“Here are some moments captured throughout the day of the Massachusetts State Police both as a security asset and participant in the 126th Boston Marathon.
Congratulations to all the runners and thank you to all the agencies, organizations, and volunteers who helped keep this race day fun and safe.”-Massachusetts State Police.
All photos by the Massachusetts State Police:
“My daughter Trinity was born with a COMPLETE cleft palate, has gone through palate repair, and also has severe hearing loss but she’s my hero!
She recently won the Grand Ambassador title for the 0-5-year-olds in the East Coast USA Pageant. Trinity is currently 2 years old and she was born with a complete cleft palate and severe hearing loss, but that doesn’t stop her or slow her down! She has had her palate repaired and doesn’t let her hearing stop her from letting her voice be heard!
Trinity is the toughest, most graceful, strong little girl. She inspires me more than anyone ever has and win or lose, she will ALWAYS be a queen to me. The pageant isn’t just about being pretty. It’s about building confidence and making lifelong friendships. It’s also about using any title you win to help your community and bring awareness to what needs to be.
At home, it is my husband Christopher, myself, my daughter Trinity and her 4-year-old brother Christopher Jr. aka ‘Junior’ in the house. We are looking to volunteer and/or appear wherever we’re needed to help make New Bedford and our surrounding cities better in whatever ways we can. My email is marycristofaro30@gmail.com and a good number to reach us at is 774-520-4802.” -Mary Colleen Melin.
Mary Colleen Melin photo.
Mary Colleen Melin photo.
Mary Colleen Melin photo.
Mary Colleen Melin photo.
Mary Colleen Melin photo.
Mary Colleen Melin photo.
Mary Colleen Melin photo.
State Senator Ed Kennedy joined with his colleagues in the Massachusetts State Senate in passing S.2819, An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward, also known as the Drive Act.
This important climate change legislation focusses on three areas: clean energy, transportation, and buildings. The intent of this bill is to keep Massachusetts on track to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.
With respect to the three areas of focus, the Drive Act does the following:
• Allocates $100 million to a Clean Energy Investment Fund to support infrastructure development in the clean energy industry.
• Updates the procurement process for new offshore wind energy investment.
• Permits agricultural and horticultural land to be used to site solar panels and eliminates on-site solar energy net metering to promote residential solar.
• Amends Massachusetts law to ensure that the state can consider potential options for the development of safe, clean energy source.
• Allocates $100 million for the state’s MOR-EV electric vehicle incentive program, which provides rebates to individuals who purchase electric vehicles.
• Increases rebate amount by $1,000, to $3,500, for passenger cars and light-duty trucks.
• Convenes an interagency coordinating council to develop and implement a charging infrastructure deployment plan and allocates $50 million to said council to deploy charging infrastructure equitably.
• Requires every passenger bus that is purchased or leased by the MBTA to be a zero-emission vehicle starting in 2028.
• Creates a 10-municipality demonstration project allowing all-electric building construction by local option
• Makes targeted enhancements to the Mass Save program, which provides rebates and incentives for owners and renters related to efficient appliances and other home energy improvement.
• Requires DPU to convene a stakeholder working group to develop regulatory and legislative recommendations for how Massachusetts can best align the Commonwealth’s gas system enhancement program with the state’s 2050 net zero goal.
See the full fact sheet here
Project Beacon’s appointment-based COVID-19 testing at New Bedford Regional Airport—part of the state’s Stop the Spread program—is offering testing on Sundays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays, through May 15.
Appointments for free COVID-19 tests can be made at beacontesting.com. Airport officials ask that people reach the site via the airport’s side entrance on Downey Street.
Contact Project Beacon by email at help@beacontesting.com; or by calling 617-741-7310.
Note: Project Beacon will be open for its normal hours on Easter Sunday, April 17, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at New Bedford Regional Airport
The federal government is offering free at-home rapid COVID-19 test kits online, at COVIDtests.gov. Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order TWO SETS of four free tests. If you’ve only ordered one set of four, you are now eligible to order a second set.
If you test positive with a rapid test, isolate for at least five days and notify close contacts. State guidance on isolation and quarantining can be found here.
If you test negative, re-testing a day or more later is advised, particularly if you have symptoms or a known exposure to the virus.
Testing sites in New Bedford and surrounding towns can be found on the state’s Stop the Spread website, www.mass.gov/info-details/find-a-covid-19-test.
Upcoming testing locations in New Bedford include:
Sunday, April 17:
• Project Beacon at New Bedford Regional Airport (1569 Airport Road) – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 19:
• Project Beacon at New Bedford Regional Airport (1569 Airport Road) – 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday, April 21:
• Project Beacon at New Bedford Regional Airport (1569 Airport Road) – 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sunday, April 24:
• Project Beacon at New Bedford Regional Airport (1569 Airport Road) – 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, April 26:
• Project Beacon at New Bedford Regional Airport (1569 Airport Road) – 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Thursday, May 5:
• Project Beacon at New Bedford Regional Airport (1569 Airport Road) – 12 p.m. to 7 p.m.
No residential trash collection on Monday, due to the Patriots Day holiday. All residential pickup will be delayed one day.
City of New Bedford photo.
ARPA-Funded Initiative Designed to Support Working Parents, Reduce Educational Disparities.
Mayor Jon Mitchell and City officials are announcing a new funding initiative for the construction or expansion of childcare and early education facilities that are owned and operated by local nonprofit organizations.
The grant initiative will be funded through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). It is designed to help address educational disparities among the City’s lower-income populations and support working parents by expanding the availability of childcare and early learning opportunities.
The initiative is the City’s third announcement of investments funded by ARPA, which intends to address economic and public health impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“High-performing childcare options can free up parents to pursue work and educational opportunities, and make quality learning experiences available to their children,” Mayor Mitchell said. “By using one-time ARPA funds to help expand the capacity of established childcare providers, we will have made an investment in our City that will pay dividends for years to come.”
The City is seeking responses from qualified nonprofit organizations to apply for grant funding. To ensure quality projects are selected, funding will require a one-to-one match, with applicants paying for at least 50% of all associated costs.
The initiative is designed to kick-start projects that are “shovel-ready” – meaning fully permitted and ready to start construction in a reasonable timeframe, but have a demonstrated financial need.
“In cities like New Bedford all throughout the Commonwealth, there has been a growing and urgent need for a greater capacity of early childhood education and childcare facilities,” City Council President Ian Abreu said. “This is yet another creative way for us to showcase how we, as a City, can lead the way with innovative thinking to expand our much-needed inventory of facilities that support our children and families.”
Since ARPA represents a one-time infusion of federal funds, this grant program is steered toward one-time items, rather than the creation of new programs or the expansion of existing services. Requests for funding to cover general operating expenses are not eligible.
“The skills that our children learn in the early years of life are crucial for their social, emotional, and academic performance. Those skills hold the key to their success, and to New Bedford’s, because children who are healthy and prepared when they enter kindergarten do better in school,” City Councilor Shane Burgo said. “This next round of ARPA funding will help to strengthen families in their role as their child’s first teacher, improve the quality of early learning environments, and expand access to pre-school and childcare.”
Eligible applications include capital projects such as fixed, one-time expenses including the purchase of land or buildings, construction, and equipment.
Total project costs must be at least $500,000, meaning the minimum grant amount is $250,000.
Additional details and the Request for Response form are available on the City’s ARPA website: www.newbedford-ma.gov/arpa.
The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of April 18, 2022 – April 22, 2022, and they are as follows:
City offices will be closed Monday, April 18th for Patriot’s Day:
Eversource will be working on the gas main relays and services at:
• Main relay on Phillips Rd from Holly Tree Lane to Route 140
Other:
• City of New Bedford (DPI) will be installing sewer manhole on Allen Street between Rockdale Avenue and Reed Street. Detour signage to be posted.
• City of New Bedford (DPI) will be filling potholes on a continuous basis.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working at the MassDOT project, Kings Highway, for road and sidewalk reconstruction along portions of Kings Highway and Tarkiln Hill Rd.
• Contractor (JH Lynch) will resume work at MassDOT project, intersection improvements at Rockdale Ave and Allen Street. Detours may be in place at times. Signage and police details posted for detours.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on sidewalk reconstruction along a portion of Cove Road from Padanaram Avenue to Orchard Street.
• Contractor (PA Landers) will be working on various streets, citywide, completing minor repairs and installations.
• 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 (PA Landers) will be working on various streets, citywide, completing minor repairs and installations
** Please note: Contractors will continue to follow guidelines and protocol regarding COVID-19 social distancing while conducting work in construction zone.
“Yesterday we swore in our newest recruit, Emmanuel Powers-Silveira, who graduated from the Randolph Police Academy earlier this month.
Welcome Ofc. Powers-Silveira, we’re glad to have you as a part of our family!”-City of New Bedford Police Department.
City of New Bedford Police Department photo.
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Our core services include:
• Community residences for those needing 24-hour supervision and a greater degree of support
• Services for those living on their own but requiring individualized support to maintain their independence
• Residential options for individuals who cannot safely live alone and want the comfort of a home environment
• Supported Employment/Community-Based Day Support services providing therapeutic, educational and employment supports for adults with disabilities
• Employment & Training programs to assist economically disadvantaged people find and maintain career employment
• Autism Services for children between 3 and 22 years of age
• Services for those with Acquired Brain Injury and Traumatic Brain Injury
• Clinical Services to optimize the health and well-being of the individuals we serve, including medical, psychological, physical, occupational and speech therapy
Apply today and start your journey to a new career that can impact the quality of life for another human being and give you purpose.
https://www.lifestreaminc.com/careers/
It protected your boat all winter, now it’s time to protect the environment.
Clean white boat wrap is accepted through this drop-off program at the Dartmouth Transfer Station. Zippers and straps must be removed and discarded. Spray painted wrap cannot be accepted.
“Shrink wrap is a recyclable plastic and it is a waste of our limited disposal resources at the Crapo Hill landfill to treat it as garbage. We are working with the Waterways Commission and the Harbormaster to alert individual boaters of this win win solution to the annual shrink wrap disposal problem and doing our best to keep it out of the waste stream,” said Tim Barber, Interim Director of Public Works in the Town of Dartmouth.
Dartmouth residents may take boat wrap to the Dartmouth Transfer Station. A transfer station permit is required. There is a container for boat wrap only. The Dartmouth Transfer Station is open Tuesday and Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Dartmouth residents who would like to obtain a transfer station permit, or a day pass, may call the Dartmouth DPW at (508) 999-0740.
Remember, boat wrap is only recyclable through drop-off programs. Plastic bags and plastic wraps do not belong in recycling carts. That type of material wraps around equipment at sorting facilities causing sorting to grind to a halt while people work through the challenging task of removing plastic bags and wrap.
Boat wrap can also be reused several times if it is installed and removed with reuse in mind. Look for reuse information online or ask your boat shrink wrap installer about it.
For more information, contact the Refuse District’s recycling office by phone at (508) 979-1493 or by email at Marissa@gnbrrmdistrict.org.
Dartmouth Recycling photo.