The City of New Bedford has been awarded $1,758,917 in homeless assistance funding by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as part of a competitive grant process under the HUD Continuum of Care (CoC) Program.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded approximately $2 billion to renew support to thousands of local homeless assistance programs across the nation. HUD’s Continuum of Care grants provide critically needed support to local programs on the front lines serving individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

The grant awards announced this week are renewal funding for previously funded local programs; HUD anticipates announcing new project awards at a later date.

The renewal grant awards are part of a very competitive national application process led by the City of New Bedford’s Department of Planning, Housing and Community Development (DPHCD). The DPHCD coordinates a comprehensive response to homelessness using a “Continuum of Care” methodology through a local network known as the Homeless Service Provider Network (HSPN). A Continuum of Care is a community’s plan or strategy to organize and deliver housing and services to meet the specific needs of people who are in the midst of a housing crisis and/or are experiencing homelessness as they move to stable housing and maximum self-sufficiency. A Continuum of Care strategy includes action steps to end homelessness and prevent a return to homelessness.

Continuum of Care grant funding supports a broad array of interventions designed to assist individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly those living in places not meant for habitation, located in sheltering programs or at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Each year this funding serves hundreds of people through a coordinated entry system, emergency shelter, rapid rehousing, transitional and permanent housing programs.

“The awarding of this federal grant is an occasion to highlight the important work the Homeless Services Provider Network is doing in New Bedford,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell. “I wish to thank the more than 50 HSPN partners who work with the City on a daily basis to address the complex issue of homelessness. This federal funding will enable that work to continue, and will allow the HSPN to accelerate our efforts to connect those in need with permanent housing solutions that can lead to long-term stability.”

The grant funding will help to support eight local programs totaling $1,758,917 to be distributed to the following programs and agencies addressing homelessness in New Bedford:

– THE CALL (Catholic Social Services): $46,757
– HOMELESS MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM: $74,524
– FAMILY PRESERVATION PROGRAM (SEMCOA): $274,604
– TRANSITION TO STABILITY (Catholic Social Services): $159,109
– STEP UP (Positive Action Against Chemical Addition/PAACA): $286,082
– PORTICO (Catholic Social Services): $622,163
– PRISM (Catholic Social Services): $114,233
– WELCOME HOME (Steppingstone): $181,445

For more information about the City’s efforts to address homelessness, please contact City of New Bedford’s Department of Planning, Housing & Community Development at (508) 979-1500 or visit the HSPN’s website at www.nbhspn.com.

The Department of Parks, Recreation & Beaches is now enrolling students for their annual February and April Staycation Fun Weeks at the Andrew McCoy Recreation Center. The Staycation Fun Week runs Monday through Friday during both school breaks, February 18- 22, and April 15-19, 2019. For the daily cost of $25.00 for residents or $30.00 for non-residents, parents can enroll their children in a camp-like experience from 8:00 a.m. through 12:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. Residents save by signing up for all five days of activities and fun for $100. Throughout the week, students will participate in daily sports, crafts, computer time and more.

This year, Parks, Recreation & Beaches is also providing a separate model boat building program with the Community Boating Center during our April Staycation Week. Model boat building will be offered Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. for ages 10 and up.

Interested parents may register their children at the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, located at 181 Hillman Street in New Bedford. Parents may also reserve a seat for their child by visiting www.nbprb.com to register online. The Enrollment deadline for February Staycation is February 11. The Enrollment deadline for April Staycation is April 8.

For more information regarding the Staycation Fun Weeks or other programs, contact Andrea McCoy Recreation Center Manager Dave Ponte at david.ponte@newbedord-ma.gov or (508) 991-3015.

A 34-year-old Norton man was sentenced to state prison yesterday in Fall River Superior Court after pleading guilty to charges related to a November 2017 domestic violence incident in Attleboro which left the victim hospitalized for five days, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Edras Herrera pleaded guilty to an indictment charging him with assault and battery—causing serious bodily injury, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon—causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a household member.

On November 11, 2017, the defendant became enraged when he learned that his girlfriend was allegedly having an affair with another man. The defendant struck his girlfriend, grabbed her by the hair and forced her into his car to confront the other men in Attleboro. When the defendant arrived at the other man’s Attleboro home, he immediately attacked him. The defendant punched and kicked the man in the head several times. The defendant also brandished a knife and threatened to stab the man. During the struggle, the defendant cut his girlfriend’s hand with the knife.

After violently assaulting the other man for several minutes, the defendant him left him bleeding on the side of the road. When police eventually found the victim, he was covered in blood and unresponsive. The victim was rushed to Rhode Island Hospital, where he remained for five days due to the severity of his injuries. The victim sustained a broken eye socket, a broken nose, broken teeth and lacerations to his hands.

During a sentencing hearing held before Judge Renee Dupuis, Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Thompson argued for a seven to ten year state prison term. The defense, however, requested a more lenient three years state prison sentence. Judge Dupuis ended up sentencing the defendant to serve four-and-a-half years in state prison, to be followed by two years of supervised probation.

The defendant, who is from Guatemala, had an ICE Detainer placed upon him during the pendency of this case and may be deported as a result of this conviction.

“This was a vicious beating that could have resulted in the victim’s death. The defendant had no regard for the consequences of his actions,” District Attorney Quinn said.

On Tuesday, February 5, at 1:00 a.m. Wareham poice officer Calib Larue was traveling north on Cranberry Highway near Chili’s Restaurant when he observed a motor vehicle coming at him in the wrong lane of travel. Officer Larue stopped the vehicle, however, it started to back up and away, forcing Officer Larue to jump from his cruiser yelling for the driver to stop, which he did.

According to police, the driver and passenger were uncooperative, with the driver giving a false name to the officer. While further investigating it was determined the operator had a warrant for his arrest and was placed into custody.

A search of the vehicle yielded, a digital scale, over $2,000 cash, multiple phones, multiple pills, and suspected heroin. The male passenger was also placed under arrest.

Both subjects were transported to police headquarters where the processed and each ordered held on $10,000 cash bail. Officers Robert McLain and Steve Harrison assisted in the search and arrests.

Patrick Martin, 38, of Stoneham, Ma. is charged with:

• Possession with intent to distribute a Class “A” drug
• Possession with intent to distribute a Class “B” drug
• Possession with intent to distribute a Class “C” drug
• Failure to identify self to police
• Possession of an open container of alcohol
• Warrant
• Driving in the wrong lane of travel

Michael Lacrosse, 37, of Lynn, Ma. is charged with:

• Possession with intent to distribute a Class “A” drug
• Possession with intent to distribute a Class “B” drug
• Failure to wear a seat belt

During the booking process, Mr. Lacrosse was allegedly belligerent and reportedly told the officers that he hoped that they get shot and killed on duty.

If a bill sponsored by 51 Massachusetts state legislators becomes law, aborting babies past 24 weeks and up to birth will be much easier, girls under 18 wouldn’t need permission from parents or a judge, Massachusetts taxes would fund more abortions, doctors would have less red tape to perform abortions and the definition of abortion would be redefined.

Currently, it is illegal to get an abortion past 24 weeks in Massachusetts unless “a continuation of her pregnancy will impose on her a substantial risk of grave impairment of her physical or mental health.” Here is what the new bill would allow:

“A physician, acting within their lawful scope of practice, may perform an abortion when, according to the physician’s best medical judgment based on the facts of the patient’s case, the patient is beyond twenty-four weeks from the commencement of pregnancy and the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or physical or mental health, or in cases of lethal fetal anomalies, or where the fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside the uterus.”

Massachusetts state law currently requires girls 17 or younger to get permission from her parents/guardians or a superior court judge before getting an abortion. This would not be required if this new bill passes.

Here’s an in-depth review of the current law and the bill being considered.

Here’s a look at the current bill:

SD109

“I have been a community worker for over 14 years, worked at the YWCA as a Volunteer for over 15 year and worked as a minister since 2010. I have a 22-year-old disabled son who is certified legally blind, and has Global Developmental Delay – he’s non-verbal.

This winter, he went into respiratory distress and I took him to Saint Annes Hospital in Fall River. After being there for 2 days his lungs collapsed and in a week and a half and he had gone through 5-6 medical procedures. He was hospitalized for over a month and a half. He was in the ICU for a few long weeks.

I live in a rented home but I need to live on the ground floor for him. I applied for assistance in July but was told that being disabled or blind was not a priority. Aren’t these places for people with low income, disabled, veterans, and those struggling financially?

As a single mom, I am paying more than what I receive. I had to quit my job as an activity Director at New Bedford Gardens Care And Rehab. due to the family emergency. There are other families like me that think that the system is failing those who truly need housing assistance.

A lot of people believe that everyone in housing is uneducated or just want to live off of the system, but a lot of us have situations that pull us back.”

Sincerely,
Jenny

Two New Bedford men are being charged with OUI after being involved in car accidents early Monday morning.

At 2am, New Bedford police officers were called to an accident at the intersection of Tarkin Hill Road and Acushnet Avenue for a single motor vehicle accident with a pole.

Upon arrival, officers observed a white vehicle partially on a sidewalk. The traffic signal pole was damaged from the crash. As officers on scene spoke with the operator it was determined there was operation while under the influence. 59-year old Stephen Conchinha is charged with OUI liquor.

At 2:08am, a driver struck another vehicle in the rear at the intersection of North Street and Chancery Street. While New Bedford police officers were on the scene, they determined the operator had operated the vehicle while under the influence of alcohol.

Police officers also found a folding knife greater than 2 and a half inches in the driver’s possession, which violates New Bedford city ordinance 17-8. 24-year old Jaleel Martin is being charged with OUI-liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and carrying an illegal knife.

A 49-year-old Raynham man who was convicted at trial for forcibly raping his step-daughter on numerous occasions between 2011 and 2016 was sentenced to serve no less than 30 years in state prison on Friday, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Felipe Gonzalez was convicted by a jury of his peers on the following charges: Nine counts of rape of a child—aggravated by age, six counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14, one count of assault with intent to rape a child, one count of rape of a child by force, one count of intimidation of a witness and one count of assault and battery.

The crimes against the victim occurred between 2011 and 2013 in Avon, 2013 and early 2016 in North Attleboro and for the rest of 2016 in Raynham.

The defendant was arrested in August 2016 after the victim began telling distant relatives about the repeated sexual assaults she suffered at the hands of the defendants during her pre-teen years.

During a sentencing hearing held before Judge Sharon Donatelle, Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman and Matthew Friedel argued for a 30-40 years state prison term, while the defense requested a more lenient 10 to 12 year state prison sentence.

Judge Donatelle sentenced the defendant to serve 30 years to 30years and three days in state prison, meaning he must serve the full 30 year state prison term. The judge also placed the defendant on supervised probation for three years, which would begin when the defendant is released from prison.

“This defendant preyed on the victim because of his relationship to her mother. The facts are particularly disturbing. The victim suffered through years of repeated sexual abuse,” District Attorney Quinn said. “Despite the trauma inflicted by the defendant, I hope she can move on from this ordeal. The defendant in this case deserves every bit of the sentence imposed by the court.”

Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced today that the Department has begun a body camera pilot program as part of her wide-ranging slate of operational reforms. Devices from several vendors will be evaluated over the next six months by approximately 100 Troopers.

The cameras will provide an additional level of accountability and accuracy for Troopers during their interactions with the public, increase officer safety, and enhance the ability to accurately document the actions of criminal offenders.

“Body cameras offer the potential to bring a new level of officer safety, transparency, and accurate documentation to the tens of thousands of interactions our personnel have with the public every year,” said Colonel Gilpin. “We are evaluating several different body camera platforms before selecting the best solution. My Command Staff and I are working collaboratively with the union that represents Troopers and Sergeants on this important new capability.”

Mark Lynch, President of the State Police Association of Massachusetts (SPAM), said, “SPAM is committed to working in partnership with the Baker-Polito Administration in employing new technologies that may benefit the safety of SPAM’s members and the public that we protect. SPAM supports the administration’s body-worn camera pilot program and looks forward to examining the perceived benefits and potential improvements with the use of these technologies.”

Details of the body camera pilot program announced today:

• Pilot program duration of six months involving approximately 100 participants from the State Police;
• Pilot participants will evaluate different vendor devices over this six-month period with the goal of identifying the best camera solution for the department’s policing mission;
• The Massachusetts State Police and SPAM signed a MOU last week in which SPAM agreed to support the program;
• The pilot program will scale to 100 participants over the next two weeks.

The camera program is the latest among numerous operational and fiscal reforms that Colonel Gilpin and her Command Staff have undertaken over the past 10 months, including: the installation of Automated Vehicle Locator systems in all patrol cruisers, with expansion to other cruisers planned; elimination of the former Troop E with its duties of patrolling the Turnpike and Tunnel System rolled into three separate geographic barracks, increasing oversight and capabilities; quarterly audits of the Department’s top 50 earners to ensure adherence to relevant policies, rules and regulations; increased staff in the Internal Affairs and Staff Inspections Sections for increased accountability; and contracting with a major audit firm to review Departmental payroll functions.

Hayden-McFadden Elementary School will RE-OPEN for classes tomorrow morning, Tuesday, Feb. 5th, at the regular time. Repairs have been made to a boiler pipe and the heat turned back on.