With heavy snow expected from late Friday through Saturday evening, a citywide snow emergency PARKING BAN will take effect at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 28, to allow City workers to efficiently remove snow from roadways and enable public safety vehicles and residents to travel safely. The parking ban will be strictly enforced and effective until lifted by City officials.

The parking ban will be strictly enforced and will remain in effect for 48 hours, unless lifted or further extended by City officials. The parking ban is designed to allow City workers to efficiently remove snow from New Bedford roadways, and enable public safety vehicles and residents to travel safely.

While the snow emergency parking ban is in effect, parking is permitted on the north side of all streets going east and west, and is permitted on the east side of all streets going north and south. The permitted side of the street is typically the side opposite of the fire hydrants.

Please note that on streets that are normally posted for parking on one side of the street only, residents are to obey the signs as usual. Vehicles should never be parked within ten (10) feet of a fire hydrant or twenty (20) feet from a corner as required by law, regardless of whether a snow ban is in effect.

Double-sided Parking Ban Areas

To increase public safety during storm events, the areas designated for a double-sided parking ban include sections of numerous streets (listed below), in addition to the Downtown and Acushnet Avenue Business Districts, where double-sided bans have been implemented in years past. The street sections were selected because they are major routes for ambulances, school buses, and SRTA buses, and have a history of large vehicles being unable to successfully navigate due to the narrowness of the street.

During a snow emergency parking ban, therefore, no parking is permitted on either side of the street in the following areas:

• Wood St (Acushnet Ave to Belleville Ave)
• Acushnet Ave (Tarkiln Hill Rd to Coggeshall St)
• Nash Rd (Acushnet Ave to Belleville Ave)
• Ashley Blvd (Nash Rd to Coggeshall St)
• County St (Purchase St to Cove Rd)
• Cottage St (Durfee St to Union St)
• Mill St (Kempton St to Pleasant St)
• Kempton St (Brownell Ave to Pleasant St)
• The Downtown Business District (County St to JFK Blvd, Kempton St to Walnut St)
• Dartmouth St (Allen St to Matthew St)
• Rivet St (Dartmouth St to JFK Blvd)

Violations of the snow emergency parking ban will be subject to ticketing at $50 per ticket, and towing at full cost to the owner of the vehicle towed. The vehicle owner is also responsible for the full cost of storage for any towed vehicle.

The City of New Bedford has designated the following areas as preferred parking areas for residents in need of off-street parking while the emergency snow parking ban is in effect:

• Victory Park – Brock Avenue
• Hazelwood Park – Brock Avenue
• Cove Street Parking Lot – Cove Street and Morton Court
• Orchard Street at Camara Soccer Field
• Buttonwood Park Parking Area – Hawthorn Street Side and Lake Street Side
• Coggeshall Street Parking Lot – Coggeshall Street and Acushnet Avenue
• Sawyer Street Parking Lot – Between Sawyer Street and Beetle Street
• Brooklawn Park Parking Area – Brooklawn Street (South Side)
• Riverside Park Lot – Coffin Avenue
• Coffin Avenue Lot- Across from Taber Mills Apartments
• Former AVX site on Belleville Avenue at Hadley Street
• Former Philips Avenue School – 249 Phillips Avenue
• Elm Street Garage
• Zeiterion Garage – 688 Purchase Street
• New Bedford High School – 230 Hathaway Boulevard
• Keith Middle School – 225 Hathaway Boulevard
• Normandin Middle School – 81 Felton Street
• Roosevelt Middle School – 119 Fredrick Street
• Charles S Ashley Elementary School – 122 Rochambeau Street
• Elizabeth Carter Brooks Elementary School – 212 Nemasket Street
• Elwyn G Campbell Elementary School – 145 Essex Street
• Sgt Wm H Carney Academy Elementary School – 247 Elm Street
• Lot at intersection of Elm and Cottage (Southeast Corner)
• James B Congdon Elementary School – 50 Hemlock Street
• John B DeValles Elementary School – 120 Katherine Street
• Alfred J Gomes Elementary School – 286 South Second Street
• Ellen R Hathaway Elementary School – 256 Court Street
• Hayden/McFadden Elementary School – 361 Cedar Grove Street
• Horatio A Kempton Elementary School – 135 Shawmut Avenue
• Abraham Lincoln Elementary School – 445 Ashley Boulevard
• Carlos Pacheco Elementary School – 261 Mt. Pleasant Street
• John Avery Parker Elementary School – 705 County Street
• Casmir Pulaski Elementary School – 1097 Braley Road
• Thomas R Rodman Elementary School – 497 Mill Street
• William H Taylor Elementary School – 620 Brock Avenue
• SEA LAB/John Hannigan Elementary School – 91 Portland Street
• Jireh Swift Elementary School – 2203 Acushnet Avenue
• Betsey B Winslow Elementary School – 561 Allen Street

Southcoast Health announced today its Urgent Care Center locations in Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Fall River, Lakeville, Seekonk, Wareham and Middletown, Rhode Island have been reaccredited by the Urgent Care Association and received the Accredited Urgent Care designation.

“This accomplishment represents Southcoast’s commitment to providing high-quality care to patients in our community,” says Tonya Johnson, DNP RN NEA-BC, Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer for Southcoast Hospitals Group. “Being recognized as an Accredited Urgent Care Center demonstrates that our urgent care locations meet and exceed an exceptional standard of care. We are so grateful for the amazing frontline staff who continuously put our community first.”

Accreditation is the highest level of distinction that can be earned from the Urgent Care Association. The reaccreditation process is very thorough and must be completed every 36 months. It includes site visits, patient visit observations and policy reviews.

“It was a true team effort to achieve this re-accreditation,” says Kelly Houde, Practice Administrator for Urgent Care Centers at Southcoast Health. “Especially as our staff continues to step up in unbelievable ways during these very difficult and trying times with COVID.”

Adding significance to this achievement, The Southcoast Health Urgent Care Centers continue to play an instrumental role in Southcoast’s COVID response, providing essential support to hospitals and the community. “From testing to treating patients that are experiencing COVID symptoms, the urgent care team continuously steps up to care for patients who do not need to go to the emergency room,” says Johnson.

Urgent Care Centers provide the community with immediate, non-emergency care, including treatment for illnesses and minor injuries such as burns, fractures and sprains. These locations are open to all patients in the community, including those who do not have a Southcoast Health primary care provider, with walk-in availability close to home.

Further emphasizing the exceptional standard of care, Southcoast Health Urgent Care Centers are backed by the specialty services and resources of Southcoast Health. Equipped with advanced diagnostic tools and resources, all seven urgent care centers offer comprehensive care with the ability to refer patients to a specialist if needed.

For added convenience, patients seeking services at Southcoast Health Urgent Care centers can wait in the comfort of their own home until it’s their turn to be seen through the online check-in system. Visitors can find the closest center, its current wait time and even save a spot in line before arriving.

To learn more about Southcoast Health’s Urgent Care Centers, please visit: Urgent Care MA & RI | Find Your Nearest Urgent Care | Southcoast Health

“At about 8:10PM on Wednesday, January 26, 2022, officers assigned to District B-2 (Roxbury) responded to a radio call for a person stabbed in the area of 5 Rockville Park, Roxbury. On arrival, officers located two male victims, in the street, suffering from stab wounds. Both victims were transported by Boston EMS, and one adult male victim was pronounced at Boston Medical Center. The second victim’s injuries are considered non-life-threatening.

Further investigation into this incident led police to the area of Humboldt Ave. where Officers located a Raymond Joel Castro, 42, of Dorchester. Later, Castro was arrested and charged with Murder, Assault to Murder, and a warrant for Violation of Probation. Castro will be arraigned in the Roxbury District Court later today.

The Boston Police Department continues to review the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident and is asking anyone with information relative to this investigation to contact Boston Police Homicide Detectives at (617) 343-4470.

Community members wishing to assist this investigation anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463). The Boston Police Department will stringently guard and protect the identities of all those who wish to assist this investigation in an anonymous manner.

To those who find themselves in need of emotional support or simply needing to talk to someone about distressing events in our community, the Boston Neighborhood Trauma Team (NTT) provides free, private support 24/7 at (617) 431-0125 or by visiting BPHC.org/trauma.” -Boston Police Department .

“In late 2021, the Massachusetts Environmental Police was contacted by an individual wishing to self-report a bear that had been killed on the Monday after the closure of bear season in Ashburnham. The reporting party indicated they did not realize the season had closed.

Upon arrival to the individual’s home, Massachusetts Environmental Police Officers observed a yearling bear cub standing in the suspect’s truck bed where the deceased bear was also located. A second yearling cub was located nearby.

A comprehensive investigation into the call revealed that the individual attempted to have the bear illegally processed in the State of New Hampshire on Monday, the day of the report. It was reported that the individual advised the butcher that the bear had been killed on Saturday, the final day of bear season; however, the butcher determined the bear had been killed that day and not on the day the individual originally claimed. The butcher refused to process the bear and subsequently contacted New Hampshire Fish and Game.

The suspect ultimately admitted to shooting the mother bear with a bow and arrow as it fed on birdseed in the backyard of the home.

The bow and bear were seized. Multiple criminal charges have been filed, to include:

1. Illegal Taking of Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
2. Hunt, Closed Season
3. Illegal Hunting of Bear in a Baited Area
4. Discharge of Arrow w/in 150’ Roadway
5. Hunting w/in 500’ of Dwelling in Use (multiple counts)
6. Falsifying Harvest Report Data (claiming it was killed on the last Saturday in MassFishHunt prior to self-reporting violation and claiming it was killed on Monday)
7. Export out of State Illegally Taken Bear
The bear was donated to a local Rod and Gun Club.”

“On Wednesday, January 26, at 11:39 a.m. the Wareham Fire Department responded to the Wareham Town Hall for the report of an inside odor of gas.

Assistant Chief John Kelley, Capt. Chip Deblois with the duty crew on Engine 1, along with Tower 1 responded to the call. After investigation it was determined that there was no gas leak, but paint thinner that was left behind by people doing work at the Town Hall.

As a precaution, firefighters ventilated the building for safety. A total of 16 department members responded and were on the scene for about one hour. There were no injuries.” -Wareham Fire Department.

Wareham Fire Department photo.

Wareham Fire Department photo.

Wareham Fire Department photo.

“An MS-13 member was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for racketeering conspiracy and being an illegal alien in unlawful possession of ammunition.

Cristian Alvarez Hernandez, a/k/a “Duende,” 22, a Salvadoran national residing in East Boston, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf to 121 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Alvarez Hernandez will also be subject to deportation proceedings upon completion of his sentence. In September 2021, Alvarez Hernandez pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy, and to being an illegal alien in unlawful possession of ammunition.

MS-13, or La Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational street gang operating in Massachusetts and numerous other states, as well as countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. MS-13 members follow certain core rules and principles, including that members attack and attempt to kill members of rival gangs and that members do not act as informants or cooperate with law enforcement.

Alvarez Hernandez was a chequeo, or mid-level, member in MS-13’s Everett Locos Salvatrucha (ELS) clique. As a member of MS-13, Alvarez Hernandez accepted and furthered its core objectives of attacking rival gang members or MS-13 members who violated the enterprise’s rules. Alvarez Hernandez was a rising member within ELS, and photographs showed him embracing MS-13’s lifestyle, including flashing gang signs, wearing gang colors or symbols, posing with weapons and being photographed alongside numerous other MS-13 members. He was also found in possession of three firearms and over 150 rounds of ammunition.

Alvarez Hernandez’s membership activity within the gang also included his dispute with a teenage boy who was killed in September 2015 by four other MS-13 gang members based on the victim’s perceived status as a rival. The four MS-13 members who personally participated in the murder were charged separately and have each been convicted for their participation in the murder. Edwin Gonzalez a/k/a “Sangriento,” was sentenced to life in prison; Carlos Melara a/k/a “Chuchito,” was sentenced to 36 years in prison; and Henry Parada Martinez a/k/a “Street Danger,” was sentenced to 21 years in prison. The last remaining MS-13 member involved, Rene Mejia Flores, a/k/a Gasper, pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.

First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Matthew B. Millhollin, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan W. Blodgett; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden; Boston Police Acting Commissioner Gregory Long; Lynn Police Chief Christopher Reddy; and Chelsea Police Chief Brian Kyes made the announcement today.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.

“A New York Man was arrested today on charges arising from a scheme to fraudulently obtain business loans and unemployment pandemic relief funds made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Ronald Buie, 35, was charged with one count of wire fraud. Buie will make an initial appearance in federal court in the Eastern District of New York this afternoon and will appear in Boston at a later date.

According to the charging documents, Buie engaged in a scheme to defraud the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting fraudulent applications for loans offered in connection with the CARES Act. It is alleged that Buie applied for SBA loans under various false identities for which he had also opened bank accounts and email accounts. Buie also allegedly submitted fraudulent documentation to apply for and obtain a fraudulent loan from the SBA Paycheck Protection Program for his company, Platinum Car Service LLC.

Specifically, in support of his loan application, Buie allegedly provided what he purported to be a monthly bank statement for his business checking account showing an ending balance of more than $198,000, whereas bank records for that particular month show that the actual balance was less than $3,000. In addition, it is alleged that Buie’s scheme also involved the utilization of various false identities to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits.

The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; Frederick J. Regan, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Field Office; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; and Ketty Larco-Ward, Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Secret Service, New York Field Office; Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance; and the New York City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney William F. Abely, Chief of Rollins’ Criminal Division, is prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.

“On Friday, March 25, the 15th annual Massachusetts State Police Memorial Hockey Tournament will be held at Foxboro Sports Center.

Proceeds from the tournament — a competitive event that includes active and retired MSP Troopers, including some who played at high levels in their careers — fund academic scholarships in the names of MSP Troopers killed in the line of duty and donations to local charities.

The MSP Memorial Fund, a non-profit association, is seeking sponsors for the event. Three levels of sponsorship are available: Platinum, $1,000; Gold, $500; and Silver, $250; sponsors at those levels will receive an MSP-hockey themed gift.

Businesses that wish to become sponsors should send an email to mspmemorialfund@gmail.com.” -Massachusetts State Police.

Today, Governor Charlie Baker nominated Attorney Karin Bell as Associate Justice of the Superior Court. Attorney Bell has 19 years of legal experience.

“The many years of legal experience that Attorney Bell will bring to the Superior Court make her a well-qualified candidate,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I look forward to the Governor’s Council’s consideration of her nomination for this appointment.”

“I am pleased with the nomination of this distinguished attorney,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “If confirmed, I am confident that Attorney Bell’s skills and knowledge will allow her to continue to serve the public effectively in this new position.”

The Superior Court, the trial court of general jurisdiction for Massachusetts, is committed to delivering high quality justice in a timely and fair manner in accordance with the rule of law. The Court’s 82 justices sit in 20 courthouses in all 14 counties of the Commonwealth. The Superior Court has original jurisdiction in civil actions over $25,000 and in matters where equitable relief is sought.

It also has original jurisdiction in actions including labor disputes where injunctive relief is sought, exclusive authority to convene medical malpractice tribunals, appellate jurisdiction over certain administrative proceedings, and may hold sittings for naturalization in any city or town. The Superior Court also has exclusive original jurisdiction of first-degree murder cases and original jurisdiction of all other crimes.

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth’s diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April 2015.

About Attorney Karin Bell

Attorney Karin Bell began her legal career in 2003 as a law clerk under Judges Nathaniel M. Gorton and F. Dennis Faylor of the District of Massachusetts. In 2003, Attorney Bell joined Goodwin law offices, working as a litigation associate. She then joined the Office of the US Attorney for Massachusetts.

Attorney Bell started as an Assistant US Attorney and was named Chief of the Worcester Branch office in 2013. From 2018 to 2021, Attorney Bell became Deputy Chief of the Criminal Division and worked on several high-profile cases, most notably serving as a co-lead prosecutor for the Operation Varsity Blues trial. She was promoted to Chief of the Criminal Division in 2021. In 2021, Attorney Bell became a partner with Manatt, Phelps, & Phillips, LLP.

She volunteers as a judge in the Harvard Law School Moot Court Competition, teaches at the Discovering Justice program, and volunteers at Grace Chapel. Attorney Bell received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland in 1997, and her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School in 2002.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch from late Friday night through Saturday evening for portions of eastern, northeastern and southeastern Massachusetts and northern and southern Rhode Island.

Heavy snow is possible with estimated total snowfall amounts between 12″-18″ and winds gusts as high as 60 mph.

Heavy snow rates between 1 and 3 inches per hour will create very difficult to impossible hazardous travel conditions. Strong winds will create drifting snow and gusts between 40 and 60 mph or greater could knock down trees and power lines causing loss of power. There is also a serious threat of coastal flooding and beach erosion due to the arrival of high tide amid the storm.

There is still uncertainty regarding the track of the storm, but this has the potential to easily be our biggest storm of the season, possibly in years. The axis of heaviest snowfall may shift with later forecasts.

Accuweather photo.