concert series will be well-attended and provide a great economic boost to our downtown business district. ‘Love where you Live – New Bedford.’”    

The Summer Sound Series will be in the heart of it all, with streets blocked off for the Friday concerts from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Concertgoers can purchase a beverage from participating establishments and experience great live music in a fun, festive atmosphere.

This summer’s lineup features an eclectic mix of artists.

“Last year’s concert series was such a hit among residents and visitors alike. We’re thrilled to be able to bring this free community event back this year thanks to the generous support of our sponsors, including our lead sponsor, WPRI-12,” said Ashley Payne, the City’s Director of Tourism and Marketing. “This year we’re bringing even more to the party with live art, giveaways, and more.”

Here’s the schedule:

PURCHASE STREET (between Union and William streets):
• June 23: Entrain
• July 21: The Funky White Honkies
• August 18: JAMMIN’: A Tribute to Bob Marley
• September 15: East Coast Soul

UNION STREET (between N. Water St. and Route 18):
• June 9: Diane Blue All-Star Band with Ricky Russell
• July 7: Neal McCarthy Problem
• August 4: Mo Bounce
• September 1: Kabu Jazz Ensemble ft. Candida Rose

Participating Restaurants:

• PURCHASE STREET: DNB Burgers, the Pour Farm Tavern, the Vault Music Hal & Pub, No Problemo

• UNION STREET: PLAY Arcade, Rose Alley Ale House, Moby Dick Brewing Co., Union Flats Seafood, Whaler’s Tavern, Cultivator Shoals

All concerts are weather permitting. Learn more at: destinationnewbedford.org.”