Meet John Brendon “JB” Macaroco, 22-year old aspiring business owner/fashion designer.
JB works for his family’s business M&R ScreenPrinting, which was started in the basement of his grandfather’s house in 1982. The business continued to grow and expand up until 1996, when his grandfather decided to retire and sell the company to an outside party.
In 1990 JB’s father, John, lost his job as a Phys Ed teacher due to city cut backs. He then started working for his father-in-law’s company to provide for his family. After several years of managing the shop, he then with a partner purchased the company. Fast forward 20 years and JB now works with his entire family to keep the business running smoothly.
After spending a few years going for an engineering degree, JB felt that he didn’t want to take that route in life and switched into the business program at #UMassDartmouth. Upon entering the program talks between his sister, Sorrell, began about starting a clothing company. In 2014, in an attempt to put his business knowledge to use, he and his sister released Wicked Clothing’s first line and met mixed results.
Not satisfied, JB took the initiative to research and learn the market to better implement his vision. In 2015, with much gained experience and knowledge he, working together with local photographer Jonna Mojica, launched a summer and winter line, which became pivotal for JB and the future of Wicked.
Now fulfilling orders across the country and having some prominent faces in the fashion world co-signing and wearing his apparel, he can only be thankful. #NewBedford and the culture here has helped inspire and motivate the creativity he has poured out into his work. His hope for this year is to get his line into stores, while continuing to push the company’s online presence.
“I just encourage everyone to chase their dreams. New Bedford is a place with so much talent and underrated skill, we just have to come together and make it happen.”
Faces of New Bedford is a project by Colton Simmons. If you are interested in booking a shoot or getting prints from the series email all inquiries to colton@coltonsimmons.com
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 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 pull jobs from our jobs database to inform job seekers about the hottest jobs in the area.
01. Tig/Mig Welder 2nd Shift – HTP Inc (East Freetown)
The following is a brief description of some of the duties and responsibilities but is not limited to: inspects completed piece to insure it meets all quality standards and specifications, communicates with fellow workers and superiors to maintain safety and quality, suggests production and quality improvement ideas to the Supervisor, maintains tools and equipment in good working order, responsible for housekeeping in assigned work areas, and maintaining a safe work environment by following company safety policies and procedures by wearing all safety personal protective equipment “PPE” to maintain a safe work environment at all times. Full job description can be found: here.
02. Customer Service Representative – Family Dollar (New Bedford)
Responsible for providing exceptional service to our customers. Key priorities include greeting customers, assisting them with selection of merchandise, completing transactions, and answering questions regarding the store and merchandise. Full details and application process: here.
03. Monitor – Human Services – Kennedy Donovan Center (New Bedford)
Provides supervision to persons with disabilities or special healthcare needs while being transported to various locations as assigned. Maintain safety and order on vehicle while in transit, maintain visual contact with passengers at all times, assure that all restraints and safety equipment are properly engaged before transit begins, monitor consumers’ health and well being and provide care as trained, respond to medical emergencies as trained. Full details and application process here.
04. Retail Sales Associate – Cumberland Farms (New Bedford)
Flexible availability, including evenings and weekends, ability to multi-task, prioritize and order tasks in a fast paced environment, ability to work as part of a team as well as independently (comfortable with being alone in the store as it is likely you will be working by yourself for parts of your shift), flexibility and cooperation with the Store Manager’s needs that may change on a daily basis to maintain the proper functioning of the store, retail or food service experience preferred. For full job details and application process here.
05. Sales Associate – Dollar General (New Bedford)
The Sales Associate position is a key part-time position and will act as the point of contact for customers. Assist in setting and maintaining plan-o-grams and programs. Stock merchandise adequately. Perform other duties as necessary to maximize profitability, customer satisfaction, and teamwork, while protecting company assets. For full job details and application process here.
06. Supercuts Stylist – Regis Corporation (North Dartmouth)
Every Supercuts stylist undergoes intensive training, attends regular seminars and is recertified annually to stay ahead of the trends. Ongoing training and education are not only a focus at Supercuts, but we pay our stylists to attend. That’s why they’re among the most skilled and confident in the industry. Minimal Qualifications: Current cosmetology or barber license as required by state/provincial regulations, ability to work a flexible schedule, including evenings and weekends. For full job details and application process here.
07. Cook – Friendly’s (North Dartmouth) Maintain a clean, neat, safe, food handling environment, maintain a constant state of urgency, deliver high quality, tasty, hot food to every guest, be the final quality control checkpoint-be proud of everything, be considerate of special requests and their importance, always consider eye appeal as well as taste and temperature, make sure food arrives at the table at peak quality, make products as fast as possible, with precision and fantastic eye appearance, expedite orders from the window to the dining room. Full details and application process here.
08. Seasonal Cashiers – Lowe’s (North Dartmouth)
Responsible for responding to customer inquiries, providing support throughout their shopping experience including promoting customer loyalty plans and/or extended protection/replacement plans, processing sales and returns using a cash register, and addressing customer complaints. For full job details and application process here.
09. Sales Associate – Staples (Fairhaven)
Responsible for providing exceptional customer service and creating a customer centric environment. This person will also be required to perform store operational tasks as needed. General Purpose: Customer Service, Basic selling skills, Front-end operations, Merchandising and retail operating standards. For full job details and application process: here.
10. Bartenders – Ninety Nine Restaurant & Pub (Fairhaven)
We offer flexible work schedules, a great work environment, and excellent opportunities for advancement. We also provide team members the tools, education and opportunities for personal success. That means if you want even more than a fun job at a great place, Ninety Nine Restaurants offers excellent opportunities to advance. For full job details and application process here.
Report Highlights New Bedford Early Learning Initiative
A partnership in New Bedford aimed at improving outcomes for the city’s youngest residents is featured in a report released today by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.
The Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report gives state leaders a clear view of student progress in Massachusetts while pointing to areas for continued improvement. The report highlights the need to improve social-emotional learning efforts statewide, pointing to the New Bedford program as a successful example.
The New Bedford Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is an alliance of educators and community agencies aimed at expanding access to early education while creating a network of support for parents and educators.
“As many as 26 percent of New Bedford children enter kindergarten without any preschool or formal child care experience. This has a huge ripple effect for individual students and the system as a whole. The Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is addressing this issue, and finding ways to provide young learners with the social-emotional skills they will need throughout their lives,” said Chad d’Entremont, Executive Director of the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.
An increasing body of evidence shows that the development of skills like grit, persistence, empathy and good decision-making is tied to better academic performance, higher college retention rates, increased employment rates and wages, and better overall health and well-being.
In New Bedford, the alliance of public preschool educators, community-based providers, and representatives from public housing, mental health, the libraries, and arts organizations has made strides in addressing literacy, social-emotional skills, and parent engagement. The alliance has also helped educators collaborate, sharing professional development and data.
“We know that our schools alone cannot meet the needs of our youngest learners and their families. New Bedford’s Birth to Grade 3 partnership is an example of how we, as a community, have come together to focus on preparing and supporting our kids and those who serve them. This partnership provides professional development and services that give our children the best advantage to be successful at the beginning of their educational lives. This initiative has set the stage for a strong foundation for a bright future for each and every one of our preschoolers,” said Dr. Pia Durkin, Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools.
The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy’s mission is to improve public education through well-informed decision-making based on deep knowledge and evidence of effective policymaking and practice. As Massachusetts’ preeminent voice in public education reform, we create open spaces for educators and policymakers to consider evidence, discuss cutting-edge issues, and develop new approaches to advance student learning and achievement. Through our staunch commitment to independent, non-partisan research and constructive conversations, we work to promote an education system that provides every child with the opportunity to be successful in school and in life. For more information, please visit www.renniecenter.org.
The Condition of Education project is supported by the Barr Foundation, the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, IBM Corporation, and the Noyce Foundation.
Two Arrested for Heroin Trafficking in Auburn
Last night, at about 10:42 p.m., Trooper Scott Driscoll, assigned to the State Police Barracks in Sturbridge, was on patrol in the area of the IC 10 toll plaza in the town of Auburn when he observed a red, Chevrolet Malibu travelling at a high rate of speed. Trooper Driscoll stopped the vehicle, which contained two occupants, on Route 290 East at exit 9 in Auburn.
Trooper Driscoll determined that the operator, EUELL LEWIS, 42, of Bronx, NY, who provided a false name initially, also had a suspended license. A check of the vehicle’s rental contract showed the vehicle was seven days over-due. The passenger was identified as ANDRE HANNAH, 50, of Bronx, NY.
As a result of an investigation, with assistance from Troopers Nicholas D’Angelo and George Demos and his K-9 Cayman, they located approximately 75 grams of a substance believed to be heroin in two knotted plastic bags inside the vehicle. LEWIS and HANNAH were subsequently placed under arrest, transported to the Sturbridge barracks for booking and held on $10,000.00 bail pending their arraignment in Worcester District Court.
LEWIS and HANNAH were both charged with the following offenses:
1. Trafficking in Heroin
2. Conspiracy to Violate Drug Laws.
LEWIS was additionally charged with the following offenses:
1. Operating a Motor Vehicle with Suspended License
2. Possession of False/Stolen RMV Document
3. Operator Refuse to Identify Self
4. Using a Motor Vehicle w/o Authority
5. Speeding and Marked Lanes Violation.
State and Brockton Police, DEA Investigation Leads to Four Arrests, Three Seized Guns in Brockton
Massachusetts State Police, Brockton Police, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration yesterday arrested four men and seized three guns, ammunition, and drugs believed to be Fentanyl and cocaine in the culmination of a two-month investigation.
Troopers from the State Police Gang Unit and other MSP teams, along with Brockton officers and detectives and a DEA agent, simultaneously executed three search warrants on apartments at 477, 559, and 567 Warren Avenue and a fourth warrant on a 2004 Jeep Cherokee that police had under surveillance on Warren Avenue.
Those search warrants, along with arrest warrants for STEVE GOMES DEPINA, 28, of Brockton, were obtained earlier yesterday by MSP Gang Unit troopers following the two-month joint investigation, during which DEPINA sold heroin and fentanyl to an undercover Brockton detective on six separate occasions.
DEPINA was located in the Jeep Cherokee that Gang Unit troopers followed late yesterday afternoon until it pulled into a driveway at his address, 477 Warren Ave., one of the target locations of the investigation. DEPINA was immediately taken into custody. The search warrant executed on the Jeep resulted in recovery of a clear plastic bag containing approximately 8 grams of white powder believed to Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic narcotic.
A team of state troopers and Brockton officers searching the basement of 477 Warren Ave. – where they had information that DEPINA had been earlier in the day – located a Glock 23 40-caliber handgun with 12 40-caliber rounds in its high-capacity magazine. Police also found in the basement a small amount of suspected Fentanyl in a cigarette pack, a digital scale, and plastic baggies cut in a manner consistent with the packaging of narcotics for sale, as well as paperwork in DEPINA’s name.
Detectives also obtained additional evidence indicating that DEPINA was the only resident of the building who used the basement. DEPINA is charged with the warrants for narcotic sales, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm; possession of a large capacity firearm; unlawful possession of ammunition; possession of a firearm without an FID card; possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute; and driving with a suspended license.
Simultaneously, a second arrest team of state troopers and Brockton officers, along with a DEA special agent, and assisted by the State Police Special Tactical Operations (STOP) Team, executed a search warrant at 567 Warren Ave. Four men were in the second floor apartment; two of them were determined to not be connected to the investigation and were released. Two others – MIGUEL FIDALGO, 32, of that address, and JOSHUA PIRES, 25, of Dorchester – were taken into custody.
During the search, police found FIDALGO in possession of a clear plastic bag containing seven small twisted baggies of a white substance believed to be cocaine. A search of a bedroom turned up a Smith & Wesson 1911 45-caliber handgun with seven 45-caliber rounds in the magazine, later determined to have been stolen out of Billerica. The search also recovered a digital scale. FIDALGO is charged with possession of a firearm without an FID card; unlawful possession of ammunition; receiving stolen property; and possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute.
PIRES, meanwhile, gave police permission to search his Infinity, which was parked in the building’s rear lot. In the dashboard console, police located a clear plastic bag containing five small twist baggies of cocaine. PIRES is charged with possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute.
The third search was simultaneously executed at 599 Warren Avenue. Police made entry into the second floor apartment. While they were on scene, two residents of the apartment, JOAO PIRES-DEPINA, and a woman, arrived at the building. During the search, police located a 40-caliber Highpoint handgun inside a suitcase, wrapped in a red bandana. Located in a box in a bedroom closet were six 40-caliber rounds. As a result, JOAO PIRES-DEPINA, 33, was arrested. He is charged with possession of a firearm without an FID card and unlawful possession of ammunition.
Also seized during the searches and arrests, from two separate locations, was a total of $1,065 in US currency.
The four defendants were transported to the Brockton Police Department for booking; seized evidence was secured at the Brockton Police station.
Report Highlights New Bedford Early Learning Initiative
A partnership in New Bedford aimed at improving outcomes for the city’s youngest residents is featured in a report released today by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.
The Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report gives state leaders a clear view of student progress in Massachusetts while pointing to areas for continued improvement. The report highlights the need to improve social-emotional learning efforts statewide, pointing to the New Bedford program as a successful example.
The New Bedford Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is an alliance of educators and community agencies aimed at expanding access to early education while creating a network of support for parents and educators.
“As many as 26 percent of New Bedford children enter kindergarten without any preschool or formal child care experience. This has a huge ripple effect for individual students and the system as a whole. The Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is addressing this issue, and finding ways to provide young learners with the social-emotional skills they will need throughout their lives,” said Chad d’Entremont, Executive Director of the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.
An increasing body of evidence shows that the development of skills like grit, persistence, empathy and good decision-making is tied to better academic performance, higher college retention rates, increased employment rates and wages, and better overall health and well-being.
In New Bedford, the alliance of public preschool educators, community-based providers, and representatives from public housing, mental health, the libraries, and arts organizations has made strides in addressing literacy, social-emotional skills, and parent engagement. The alliance has also helped educators collaborate, sharing professional development and data.
“We know that our schools alone cannot meet the needs of our youngest learners and their families. New Bedford’s Birth to Grade 3 partnership is an example of how we, as a community, have come together to focus on preparing and supporting our kids and those who serve them. This partnership provides professional development and services that give our children the best advantage to be successful at the beginning of their educational lives. This initiative has set the stage for a strong foundation for a bright future for each and every one of our preschoolers,” said Dr. Pia Durkin, Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools.
The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy’s mission is to improve public education through well-informed decision-making based on deep knowledge and evidence of effective policymaking and practice. As Massachusetts’ preeminent voice in public education reform, we create open spaces for educators and policymakers to consider evidence, discuss cutting-edge issues, and develop new approaches to advance student learning and achievement. Through our staunch commitment to independent, non-partisan research and constructive conversations, we work to promote an education system that provides every child with the opportunity to be successful in school and in life. For more information, please visit www.renniecenter.org.
The Condition of Education project is supported by the Barr Foundation, the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, IBM Corporation, and the Noyce Foundation.
Area Task Force to Launch Sticker Shock Project
During National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (Jan. 25-Jan 30), the Bristol County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force led by Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III’s Office, is launching a “Sticker Shock” project targeting adults in the area. Sticker Shock is a program to raise public awareness about the minimum drinking age law by placing stickers on multi-packs of beer, wine coolers and other alcohol products that appeal to underage drinkers. The target of the stickers are adults over 21, and the goal is to discourage adults from providing alcohol to minors. In addition to the stickers, stores are given the option of placing a sign, identical to the sticker but larger, in the window or at the checkout counter.
The Bristol County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force is a collaborative of Community Leaders, Police Departments, Health Departments, Health and Human Service Workers whose goal is to reduce underage drinking and other risky behaviors that teens may engage in. The task force selected National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week to roll out a countywide Sticker Shock project as it is close to Super Bowl weekend and teen access to alcohol could be on the rise.
“The purpose of sticker shock is to raise awareness among adults in the community that it is illegal to buy alcohol for a minor. Many stores in Bristol County have participated in this activity in the past and many have enthusiastically agreed to participate again” said April Cabrera, Program Manager, Community Affairs Unit, Bristol County DA’s Office.
The sticker project is part of a cooperative effort between the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Police Departments from Norton, Mansfield, Fairhaven, Freetown, Dartmouth, Fall River, and New Bedford. Students from various high schools who will work with the police departments to do the sticker shock project hope to raise awareness among adults who may be enticed to providing alcohol to their underage peers. They are hoping that this project will engage adults and get them to think twice about providing alcohol to anyone under 21. Be on the lookout for large stickers that read “Warning: 21 or Bust… Providing alcohol to an individual under the age of 21 is illegal” at a store near you.
OPINION: one mother’s experience with a child on “bath salts” and “spice”
Lately there has been a lot of attention on Synthetic Marijuana (also known as spice or K2) and bath salts. The difference between the two are the effects of the drug. “Spice” gets you high in a way similar to smoking pot whereas bath salts get you high like you have done Methamphetamine. Both give you hallucinations with bath salts being the worst. Those are the most violent hallucinations. The results are similar in how it changes your personality after the fact. If you ask the ones that smoke either drug, if there is a problem in New Bedford, they will tell you “No.” I am here to disagree.
It seems to be the “new thing to do.” I have seen people choose homelessness because they are so busy getting high on spice. Entire paychecks that go to buying their spice. Here is my story on what can happen with bath salts/spice:
My daughter Caitlin was in the Army National Guard in the AIT division, intelligence training, which is not an easy division to get into. We were living in Colorado where spice and bath salts were sold at 7-Eleven stores. They had already banned it in Colorado Springs by this point, but the people that made spice/bath salts always found a way around that by adding new chemicals so it found its way back onto the counter at head shops.
During one of Caitlin’s trainings back in 2011, another guardsman told her that she did bath salts and asked my daughter if she wanted to try it. Up to this point Caitlin had not smoked spice or bath salts as the dangers were all over the news/papers/etc. She smoked “once” and that was the beginning of the end.
Training ended and she got back home and proceeded to spend the next 3 weeks getting high on bath salts every single day. Thousands of dollars gone in a matter of weeks. I finally got a phone call from her when she was high and through the confusion I was able to figure out what was going on. She ultimately was asking for help, she just didn’t know it because she was high.
I was living in North Carolina at that point. She flew in to me where she couldn’t get high (they weren’t selling in this state) but the 3 weeks she was with me it was obvious that the chemistry in her brain had changed. She wasn’t making sense when she spoke, she would ramble about miscellaneous things and sounded like a “crazy person.” I finally got a rehabilitation center to take her, but she refused. She chose to fly to her dad in New Bedford where she was going to live with him until “she got better.” She was 22, I couldn’t forbid her.
She was on the plane to Massachusetts when she decided she was going to open the plane door in flight. Thankfully she was tackled by other passengers and restrained until she got to Providence where the F.B.I. was waiting for her. She was not arrested because her dad convinced the police he would take her immediately to a crisis center in New Bedford where she was evaluated and released. The drug was so new in New Bedford that no one could help her or knew the problem.
Fast forward a few months (2012) where she found she could buy spice in New Bedford and started smoking again. She lost a good job to get high as she looked and acted mentally ill and would “blow off” work to get high. She ended up in the Rogers Unit and in a mental hospital where, although they couldn’t diagnose her with any one issue, they gave her drug after drug for psychosis. They were trying to prove a mental illness. I fought to get her out of the hospital(s) and get her home with me. I had moved back to New Bedford at that point to give her a safe place to live. I had her off all the drugs and only on an anti-depressant which worked wonderfully!
She almost seemed back to normal. Caitlin found spice again, locked her self in the bathroom for days at a time and after one night of getting high, the police found her on top of the Zeiterion Garage wanting to jump.
Caitlin was back in the Rogers Unit and then transferred to another mental hospital. After over a year, she was released and back home with me still on the meds. At this point it was 2014 and it had been three years of hell. I thought this was when she was going to get better. The medications were at a very high dosage so we kept her on them until we could ween her off. Caitlin was barely functioning. She couldn’t/wouldn’t leave the house or do anything but sit on the couch. She didn’t understand or want to believe she had any issues so she refused to see the doctors any more. We got her off the prescribed drugs, but there was no going back at this point. She had obvious mental issues that could not be reversed. But the drugs didn’t help.
Caitlin finally succeeded in committing suicide by a very violent method last February. She couldn’t accept that her mind didn’t work right and she only saw herself as that normal woman who attended Arizona State, spent a few years in the Army, lived on her own with her own car, a good job, etc. She refused to believe she had any problems.
Those that smoke spice and bath salts don’t see that they have any problem with the drug. Those that I know are addicted to it say it isn’t a problem. Those are the same people that now live on the streets panhandling so they can go to the store to smoke.
It’s a HUGE problem in New Bedford. I can easily think of a dozen people that live for the next “fake high.” They can’t function when they are high, they are mean and combative and downright stupid. I walk down the streets of downtown and I can smell it all over the place. It’s not illegal so you can’t get arrested for it nor can they take it away from you. If you chose to smoke spice/bath salts, please know it will change your life forever and you are not immune to the effects. Don’t think you’re special and it won’t change who you are, because it will.
I’ve seen it first hand. If only I could help one person…
Two New Bedford men arrested for breaking and entering with burglarious tools
On Monday morning shortly after midnight a neighbor called 911 to report two males trying to break into a vacant house at 30 Adams St. Officers Antonio Almeida and Steven Almeida arrived on scene to find two males walking away from the area. One of the two, Luis Riveira-Rodriguez, was carrying a backpack with a crow bar sticking out of it and a flashlight.
Nearby, officers found a broken lock box that had been torn from the home. Once back at the house, officers observed that plywood had been broken off the doorway but the inner door was not compromised. Both males were placed under arrest and were arraigned yesterday in New Bedford district court.
They are facing charges of breaking and entering in the nighttime, possession of burglarious tools, and larceny.
Luis Riveira-Rodriguez age 25 of New Bedford
Edgardo Badillo age 33 of New Bedford
New Bedford 7-11 robbed, clerk assaulted with coffee pot
This morning at approximately 3:30am a robbery took place at the 7-11 located at 1499 Acushnet Avenue. The 24-year old male clerk suffered a laceration above the left eye but refused medical attention at the time.
The suspect entered the store with his fists clenched demanding money. A struggle ensued between the clerk and the suspect. At one point, the suspect struck the employee in the head with a coffee pot from the store then made his way behind the counter. He grabbed several packs of cigarettes before fleeing the store on foot westerly on Coffin Ave.
Description:
Dark skinned male between the ages of 18 and 20
5ft. 6 inches, 150 lbs, and a thin mustache
Last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt tied tightly around his face, black jacket and black pants.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Michael Carrier at 508-991-6300 ext. 79512 or leave an anonymous tip at 508-961-4584.
Meet John Brendon “JB” Macaroco, 22-year old aspiring business owner/fashion designer.
