The Freitas family who opened All Ranks Academy of Gymnastics five years ago have made the tough decision to close their doors for good.

The family-owned operation has exhausted every avenue of possibilities to keep the business open – one that has been a great source of joy for children and their parents alike. Because Governor Baker as closed most businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic that has meant an end to revenue sources for many. While chain stores like Walmart, Costco, A&P, et al have the financial resources and capital to survive – even receiving government “bail-outs” – that isn’t the case for many “mom & pops”
stores like All Ranks Academy of Gymnastics.

The saddest aspect of it all is that the Freitas’ had fulfilled a dream by opening up the gym – a dream that has been smashed and along with it all the families who took much enjoyment from gymnastics. Perhaps many of whom had dreams and aspirations to pursue the sport to an Olympic level.

In a Facebook post the family made the announcement along with a personal message to their clients’ families:

“To All Our All Ranks Academy Families ,

Coach Dustin and Coach Billie.”

In their 5 years of being open the Freitas’ had a positive impact on hundreds of families in the greater New Bedford area and beyond winning state championships and even competing at the national level.

A sad loss not only for the Freitas’ and the kids involved in their program but the entire community.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles announced it will be implementing further extensions to the renewal timelines for expiring professional credentials, and licenses and permits, including Commercial Driver’s Licenses and Commercial Driver’s License Permits (CDLs / CLPs).

While the RMV had previously announced 60-day extensions for most credentials, passenger plate registrations and inspection stickers expired or expiring in March and April, extensions will be pushed back even further.

These additional extensions under Governor Charlie Baker’s declaration of a State of Emergency the week of March 9th, replicate the ongoing measures the RMV is taking to reduce the need for customers to physically visit an RMV Service Center or one of its business partners’ facilities, allowing for ‘social-distancing’ by decreasing non-essential travel and customer volume.

The new changes to expiration extensions are now in effect as follows:

All non-commercial driver’s licenses and ID cards that expired or will expire in March, April, and May 2020, will now expire in September 2020. Driver’s licenses and ID cards that will expire in June have been extended until October 2020. Driver’s licenses and ID cards that will expire in July have been extended until November 2020. Driver’s licenses and ID cards that will expire in August have been extended until December 2020. The specific expiration date typically coincides with an individual’s birth date. Customers holding a license marked “Limited-Term” that has expired or will expire between March 1 and August 31, 2020 should visit Mass.gov/RMV for more information and to check the validity of their credential.

All learner’s permits expiring between March and August 2020 have been extended until December 2020. This extension will allow additional time for permit students and driving schools to complete in-car instruction and a road test when those functions are authorized to re-start safely.

All Massachusetts commercial driver licenses (CDLs) and commercial learner’s permits (CLPs) with an expiration date between March 1, 2020 and August 31, 2020, have been extended. CDLs and CLPs that expired or will expire in March, April, and May 2020, will now expire in September 2020 and do not need to be renewed at this time. CDLs and CLPs that will expire in June have been extended until October 2020. CDLs and CLPs that will expire in July have been extended until November 2020. CDLs and CLPs that will expire in August have been extended until December 2020. This does not apply to any commercial driver or permit holder whose privileges were suspended or revoked for traffic offenses.

All CDL Medical Certificates (Med Certs) that have expired or will expire after March 1st through May 31st have been extended until June 30th. All CDL Medical Certificates expiring between June 1 and August 31 have been extended until September 30, 2020. This will prevent license downgrades and elective medical visits, as well as alleviate demand on medical providers, during the State of Emergency.

The annual motor vehicle safety and emissions inspection stickers that expire on May 31, 2020 will now expire on July 31, 2020. This extension will also apply to those whose expired March 2020, and April 2020 inspection sticker was already extended by 60 days. Annual motor vehicle inspection stickers typically expire on the last date of the month. While automotive repair and maintenance facilities continue to remain open as “essential services” and inspection stations may operate at their discretion, these annual inspections do not need to occur at this time.

All passenger plate registrations that will expire in May 2020, will now expire in July 2020. This extension will also apply to those whose expired March 2020 and April 2020 passenger plate registration was already extended by 60 days. Registration renewals can continue to be performed online at Mass.Gov/RMV during this time. Customers seeking to do so in-person will not be able to make an appointment and should delay their visit to a Service Center at this time.

Katie Lannan
State House News Service

New state guidance allows for high schools to hold in-person, outdoor graduation ceremonies starting July 19, with certain safety precautions in place and as long as public health data around COVID-19 allows the state to continue along its reopening plan.

Graduation ceremonies held between now and July 18 are to “be held virtually or in extremely limited other circumstances following safety protocols (e.g., car parades),” according to the guidelines. Schools have been physically closed since March and will remain so throughout the rest of the school year, which has resulted in cancellation or postponement of many events associated with high school graduations.

The minimum standards for in-person graduations later in the summer include limiting attendance to graduates and their immediate family members, with pre-registration required, and prohibiting hugging or hand-shaking during a ceremony that “should be kept as brief as possible.” Venues must be cleaned prior to the ceremony, which can only be held in an unconfined outdoor space. All attendees would be required to wear masks, except for children under the age of 2 and people with medical conditions, though speakers could remove their masks during their remarks.

Gov. Charlie Baker’s office on Friday announced plans for a June 9 virtual high school commencement ceremony that will feature remarks from Baker, members of the New England Patriots, Boston Red Sox and Celtics, actor Steve Carell and others, plus a Boston Pops Orchestra performance. In a message to school and district leaders, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley also highlighted additional ways to celebrate the class of 2020, including a rotating display of photos on his department’s website.

“As graduation time approaches, please encourage your high school community, particularly teachers, to share highlights about the graduating class on social media with the hashtag #ThatsMyStudentMA and tag the DESE account at @MASchoolsK12 on Twitter or @MassachusettsDESE on Facebook,” Riley wrote.

Michael P. Norton
State House News Service

Responding to a Columbia University disease model suggesting tens of thousands of lives could have been saved if social distancing had been implemented a week or two earlier, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren said that data show that “government matters” and ripped the Trump administration’s leadership during the COVID-19 crisis and the weeks leading up to it.

Warren, who is under consideration as Joe Biden’s running mate, said the Trump administration had done a poor job of stockpiling personal protective equipment.

“If the Trump administration had started planning for this crisis back in January, we wouldn’t be in this mess today, and lives would have been saved and our economy would be in better shape,” Warren, who lost her brother to the coronavirus, told Jon Keller of WBZ-TV on Sunday morning. “But it takes planning, and it takes a smart, thoughtful, science-informed, aggressive response. Back in January, the Trump administration was ordering masks for themselves, but not for anybody else around the country … When people were calling and saying, ‘This crisis is coming. Can we help?’ The answer was no. And that has been the position of the Trump administration all along. It has been to deny the problem, and not have effective leadership, and I think every time we go back and analyze where we’ve come from to this point, we see that what the Trump administration has done has cost people lives, and has cost our economy – a lot of, a lot of, a lot of harm to people.”

Trump has defended his administration’s virus response and called for economic reopenings to bring back jobs. Warren declined to weigh in on whether Gov. Charlie Baker was moving too quickly to reopen the state’s economy. Reopening, she said, is going to be “totally based” on COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and personal protective equipment availability. “And then every step we take, you just have to keep collecting the numbers,” she said. “And we’re going to, you know, going have to learn as we go along in this. But the point is to make an informed decision.”

New Bedford officials reported three additional COVID-19 related deaths on Saturday bringing the total to 59. This is the second day in a row New Bedford reported three COVID-19 related days.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 23 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Saturday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1,673, up from 1,650 on Friday.

Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that the City of New Bedford will follow and implement the first phase of Governor Charlie Baker’s reopening plan, with adjustments warranted by the current risk level of disease transmission in the city and region. Full details here.

16 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River, according to the Mayor’s Office. This brings the total in Fall River to 1,123. The death toll from the coronavirus in Fall River remains at 26. Full details here.

Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

Hoping to lessen the financial burden on students and their families during a time of crisis, Bridgewater State University officials agreed on a plan to keep tuition and fees at existing levels during the upcoming academic year. The Board of Trustees signed onto a plan from President Frederick Clark to maintain tuition and fees at $10,732 per year for full-time, in-state undergraduate students, according to a Thursday press release.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has created a serious financial strain for our students, as demand on our BSU Student Emergency Fund attests,” Clark said in the release. “We are hopeful that this decision will help to relieve some of the economic pressure on our students and their families.”

The school also issued more than $9 million in credits or refunds in April for unused services and directed almost $740,000 from an emergency fund to help more than 1,000 students who have sustained income losses during the pandemic.

New Bedford officials reported three additional COVID-19 related deaths on Friday bringing the total to 56.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 23 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Friday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1,650, up from 1,627 on Thursday.

Mayor Jon Mitchell announced that the City of New Bedford will follow and implement the first phase of Governor Charlie Baker’s reopening plan, with adjustments warranted by the current risk level of disease transmission in the city and region. Full details here.

25 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River on Thursday, according to the Mayor’s Office. This brings the total in Fall River to 1,078.The death toll from the coronavirus in Fall River has grown to 25 after 3 more deaths. Full details here.

New Bedford’s parking meter app abruptly ceased operations on May 18 forcing New Bedford to go without a parking application for smartphone users. Currently, the City of New Bedford dis not enforcing metered parking spots.

From MobileNOW!’s website:

“Dear Customer,

Due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on its activities suffered during the last two months, MobileNOW! with regret has had to cease its operations on May 18th, 2020 and has dissolved the same day. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.

As you may already have noticed, our mobile application is not accessible anymore. Our website www.mobile-now.us only provides restricted features for a limited period of time moving forward, notably to allow access to your online account historical data.

We are running a process over the coming weeks to validate the funds due to our creditors, including customers, as well as the funds necessary for MobileNOW!’s winding-up and liquidation process. Once completed, we will pay such creditors in accordance with applicable law with any funds remaining and available for distribution, most notably our customers that have a credit balance associated to their wallet.

We will then also place a general notification on our website which will confirm the proportion of credit balances that we will be able to repay out of available funds and the associated timescale in which this will happen as well as the payment method. We expect that those of our customers that have a valid credit card associated with their online account will be recredited automatically such proportion of their credit balance as may be payable to them, without any need for a request. The others will be proposed to be credited of such proportion of their credit balance through another mean of payment in the course of being defined.

We again apologize for any inconvenience caused and will as mentioned keep you informed of our winding-up process through our website.”

The Baker-Polito Administration announced today that Massachusetts residents who are eligible for the federal CARES Act and qualify for having exhausted their regular unemployment compensation may now receive the new Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). The launch of this program marks the third and final benefit available for the Commonwealth through the CARES Act.

PEUC provides up to 13 additional weeks of benefits to an individual who has exhausted all rights to any regular unemployment compensation and who meets other eligibility requirements of the CARES Act. PEUC will automatically begin for individuals who have been receiving regular standard unemployment benefits on an active claim and those benefits are exhausted, and those individuals do not have to take any further action.

If an individual’s standard unemployment claim has expired, they must file a new standard claim. If the individual is monetarily eligible on the new standard claim, regardless of the benefit rate amount, they will receive benefits from that new claim. Otherwise, the individual will be eligible for PEUC on the prior claim and it will be automatically implemented.

Individuals who exhausted their standard benefits but were receiving benefits through Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) must apply to claim weekly benefits. Residents should apply through the standard unemployment benefits portal available here.

Those receiving PEUC will also receive $600 weekly through the week ending July 25, 2020, provided by the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program established by the CARES Act.

The CARES Act signed into law on March 27, 2020, established the PEUC, PUA and FPUC public benefit programs that expanded unemployment eligibility, temporarily increases weekly benefits for all claimants and allows additional categories of people to claim unemployment benefits. This is the largest expansion of assistance for the Commonwealth’s workforce since the Great Depression.

More information about Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation can be found at mass.gov/peuc.

Ten Bristol County Sheriff’s Office staff members and 15 county inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since May 12.

Additionally since May 12, the BCSO has completed COVID testing for ICE detainees as recently ordered by a federal judge in Boston. Eight detainees refused the test; they are being housed in single cells and being monitored by health care professionals. All are asymptomatic. The 65 other ICE detainees in Bristol County have tested negative.

Including the 15 positive tests since May 12, the total number of county inmates who have tested positive is 24. Twenty of them remain in single cells where they are being monitored by medical professionals. Four individuals have been released as their sentences were completed. Prior to their release, the BCSO provided notification of the positive test to the person picking them up and the state Department of Public Health, which in turns notifies the communities they are returning to.

Of the 10 staff members to test positive since May 12, seven are security officers, including four corrections officers, one lieutenant, one sergeant and one captain. The other staff members are a teacher, a communications dispatcher and a classification counselor. All are expected to return to duty in the coming weeks.

In total, 28 BCSO staff members have tested positive for COVID-19, of which 10 have recovered and returned to the facility.

“The COVID pandemic has hit Bristol County, Massachusetts, and our nation pretty hard,” Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson said. “In the middle of this epidemic, our essential staff of more than 600 people is doing an amazing job in these challenging times.”

Over the past few months, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has instituted many protocols to protect inmates, detainees and staff from the Coronavirus outbreak. Some of those measures include:

· All employees were given masks that must be worn inside the secure perimeter of our facilities. All inmates and detainees have also been given masks to wear for protection.

· All areas of the facility are being cleaned\disinfected every day on every shift.

· All staff members are being screened before entering the buildings; new arriving inmates are being screened before being accepted into custody.

· In-person visitation has been suspended to limit the number of people coming in and out.