Due to the expected temperature drop for this evening, the overflow will be opened tonight. By 7pm tonight it will feel like 24 degrees. Guests should plan to arrive early as the overflow has been at capacity many times already this season. All inquiries can be forwarded to Sister Rose House and 1-800-homeless.

Name: Trin Kiefer
DOB: 12-15-00
MISSING SINCE: 12-18-17
RAN FROM: NB District Court
Contact: STEVENS TREATMENT PROGRAM – 24 MAIN ST , SWANSEA, MA – (508) 679-0183
VERIFY WARRANT/MISSING STATUS: NBPD 508-991-6300
LAST SEEN: NEW BEDFORD
MAY BE IN: NORTH END NEW BEDFORD/ACUSHNET

Shortly after 11 o’clock last night, while patrolling Interstate 93 northbound in Wilmington, Massachusetts State Police Trooper Stephen Thomson observed a black Acura TLX sedan with flashing blue lights and a New York plate being driven at an extremely high rate of speed. The Acura was changing between the middle and left lane at speeds estimated to be greater than 110 mph, and other vehicles, believing it to be a police vehicle, were moving out of the way. Trooper Thompson queried the vehicle, and upon determining it was in fact not a police vehicle, activated his marked cruiser’s blue lights and siren and attempted to conduct a motor vehicle stop as the Acura got onto Interstate 495 southbound.

The Acura kept traveling in the middle lane and refused to stop. Troop A headquarters authorized a pursuit and assumed command and control. Troopers pursued the Acura approximately 10 miles until it stopped at Exit 34 in Chelmsford.

Trooper Thomson, assisted by Troopers Kenneth Quigley, Francis Ducharme, and Emily Todisco, removed the three male occupants from the Acura and secured them in handcuffs. The occupants were identified as KEVIN PORTALATIN, 27, of the Bronx, N.Y., who was the driver; SAMUEL E. MORALES, 38, also of the Bronx; and YEFRI ARIAS-RODRIGUEZ, 22, also of the Bronx.

The driver PORTALATIN told Trooper Thomson that he was a volunteer police officer and firefighter and he thought the pursuing Troopers were “helping” him. The driver also stated the group was coming from Lawrence, despite the fact that they were observed traveling in a northerly direction in Wilmington, which is south of Lawrence. The driver then stated that the men were rappers from New York and were going to do a show.

Troopers observed that the Acura had flashing blue lights in the front and back. During an inventory of the Acura prior to its being towed, Troopers discovered a box containing $100 bills believed to be counterfeit. The bills were stacked in 10 separate bundles each bound with a paper band. A single $20 bill, also believed to be phony and with Chinese writing on it, was also found. Troopers also located, in the car, three bottles of pepper spray and a handheld radio that scans police dispatches.

Troopers transported the three men to the State Police-Andover Barracks, where they were booked. A special agent from the United States Secret Service responded to the barracks, interviewed the men, and confirmed that the bills were counterfeit.

PORTALATIN is charged with the following offenses:

Impersonating a police officer;
Unlawful use of blue lights;
Possession of counterfeit notes;
Failure to stop for police;
Speeding; and
Marked lanes violation.
MORALES and ARIAS each face charges of possession of counterfeit notes.

After the gifts have been unwrapped, New Bedford residents are encouraged to recycle as much of their holiday waste as possible.

“Residents may have questions about which items can be recycled curbside or at the transfer station as well as what to do with their Christmas trees after the holiday. We are sharing this information now to help our residents prepare,” said Ken Blanchard, Director of the Department of Facilities and Fleet Management.

Here are a few tips to help ensure holiday waste ends up in the right place:

· Wrapping paper: Recycle this in the curbside recycling cart. Metallic wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons cannot be recycled; reuse if possible. Place cardboard boxes, gift boxes, greeting cards, catalogs, bottles, and cans in the recycling cart.

· Styrofoam blocks and Christmas tree lights: Clean blocks of Styrofoam can be recycled at the Shawmut Avenue Transfer Station at 1103 Shawmut Avenue. Christmas tree lights can be placed in the scrap metal pile at the transfer station. These items do not belong in the recycling carts.

And, once your Christmas tree has been undecorated, here are several ways it can be properly disposed of:

· Christmas tree collection: ABC Disposal will pick up Christmas trees from January 8 to January 12. During this week only, residents may place trees at the curb by 7 a.m. the weekday after trash and recycling collection. Please note, if your trash is usually collected on Friday, Christmas trees will only be collected along your route on Monday, January 8th. If your trash is usually collected on Mondays, Christmas trees will only be collected along your route on Tuesday, January 9th and so on. The City will not collect Christmas trees curbside at any other time; if placed at the curb any other time, property owners may be issued a violation notice. Please remove all ornaments, stands, holiday lights, and tinsel. Do not place trees in plastic bags.

· Christmas tree drop-off: Starting December 26th, Christmas trees can be brought to:

o East Rodney French Blvd. beach lot, between Hudson Street & Seymour Street, ends January 11th

o Brooklawn Park, near Pony League Field, enter at Irvington Street, ends January 11th

o Shawmut Avenue Transfer Station, 1103 Shawmut Avenue, open Monday, Wednesday, Friday, noon to 5:00 p.m. and Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Transfer Station will be closed on December 25th and January 1st.

For additional tips, follow @NBRecycling on Twitter, or visit our New Bedford Recycling Facebook page. If you have questions, please contact the recycling office by phone at (508) 979-1493 or by email at recycling@newbedford-ma.gov<mailto:recycling@newbedford-ma.gov.

On Thursday, December 14, 2017 at approximately 8:43PM, a suspect entered Jason’s Variety at 270 Main Street, Acushnet armed with a gun. The suspect pointed the gun at the clerk inside the store and demanded money from the cash register. The clerk complied and surrendered an undisclosed amount of cash. The suspect fled on foot, heading north on Main Street before entering a light colored compact pickup truck that was parked on the corner of Oliveira Avenue. The truck then left the scene and headed north on Main Street. No injuries were reported.

SUSPECT DESCRIPTION: Male, 20-30 years old, and approximately 6 feet tall wearing an orange and black North Face jacket, dark colored pants, work boots and a black and white scarf.

SUSPECT VEHICLE: Light colored compact pickup truck

The investigation is still ongoing and police are working to identify the suspect and vehicle involved. Anyone with any information is asked to contact the Acushnet Police Detective Division at 508-998-0240.

There is a new scam going. A resident received an anonymous letter claiming the writer has evidence about a secret that the resident allegedly was hiding from his wife and everyone else. The writer demands that $6,500 be sent in the form of a Bitcoin to a specific Bitcoin address as a “confidentiality fee.”

If you receive a letter such as this it is most likely a scam and can be ignored, unless you really do have secrets that you are hiding. In that case you need to decide if those secrets are worth $6,500. Seriously though, a quick internet search will show that this scam is spreading. It is only a matter of time before more residents receive this letter. Here is a copy of the letter, the victim name has been deleted of course.

Ms. McPherson has served in municipal planning in several capacities over the course of her career. Most recently, she served as Town Planner for the Town of Provincetown for the past four years. Before that, she worked as the Planning Director for the City of Concord, N.H., and was a conservation and land use planner for the City of Northampton.

Having managed planning departments in several communities, Ms. McPherson has extensive experience in department operations, planning and housing regulations and resources, current practices and principles of planning, budgeting and capital planning, policy development, and leadership in guiding complex technical projects.

She holds a bachelor’s degree from George Washington University, and has completed coursework for dual master’s degrees in landscape architecture and regional planning from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She is a member of the American Planning Association, the Massachusetts Association of Planning Directors, and the Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions.

“Gloria McPherson has extensive experience in municipal planning, and fills an important role in city government,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “Her leadership and knowledge of city planning, landscape architecture, and planning regulations will be an asset to New Bedford, and we welcome her to the administration.”

“The City is fortunate to get someone with Gloria’s background and experience,” said Patrick Sullivan, Director of Planning, Housing and Community Development. “Her experience in working with several communities, particularly in the field of strategic planning, will be an asset to New Bedford as we pursue accomplishment of our planning and economic development goals. We look forward to having Gloria join our team.”

The City Planner manages and supervises the operations of the planning division, which is responsible for providing sound and unbiased urban planning practices resulting in the implementation of short- and long-term plans and policies to achieve a more livable city. The division administers state and local regulations regarding land use planning and land reuse, transportation planning, and historic preservation. In addition, the planning division oversees the site plan review process for construction projects. The City Planner oversees the division’s staff support to the Planning Board, Historical Commission, Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA), City Council, and other city departments, boards, and commissions as needed.

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center brings author, iconic artist, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Patti Smith to New Bedford on Friday, January 26, at 8:00 p.m. Smith will read from her latest book, Devotion, which all attendees will receive on the night of the reading. Tickets are $30, which includes a copy of Devotion, and can be purchased by calling 508-994-2900, online at Zeiterion.org, or at the Zeiterion Box Office. Group sales are available for groups of 10 or more and can be purchased by calling 508-997-5664 x123.

While known for contributions in the music industry as the “godmother of punk rock,” Smith is a celebrated author. Her memoir Just Kids received a National Book Award and M Train became a critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller. Devotion offers a detailed account of the artist’s own creative process, inspirations, and unexpected connections. She will read from this new, groundbreaking book, though her appearance does not include a public book signing.

In Devotion, Smith first presents an original and beautifully crafted tale of obsession—a young skater who lives for her art, a possessive collector who ruthlessly seeks his prize, a relationship forged of need both craven and exalted. She then takes us on a second journey, exploring the sources of her story. We travel through the South of France to Camus’s house, and visit the garden of the great publisher Gallimard where the ghosts of Mishima, Nabokov, and Genet mingle. Smith tracks down Simone Weil’s grave in a lonely cemetery, hours from London, and winds through the nameless Paris streets of Patrick Modiano’s novels. Whether writing in a café or a train, Smith generously opens her notebooks and lets us glimpse the alchemy of her art and craft in this arresting and original book on writing.

Patti Smith is a writer, performer, and visual artist. She was awarded the prestigious title of Commandeur des Arts et des Lettres by the French Republic. Her seminal album Horses has been hailed as one of the top one hundred albums of all time, and in 2007 she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Smith lives in New York City.

The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide New Bedford and the region with performing arts programming of excellence that inspires, educates, engages and entertains. Tickets are available for purchase at www.zeiterion.org, by calling 508-994-2900, or in person at the box office at 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford, Mass. Zeiterion Box Office hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and two hours before each performance.

The overflow will be opened again tonight due to the continued frigid temperatures. All inquiries can be forwarded to Sister Rose House and 1-800-homeless.