The City of New Bedford – Department of Public InfrastructureAcushnet Ave & Wamsutta St Railroad Bridge:

-Contractor will be working on miscellaneous items throughout the project.

-The roadway closure at Acushnet Ave & Wamsutta will remain closed. Please follow detour signs.

Other:

-The Contractor is scheduled to complete final trench paving at various intersections along Ashley Blvd between Park Ave and Deane St.

-Contractor will be building the Cove Walk between West Rodney French Blvd. and Cove Rd.

-Contractor will be building an extension to the Multi use path on West Rodney French Blvd, between Hazelwood Park and Hurricane Barrier gate.

-Contractor will be performing miscellaneous tasks on Tallman Street, Bullard Street and Nye Street between Acushnet Avenue and Belleville Avenue.

-Contactor will be paving miscellaneous patches throughout the city.

-Hydrant flushing on dead ends in the city. This may cause a temporary loss of water pressure.

Due to the expected weather conditions, the emergency overflow at Sister Rose House on 71 Division Street in New Bedford will be activated for tonight and most likely through the weekend. Guests can start to arrive at 6pm and any inquires could also be sought through 1-800 homeless. More details about the overflow plan and Sister Rose House here. 

The children at 321 Rockdale Ave, Little People’s College in Miss Tara’s pre-k class went to spread some holiday cheer to our officers at Station 1 (Downtown NB) and then they made another stop at Headquarters (Rockdale Ave). The children made special ornaments for our officers and wanted to show them how much they are appreciated. At the end of our visit the children sat down and had some pizza. The officers and children were very happy and excited. Smiles all around. Merry Christmas.

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Southcoast Behavioral Health unveiled its new 24-bed psychiatric unit for adolescents ages 13 to 17 at an event this morning at the facility in North Dartmouth. Former Bristol County Juvenile Court judge Bettina Borders (center) served as the keynote speaker. Also pictured (from left) is Ian Trombly from Congressman William Keating’s office; Kelly Andrade from Senator Michael Rodrigues’ office; Leslie Duclos from Congressman Joseph Kennedy’s office; Dr. Kalpana Polu, Medical Director for Adolescent Services at Southcoast Behavioral Health; David Cressman, Town Administrator for the Town of Dartmouth; and Kevin Burchill, CEO of Southcoast Behavioral Health.

To address a chronic lack of mental health services for adolescents in Southeastern Massachusetts, Southcoast Behavioral Health has opened a 24-bed psychiatric unit and will be opening an outpatient treatment center for adolescents ages 13 to 17 pending approval by the Department of Public Health’s Bureau of Substance Abuse Services,.

The unit and treatment center will be located within the 120-bed psychiatric hospital that Southcoast Behavioral Health operates at 581 Faunce Corner Road, North Dartmouth. The new adolescent wing was unveiled to the community Dec. 9, 2016.

“There is a statewide shortage of placement options for adolescents suffering from psychiatric disorders,” said Kevin Burchill, CEO of Southcoast Behavioral Health. “Each year, hundreds of adolescents across Massachusetts end up in the care of acute care hospitals that lack both the space and the specialized staff and services to treat them.

“On an average day at St. Luke’s Hospital alone, one child or more ends up at the emergency room in need of mental health services. These patients will be able to receive the specialized services they need close to home and right away, rather than wait for a bed to open somewhere in the Commonwealth, perhaps not for days.”

The unit will have a staff of clinicians in a number of behavioral health and substance abuse disciplines, including child and adolescent psychiatrists to treat adolescents. Patients who are discharged from in-patient stays will be able to receive services through the unit’s outpatient center.

“Ensuring our patients receive the highest quality of care close to home is central to our mission. Families and patients should not have to travel long distances to find top-quality treatment options,” said Burchill.

“The good news is that because their brains are still developing, adolescents are usually highly receptive to behavioral therapies that can benefit them throughout their lives,” said Burchill.

The need for adolescent psychiatric care is acute and growing, especially in greater New Bedford and Fall River, where thousands of children living in low-income homes suffer from mental health disorders that are left untreated.

“This 24-bed unit will help ease the chronic shortage of inpatient adolescent services that we, at Southcoast Health, experience every day,” said Keith A. Hovan, President & CEO of Southcoast Health. “From January to November of this year, our three acute-care hospital emergency departments boarded more than 850 patients ages 21 or younger, while they waited as long as a few weeks for a residential placement.”

Untreated mental health problems often lead to poor school performance, chronic absenteeism, school dropout, strained family relationships, involvement with the child welfare or juvenile justice systems, substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors and suicide.

The statistics paint a troubling picture:

One in five low-income children ages 6 to 17 have mental health problems, and 80 percent of those suffering from mental health problems receive no treatment;

Almost 70 percent of children in the state and local juvenile justice system have a diagnosable mental health disorder, with at least one in five experiencing symptoms so severe that their ability to function is significantly impaired.

At approximately 6:20 PM on Thursday, December 8th, New Bedford police officers were dispatched to a motor vehicle accident at Pa Raffas located on Ashley Blvd.

A 71-year old New Bedford woman was charged with leaving the scene of an accident and an immediate threat of revocation of her license will be sent to the RMV.

The vehicle she was operating struck a vehicle that was traveling south as she traveled north on Ashley Blvd a few blocks from Pa Raffas. She continued on without stopping then striking a parked car in front of Pa Raffas. When she struck that parked car it was forced into the takeout area of Pa Raffas hitting and injuring a 45-year old New Bedford woman who was waiting for her food. This female was transported to St. Lukes hospital with minor injuries.

Meet Adam Davenport, 29-year-old business owner and environmental designer.

Adam was born and raised in the area and after high school went to the University of New Hampshire, where he majored in civil engineering. It was during this time that he really became passionate about sustainability, pushing him to take as many environmental courses as possible to fully understand the subject.

Upon graduation he traveled for some time before returning to Massachusetts, where he became a teacher at a therapeutic day program in Waltham. After a few years of teaching, Adam quit his job to start a company, Terra Cura (which in Latin means Earth Care). Terra Cura is a regenerative design and consulting company who’s mission is, “to promote the social ethics of land care, people care, and equity, locally and globally.

With Terra Cura, Adam has worked on an urban agriculture initiative with a local organization, the Food Security Network. He and his team have worked to research and analyze how New Bedford can be impacted by a stronger local food system with an increase in urban agriculture.

He also worked on similar projects for the Marion Institute, most prominently the Grow Education Program. Through this program, they have built 11 community gardens at public schools throughout the city. The main idea behind the project is to create community spaces, not to feed the community, but to create a platform for people to come together and build connections, while gaining skills and abilities.

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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

At approximately 5:30 pm a pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle on Cove Street near the Mee Hong Restaurant.  The 57-year old Acushnet man was struck as he was crossing Cove Street and was transported to St. Lukes Hospital where succumbed to his injuries.  

The vehicle that struck him was being operated a New Bedford woman.   The case is being investigated by both the New Bedford Police Department as well as the Mass State Police assigned to the District Attorney’s office.  Accident reconstruction teams are on scene.

Video by Carlos Pimentel Felix.

The Massachusetts State Police Gang Unit, along with other State Police units, local police, and federal agents, this morning seized a firearm, ammunition and large amounts of marijuana and cash in a raid in Worcester. A suspect was arrested, and two high-end vehicles were also seized pursuant to applicable narcotics forfeiture laws.

As a result of an investigation, the Gang Unit, along with the State Police Special Tactical Operations Unit, the State Police Crime Gun Unit, the State Police Detective Unit for Worcester County, the Worcester Police Gang Unit, and agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives executed a search warrant at 54 First St.

Troopers, officers, and agents seized the following items: a .45 caliber large capacity pistol loaded with 13 rounds, 87 pounds of marijuana vacuum heat-sealed in one pound bags, and more than $76,000 in United States currency. Investigators also seized a Lexus GX460 and a Lexus RC sports sedan.

State Police arrested the home’s lessee, HUNG LE, 44, and charged him with unlawful possession of large capacity pistol and magazine, improper storage of a firearm, and trafficking in marijuana. LE was expected to be arraigned today in the Worcester District Court.

A brisk weekend is ahead in terms of temperatures. We’ll dip as low as 21 degrees – on Saturday – and the “warmest” we’ll get is 40 degrees. Winter is making her way here. Though it’s not officially until December 21st, it’s supposed to be a doozy according to forecasters. On the bright side of things – pardon the pun – it will generally be sunny. Lastly, a piece of very important advice in light of recent sad news: beware of carbon monoxide when running heaters and please take precautions.

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, December 9th

FREE Friday & Happy Hour at Groundwork! (11:00am-5:00pm)
Have you ever wanted to try working in a coworking space? Join us for an open house and happy hour event: you can spend the day working at Groundwork! and then join our members for happy hour in the kitchen from 4-6pm. This is a great way to check out the space, experience coworking, and chat with current members with no commitment. We have limited seats available so be sure to sign up soon. Groundwork!, 1213 Purchase Street (use the Maxfield St. entrance).

Benoit Square Lighting (6:00pm)
Benoit Square, Main & Adams Streets in Fairhaven. The North Fairhaven Improvement Association will host a sing-along, light the decorated square, and welcome Santa Claus to North Fairhaven. Free. For more information, email silverado504@msn.com or call Jeff at 508-990- 3534.

FREE Family Fun Night (6:30pm)
Join us indoors at 11 Anderson Way for our winter Free Family Fun Night. In addition watching the movie Frozen, we will have a bounce house, popcorn, drinks, tattoos, and a kids craft all for free. The event begins at 6:30 and the movie will start at 7:30.

GNB Voc-Tech: A Christmas Musical Celebration at the Theatre (7:00pm-10:00pm)
The GNB Voc-Tech Theatre Co. presents A Christmas Musical Celebration at the Theatre on Dec. 8-11. A special feature of the show will be ‘A Christmas Carol’ with music and special guest appearances by Voc-Tech Alumni: Matt Bernardo, Josh Boucher, Sean Carney, Casey Casteel, Taylor Cormier and more! Call the box office for more information at (508) 998-3321, ext. 424.

Saturday, December 10th

Oxford Book Haven & Cafe Book Sale (Fairhaven) (9:00am-1:00pm)
We have a large selection of books–most are 50 cents. We currently have a special section for our DOLLAR- A-BAG-BOOK SALE. Coffee, tea, soda and home-made coffee breads are available. We welcome anyone to join us in working on our puzzle. Computers and WiFi is available to the public. 357 Main Street, Fairhaven.

Fairhaven Old-Time Holiday (10:00am-3:00pm)
Visit Fairhaven for the Old-Time Holiday events. On Saturday, December 10, starting at 10:00 a.m., there are holiday fairs within strolling distance at The Millicent Library, 45 Center St.; the Town Hall, 40 Center St.; First Congregational Church, 34 Center St.; Unitarian Memorial Church, 102 Green St.; Our Lady’s Haven, 71 Center St.; and Art on Center, 15 Center St.. There are luncheons at the churches, hotdogs and soup outside the Town Hall, and plenty of snacks available, too.

Happy Hosta at Haskell Public Gardens (10:00am-3:00pm)
The shop will feature local nature-inspired artisans mastering in painting, stained glass, pottery, sculpture, and more. Along with unique gifts, the Happy Hosta will feature wreaths, plants, and must-have garden tools for your favorite gardener. 777-787 Shawmut Avenue, New Bedford.

Cat Fanciers Federation National Cat Show (10:00am-4:00pm)
See many different breeds of cats including Scottish Folds, Rag Dolls, Abyssinians, and Maine Coons being judged. Watch the ever popular House Hold Pet class! Raffle table and vendors with many goodies for cats and their people – get started on your holiday shopping for the cat lover in your life. Meet adoptable cats from shelters including It’s All About the Animals. For Show information: cff.org or call Debbie 508 264 6420. Admission $5 Adults, $3 kids & seniors, Veterans & kids under 3 FREE. Seaport Inn & Marina, 110 Middle Street, Fairhaven.

New Bedford Christmas Auction (10:00am-8:00pm)
Pre-sale from 12-2pm, Auction starts at 2pm. Find great Holiday Gifts for a fraction of the price at the stores. Save a ton of money. New Bedford Inn & Suites, 500 Hathaway Road, New Bedford.

Fairhaven Unitarian Memorial Church Holiday Marketplace (10:00am-4:00pm)
The Fairhaven Unitarian Memorial Church Parish House will be brimming with handcrafted gifts, baked goods, holiday greens and much more! Select from a variety of original gifts while enjoying holiday music. A delicious luncheon of assorted soups and sandwiches will be available for purchase in our Harrop Center from 11:30am-2pm. 102 Green Street, Fairhaven.

Ugly Sweater Pub Crawl (3:00pm-8:00pm)
New Bedford Cultural Council’s first pub crawl to benefit the Neediest Families Fund! All downtown pubs will be on the map for your stops! More to come!

Far North End Neighborhood Association Tree Lighting (6:30pm)
Location: Fire Station # 5, 3665 Acushnet Avenue, New Bedford.

The Zeiterion Theatre presents “A Christmas Carol” (7:00pm)
The Southcoast Christmastime tradition continues when Nebraska Caravan Theatre returns to The Z with the treasured production of A Christmas Carol. This portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge captures the humorous and touching moments of Dickens’ classic story along with witty dialogue and festive musical numbers. What remains unchanged is the play’s original message that the holiday season should be a “kind, forgiving, charitable time.” Join us for a matinee or evening performance of the timeless tale enjoyed by generations of Zeiterion patrons year after year.

Starlight Productions presents: Weekend Comedy (7:00pm-9:00pm)
Starlight Productions presents Jeanne and Sam Bobrick’s Weekend Comedy. Tickets are sold at the door by calling 978-835-4409 and leaving a voice or text message or by e-mailing us at starlighttheatre2015@gmail.com. $15 Adults $12 Seniors and students. 18 Pocasset St. Fall River – next door to Workout World ~ parking in their lot only.

Seaglass Theater Company Presents: A Classical Christmas (7:00pm)
The Seaglass Theater Company is dedicated to bringing the finest classics to the South East, inspiring community engagement and conversation. Revel in some of New England’s finest professional voices as they celebrate the holiday season with thrilling renditions of O Holy Night, Gesu Bambino, Ave Maria, and many more, as well as traditional carols sung in their original language. Appearing at this concert are baritone Paul Soper, soprano Patrice Tiedemann, Tenor Joshua Collier, and soprano Martha Gannon Souza, with pianist Matthew Larson, harpist Katie Koglin and flutist Wendy Hawes. Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2722404. Grace Episcopal Church, 133 School Street, New Bedford.

Sunday, December 11th

Gifts To Give: 3rd Annual Crafts Fair for a Cause (9:00am-3:00pm)
Over 50 local vendors selling their wares. Holiday Crafts Fair for a Cause. 50+ Local Vendors, something for everyone. Holiday Items, Unique Gifts, Wood, Glass, Textiles, Jewelry, Candles, Bake Sale, Chinese Auction, Free Admission, Free Door Prize Entries, Free Face Painting and so much more. Our Sisters School students are selling student made items and offering free face painting, Girls Scouts are selling cookies. Gifts To Give, 1 Titleist Drive, Acushnet.

New Bedford Wellness Program For Adults (11:00am-4:00pm)
Special NB Well Sunday: “Sense of Peace” with Qigong, massage, nutrition, yoga, and sound healing. Peace in ourselves, peace in our world. For full details see poster below.

The Zeiterion Theatre presents “A Christmas Carol” (2:00pm)
The Southcoast Christmastime tradition continues when Nebraska Caravan Theatre returns to The Z with the treasured production of A Christmas Carol. This portrayal of Ebenezer Scrooge captures the humorous and touching moments of Dickens’ classic story along with witty dialogue and festive musical numbers. What remains unchanged is the play’s original message that the holiday season should be a “kind, forgiving, charitable time.” Join us for a matinee or evening performance of the timeless tale enjoyed by generations of Zeiterion patrons year after year.

Seaglass Theater Company Presents: A Classical Christmas (3:00pm)
The Seaglass Theater Company is dedicated to bringing the finest classics to the South East, inspiring community engagement and conversation. Revel in some of New England’s finest professional voices as they celebrate the holiday season with thrilling renditions of O Holy Night, Gesu Bambino, Ave Maria, and many more, as well as traditional carols sung in their original language. Appearing at this concert are baritone Paul Soper, soprano Patrice Tiedemann, Tenor Joshua Collier, and soprano Martha Gannon Souza, with pianist Matthew Larson, harpist Katie Koglin and flutist Wendy Hawes. Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/2722404. Grace Episcopal Church, 133 School Street, New Bedford.

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

New Bedford Police narcotics division took $3,600 worth of cocaine and $3,200 worth of Fentanyl off the streets Wednesday after a search warrant was executed on a home on Independent Street.

Manoel F. Debrito-Lopez, 24, of 51 Independent St. Apt. 3 in New Bedford, was charged with trafficking in cocaine over 18 grams, trafficking in Fentanyl over 18 grams and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute, subsequent offense.

Mr. Debrito-Lopez was the target of the search warrant. As a result of the search, 36 grams of cocaine, valued at about $3,600, and 32 grams of Fentanyl, valued at $3,200, were located, along with packaging materials, a scale and $940.

The defendant was previously convicted in 2010 of possession of a class B substance with intent to distribute.
He was scheduled to be arraigned Thursday, Dec. 8 at Third District Court. The incident was reported at 7:10 p.m.