Fairhaven Police took a report of a commercial break that occurred this past Friday night at the Tumble Time Laundromat located at 7 Howland Road. Officer Christopher Bettencourt took the report Saturday morning when an employee reported the break that occurred the previous night. Officer Bettencourt reviewed the company’s video surveillance system and observed a male party, later identified as 26 year old Joshua Audette, enter the locked office of the business. After being in the office for approximately ten minutes, Audette is seen exiting the office and then leaving the store.

Officer Bettencourt learned through his investigation that an employee is on the premises until 8 pm. However, the laundromat remains open to the public until 11pm, at which time the doors automatically lock and the lights automatically turn off. Based on the video surveillance, it was determined that Audette entered the locked office when the business was unattended. He then stole an undisclosed amount of money and fled from the store.

The following day an employee reported to Fairhaven Police that a male matching the description in the surveillance video came into the business, and began asking questions about their hours of operation. Later that night Sergeant Daniel Dorgan, along with Officers Pamela Bourgault, Andrew Quintin and Matthew Sobral established a surveillance of the business. Just before 11 pm they observed Audette slip into the business prior to the doors automatically locking.

Officers observed Audette enter the office inside the establishment, then took him into custody as he left the store. He was charged with breaking and entering in the nighttime to commit a felony, breaking and entering into a depository, trespassing, possession of a burglarious instrument, larceny and assault by means of a dangerous weapon. The charge of possession of a burglarious instrument was filed when it was determined Audette used an object to manipulate the door lock and locked cash drawer to gain access. The assault charge was filed after Audette threw a phone at officers in the police station during the booking process. Audette, who is currently homeless, was held without bail and will be arraigned Tuesday morning at Third District Court.

Dr. Irwin Jacobs, founder and former chairman of Qualcomm and a New Bedford High School alumnus, together with his wife, Mrs. Joan Jacobs, visited New Bedford High School on Thursday, May 25 to meet with students and staff, and to tour the continued expansion of technology at the high school.

Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs have supported expanding the use of 1:1 technology devices and tablets that all 9th grade students at New Bedford High can now access. School and city officials announced Thursday that with the support of Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs and the assistance of the Mobile Technology Learning Center of the University of San Diego, as well as a match from the City of New Bedford, $1.8 million in new technology will be invested in New Bedford High. Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs invested $900,000 in New Bedford High earlier this year, and the City matched it with $900,000 to complete the expansion project.

Superintendent Dr. Pia Durkin welcomed the guests of honor before a combined assembly of New Bedford High School and Middle School students. “Through their generosity, Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs have opened for our students a new world of learning opportunities made possible only through the latest tools in communications engineering; a technology which Dr. Jacobs himself pioneered and which today continues to transform our world. We are incredibly blessed by Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs’ steadfast caring and engagement with our students,” she said.

“This is a gift to you from Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs, who have been committed to supporting the kids of our city,” Mayor Mitchell told 9th grade students at Thursday’s event. “Dr. Jacobs was a student at New Bedford High, just like you are, and he went on to achieve great success and through his and Mrs. Jacobs’ generosity, they are giving you the gift of opportunity. Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs have been champions of throwing open the doors of opportunity to New Bedford’s students.”

Mayor Mitchell also thanked the School Committee and City Council for their strong support of matching the Jacobs’ donation with city funds to expand the project further to its $1.8 million investment this year.

“Dr. and Mrs. Jacobs have continued to show enormous generosity and dedication to the future of New Bedford and its children,” said City Council President Joseph Lopes. “This is an example of their continued dedication to our kids, and the expansion will strengthen education at New Bedford High.”

All Photos By Josh Souza.

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Mayor Mitchell will hold neighborhood office hours for the month of May next Tuesday, May 30, 2017 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Casa da Saudade Library, 58 Crapo Street in New Bedford.

Last fall, Mayor Mitchell announced he would set aside time each month to hold office hours in city neighborhoods so that residents could meet with him outside of normal business hours and in their own neighborhood.

City residents are invited to attend the neighborhood office hours to meet with Mayor Mitchell directly and share their concerns and ideas. The sessions are open to all New Bedford residents, no advance appointments are required and meetings with the Mayor will be done on a first come, first served basis.

Rain, rain go away! After a rainy but warm Friday, the rest of the weekend will be cloudy and cool with temperatures in the low 60s. No rain is forecast for the remainder of the weekend, but we live in New England so never say “never”! This time of year more and more events pop up, so there is plenty to do!

As always, click on the title for more or detailed information on the event. Most of the events were pulled from our event calendar where you can find hundreds of local area events each month. The event calendar is FREE, so if you are a local business, and not taking advantage of FREE publicity, shame on you! Are you a local business and want to sponsor this high traffic, weekend guide? Contact info@newbedfordguide.com for more details. Have an event to add? Add it here. Know of another event this weekend? Post a reply!

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Friday, May 26th

Newport Vineyard’s Spring Release Party! (6:00pm-8:00pm)
Raise your glasses and toast to this season’s new wine releases! Sip, swirl and savor the flavors of our newly released whites and Dry Rose while enjoying an extended evening wine tasting, complete with fire pits and live music from Erin McAndrew. Extended wine tasting and live music, FREE Live Music, wine Tastings/Cash Bar/Light Fare – pay night of. 909 E Main Rd., Middletown, RI.

Lakeside Family Festival (6:00pm-11:00pm)
Festival attractions will include: Amusement rides for all ages-ethnic and American food booths–midway game booths of skill and chance–our renowned GIANT Barn Sale. Also enjoy delicious freshly prepared home-baked goods. This year our entertainment “BIG TOP” will be alive with a wide assortment of acts that will entertain every one of all ages. Want to see everything being offered at the Festival? Please go to our website at http://www.sjnfreetown.org/lakeside-family-festival.

Saturday, May 27th

Fort Phoenix Spring Encampment (9:00am-3:00pm)
The Fairhaven Village Militia, the Fairhaven Office of Tourism and guests present a two-day historical encampment at Fort Phoenix. Talk to period costumed men and women about the fort’s history and life in the 1770s. See military drilling, flintlock musket and cannon firing demonstrations and camp cooking demonstrations. Children can try 18th century games and toys. Also see activities such as tin smithing, leather working, carpentry, spinning, fire starting, and more. Saturday evening at sundown (approx. 7:45 p.m.) see a demonstration “night firing” of the fort’s five cannons. Free. Handicap accessible.

Greater New Bedford Civil War Round Table at Rural Cemetery (9:00am-10:00am)
The Greater New Bedford Civil War Round Table will conduct a memorial exercise at the Union Soldier’s Burial Site at Rural Cemetery, 149 Dartmouth Street. These services typically include historical reenactment, music and a gun salute.

New Bedford Antiques Center at Wamsutta Place (11:00am-6:00pm)
Antiques, collectibles, and history all in one place! The Center is home to over 200 dealers and consigners featuring antiques and collectibles from early Americana to Mid-Century to today’s treasures. With specialty stores within the Center which include a flower shoppe boutique, an ephemera store, the cast-iron store and vintage clothing. The Center is also the largest antique consignment venues in the Southcoast Region. So if you have one piece or an estate full of treasures , the Center will preview your items and consign them. The staff has over 100 years of collective knowledge in the antique trade from buying to selling to refinishing to retailing. There are public bathrooms, the center is handicap accessible and, pet-friendly! Phone: (508) 991-8700. Wamsutta Place, 61 Wamsutta St., New Bedford.

Lakeside Family Festival (12:00pm-11:00pm)
Festival attractions will include: Amusement rides for all ages-ethnic and American food booths–midway game booths of skill and chance–our renowned GIANT Barn Sale. Also enjoy delicious freshly prepared home-baked goods. This year our entertainment “BIG TOP” will be alive with a wide assortment of acts that will entertain every one of all ages. Want to see everything being offered at the Festival? Please go to our website at http://www.sjnfreetown.org/lakeside-family-festival.

Memorial Day Concert & Picnic in the Park (1:00pm-3:00pm)
Join everyone for the Annual Memorial Day Concert in the Park with special guests Wareham’s own Paul Innis on upright bass, Cape Cod’s John Salerno on keys/vocals and Dennis Nobrega on brass/wind/vocals, playing all those hits you know from the great American Songbook and perhaps a few patriotic numbers in honor of Memorial Day. FREE AND FAMILY FRIENDLY. Bring along a picnic to enjoy during the show, or grab some lunch nearby. Pay tribute to those we’ve lost by planting a flag in someone’s honor. By donation.

Boston Pride Pageant (6:00pm-9:00pm)
The annual Boston Pride Pageant returns in 2017 with a competition to hold the following four titles:
Miss Boston Pride (Drag Queen), Mistah Boston Pride (Drag King), Ms. Boston Pride (cis/trans women and those who identify as female) and Mr. Boston Pride (cis/trans men and those who identify as male).

Full Lighting of Waterfire (8:30pm-12:30am)
A Full Lighting of WaterFire sponsored by Bank of America and Brown University. WaterFire Providence, 100 Canal Walk, Providence, RI.

Sunday, May 28th

Fort Phoenix Spring Encampment (9:00am-3:00pm)
The Fairhaven Village Militia, the Fairhaven Office of Tourism and guests present a two-day historical encampment at Fort Phoenix. Talk to period costumed men and women about the fort’s history and life in the 1770s. See military drilling, flintlock musket and cannon firing demonstrations and camp cooking demonstrations. Children can try 18th century games and toys. Also see activities such as tin smithing, leather working, carpentry, spinning, fire starting, and more. Saturday evening at sundown (approx. 7:45 p.m.) see a demonstration “night firing” of the fort’s five cannons. Free. Handicap accessible.

New Bedford Wellness Program For Adults (10:30am)
Qigong with Stephen and Marcia Rath (10:30), Aerobics: Pilates with Joan Davignon (11:00), Nutrition: Everyday Wellness with Dana LLC (Noon), Yoga: Joan Davignon (1:00), Hypnotism: Smoking Cessation with John Barboza (1:00), Mindfulness: Jonathan (2:00), and Open 3 on 3 Basketball (2:00pm). Boys and Girls Club of New Bedford, 166 Jenney St, New Bedford.

American Legion Memorial Day Exercise at Pine Grove Cemetery (10:30am-11:30pm)
New Bedford Post 1, The American Legion will conduct a Memorial Day Exercise at the Veterans’ plot in Pine Grove Cemetery, 1100 Ashley Boulevard.

Memorial Day Exercise – Vietnam Veterans’ Honor Roll (12:00pm-1:00pm)
New Bedford Post 1, The American Legion will conduct a Memorial Day Exercise at the Vietnam Veterans’ Honor Roll at New Bedford City Hall (133 William Street) on the William Street side of the building.

Wing Fest 2017 (1:00pm-5:00pm)
Join us for a fun afternoon filled with delicious food, local beer & wine, prizes, specials, music by local artist Nate Cozzolino, and a CHICKEN WING EATING CONTEST featuring our popular smoked chicken wings! How many hot wings can you eat in 5 min? If you think you got what it takes, then sign up as a contestant for just $25.00. Cash prize for winner! Enjoy our wings for just 50 cents each in any of our HOMEMADE sauces such as Buffalo, Bar-B-Que, Teriyaki, Garlic Parmesan, and Sriracha. All Friends Smokehouse.

15th Annual Spring Celebration (12:00pm-5:00pm)
Sip, savor and toast to the seasons’ newest wine releases at our 15th Annual Spring Celebration! A day full of grape stomping, wine tasting, potato sack racing goodness. Enjoy live music from the The Little Compton Band, while sipping on our new releases, or a whiskey tasting from Sons of Liberty Beer & Spirits Co. and noshing on food created by our culinary team. Feeling competitive? You could be called to compete in our Grape Stomp Competition OR our Potato Sack Race Through the Vines! Or simply relax and capture the memories with a photo of you and one of TEN31 Productions’s live wine statues. All while enjoying a glass overlooking the vines.

Armsted R. Christian Scholarship Jazz Fundraiser (3:00pm-7:00pm)
Love jazz? World class talent? Live music? You won’t want to miss out on this special event! See poster for full details and amazing lineup!

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Want to sponsor this weekend guide? Contact info@newbedfordguide.com for more details.

New Bedford Police Detectives arrested Brad Lourenco 18 of New Bedford on Thursday at around 2:20pm as result of an investigation they were conducting of two larcenies that occurred on May 18th and May 19th at My Antojos Restaurant, located at 95 Rivet Street.

On the May 18th incident Lourenco allegedly stole two bottles of Silver Patron and on the May 19th incident he stole 6 bottles of Mexican soda. Lourenco was arrested and charged with Larceny from a building (2 counts).

Police arrested Lourenco less than 24 hours earlier (5/24 @ 7:30 pm) for an un-armed robbery that occurred in the area of Rivet Street. In this case Lourenco and another male robbed a 37 year old male of his cell phone and wallet which contained a credit card and a small amount of cash. Detectives are still actively investigating that incident to identify the second male.

Lourenco was arraigned on the unarmed robbery charge Thursday at 3rd District Court. Judge McGovern released Lourenco on personal recognizance.

Did you know that New Bedford is host to a nationally ranked summer collegiate baseball team? The New Bedford Bay Sox continues a New England tradition that started 130 years ago. The Bay Sox are members of the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

The League has thirteen teams across the six New England states and is considered one of the nations elite summer leagues. It brings together top-ranked college players from around the country, who aspire to achieve their big league dreams. Two of the Bay Sox biggest rivals hail from Plymouth and Newport.

What makes the league a success is the host families that house and support our local players. Without them the Sox wouldn’t have a team!

BENEFITS:

• You get to provide an opportunity for your children to learn baseball skills and work ethic from pro prospects.
• A new relationship with a college athlete that often lasts for many years.
• A chance to join a frinedly community of host families and Bay Sox fans.
• Family passes to all league games, special gifts and event invitations.

REWARDS:

• Family Season Passes
• Bay Sox Hats & T-Shirts
• Custom Made Bat
• Concession Stand Coupons

A $500 value!

REQUIREMENTS

• A Private bedroom from June 1st until early August
• Access to a washer/dryer for the player’s clothes
• The family’s home should be within 30 miles of New Bedford, MA
• Some food in the refrigerator (the team feeds the players after all games)
• The player’s transportation will be taken care of

For more information contact Tammy Silveira (General Manager) 855-BaySox1 or tsilveira@nbbaysox.com.

New Bedford Police Detectives arrested Matthew L. Torres 22 of New Bedford in connection with a home invasion that was reported on Thursday at 1:00pm at 58 North Street.

The 29 year old victim claims that four males kicked in his door and the he was assaulted with what appeared to be a pipe or broom stick. The victim sustained a laceration to his forehead. Victim was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Victim recognized one of the males as Torres.

Within a short time after the incident, Torres was located and arrested a few blocks away by detectives. Torres was charged with:

1. Home Invasion
2. A&B Dangerous Weapon

Torres has an open case in court for A&B dangerous weapon from March of this year. He was also previously convicted of Home Invasion in April of 2014 and served 2 years.

Detectives are still actively investigating the incident and are asking anyone with information to please contact them at 508-992-7463 or at tip@newbedfordpd.com.

New Bedford Police Detectives arrested Matthew L. Torres 22 of New Bedford in connection with a home invasion that was reported on Thursday at 1:00pm at 58 North Street.

The 29 year old victim claims that four males kicked in his door and the he was assaulted with what appeared to be a pipe or broom stick. The victim sustained a laceration to his forehead. Victim was transported to St. Luke’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Victim recognized one of the males as Torres.

Within a short time after the incident, Torres was located and arrested a few blocks away by detectives. Torres was charged with:

1. Home Invasion
2. A&B Dangerous Weapon

Torres has an open case in court for A&B dangerous weapon from March of this year. He was also previously convicted of Home Invasion in April of 2014 and served 2 years.

Detectives are still actively investigating the incident and are asking anyone with information to please contact them at 508-992-7463 or at tip@newbedfordpd.com.

Meet Andrew Thornhill, 28-year-old co-owner of Silverbrook Farms. After graduating from Greater New Bedford Voc-Tech, he decided that he wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement and started taking classes at Bristol Community College.

He began taking classes focused on a future job in agriculture. Andrew had begun working as a farm hand at Silverbook Farms after his brother-in-law, who worked there at the time got him interested in agriculture. He quickly moved up at the farm, learning the ins and outs of the industry, and started working from Boston to Cape Cod, selling the produce to markets.

After becoming the greenhouse manager at the farm and working there for some time, he could really see himself really investing himself into a farm. It was around this time that the owner got injured and decided that he didn’t want to work the farm anymore, so Andrew and his business partner, David Sanders, purchased the farm.

“Farming isn’t always the cover of a seed catalogue. People think that it is this cornucopia of goodness, but there is the harsh reality of the hard decisions you have to make.”
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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

Follow Colton on Instagram: https://instagram.com/simmonscolton

Read more of the Faces of New Bedford series here

New Bedford residents should be proud. With four workers, New Bedford Guide competes with or beats all of the Boston and Providence news outlets and magazines.

Here’s a list that is provided by Facebook insight data:

*For some reason, Facebook will not allow me to add The Boston Globe

The Boston and Providence news agencies and magazines on the list have considerable resources, large staffs, billion dollar parent companies and work in large markets. Greater Boston is almost 5 million people. New Bedford Guide has four workers (three full-time) and works in a city of 95,000 people. We also post far less often than the top 3 listed above.

The Facebook list above only tells part of our story – it doesn’t count reach and total engagement. On average, New Bedford Guide reaches 500,000 to 1.5 million people and engages 250,000 – 500,000 every week. On most days we reach well over 100,000 people and engage 25-50% of them. Here’s a screen capture of this week:

Here’s a look at our monthly numbers, as of May 24th, 2017:

These numbers are impressive considering we reduced our crime reporting by 90%.

I’m not posting this to get a pat on the back. Our numbers have competed with Boston and Providence for 5 years now. I’m posting this because New Bedford Guide is something for YOU to be proud of and continue to support and help grow. New Bedford Guide is a New Bedford-based, veteran owned small businesses that has come far, but still has a long way to go. We’d love to grow to 100 employees and provide the news and information our area deserves. You can help.

If you are a follower/reader, share our content. Invite your friends and family to the page. Consider letting them also know about out other Guides in Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River and Tri-Town. Support our advertisers.

If you are a small business, consider using our marketing and video services. We are a New Bedford-based, veteran owned small businesses. Our employees are all local and almost all of our spending goes back into the local economy. No one delivers more marketing results for their client.

If you are in the content producing business, consider partnering with us. We’d rather work with so called competitors than compete against them. It’s been our philosophy for years, but it seems that corporations that own most of the media see us as the Mongolian horde.

We thank all those that have supported us in the past and look forward to your support in the future. If you are a business that would like to support us or a content provider that would like to work with us contact me at mike@newbedfordguide.com.