Meet Warley Williams, 33-year-old Assistant Principal of Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech. After high school, Warley attended UMass Dartmouth hoping to graduate with a degree in Computer Science, but shortly into his first semester, he found out that his now wife was pregnant with their first child. Out of his father’s house and with bills adding up, he knew that he had to do what was right for them at the moment and left school to work at a lumberyard.

During that brutally cold winter, he quickly realized that he needed to find a way to make a better life for his family. With the mounting gang violence in the city during that time, he was inspired to get into education, in a hope to guide the future generations in a better direction. Starting at BCC, he began studying history, eventually returning to finish his degree at UMass.

While attending school, he started substitute teaching for the New Bedford Public School system. He was called to substitute a few times at Whaling City, the alternative high school, as they felt he a had a great way of relating to the students there.

He accepted a full-time history teacher position at Whaling City and after a short period there he was asked to become the principal of the school. He was excited to be a role model to the students there and help kids graduate and further their education or get a job, which prior to their attendance at Whaling City, didn’t have the hope for either.

When the principal position became vacant at Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech, he applied for the position, hoping to impact an even larger population of the city’s youth. Although they had someone else for that position, they offered him the assistant principal position, which he interviewed for and received. Along with his roles as assistant principal, he also is chair of the graduation committee, co-facilitator of the mentor program, co-advisor of the National Honor Society, and Director of Security at the school.

Outside of his career, Warley strives to give back to his community. He is a board of director for the United Way of greater New Bedford; directs summer programs for 8th graders going into high school to close the summer learning gap, and he and his family has hosted a teenager from the Bronx for the Fresh Air Fund for the last five years. Warley is very passionate about helping his community and bettering the future of all kids in the Greater New Bedford area.

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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.

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here.

Get to know your future New Bedford Public Schools Superintendent! Thomas Anderson discusses his vision and approach to leading the school department with Paul Santos Live.

New Bedford School Committee members voted for Thomas Anderson as the next New Bedford Schools Superintendent. Thomas Anderson received six of the seven votes with Dr. Heather Larkin receiving one vote. 

For more information visit https://www.newbedfordguide.com/

The Webster Police Department and the Massachusetts State Police are seeking a missing 10-year-old girl who is believed to be with her mother, who does not have legal custody of her.

The girl, Lydia M. Davis, was reported missing by her father. Information developed to date suggest that Lydia was picked up by her mother, Theresa A. Beaudette, 35, from another relative’s home on Boyden Street in Webster at approximately 12 a.m. on Tuesday, March 27. The child has not been to school since.

Earlier today, Webster Police were notified that Theresa Beaudette, the child, and another relative arrived at a shelter in Milford. Police were told that the family members abruptly left the shelter in a light blue, four-door 2008 Hyundai Sonata bearing Massachusetts license plate 795TVO.

Police wish to locate Lydia to ensure that she is safe.

Lydia is white, approximately 4’10” tall and 105 lbs., and has brown hair and brown eyes.

Theresa Beaudette is white, approximately 5’5” tall and 110-130 lbs., with brown hair and brown eyes.

Photos of Lydia Davis and Theresa Beaudette are included with this release. Also included are representative photos of 2008 light blue Hyundai Sonatas.

Anyone who sees Theresa Beaudette or Lydia Davis, or their vehicle, or who has information regarding their whereabouts, should immediately call Webster Police at 508-943-1212.

New Bedford Police took an illegally possessed firearm off the street Wednesday, March 28 following an investigation after receiving reports of shots fired in the 60-block of Austin Street.

Police responded to a report at about 1:40 a.m. of shots fired and to a Shotspotter activation in the area about 1:47 a.m. When police searched the area, they overheard an argument between a male and female.

Based on the conversation, police determined the male had fired a gun out the window at 69 Austin St.

A search of the residence uncovered a .9MM firearm, improperly unlocked and unsecured. The firearm had one live round in the chamber, one live round in the magazine and four live loose rounds in close proximity to the firearm.

Police charged Mikayel Williams-Faucher, 20, of 69 Austin St., New Bedford, with possession of a firearm without a license, two counts of unlawful possession of ammunition, improper storage of a firearm, discharge of a firearm within 500 feet of a building and disorderly conduct.

The Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section today added three fugitives to its Most Wanted list.

State Troopers assigned to the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section ask anyone who has information about these three fugitives or their whereabouts to call them immediately at 1-800-KAPTURE (1-800-527-8873). Wanted posters for each of these fugitives, as well as supplemental photos of three of them, are included with this release.

Added to the State Police Most Wanted List today are the following fugitives:

1. DANIEL ESCALANTE, 42, a.k.a. Daniel Escalante-Sanchez, Daniel Sanchez Escalante, Gaerlen Escalante Sanchez, Gaerlen Daniel Escalante, Daniel Escalanto, Daniel Escalante, Daniel Gaerlen Escalante. Fugitive ESCALANTE is Hispanic, approximately 5’6” tall and 140 lbs., with black hair, brown eyes, and numerous tattoos. He is wanted for allegedly committing multiple sexual assaults against a child/children over a repeated period of time in and around the town of Marlboro. These charges involve more than one victim and ESCALANTE has been actively avoiding law enforcement. ESCALANTE has a visible mole on his left cheek and numerous tattoos throughout his body including his neck, arms & forearms. He is a native of Peru and has ties to Marlboro, Hudson, and Worcester.

2. RAMON TORRES, 59. Fugitive TORRES is Hispanic, approximately 5’ 10” tall and 170 lbs., with brown/gray hair, brown eyes. Ramon TORRES is wanted for allegedly committing multiple sexual assaults against a young child over a repeated period of time in the city of Springfield. Multiple attempts to locate TORRES have been unsuccessful and officials believe he is actively avoiding law enforcement. TORRES was last known to be operating a blue, two door, 2000 Dodge Ram Pickup Truck, Mass registration 431VE3. He is originally from Puerto Rico and has contacts throughout the greater Springfield area.

3. WILSON CLAY, 27, a.k.a. Wilson Leavell Clay, X Bleau Davinci. Fugitive CLAY is African American, approximately 5’8” tall and 195 lbs., black hair, and brown eyes. Wilson CLAY is wanted for allegedly being involved in a shooting at Anthony’s Gentleman’s Club in South Hadley, MA during the early morning hours of February 4, 2018. One male victim was shot in the upper left chest but survived. The ensuing investigation revealed that CLAY and a second individual already in custody are suspected of shooting the victim in retaliation for a past Homicide. CLAY has an extensive criminal history which includes past convictions for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon-Firearm, Assault With a Dangerous Weapon-Knife (2 cts), A&B on a Police Officer (2 cts), and Resisting Arrest. CLAY is a member of the Sycamore Street Posse in Springfield and should be considered Armed and Dangerous.

A Wilmington man was sentenced today for making threats over Facebook to burn a local mosque and for unlawfully possessing dozens of firearms, ammunition and child pornography.

Patrick Keogan, 46, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Douglas P. Woodlock to five years in prison and five years of supervised release. Keogan will also be required to register as a sex offender. In February 2017, Keogan pleaded guilty to two counts of making a threat over Facebook to injure or intimidate another individual or to unlawfully damage or destroy a building by means of fire; one count of being a convicted felon in possession of firearms and ammunition; and one count of possessing child pornography. Keogan has been in custody since his arrest in July 2016.

Following the terrorist attacks in Paris, France, on Nov. 13, 2015, Keogan posted threatening images on the Facebook page of the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center (ISBCC), a Roxbury-based cultural center that offers a mosque and educational, spiritual, and social services to the New England Muslim community. Keogan posted an image depicting a mosque in flames with superimposed lettering that stated, “BURN YOUR LOCAL MOSQUE,” along with the statement, “Hello scumbags,” next to a smiley face emoji. Keogan also posted the same threatening image on the Facebook page of the Islamic Society of Northeastern University (ISNU).

Searches of Keogan’s Facebook account revealed multiple posts that approved of burning mosques as early as 2013. For example, in 2013 Keogan shared a post with the following summary: “On July 4th, Joplin, Missouri’s Islamic Center — the city’s only mosque — suffered roof damage after an unidentified man set it on fire by tossing a burning object onto the building.” Keogan wrote in response: “Somewhere out there is an unknown hero. The people’s champion. A true God amongst mortal men. May your days be many & troubles be few my good man.”

Keogan’s Facebook account also showed that he had been buying, selling, trading, building, modifying, possessing, and shooting firearms and ammunition, despite his prohibition from doing so as a convicted felon. On May 1, 2016, Keogan purchased two boxes of 8mm rifle ammunition and two bags of loose 8mm rifle ammunition at a gun store in New Hampshire. Upon Keogan’s arrest in July 2016, authorities searched his residence and found light machine guns, assault rifles, and sniper rifles, and thousands of rounds of ammunition. A search of Keogan’s iPhone and iPad revealed he was also in possession of child pornography.

United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Mickey D. Leadingham, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Boston Field Division; Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; and Wilmington Police Chief Michael Begonis made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott L. Garland of Lelling’s Civil Rights Enforcement Team prosecuted the case.

Colonel Kerry A. Gilpin, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, announced that a “Sobriety Checkpoint” will be implemented by the Massachusetts State Police on a Public Way in Bristol County between Saturday, April 7, 2018 into Sunday, April 8, 2018.

The purpose is to further educate the motoring public and strengthen the public’s awareness to the need of detecting and removing those motorists who operate under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs from our roadways. It will be operated during varied hours, the selection of vehicles will not be arbitrary, safety will be assured, and any inconveniences to motorists will be minimized with advance notice to reduce fear and anxiety.

New Bedford School Committee members voted for Thomas Anderson as the next New Bedford Schools Superintendent. Thomas Anderson received six of the seven votes with Dr. Heather Larkin receiving one vote. We covered it live here:

Check out our interview with Thomas Anderson here:

The public is invited to meet Capt. Dennis Ledo, the new station commander for Station Two at 168 Cove St. in the south end, during an open house from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Saturday, April 7.

Capt. Ledo replaced Capt. Dennis Hebert, who recently retired.

Capt. Ledo brings a wealth of experience to his new position, including working all three shifts at all three stations. He is a 24-year veteran of the department.

Capt. Ledo has worked eight years in the narcotics division, including assignments with the district attorney’s office and the Drug Enforcement Agency. He worked as a school resource officer for 18 months and as the director of the professional standards division for four years.

He was promoted to sergeant in 2010, to lieutenant in 2012 and to captain in 2016.

He is looking forward to meeting the residents and business owners in the south end. “I want to build on the good job they’re already doing here,” he said. “I’m happy to be part of the team down here. I’m looking forward to reaching out to the community. It’s a beautiful area. There’s a lot of good police work being done here.”

Capt. Ledo encourages the public to attend the open house. Anyone unable to attend may call the station at 508-991-6300 ext. 79203 to speak with Capt. Ledo about any concerns they might have.

Spinner Publications proudly presents Blue Collars, a debut novel written by New Bedford native Catherine McLaughlin and the publishing house’s first book of fiction. Blue Collars is slated for release Spring 2018.

A compelling story about growing up during the late 1950s and 1960s in a New Bedford working-class family, Blue Collars details the triumphs and tragedies of the close-knit Kilroy family. Told through the eyes of young Fiona “Finn” Kilroy, her story unfolds in the city’s South End, a neighborhood where Portuguese, Irish, French, and Cape Verdean immigrant families lived side-by-side in mostly three-decker tenement houses typical of many New England cities. Finn’s father worked long hours as a loomfixer at the Berkshire Hathaway textile mill along the city’s waterfront and her mother struggled to keep the children healthy, well fed and well dressed.

Surrounded by the love of a caring, extended family, Finn’s life seems from the outside to be carefree and idyllic. But a terrible secret haunts her childhood. This is the story of a young girl’s endurance in the face of betrayal and her brave efforts to overcome the shocks that rock her world. Finn’s efforts to present a normal face breaks the
reader’s heart. Her story infuriates – even as her determination to stay strong and survive will inspire every reader.

From Finn’s tumultuous childhood to her coming of age, we deeply experience her family’s life of love, abuse, and heartache amidst a backdrop of historical events such as textile strikes and economic and political upheaval that shaped America and this industrial city.

Catherine McLaughlin grew up in New Bedford and now lives nearby in Padanaram. She received her undergraduate degree from UMass Dartmouth, formerly Southeastern Massachusetts University, and her graduate degrees from the University College Dublin and Bowling Green State University. A published poet and an accomplished artist, McLaughlin has taught English and writing for 40 years and is a professor emerita of Framingham State University.

Buzz for Blue Collars:

Here are a some advance reviews ….

“Catherine McLaughlin’s novel, Blue Collars, is a powerful work of fiction. From the first page to the last, the story is both real and relatable. Finn Kilroy and her supporting cast of characters jump right off the page, making Blue Collars a page-turner that kept me up late into the night. Highly recommended!”
—Steven Manchester, #1 bestselling author, The Rockin’ Chair and Twelve Months

“McLaughlin’s work never fails to leave the reader enthralled. Blue Collars is no exception. In this book, we journey the streets, backyards, and factories of New Bedford in the late 1950s throughout the fevered sixties as seen by McLaughlin’s young heroine, Finn. We watch hopefully as Finn overcomes one issue, dilemma after another — problems too heavy for her slender shoulders to bear, and we, the rapt reader, look for solutions alongside her.”
— Patricia Gomes, Poet Laureate, City of New Bedford, Massachusetts

“In Blue Collars, Catherine McLaughlin captures the full array of emotion from innocent joy and love to despair. On one page the main character Finn is playing blissfully at the beach with her father and siblings, on another she recalls the death of her best friend’s brother.
But mostly this is a story about a secret that gnaws at Finn throughout her childhood and adolescence – one that she believes would tear apart her tight-knit family. Like the dike protecting the harbor and factories of that New England city, Finn builds a wall of silence to protect her family. But the specter of guilt and shame leaves its imprint on the young girl.”
— Elizabeth Pimentel, freelance journalist