Your Theatre, Inc. (YTI) is an award-winning, nonprofit, volunteer-based, community theater group in New Bedford, MA in its 72nd year of continuous operation. YTI’s mission is to serve the community by offering dramatic productions which embody the highest ideals of the theatre arts.

YTI is currently partnered with the Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE) to raise funds for the 149 William St. building – the future permanent home of the Your Theatre Performing Arts Center – located in Downtown New Bedford. The Executive Director will play a critical role in fundraising and venue operations.

SCOPE OF POSITION
The Executive Director will represent the Your Theatre Performing Arts Center at community events and in communications with donors, volunteers, and other community organizations and will report directly to the YTI Board of Directors.

This is a part-time position (20-25 hours per week) with the possibility of leading to full-time employment, pending the achievement of specific fundraising and project goals. Initially, job duties will be comprised of those listed in the Operational & Program Development and Fundraising sections below. As the Arts Center project progresses, venue related duties such as promoting and booking the building will be introduced.

The individual hired for this position will collaborate closely with both the YTI Business Manager and the Artistic Director Team who oversee programming/production operations and who also directly report to YTI Board of Directors.

The Executive Director will work with YTI’s highly engaged volunteer corps for support in all aspects of the position.

RESPONSBILITIES INCLUDE:

Operational & Program Development:
• Represent YTI at community events and promote awareness of mission to outside individuals and organizations
• Diversify community outreach to build and nurture collaborations and partnerships with local and area arts and cultural organizations
• Achieve goals of the Performing Arts Center as set forth by YTI board of directors

Fundraising:
• Create a development strategy that includes investigating and securing diversified contributed revenue sources
• Conduct institutional prospect research and write targeted proposals
• Assist WHALE in the ongoing capital campaign for building rehabilitation
• Establish and manage donor and volunteer relationships
• Maintain high standards of donor record keeping including donor privacy and confidentiality policies
• Participate in finding, developing and maintaining sponsors for YTI productions and specialevents

Venue Promotion:
• Design and implement a venue promotion strategy to attract other professional, civic, and private organizations as paying users of the facility
• Identify and recruit customers to utilize the space on a non-interfering basis with YTI events

IDEAL CANDIDATE TRAITS:
• We are seeking an outgoing, highly motivated self-starting employee who thrives in social settings and possesses strong organizational capabilities. Other desired skills include:
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn about and cooperate with the local arts and cultural organizations
• A genuine passion for the performing arts of the SouthCoast area, specifically within the greater New Bedford community
• Demonstrated ability to identify grant opportunities and write successful proposals

QUALIFICATIONS:
• Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent experience required
• A minimum of three years non-profit experience with a successful track record including fundraising
• Experience with grants, applications and program management
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite and social media platforms
• Proficiency with graphic design is a plus

SALARY:
• $20-$25 / hour, commensurate with experience

KEYWORDS:
• Community theatre, grant writing, leadership, theater, fundraising, development,
performing arts.

To apply please send your resume to: info@yourtheatre.org

A Narraganset School District high school math teacher was arrested and charged yesterday in federal court in Boston with receipt and possession of child pornography.

Warren Anderson, 26, of Lowell and Harvard, was charged with one count each of receipt and possession of child pornography. Anderson appeared before Magistrate Judge Donald L. Cabell yesterday afternoon and was ordered detained pending a probable cause and detention hearing on Monday, August 27th.

According to court records, law enforcement interviewed Anderson as part of an ongoing investigation into the online trade of child pornography through the use of Kik messenger. Anderson admitted to accessing websites on the dark web to obtain child pornography.

A preliminary on-scene forensic analysis by federal agents revealed the presence of child pornography including a video of an adult male repeatedly sexually assaulting a naked four-year-old girl, and an image of a child between the ages of three-and-five-years old – with visible tears in her eyes – being sexually assaulted by an adult male.

The charge of receipt of child pornography provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison. The charge of possession of child pornography provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison. Both charges also provide for a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, made the announcement today. Assistance was provided by the Harvard and Templeton Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne Paruti, Lelling’s Project Safe Childhood Coordinator and a member of the Major Crimes Unit, is prosecuting the case.

Members of the public who have questions, concerns or information regarding this case should call 617-748-3274.

The case is brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

A 28-year-old New Bedford man who viciously attacked his fiancée earlier this year was sentenced to serve four to six years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Haikeem Stephenson pleaded guilty this week in Fall River Superior Court to a multi-count indictment, charging him with aggravated assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, assault and battery on a family or household member and witness intimidation.

On February 2nd of this year, the female victim reported to New Bedford Police that on January 31 her fiancée began arguing with her. The defendant punched her in the face with a closed fist. She then grabbed her phone and told him that she was going to call the police. The defendant then slapped the phone out of her hand to prevent her from calling.

The defendant continued to beat her, punching her all over her body. The defendant then got on top of the victim while on the bed and continued punching. Once the victim was able to get up, the defendant punched her nose and she fell to the floor. The victim told police her nose began to bleed and swell immediately. The victim stated she lost consciousness for about five seconds.

The defendant then helped her to the bathroom, so she could attend to the nosebleed. While continuing to yell at her, the defendant asked her if she took the phone with her to the bathroom to call the police. The victim told police she was afraid of the defendant and that is why she didn’t report the assault right away.

During her interview with police, officers took photos of her bruises. Her face was bruised with a visible black eye. There were also bruises on her left arm, shoulder, thigh, and legs. The victim obtained an emergency restraining order and went to St. Luke’s Hospital, where she learned that she had a broken nose and was referred to a specialist.

At the time of the incident, the defendant was on probation for an assault with intent to murder case out of Fall River.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Courtney Cahill, the chief of DA Quinn’s Domestic Violence Unit, and the state prison sentence was handed down by Judge Thomas McGuire.

“It is unfortunate that the defendant did not take advantage of the opportunity for redemption given to him by the court in his previous case,” District Attorney Quinn said. “This was a brutal assault. The defendant presents a danger to the community and needed to be taken off the streets.”

Have you wondered where former New Bedford City Councilor Steven Martins has been? Chris Resendes sits down with Steven and discusses what he misses about being a Councilor and what he feels makes the ideal public servant.

The alleged leader of a Boston-based heroin and fentanyl trafficking organization pleaded guilty Tuesday, August 21 in federal court in Boston.

Jose Antonio Lugo-Guerrero, a/k/a Fernando Rivera-Rodriguez, 40, who formerly resided in Mattapan, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute more than one kilogram of heroin, more than 400 grams of fentanyl, and more than five kilograms of cocaine, and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for Nov. 27, 2018. In February 2017, Lugo-Guerrero was arrested and charged along with 22 co-defendants.

From mid-2016 through February 2017, federal law enforcement investigated two drug trafficking organizations operating in Taunton and Boston; the former led by Fernando Hernandez, and the latter led by Jose Antonio Lugo-Guerrero. Hernandez’s organization sold heroin and fentanyl to customers who re-distributed a portion of the drugs they obtained. Hernandez obtained drugs from a network of suppliers that included Lugo-Guerrero.

Lugo-Guerrero sold kilograms of heroin, fentanyl, and cocaine to customers in Boston, New Bedford, Fall River, and surrounding areas. The evidence, including federal wiretaps in late 2016 and early 2017, further showed that he obtained some of the drugs he sold by robbing other drug dealers. On Nov. 3, 2016, Lugo-Guerrero and five co-defendants traveled to New Bedford panning to rob a drug dealer who had stolen half a kilogram of heroin from Lugo-Guerrero. At Lugo-Guerrero’s direction, one of the co-defendants transported a firearm and provided it to another co-defendant just before the attempted robbery. Based on intercepted communications, law enforcement agents were aware of the planned robbery and stopped and questioned the defendants before it occurred. As a result, Lugo-Guerrero aborted his plan that night and returned to Boston.

In February 2018, Hernandez was sentenced to 188 months (15½ years) in prison after pleading guilty in November 2017. The court found that Hernandez was responsible for distributing more than a kilogram of heroin over a two-month period in the summer of 2016.

Lugo Guerrero faces a mandatory minimum 15 years in prison and up to life, a minimum of five years of supervised release, a fine of up to $4 million, and will be deported upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Fall River Police Chief Albert F. Dupere; New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro; Taunton Police Chief Edward James Walsh; Boston Police Commissioner William Gross; Bridgewater Police Chief Christopher Delmonte; and Bristol Country District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ted Heinrich of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

A Mexican national was arrested yesterday in connection with drug trafficking activities that resulted in the seizure of approximately four kilograms of suspected heroin.

Miguel Angel Torres Morales, 39, was charged today by criminal complaint with possession with the intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin.

According to court documents, a cooperating witness arranged to purchase four kilograms of “china white,” referring to fentanyl, from a large-scale narcotics distributor for $55,000 per kilogram. The distributor agreed to deliver the drugs to the cooperating witness using a courier. On Aug. 20, 2018, Torres Morales drove a tractor trailer to the area of the “Park and Ride” parking lot on Granite Avenue in Milton to deliver the drugs. Federal agents stopped the tractor trailer and, in a cabinet behind the driver’s seat, located four brick-packed kilograms of tan powder wrapped in cellophane. A field test of the powder tested positive for heroin.

The charge of possession with intent to distribute one kilogram or more of heroin provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and up to life, a minimum of five years and up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a fine of up to $10 million. Torres Morales will be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling and Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Field Division, made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lauren A. Graber of Lelling’s Narcotics and Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has notified the New Bedford Health Department of the finding of West Nile Virus in a primarily bird-biting mosquito sample obtained in the area of Oak Grove Cemetery, located at 185 Parker Street in New Bedford. The mosquito is of the curiex pipiens/restuan complex species and is mainly bird-biting. In response to these findings, the Bristol County Mosquito Control Project will continue to conduct targeted ground spraying including in the area of Oak Grove Cemetery.

This round of spraying will occur in the early morning of Thursday, August 23, 2018 and will target the area of Oak Grove Cemetery in addition to areas including Buttonwood Park, Brooklawn Park, Fort Taber, Hazelwood Park, Riverside Park, Clasky Park, Ashley Park, the Poor Farm area, Custom House Square and Oak Grove Cemetery. Spraying will take place between 2:00 am and sunrise on Thursday morning, weather permitting. Residents in the vicinity of the targeted areas may wish to close their windows this evening prior to the spraying.

The New Bedford Health Department–working closely with the Bristol County Mosquito Control Project and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health—is again this year conducting an annual monitoring program to track the potential threat from EEE and WNV carrying mosquitoes. Under the program, mosquito traps are put in place to collect pools of mosquitoes and mosquito populations are monitored throughout the summer months.

As part of the mosquito tracking program, the New Bedford Health Department will request that the BCMCP target key areas of the New Bedford for spraying, including public parks and locations that host large public events.

Like EEE and West Nile, the New Bedford Health Department works closely with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to track other emerging mosquito-borne diseases such as the Zika virus. While Zika-carrying mosquitoes have not been identified the New Bedford area, and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reports that the likelihood of becoming infected with Zika virus from a mosquito bite in Massachusetts is very low, residents are urged to take the general precautionary measures to prevent mosquito bites. In addition, travelers to areas where the Zika virus has been detected in mosquitoes or humans should take extra precaution to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes during their trip. This includes both females and males who travel to areas where the Zika virus is occurring. If you or your partner is planning on traveling, you should check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for information about where Zika virus is occurring: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/page/zika-information.

The same precautionary measures are advised for EEE, WNV, and the Zika virus. These include the following:

Avoid Mosquito Bites

Ø Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours – While mosquitoes are out at all hours of the day, their peak biting times are from dusk to dawn. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. Otherwise, take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing, especially if you work or spend a lot of time outdoors.

Ø Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.

Ø Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.

Mosquito-Proof Your Home

Ø Drain Standing Water – Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.

Ø Install or Repair Screens – Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors.

The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) is issuing a reminder that the applications for the 2018 Low Number Plate Lottery are now being accepted online at mass.gov/platelottery or by mail. Applicants must apply by August 27 and, if selected for a low number plate, will be notified after the drawing takes place in September.

Applications for the 2018 Low Plate Lottery must be received online or postmarked by August 28, 2018 in order for the applicant to be eligible.

This year, there are 201 plates that are available through the low plate lottery. Some of this year’s low plate characters are 1400, 2558, 4J, Y4, 55Z, 77V, and Z81. To date, 9,936 applications have been received.

In 2017, the Registry received over 11,000 applications.

Applicants should note that there is no fee to apply. However, should the applicant be selected as a winner, they will be responsible for all applicable registration fees.

Customers are encouraged to visit the RMV’s website at www.mass.gov/rmv or follow the RMV on Twitter @MassRMV for upcoming details on the drawing, including the date, time, and location of the event. By law, winners must be announced by September 15, 2018, and the names of winners will be posted on the RMV website.

The Registry issues and oversees all license, ID, and motor vehicle registrations in the Commonwealth.

The RMV is committed to providing efficient, reliable, and professional customer service. The RMV recommends that customers “Start Online First” to review the 40 transactions and services that are available online before visiting a service center. In addition, many RMV transactions can be done at a AAA Northeast customer location for AAA members.

Last week, we had a chance to check out Junior Achievement of Southern Massachusetts, Inc.’s SPARK program – a free, year-long program for middle school girls focusing on leadership and entrepreneurial thinking, highlighted by a week-long residential summer experience.

“I’m trying to find a woman named Elisa that my son worked with at the Christopher Donovan Center in Wareham up until 2 years ago.

My son has autism. It’s a disorder that generally is considered to affect his ability to form bonds, but he has continuously asked for Elisa EVERY school vacation since he stopped seeing her at the center. This woman is an amazing example of what we should all hope to be. She left such an impact on my son, and the last time he saw her we all thought she would see him one more day to say “Goodbye.”

Life happens. We all understand that, but my son does not. Last I knew, Elisa lived in New Bedford and worked with the Special Education Department in New Bedford Public Schools. I am trying to find her to let her know Joseph misses her terribly and is still waiting for the day he’ll get to walk into the center to say his goodbyes to her.

It would mean the world to my child if we could find her. This morning, being the start of a week with no school for my son, he said “Elisa” to me on our way out the door and it’s breaking my heart to know he does not understand why she has never come back. The last time they spoke he was told he’d see her again. I cannot explain what happened, but maybe I can get a message to her to bring this child some closure.

It would mean a lot to me and my son if this was allowed to be posted. I know that anyone that has met Elisa would know exactly who I was talking about. Thank you for your time. Have a good day.”

-Chrissy
cme1011@yahoo.com