The popular “Day Of Portugal” celebration has been delighting locals for well over two decades. Last year at this time organizers canceled the celebration and most of us at that time thought that COVID would pass in a few weeks or months.

Unfortunately, the Day Of Portugal, or as some colloquially call “The Mini-Feast,” has been canceled for a second year in the best interest of “..safety and well-being of the population as well as the restrictions imposed by the authorities,” according to Dulce Matos, president of the New Bedford Day of Portugal Committee.

“Given the continuing situation we are all experiencing due to the COVID-19 outbreak, I regret to have to inform you that the Day of Portugal celebrations in New Bedford, scheduled for June 11, 12, and 13, 2021, are canceled.”

Certainly not news anyone wanted to hear, especially considering that the larger Feast of the Blessed Sacrament has not made an official statement on whether there will be a “Feast” this year. A year after COVID first reared its head, most of us were looking for some normalcy after months of lockdowns, stay-at-home advisories, social distancing, and having healthy interactions with others rescheduled or canceled altogether.

Every June tens of thousands of people from the South Coast and beyond eagerly look forward to the “Day Of Portugal” celebration, a chance to soak in Portuguese history, music, culture, and of course, cuisine. Alas, we’ll all have to wait until next in when Matos hopes the event “…will return stronger than ever in 2022.”

Assuming we are not in a lockdown because of COVID-20.

By Brendan Kurie
Contributor

The red zone wasn’t kind to the New Bedford High football team on Friday night.
Three times the Whalers drove inside the 20 only to be turned away without points by Dartmouth’s defense in a 20-14 loss at Memorial Stadium that kicked off the 2020-21 high school football season.

“They did a great job,” New Bedford coach Mark DeBrito said. “They played great upfront and we were misaligned a lot. They took advantage of it. We just have to stay true and teach these guys. We’ll keep working on it.”

Despite twin brothers Bill and Billois Sousa teaming up for a touchdown and 160 rushing yards from electric junior tailback Jayden Frazier, a shifty, compact runner in the style of Maurice Jones-Drew, the Whalers stepped on their own feet too often, committing six second-half turnovers and failing to score on four-straight plays from the 4-yard line in the third quarter.

“I can’t make excuses,” DeBrito said. “You have to go out there and perform. But when you have guys who haven’t been in that situation before, it’s tough. We had some guys forget what they were doing and weren’t sure of themselves so they’re going slower than they normally would. Those are things we have to clean up.”

PLAYER OF THE GAME
For the Whalers, it was Frazier, who averaged 8 yards on his 20 carries, including a 43-yard scamper in the fourth quarter that nearly got New Bedford back in the game.
“He’s a workhorse,” DeBrito said. “I was hoping we could get him in the end zone, but we didn’t. He’s a tough back. He has a low center of gravity and some wiggle in him. We just have to find ways to get him the ball as much as we can and I think we’ll be alright.”

THE BIGGEST PLAY
For the Whalers, it came while trailing 6-0 with five minutes left in the second quarter. Billois Sousa broke through Dartmouth’s line to block a punt deep in Dartmouth territory. His twin brother, Bill, came up with the scoop and score and Ian DaCosta tacked on an extra point to give New Bedford its only lead of the game, 7-6.

“That was nice for them,” DeBrito said. “They’re awesome. They’ve taken a leadership role. They’ve always been leaders, but this year, especially, with it being their last time playing for us, they’re helping out a lot with the younger guys.”

THE GAME PLAY
Dartmouth junior JJ Esterlin opened the game with a 41-yard kickoff return. Two plays later, Dartmouth converted a 3rd-and-18, and two plays after that Marques broke off a 16-yard touchdown run up the middle.

After a Whalers punt, the Indians were poised to add to their 6-0 lead, but a 64-yard drive was undone by a fumble on New Bedford’s 17-yard line.

The Whalers drove down to Dartmouth’s 16, but turned the ball over on downs after a 10-yard pass on 4th-and-12 failed to reach the marker.

After a three-and-out, Dartmouth was punting the ball away when the Sousa brothers teamed up for New Bedford’s first lead, 7-6, with 5:05 left in the second quarter.

That lead lasted exactly 17 seconds. On Dartmouth’s next play, junior quarterback Will Kelly hit a wide open Baron Dutra in stride on a seam route up the middle for a 67-yard touchdown. A blocked extra point made it a 12-7 game with 4:48 left before halftime.

New Bedford’s first possession of the second half started strong with three Frazier runs for 43 yards and a 12-yard connection from junior quarterback Ryan Dosenberg to senior wide receiver Michael Fernandes. But even with a powerful offensive line, New Bedford couldn’t find pay dirt on four plays from the 4-yard line. Junior Dan Martin made the stop on fourth down and Dartmouth took over on its own 2.

The Indians proceeded to march 98 yards on 12 plays, highlighted by a 53-yard run by Kelly and capped by a 2-yard off-tackle touchdown run by Marques.

Frazier broke off a 43-yard run down to the 11 with just under seven minutes left, but the Whalers were unable to score once again, throwing incomplete on third and fourth downs.
The Whalers nearly got stifled a fourth time inside the red zone, but Dosenberg slipped through a small hole on a 4th-and-goal play from the 4. With the Whalers out of timeouts, they had to attempt an onside kick, which Dartmouth recovered.

THE RECORDS
Dartmouth is now 1-0, while New Bedford is 0-1.

SERIES HISTORY
This was Dartmouth’s first win over New Bedford since 2016. It was the lowest scoring game between the two teams since Dartmouth won 10-6 in 2014.

THE NOTES
Dosenberg had a nifty no-look, behind-the-back handoff to Frazier in the fourth quarter. … New Bedford committed eight penalties for 45 yards, with six of those whistles and 35 yards coming in the second half. … The Whalers regularly used a huddle, while the Indians used cards held up on the sidelines to signal their plays.

UP NEXT
New Bedford has a bye in Week 2 before Bridgewater-Raynham comes to town on Saturday, March 27.

“We’ll keep working,” DeBrito said. “We have some talent. It’s just a matter of getting some experience. If we can keep these guys learning and watching film, we’ll get there.”

THE STATISTICS
Total offense: Dartmouth 307, New Bedford 251
Rushing yards: Dartmouth 212, New Bedford 178

New Bedford
Passing: Ryan Dosenberg 8-18-73
Rushing: Jayden Frazier 20-160, Ryan Dosenberg 6-18
Receiving: Darius Harrison 1-4, Michael Fernandes 4-55, Flordan Bazile 2-18, Ranen Goodine 1-(-2)

Dartmouth
Passing: Will Kelly 3-6-95-1
Rushing: Will Kelly 17-128, Ethan Marques 11-39-2, JJ Esterlin 4-36, Patrick Crane 2-9
Receiving: Baron Dutra 2-94-1, Ethan Marques 1-1

THE BOX SCORE
New Bedford;07;0;7—14
Dartmouth;6;6;8;0—20

Scoring Plays

First Quarter
Dartmouth: Ethan Marques 16-yard run (run failed) 9:24

Second Quarter
New Bedford: Bill Sousa recovers blocked punt (Ian DaCosta good) 5:05
Dartmouth: Baron Dutra 67-yard pass from Will Kelly (kick blocked) 4:48

Third Quarter
Dartmouth: Ethan Marques 2-yard run (Kelly run) 1:00

Fourth Quarter
New Bedford: Ryan Dosenberg 4-yard run (Ian DaCosta good) 1:49

“As spring approaches and the warmer weather arrives, the Boston Police Department has historically seen an increase in community complaints and quality of life concerns relative to off-road vehicles such as dirt bikes and ATVs as well as mopeds and motor scooters being driven around the city in a reckless and irresponsible manner.

These vehicles usually travel in large groups with little regard for motor vehicle laws or public safety, causing havoc in the neighborhoods we serve despite the continued efforts of BPD officers across the city.

Many of the offending vehicles are not properly registered, oftentimes have been previously reported stolen and usually stored in an improper and unsafe manner.

Community members with information relative to the illegal operation or storage of these recreational vehicles who wish to assist in these ongoing investigations anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to assist any such investigations in an anonymous manner.”

“At about 9:47 PM on Friday March 12, 2021, officers assigned to District B-3 (Mattapan) made an onsite arrest following a traffic stop which was initiated in the area of 329 Washington Street in Dorchester.

The officers had stopped a motor vehicle as part of an investigation when they confirmed that the operator, Eugene Parrish, 24, of Dorchester, did not possess a valid driver’s license. Furthermore, as they were speaking with the operator, they observed what appeared to be the outline of a firearm protruding from underneath the sweatshirt of the front seat passenger, later identified as a 16-year-old male from Dorchester.

When additional units arrived on scene officers attempted to remove the operator, at which time he put the vehicle in reverse and accelerated towards the officers who were standing behind the suspect vehicle and a cruiser which was stationary with the emergency lights engaged. The suspect struck the cruiser, causing front-end damage, then put his vehicle in drive, accelerating onto the sidewalk at a high rate of speed in an attempt to flee the traffic stop. The suspect vehicle then struck a motor vehicle before coming to a stop after striking a street sign pole in the area of 1 Waterlow Street.

As officers approached, they observed that the passenger was no longer inside the vehicle. When the officers opened the driver’s side door to remove the operator, a violent struggle ensued, with the suspect striking the officers several times as they attempted to place him in custody. The officers were eventually able to place the suspect under arrest while turning their attention to locating the passenger who had apparently fled on foot.

Officers later located the juvenile suspect in the area of 17 School Street and detained him while retracing his path of flight in an attempt to locate any discarded weapons with negative results. The juvenile suspect was released to a guardian after questioning. This portion of the investigation remains ongoing at this time.

The suspect will appear in Dorchester District Court on multiple charges including Assault and Battery by Means of a Dangerous Weapon, Assault and Battery on a Police Officer (4 Counts), Resisting Arrest, Operating a Motor Vehicle After Revocation or Suspension, Driving to Endanger, Negligent Operation and Malicious Destruction of Property.

“SCAM ALERT:

We just heard from a gentleman who was the victim of a scam involving scammers who say they’re from the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.

In this case, the scammer said he was Officer Mark Williams from the BCSO, and he demanded the victim to buy gift cards from area merchants and transfer them over the phone. The scammer even had fellow scammers in the background supposedly speaking to Sheriff Hodgson.

So please share and please be careful.

The BCSO will NEVER NEVER NEVER call and demand payment. Be careful everyone.”

“BPD Community Alert: The Boston Police Department is Seeking the Public’s Help to Identify Suspect Wanted in Connection to Recent Vandalisms at Churches in Dorchester and South Boston.

BPD Community Alert: The Boston Police Department is currently seeking the public’s help to identify a male suspect wanted in connection to two incidents of vandalism at local area churches located in Dorchester and South Boston.

INCIDENT #1: At about 6:30 AM on Friday March 12, 2021, officers assigned to District C-6 (South Boston) responded to a vandalism call at Saint Teresa of Calcutta Church and Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy in the area of 800 Columbia Road in Dorchester. On arrival, officers were informed that an unknown substance had been discovered on several door locking mechanisms, preventing the use of keys to gain entry to the school building. Additionally, the same substance was found on the door locks of the church in addition to a circular bicycle lock which was placed around the door handles of the main front entrance doors.

INCIDENT #2: A short time later, at about 8:00 AM, officers responded to another vandalism call at Saint Monica-Saint Augustine Catholic Church located at 331 Old Colony Road in South Boston. On arrival, officers learned that the same unknown substance had been discovered on all four door locks of the church and that a statue of The Blessed Mother had been knocked over. The party on scene stated that the same statue had also been knocked over on Friday March 5, 2021, but that the incident had not been reported.

The Boston Police Department continues to review the facts and circumstances surrounding these incidents. Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact District C-6 Detectives at (617) 343-4742.

Community members wishing to assist this search anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to assist this investigation in an anonymous manner.”

“So in the past several months we have had multiple visits from animal control, health department, and city infrastructure regarding animal feces.

We have a 13 yr old dog that we clean up after EVERY poop! We use to have nice rose bushes in our front ‘yard’ but gave up because people used it as a dog ‘dropping.’

Today after multiple visits we were told the next time would be a $100 fine! We are feeling harassed by the city! We were told unless we got pics we are liable.

Are we supposed to sit outside 24/7 and wait to catch pics? Maybe since we’ve told several departments of the problem they should park themselves and watch!”-Marcia Kennefick.

Marcia Kennefick photo.

A few bucks and a few web clicks is all someone needs to make dangerous explosives.

It’s a reality law enforcement knows all too well. Bristol County K9 Lt. Kenneth Almeida and K9 Officer Ryan Isherwood, who are both trained and certified in firearms and explosives detection, took another step to protect the public from these homemade explosives with a unique training at Tripwire Operations in Gettysburg, Pa., recently.

“Anybody with the internet can find out how to make a bomb,” Lt. Almeida said. “We’re so much more likely to encounter a homemade explosive than a commercial or military explosive, that’s why this training was so important.”

The training course started in the morning, when Lt. Almeida and Officer Isherwood would build an explosive device. The afternoons were dedicated to the K9s detecting the scents used in the explosives, which were then put through a controlled detonation in the evening.

“Every single explosive we built and detected can be made in 15 minutes with simple items ordered online or bought at a hardware store,” Officer Isherwood said. “Building and detecting it brings a whole new level of respect to the job and how crucial it is to protect the people from these.”

If there’s anyone who knows the impact these explosives can make, it’s Officer Isherwood. While serving overseas with the U.S. Marines years ago, his vehicle was taken out while driving over a homemade mine.

“I’ve seen what these bombs can do first-hand,” Officer Isherwood said. “They can do a lot of damage. That’s the last thing anyone in law enforcement wants happening in our community.”

Lt. Almeida said training building the explosives gives them more information about the chemicals used to make them. For example, he said that large quantities or certain household cleaners or chemicals during a vehicle or home search should trigger an alert for a law enforcement officer that something dangerous may be on the premise.

“This will be a tremendous benefit to the people of Bristol County,” said Lt. Almeida, who is hoping to organize a training session for K9 teams from across Bristol County on homemade explosives. “These chemicals can be very unstable and an explosion can occur at any time with these homemade explosives. No doubt we will use the knowledge to prevent these in Bristol County.”

All photos by Bristol County Sheriff’s Office:

“The Paraprofessional roles are critically important in New Bedford Public Schools as we greatly value each employee who serves in that role,” stated Superintendent Thomas Anderson recently. “We value our Paraprofessionals and believe they deserve a current contract which would include pay rate increases.”

“As was shared during the last School Committee meeting, while not required to do so by law, we prefer to pay all staff more than the state minimum wage. Our contract with the Paraprofessionals dictates when we can adjust staff rates of pay.

Unfortunately, when we requested to the Union to raise the rates of pay, exceeding minimum wage, for the five impacted employees, the Union declined to address this issue at this time,” he said.

“At the March 8th meeting it was also highlighted that we have been open to negotiating since January 2019 and are currently in mediation for more than a year with the Paraprofessional Union, which is represented by the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), in hope of reaching an agreement on a contract,” Anderson said, adding, “My focus is to ensure that all staff are treated equitably.”

Currently the School Committee’s representatives are awaiting response from the Paraprofessional Union regarding the School Committee’s most recent proposal for a 3-year contract. On January 25, 2021, the School Committee’s representatives forwarded the proposal to the Union through the mediator and their AFT representative. On February 12, 2021, NBPS administrators were informed, via the mediator that they hoped the Union would provide a detailed response to the district proposal on or about February 19.

Superintendent Anderson stated, “We remain fully committed to securing a ratified contract with the Paraprofessional Union and I look forward to participating in the discussions as I have done in the past negotiations.”

“Yesterday morning, Detective Mitchell and I brought 160 lbs. of unused/unwanted prescription medication to SEMASS to be incinerated. This medication was collected over the past several months as part of our takeback program.

If you have unwanted/unused medications that you want to safely and responsibly dispose of, our drop box is located in the lobby of the station and is available 24/7 to the general public.

Syringes and certain medication(s) ARE NOT ACCEPTED. Please review the sign attached to the top of the box to see what is and is not accepted.”