The Cape Cod Hells Angels Motorcycle Club is a non-profit organization that promotes motorcycle safety and participates in various fundraising throughout the year.

During the holiday season, they host their annual toy drive in hopes of giving to children living in local shelters with their families. “The bags are ready to be distributed out to the homeless,” said Jeremy Borges. “In each bag there are hand warmers, socks, gloves, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, pads for ladies, a bag of snacks, and 6 waters. We are also handing out clothing. To those who had donated we thank you, we appreciate it.”

Each year they appeal to local communities to help in the hopes o fulfilling the wishes of 40 children ranging in age from newborn to 16-years of age by dropping off donations at Lexis Road Dogs at 175 State Road in Westport. Their phone number is 508-817-1354 and their Facebook page is Gifts of an Angel.

All photos and videos by the Cape Cod Hells Angels:

55-year old Leroy Fowler went into convulsions on his 55th birthday on Nov. 11. His 64-year-old girlfriend Judy Church then called 911 and told the dispatcher that she thinks that he ingested something that made him sick, that he was bleeding from his nose, and having trouble standing.

Salisbury responders arrived to find Fowler displaying signs of an altered mental status. He was taken to three different hospitals for care, yet his medical condition continued to decline, his kidneys failed, and eventually, he was pronounced dead on Nov. 13.

An autopsy of Fowler found deadly levels of ethylene glycol in his body, a compound commonly found in antifreeze and windshield deicing fluid, as well as diethylene glycol which is found in brake fluid. Police and Fowler’s doctors suspect that the amounts of the compounds were too much to be an accident, but rather foul play.

A search of the former teacher, Church’s cell phone showed that she had documented the entire crime. On the cell phone police allegedly found 13 videos of the victim in medical distress thrashing about in Church’s room. In addition, police found screenshots of a recent purchase from AutoZone and photos from Church’s phone of a bottle of deicing fluid among the items in her kitchen and near Fowler’s bed.

After investigators talked with Fowler’s family they learned that Fowler had another girlfriend that Church was jealous of and that they suspected she was poisoning him. Prosecutors alleged Church mixed it with a sports drink.

Church was arraigned on a murder charge and is currently being held pending a probable cause hearing set for Jan. 23.

Facebook photo.

Facebook photo.

Facebook photo.

Facebook photo.

“Lakeville dispatchers alerted firefighters to the crash just after 10:30 pm last night.

Lakeville Ambulance 3, Ambulance 2, Engine 1, Engine 2, Car 2, and Car 1 responded out to the scene. Responders arrived to find vehicles off the highway on the median and the right shoulder.

Responders initiated care for a total of 6 patients, two of whom had serious injuries. Mutual aid ambulances were summoned from neighboring departments.

All patients were transported to St Luke’s Hospital. Thank you to Taunton, Freetownfire-rescue.com, and Raynham FD for their response to this incident.” -Lakeville Fire Department.

Lakeville Fire Department photo.

Lakeville Fire Department photo.

Lakeville Fire Department photo.

“As the holiday travel season is upon us the Massachusetts State Police Association would like to highlight the hard work and service of the Massport Bomb Squad, a team made up of 11 canine handlers, and 7 bomb technicians based at Logan Airport. The Massport Bomb Squad is led by Sgt. Calnan who is also the trainer for the unit with over 30 years of experience.

The canine unit has both passenger screening K9’s and explosive detection K9’s, making the Massport Bomb Squad a versatile unit ready to respond to any threat. The canine training is intense, and is hosted by the TSA Canine Training Center located in San Antonio Texas. The training can run from 11 weeks to 16 weeks, depending upon the certification. In addition, some of our canine handlers are also bomb technicians, which require additional training.

The canine unit with the assistance of bomb technicians respond to an average of about 16 calls a day for unattended bags and provide a safe environment for all passengers and employees at Boston Logan International Airport. In the year 2022, the canine unit has responded to over 6,000 calls of service thus far.

The Massport Bomb Squad also aids federal and local law enforcement during all VIP visits that come through Boston Logan International Airport with security sweeps. Several teams are dedicated to provide security and pro-active sweeps at several locations.

In addition to VIP security sweeps, the canine unit also conducts several enhanced security patrols throughout varying terminals a day, allowing the public to see the function of the canine unit. During these enhanced security patrols, both the handler and canine are constantly vigilant for any threat that may arise.

Bomb technicians are also ready to respond to any suspicious items throughout the airport with the assistance of the canine unit. The Massport Bomb Technicians are dedicated professionals to their field, utilizing all their time to training and preparation.” -State Police Association of Massachusetts.

All photos by the State Police Association of Massachusetts:

“Natick-based intravenous (IV) infusion pump manufacturer Zyno Medical, LLC (Zyno), has agreed to pay $493,140 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act.

The settlement resolves allegations that Zyno knowingly distributed defective IV administration sets that were used to deliver controlled dosages of chemotherapy and other medications to Medicare beneficiaries. As part of the settlement, Zyno has admitted that it knew as early as November 2015, that certain of its administration sets were defective, that the defect had caused leaks during the infusion of medication, and that the defect had the potential to cause such leaks during future infusion treatments. Zyno did not issue a recall for the affected medical administration sets, however, and even continued to sell affected medical administration sets for a certain period. In July 2016, Zyno finally issued a recall notice to its customers.

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims that whistleblowers brought under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. In connection with today’s settlement, the whistleblowers will receive twenty percent of the recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Bertucci, et al. v. Zyno Medical LLC, et al., No. 20-cv-10388-WGY (D. Mass.).

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Principal Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, Head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division; Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General; and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles B. Weinograd of Rollins’ Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit and Trial Attorney Joanna G. Persio of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, handled the matter.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.

” A retired detective captain with the Massachusetts State Police has been indicted in connection with allegedly possessing child pornography, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

Francis Hart, 62, of Amherst, was indicted today by a Hampshire County Grand Jury on the charges of Dissemination of Child Pornography (1 count) and Possession Child Pornography (7 counts). Hart will be arraigned on the charges in Hampshire Superior Court at a later date.

State Police assigned to the Cyber Crimes Unit and the AG’s Office began an investigation in January 2021 after receiving information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that an email address registered to Hart had uploaded a file containing numerous images of suspected child pornography. The investigation also revealed that in addition to possessing images, Hart sent images of alleged child pornography to another iPhone user in another state.

Hart was arrested in August 2021 at his Amherst residence. During the execution of a search warrant, police seized various digital devices including two different desktop computers, external hard drives and an iPhone. Subsequent investigation of the devices revealed alleged images of child pornography.

These charges are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Vanessa Madge of AG Healey’s Criminal Bureau and Special Assistant Attorney General Stephanie Jimenez, with assistance from Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Office, Massachusetts State Police Cyber Crimes and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Amherst Police, and the AG’s Digital Evidence Laboratory.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.

“Boston Police Department Community Alert: On Tuesday December 20, 2022, credit card skimming devices were located on point-of-sale card readers at 7-11 stores located at 532 Commonwealth Avenue in Kenmore Square (District D-4) and 509 Cambridge Street in Allston (District D-14).

This particular overlay device, identified as Ingenico ISC Touch 250, can be readily identified due to the extended keypad area below the “0”.

Based on information obtained, additional skimming devices are likely to be discovered in Boston and surrounding communities. These skimmers are capturing both card and pin numbers, resulting in cloned cards being produced and cash withdrawals from victim accounts.

The Boston Police Department is working with our federal partners in the recovery and processing of devices and the identification of possible suspects.” -Boston Police Department .

“MassDevelopment announced it has recommended Taber’s Wharf Partners for the redevelopment of New Bedford State Pier, and both parties have entered into a Provisional Designated Developer Agreement. This recommendation follows a competitive process that included the release of a Request for Proposals (RFP) in April 2022 developed in collaboration with the City of New Bedford. Taber’s Wharf Partners includes Buyers and Sellers Exchange (BASE), Raw Seafoods, Servedwell, Crowley Wind Services, and Coast Line Transfers.

Taber’s Wharf Partners proposed a redevelopment of the property to include seafood auction and processing, street-side retail and restaurants, support of off-shore wind, and continuing support of current uses where feasible. The Taber’s Wharf Partners proposal was identified as the most advantageous to the property and state and local objectives.

The Taber’s Wharf Partners proposal envisions New Bedford State Pier showcasing the present and future of the Port of New Bedford. Since the State Pier is at the heart of one of the most dynamic working waterfronts in the region, and at the foot of the major east-west corridor in New Bedford that connects the historic downtown with the heart of the waterfront, the proposal will work to reinvest in the facility. This includes developing the marine industrial aspects of the pier in a way that ties the site to the city it serves in a safe, thoughtful, and genuine way by using the more than eight acres to grow marine industrial activities on the pier including ferry, terminal operations, commercial fishing, light commercial, and dining. The proposal also strives to create a space that is inviting to visitors to the ferry operations, Schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, and the National Historical Park.

MassDevelopment photo.

Additional details along with copies of the RFI and RFP submissions can be viewed at:

NBSP-RFP-Cloud-Link
Password = NBSPPAF

The Provisional Designated Developer Agreement activates a process that requires the parties to further identify over the following 180 days a detailed development plan through a due diligence process that will engage the current and potential users of the property to define the preliminary design (plans, elevations, parking and traffic studies), proposed agreement structures, development pro-formas backed by financials and professional cost estimates, detailed sources and uses, and any phasing of the development.

“MassDevelopment sees this as a crucial step toward the vision that New Bedford stakeholders have been working towards since 1980,” said MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera. “We have had the honor to be stewards of the State Pier and have worked hard to bring tenants under agreements and make capital improvements integral to the pier’s safety and success. We’re proud to take this next step forward and work with Taber’s Wharf Partners on the future redevelopment of this incredible property.”

“For the last decade, the City has sought to activate the State Pier, the centerpiece of our waterfront which has long been the region’s most underutilized parcel of land,” said New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell. “The development group selected today, comprised almost entirely of established New Bedford-based businesses, has presented a proposal consistent with what stakeholder groups have demanded: a redevelopment scenario that at once serves the port’s maritime industries and knits the front of the pier to the downtown in order to draw more residents and visitors to the waterfront. This is a major step forward in a long effort, and I am grateful for the determination of Governor Baker, Lieutenant Governor Polito, and MassDevelopment President and CEO Dan Rivera to work with us to see it through. I also thank Senator Montigny for his consistent support along the way.”

“The NBEDC’s Regeneration Project committee is comprised of 39 members that represents community, institutional, and business leaders who are committed to shaping, advocating for, and tangibly advancing strategies for sustainable and shared growth for the City of New Bedford and the region,” said New Bedford Economic Development Council President Anthony Sapienza. “This group has highlighted the potential the State Pier offers beginning in 2014 and has consistently supported the many actions that Governor Baker, the legislative delegation, and MassDevelopment have taken to get us to today’s milestone announcement.”

New Bedford State Pier Municipal and State Development History:

• As early as 1980, New Bedford Heritage State Park planning for the waterfront and downtown envisioned New Bedford State Pier as a central waterfront asset having a higher level of industrial function and pedestrian use for the waterfront and downtown. This effort, conducted by the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR) predecessor, the Commonwealth’s Department of Environmental Management, was the impetus to the establishment of the Whaling National Historical Park in 1996. Public support for the proposed concepts of waterfront plazas and an interpretive center was heard again in planning charrettes held by the Waterfront Historic Area League (WHALE) in 1995 and 1996.
• In the late 2000s, the pier redevelopment continued to be a highlight through public planning exercises for the waterfront and downtown. Public access without impinging on the ongoing industrial uses of State Pier continued to have public support.
In 2016, with funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA), the City of New Bedford, New Bedford Port Authority, and New Bedford Economic Development Council worked with dozens of stakeholders on the development of a waterfront framework plan with Sasaki Associates.
• In 2017, MassDevelopment worked with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on an assessment of all state piers. This resulted in the recommendation to transfer New Bedford and Fall River State Piers to MassDevelopment, based on studies by Karl Seidmann (2016) and the success of MassDevelopment’s management of Jodrey State Pier in Gloucester. The Acts of 2018, Chapter 228, Section 58(a) furnished a way forward for MassDevelopment to lease the property for up to 35 years. MassDevelopment signed an agreement with the Commonwealth’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) to manage and operate New Bedford State Pier for a five year term, which was extended in 2022 for an additional five years.
• In 2018, the current conceptual planning for the New Bedford State Pier developed by Sasaki Associates as part of a larger waterfront framework plan demonstrated that a more robust development of the State Pier was possible and at the urging of the Mitchell Administration, Senator Montigny, and Governor Baker, the Legislature passed an act that allowed for the development of the pier consistent with those conceptual plans.
• Beginning in 2018, MassDevelopment has brought tenants at New Bedford State Pier under annual agreements and increased property revenues into a positive Net Operating Income (NOI) for three consecutive years in 2020, 2021, and 2022. The original Sasaki study was refined to more specifically focus on the western edge of the pier.
• Between 2018 and 2019, MassDevelopment conducted a comprehensive Capital Needs Assessment of New Bedford and Fall River State Piers. The assessment identified a $70 million Capital Need in New Bedford.
• In 2019, MassDevelopment performed repairs to the East and South Wharfs to maintain options for cargo operations.
• In 2019, MassDevelopment secured $2.5 million in federal and state funding from the Federal Highways and Waterways Administration and the Baker-Polito Administration.
• In 2021, MassDevelopment secured $25 million from the Baker-Polito Administration to replace the balance of the failing North Wharf, which was identified in the 2018-2019 Capital Needs Assessment.
• In 2021, MassDevelopment issued a Request for Interest (RFI) to gauge private and public interest in redevelopment options.
• In 2022, MassDevelopment maximized property use with monthly cargo operations throughout the year.
• In 2022, MassDevelopment released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for redevelopment and received three responses.
• In December 2022, MassDevelopment entered into a Provisional Development Agreement with Taber’s Wharf Partners, allowing parties to work together throughout 2023 to define parameters of a redevelopment that aligns with state and local objectives.

“As a member of Taber’s Wharf Partners, BASE Inc. looks forward to working alongside MassDevelopment to create a new offload and auction facility for our operations at State Pier,” said BASE Inc. Director of Operations Cassie Canastra. “We set out to establish an educational space where we can teach the general public about the ins and outs of the seafood industry—showing them how a fish or scallop gets from sea to plate. Our new facility will showcase the hard work and dedication of our local fishing community while also providing our fishing vessels a state-of-the-art facility to offload their catch.”

“I look forward to opening a “boat to table” restaurant on State Pier,” said Servedwell Owner Steve Silverstein. “Having worked on this project for a while, I am really confident that this project will be a huge catalyst for the continued regeneration of New Bedford. The partnership is strong, talented and local.”

__________________________________________________________________________

About Taber’s Wharf Partners:

• Buyers and Sellers Exchange (BASE), a family-owned business in New Bedford for 28 years.
• Raw Seafoods, a family-owned local business with 500 employees and 24 years of experience.
• Servedwell, headed by Steve Silverstein, owner and operator of several restaurants in the New Bedford area that employee 500 people.
• Crowley Wind Services Inc., a subsidiary of Crowley Maritime Corporation, a family-owned marine transportation and logistics company with 130 years of experience.
• Coast Line Transfers, a family-owned local marine transportation company.
• Development, design, and legal support from Traggorth Companies, RODE Architects, and Partridge Snow & Hahn.

MassDevelopment, the state’s development finance agency and land bank, works with businesses, nonprofits, banks, and communities to stimulate economic growth across the Commonwealth. During FY2022, MassDevelopment financed or managed 356 projects generating investment of more than $1.69 billion in the Massachusetts economy. These projects are estimated to create or support 11,080 jobs and build or preserve 1,778 housing units.” -MassDevelopment.

“16-year old Yoshi from Cranston was saved from freezing waters in Roger Williams Park by the Providence Fire Department and warmed by ACO’s both on scene and at PAC!

Special thanks to the 7:00 am jogger who spotted Yoshi and called for help. A huge thank you to Providence Fire who had the experience and equipment to save little Yoshi ? Yoshi will be going home this afternoon to very thankful owners!” -Providence Animal Control Center.

All photos by the Providence Fire Department, Providence Animal Control, and Providence Police Mounted Patrol:

Providence Animal Control video:

“The Massachusetts State Police is wishing a very Happy Birthday to Luna, our first ever crisis response K9! Now four years old, Luna and her partner Trooper Chad Tata provide comfort and support to first responders, their families, and members of the public following traumatic or stressful incidents. Along with those duties, K9 Luna also attends many MSP community events across the Commonwealth. Wishing you belly rubs, and a few extra treats Luna!”-Massachusetts State Police.

Massachusetts State Police photo.