A partnership in New Bedford aimed at improving outcomes for the city’s youngest residents is featured in a report released today by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.

The Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report gives state leaders a clear view of student progress in Massachusetts while pointing to areas for continued improvement. The report highlights the need to improve social-emotional learning efforts statewide, pointing to the New Bedford program as a successful example.

The New Bedford Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is an alliance of educators and community agencies aimed at expanding access to early education while creating a network of support for parents and educators.

“As many as 26 percent of New Bedford children enter kindergarten without any preschool or formal child care experience. This has a huge ripple effect for individual students and the system as a whole. The Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is addressing this issue, and finding ways to provide young learners with the social-emotional skills they will need throughout their lives,” said Chad d’Entremont, Executive Director of the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.

An increasing body of evidence shows that the development of skills like grit, persistence, empathy and good decision-making is tied to better academic performance, higher college retention rates, increased employment rates and wages, and better overall health and well-being.

In New Bedford, the alliance of public preschool educators, community-based providers, and representatives from public housing, mental health, the libraries, and arts organizations has made strides in addressing literacy, social-emotional skills, and parent engagement. The alliance has also helped educators collaborate, sharing professional development and data.

“We know that our schools alone cannot meet the needs of our youngest learners and their families. New Bedford’s Birth to Grade 3 partnership is an example of how we, as a community, have come together to focus on preparing and supporting our kids and those who serve them. This partnership provides professional development and services that give our children the best advantage to be successful at the beginning of their educational lives. This initiative has set the stage for a strong foundation for a bright future for each and every one of our preschoolers,” said Dr. Pia Durkin, Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools.

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy’s mission is to improve public education through well-informed decision-making based on deep knowledge and evidence of effective policymaking and practice. As Massachusetts’ preeminent voice in public education reform, we create open spaces for educators and policymakers to consider evidence, discuss cutting-edge issues, and develop new approaches to advance student learning and achievement. Through our staunch commitment to independent, non-partisan research and constructive conversations, we work to promote an education system that provides every child with the opportunity to be successful in school and in life. For more information, please visit www.renniecenter.org.

The Condition of Education project is supported by the Barr Foundation, the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, IBM Corporation, and the Noyce Foundation.

Last night, at about 10:42 p.m., Trooper Scott Driscoll, assigned to the State Police Barracks in Sturbridge, was on patrol in the area of the IC 10 toll plaza in the town of Auburn when he observed a red, Chevrolet Malibu travelling at a high rate of speed. Trooper Driscoll stopped the vehicle, which contained two occupants, on Route 290 East at exit 9 in Auburn.

Trooper Driscoll determined that the operator, EUELL LEWIS, 42, of Bronx, NY, who provided a false name initially, also had a suspended license. A check of the vehicle’s rental contract showed the vehicle was seven days over-due. The passenger was identified as ANDRE HANNAH, 50, of Bronx, NY.

As a result of an investigation, with assistance from Troopers Nicholas D’Angelo and George Demos and his K-9 Cayman, they located approximately 75 grams of a substance believed to be heroin in two knotted plastic bags inside the vehicle. LEWIS and HANNAH were subsequently placed under arrest, transported to the Sturbridge barracks for booking and held on $10,000.00 bail pending their arraignment in Worcester District Court.

LEWIS and HANNAH were both charged with the following offenses:
1. Trafficking in Heroin
2. Conspiracy to Violate Drug Laws.

LEWIS was additionally charged with the following offenses:
1. Operating a Motor Vehicle with Suspended License
2. Possession of False/Stolen RMV Document
3. Operator Refuse to Identify Self
4. Using a Motor Vehicle w/o Authority
5. Speeding and Marked Lanes Violation.

Massachusetts State Police, Brockton Police, and the US Drug Enforcement Administration yesterday arrested four men and seized three guns, ammunition, and drugs believed to be Fentanyl and cocaine in the culmination of a two-month investigation.

Troopers from the State Police Gang Unit and other MSP teams, along with Brockton officers and detectives and a DEA agent, simultaneously executed three search warrants on apartments at 477, 559, and 567 Warren Avenue and a fourth warrant on a 2004 Jeep Cherokee that police had under surveillance on Warren Avenue.

Those search warrants, along with arrest warrants for STEVE GOMES DEPINA, 28, of Brockton, were obtained earlier yesterday by MSP Gang Unit troopers following the two-month joint investigation, during which DEPINA sold heroin and fentanyl to an undercover Brockton detective on six separate occasions.

DEPINA was located in the Jeep Cherokee that Gang Unit troopers followed late yesterday afternoon until it pulled into a driveway at his address, 477 Warren Ave., one of the target locations of the investigation. DEPINA was immediately taken into custody. The search warrant executed on the Jeep resulted in recovery of a clear plastic bag containing approximately 8 grams of white powder believed to Fentanyl, a powerful synthetic narcotic.

A team of state troopers and Brockton officers searching the basement of 477 Warren Ave. – where they had information that DEPINA had been earlier in the day – located a Glock 23 40-caliber handgun with 12 40-caliber rounds in its high-capacity magazine. Police also found in the basement a small amount of suspected Fentanyl in a cigarette pack, a digital scale, and plastic baggies cut in a manner consistent with the packaging of narcotics for sale, as well as paperwork in DEPINA’s name.

Detectives also obtained additional evidence indicating that DEPINA was the only resident of the building who used the basement. DEPINA is charged with the warrants for narcotic sales, as well as unlawful possession of a firearm; possession of a large capacity firearm; unlawful possession of ammunition; possession of a firearm without an FID card; possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute; and driving with a suspended license.

Simultaneously, a second arrest team of state troopers and Brockton officers, along with a DEA special agent, and assisted by the State Police Special Tactical Operations (STOP) Team, executed a search warrant at 567 Warren Ave. Four men were in the second floor apartment; two of them were determined to not be connected to the investigation and were released. Two others – MIGUEL FIDALGO, 32, of that address, and JOSHUA PIRES, 25, of Dorchester – were taken into custody.

During the search, police found FIDALGO in possession of a clear plastic bag containing seven small twisted baggies of a white substance believed to be cocaine. A search of a bedroom turned up a Smith & Wesson 1911 45-caliber handgun with seven 45-caliber rounds in the magazine, later determined to have been stolen out of Billerica. The search also recovered a digital scale. FIDALGO is charged with possession of a firearm without an FID card; unlawful possession of ammunition; receiving stolen property; and possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute.

PIRES, meanwhile, gave police permission to search his Infinity, which was parked in the building’s rear lot. In the dashboard console, police located a clear plastic bag containing five small twist baggies of cocaine. PIRES is charged with possession of a Class B substance with intent to distribute.

The third search was simultaneously executed at 599 Warren Avenue. Police made entry into the second floor apartment. While they were on scene, two residents of the apartment, JOAO PIRES-DEPINA, and a woman, arrived at the building. During the search, police located a 40-caliber Highpoint handgun inside a suitcase, wrapped in a red bandana. Located in a box in a bedroom closet were six 40-caliber rounds. As a result, JOAO PIRES-DEPINA, 33, was arrested. He is charged with possession of a firearm without an FID card and unlawful possession of ammunition.

Also seized during the searches and arrests, from two separate locations, was a total of $1,065 in US currency.

The four defendants were transported to the Brockton Police Department for booking; seized evidence was secured at the Brockton Police station.

A partnership in New Bedford aimed at improving outcomes for the city’s youngest residents is featured in a report released today by the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.

The Condition of Education in the Commonwealth report gives state leaders a clear view of student progress in Massachusetts while pointing to areas for continued improvement. The report highlights the need to improve social-emotional learning efforts statewide, pointing to the New Bedford program as a successful example.

The New Bedford Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is an alliance of educators and community agencies aimed at expanding access to early education while creating a network of support for parents and educators.

“As many as 26 percent of New Bedford children enter kindergarten without any preschool or formal child care experience. This has a huge ripple effect for individual students and the system as a whole. The Birth to Grade 3 Alignment Partnership is addressing this issue, and finding ways to provide young learners with the social-emotional skills they will need throughout their lives,” said Chad d’Entremont, Executive Director of the Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy.

An increasing body of evidence shows that the development of skills like grit, persistence, empathy and good decision-making is tied to better academic performance, higher college retention rates, increased employment rates and wages, and better overall health and well-being.

In New Bedford, the alliance of public preschool educators, community-based providers, and representatives from public housing, mental health, the libraries, and arts organizations has made strides in addressing literacy, social-emotional skills, and parent engagement. The alliance has also helped educators collaborate, sharing professional development and data.

“We know that our schools alone cannot meet the needs of our youngest learners and their families. New Bedford’s Birth to Grade 3 partnership is an example of how we, as a community, have come together to focus on preparing and supporting our kids and those who serve them. This partnership provides professional development and services that give our children the best advantage to be successful at the beginning of their educational lives. This initiative has set the stage for a strong foundation for a bright future for each and every one of our preschoolers,” said Dr. Pia Durkin, Superintendent of New Bedford Public Schools.

The Rennie Center for Education Research & Policy’s mission is to improve public education through well-informed decision-making based on deep knowledge and evidence of effective policymaking and practice. As Massachusetts’ preeminent voice in public education reform, we create open spaces for educators and policymakers to consider evidence, discuss cutting-edge issues, and develop new approaches to advance student learning and achievement. Through our staunch commitment to independent, non-partisan research and constructive conversations, we work to promote an education system that provides every child with the opportunity to be successful in school and in life. For more information, please visit www.renniecenter.org.

The Condition of Education project is supported by the Barr Foundation, the Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, IBM Corporation, and the Noyce Foundation.

During National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week (Jan. 25-Jan 30), the Bristol County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force led by Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III’s Office, is launching a “Sticker Shock” project targeting adults in the area. Sticker Shock is a program to raise public awareness about the minimum drinking age law by placing stickers on multi-packs of beer, wine coolers and other alcohol products that appeal to underage drinkers. The target of the stickers are adults over 21, and the goal is to discourage adults from providing alcohol to minors. In addition to the stickers, stores are given the option of placing a sign, identical to the sticker but larger, in the window or at the checkout counter.

The Bristol County Underage Drinking Prevention Task Force is a collaborative of Community Leaders, Police Departments, Health Departments, Health and Human Service Workers whose goal is to reduce underage drinking and other risky behaviors that teens may engage in. The task force selected National Drug and Alcohol Facts Week to roll out a countywide Sticker Shock project as it is close to Super Bowl weekend and teen access to alcohol could be on the rise.

“The purpose of sticker shock is to raise awareness among adults in the community that it is illegal to buy alcohol for a minor. Many stores in Bristol County have participated in this activity in the past and many have enthusiastically agreed to participate again” said April Cabrera, Program Manager, Community Affairs Unit, Bristol County DA’s Office.

The sticker project is part of a cooperative effort between the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office, Police Departments from Norton, Mansfield, Fairhaven, Freetown, Dartmouth, Fall River, and New Bedford. Students from various high schools who will work with the police departments to do the sticker shock project hope to raise awareness among adults who may be enticed to providing alcohol to their underage peers. They are hoping that this project will engage adults and get them to think twice about providing alcohol to anyone under 21. Be on the lookout for large stickers that read “Warning: 21 or Bust… Providing alcohol to an individual under the age of 21 is illegal” at a store near you.

Zeiterion Performing Arts Center Executive Director Rosemary Gill announced the creation of a historic, first time collaboration between New Bedford’s major Portuguese cultural organizations to create a downtown New Bedford Portuguese culture celebration.

“Viva Portugal!” will be a full-scale Portuguese cultural celebration on Saturday, May 6, from 1:00pm-7:00pm in the streets surrounding The Z in downtown New Bedford, prior to The Z’s presentation of Portuguese Fadista, Cristina Branco at 8pm.

Portuguese cultural organizations include the Club Madeirense S.S. Sacramento, the  Prince Henry Society, the Day of Portugal, the Azorean Maritime Heritage Society and the New Bedford Portuguese Consulate.

The City of New Bedford will be conducting its 2016 annual Point-in-Time Count of persons experiencing homelessness on Wednesday, January 27th from 2:00pm until Thursday, January 28th at 2:00pm (24-Hour Count). The Point-in-Time Count is required annually by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) and conducted across the nation during the last 10 days of the January.

Teams of volunteers and community members will gather with Mayor Jon Mitchell to officially begin the 2016 census efforts tomorrow, Wednesday, January 27th at 1:00pm on the front steps of City Hall.

“With the Point-in-Time Count, our job is to make sure that all homeless individuals and families experiencing homelessness are counted in a respectful manner and that we used this census-taking event as an important means of raising awareness about the issue of homelessness in our community,” said Mayor Jon Mitchell.

The Point-in-Time Count (PIT) is conducted in New Bedford through the New Bedford Homeless Continuum of Care Network, known as the Homeless Service Providers Network (HSPN). The HSPN is convened and staffed by the City’s Department of Planning, Housing and Community Development.

The PIT count is designed to collect data on the number of individuals and families experiencing homelessness on a given night. As part of the count, people living on the streets, in shelters and in transitional housing are surveyed. The information collected through the PIT Count is used to help measure New Bedford’s progress towards ending homelessness and help strategically focus future planning efforts toward that end. Typically the data collected through these efforts provides a reliable snapshot of both sheltered and unsheltered individuals and families experiencing homelessness.

Immediately following the city’s kick-off, volunteers and members of the community will reconvene at this year’s Point-in-Time Coordination Center located at Positive Action Against Chemical Addiction (PAACA) building at 360 Coggeshall Street. At 2:00pm, teams of volunteers will begin the 24 hour count and disperse throughout the city to survey individuals and families currently residing on the streets and in other locations not meant for human habitation within the city. As part of the this effort, the HSPN’s “PIT Committee,” along with Mobile, Loaves & Fishes, will be providing hot chocolate, food, and resources to the homeless community throughout the afternoon and early evening.

This year, the PIT Committee partnered with Mobile, Loaves & Fishes and their dedicated group of volunteers to spread the word among those within the homeless community as to the importance of the count and when it will take place. Instead of looking for every person experiencing homelessness, Mobile, Loaves & Fishes has already begun encouraging the homeless community to participate in the count, directing them to the Coordination Center and other locations throughout the city where volunteers are stationed. It is anticipated that this approach, coupled with traditional community engagement, will produce the most accurate data.

Both the successful count in 2015 and the anticipated success of this year’s PIT is attributed to extensive planning, volunteer training, and the receipt of donations from the community. In preparation for the Count, the PIT Committee has held weekly planning work sessions since November to plan the overall logistics of the count, identify “hot spots”, gather donation items, and recruit volunteers. As a result of these efforts, the PIT Committee has successfully recruited and trained over 50 dedicated volunteers for the homeless count. In addition, numerous local business and organizations have graciously donated gift cards, clothing, backpacks, and other essential supplies that will either be placed in backpacks to be donated to those being counted or handed out during the course of the count.

Patrick J. Sullivan, Director of Planning, Housing and Community Development, notes that “the Point-in-Time Count provides an important one day snapshot of New Bedford’s homeless population that helps us understand our current census of those in the midst of homelessness within the city along with specific characteristics of those individuals and families in these situations so that we may strategically act to reduce those numbers.”

In the past few years, families with children, veterans, unaccompanied youth and those experiencing chronic homelessness have been identified as federal priorities and as such, New Bedford’s survey forms were updated to capture specific information about these vulnerable subpopulations.

For more information about the count, please contact Joseph Maia at (508) 979-1500 or at jose.maia@newbedford-ma.gov; for more information about what the city’s HSPN is doing about homelessness, go to www.nbhspn.com.

On Monday morning shortly after midnight a neighbor called 911 to report two males trying to break into a vacant house at 30 Adams St. Officers Antonio Almeida and Steven Almeida arrived on scene to find two males walking away from the area. One of the two, Luis Riveira-Rodriguez, was carrying a backpack with a crow bar sticking out of it and a flashlight.

Nearby, officers found a broken lock box that had been torn from the home. Once back at the house, officers observed that plywood had been broken off the doorway but the inner door was not compromised. Both males were placed under arrest and were arraigned yesterday in New Bedford district court.

They are facing charges of breaking and entering in the nighttime, possession of burglarious tools, and larceny.

• Luis Riveira-Rodriguez age 25 of New Bedford
• Edgardo Badillo age 33 of New Bedford

This morning at approximately 3:30am a robbery took place at the 7-11 located at 1499 Acushnet Avenue. The 24-year old male clerk suffered a laceration above the left eye but refused medical attention at the time.

The suspect entered the store with his fists clenched demanding money. A struggle ensued between the clerk and the suspect. At one point, the suspect struck the employee in the head with a coffee pot from the store then made his way behind the counter. He grabbed several packs of cigarettes before fleeing the store on foot westerly on Coffin Ave.

Description:

• Dark skinned male between the ages of 18 and 20
• 5ft. 6 inches, 150 lbs, and a thin mustache
• Last seen wearing a grey hooded sweatshirt tied tightly around his face, black jacket and black pants.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Michael Carrier at 508-991-6300 ext. 79512 or leave an anonymous tip at 508-961-4584.

Video by Carlos Pimentel Felix.

Award winners Kathy Cateon, LPN; Judy LaChance, RN; and Kathy McKenna, RN.

Southcoast® Health recently presented the Singular Distinction Award to three employees who helped to save a local man’s life at a community event in Fall River this past summer. Kathy Cateon, LPN, Judy LaChance, RN, and Kathy McKenna, RN, were part of a small group that performed life-saving CPR on a 50-year-old man suffering from cardiac arrest.

Cateon (Swansea, Mass.), LaChance (Dighton, Mass.) and McKenna (Freetown, Mass.) were participating in the annual American Cancer Society Relay for Life at Bishop Connolly High School on June 26 when they encountered a man slumped over in the parking area. Along with at least two others, including a Fall River police officer, the trio performed CPR until paramedics arrived to transport the man to Charlton Memorial Hospital.

The Singular Distinction Award recognizes Southcoast Health employees who, in a specific spontaneous act, deliver more than medicine. It also celebrates employees who provide an action that demonstrates kindness, compassion and caring to our patients, visitors and fellow colleagues.