ABC Disposal will collect real Christmas trees from Monday, January 11 through Friday, January 15.

During this week only, residents may place trees at the curb by 7:00 a.m. the weekday after their usual trash and recycling collection. For residents whose trash collection is on Fridays, Christmas trees will only be collected on Monday, January 11.

If a resident’s trash is collected on Mondays, Christmas trees will be collected on Tuesday, January 12, and so on.

Christmas trees will not be collected curbside at any other time. Please remove all ornaments, stands, lights, and tinsel. Do not place trees in plastic bags.

Christmas trees can also be dropped off at the East Beach parking lot on East Rodney French Boulevard between Hudson Street and Seymour Street until January 15; or Brooklawn Park by the Pony League Field (enter at Irvington Street) until January 15.

The Shawmut Avenue Transfer Station at 1103 Shawmut Avenue is also open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 12 Noon to 5:00 p.m., and Saturday from 7:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Bravo Zulu to Air Station Cape Cod MH-60 Jayhawk crew for their successful medevac over 65 miles off Nantucket yesterday morning.

A 62-year-old man reportedly experiencing abdominal issues was hoisted from the fishing vessel Alison Rose and brought to Rhode Island Hospital in stable condition.

#SearchandRescue #medevac #USCG.

Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

Attorney General Maura Healey wants all long-term care residents and staff to know: stimulus checks directed toward residents are for their own use, not for the facility to grab as payment. Saying her office had heard reports of some facilities taking CARES Act checks issued to residents, Healey issued an advisory on Friday clarifying that individuals who receive checks under the latest round of stimulus are entitled to use the money however they see fit.

“Nursing home residents and their families have faced enormous challenges and hardship during the COVID-19 pandemic and my office is committed to protecting them however we can,” Healey said in a statement. “Long-term care residents are entitled to receive their stimulus checks, in full and in a timely manner, for their own use.”

Anyone with a concern about facilities taking residents’ stimulus checks can report it to the AG’s Medicaid Fraud Division by calling (617) 963-2360. –

On Thursday at about 7:30 p.m. Wareham Police Officer James White observed a male throw a wooden stake at vehicle on Cranberry Highway near the entrance to Mogan’s Trailer Park. Officer White stopped to investigate, along with Officer Pillsbury.

The male was placed in custody, however he threatened to assault the officers. Upon arrival at the station, the male began kicking at Officer Pillsbury, when he tried to remove him from the cruiser. With the assistance of Sergeant Kevin Reilly, the man was subdued and brought inside the building. During the booking process, the man continued to be unruly and threatened to kill Sergeant Reilly and Officer John Iacobucci.

Jeffrey Picard (50), of East Wareham, was charged with disorderly conduct, assault with a dangerous weapon, and threats to commit a crime.

The Marion Police Department is pleased to announce that Richard B. Nighelli has officially begun in his new role as Chief.

Chief Nighelli, a 17-year veteran of the department, was sworn in during a private ceremony at the Marion Police station on Thursday, Jan. 7.

“As a member of the Marion Police Department for a majority of my career, it is an honor for me to step into this position,” Chief Nighelli said. “I’d like to thank the men and women of the Marion Police Department who come to work each and every day, night, weekend and holiday to ensure Marion is a safe place to live. Your efforts do not go unnoticed.”

Marion Police Department photo.

Chief Nighelli began his career as a police officer with the Department of Mental Health in Boston in 1999. He became a patrolman with the Nantucket Police Department in 2002 before being hired as a patrolman with the Marion Police Department in 2003. He was promoted to sergeant in 2007 and promoted to lieutenant in January 2018. He was named Chief in May 2020 and has served as Acting Chief since Dec. 12, 2020.

In his new role, Chief Nighelli hopes to continue to foster the department’s relationship with the community through transparency and open communication.

“Our department is fortunate to be part of a wonderful and supportive community,” Chief Nighelli said. “Since being named Chief of Police, I have been overwhelmed by the support that I have received from the community, which means a lot to myself, my family and the department. As Chief, I will continue to ensure that the Marion Police Department provides professional, courteous and exceptional service to our residents.”

Chief Nighelli served as the accreditation manager during Marion’s state re-accreditation process in 2018 and previously served as Operations Commander for the Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council (SEMLEC) SWAT team.

Chief Nighelli attended the New England Law Enforcement FBI Executive Development Seminar in 2018 and successfully completed a two-week comprehensive training program for police supervisory personnel at Roger Williams University. He has also assumed leadership roles and assisted with security planning for multiple town events. In 2014, he assisted in the on-site planning and search for the Boston Marathon bombing suspects in Watertown. He has also received commendations for an attempted murder investigation in 2006 and a fugitive from justice arrest in 2004.

Marion Police Department photo.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement from Western New England University. He is a certified field training officer and Massachusetts Police Accreditation Commission State Assessor, and has trained in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Incident Command Systems, SWAT operations, emergency medical dispatch and 911 telecommunications.

“I’d like to congratulate Chief Nighelli on this new step in his career,” Town Administrator James McGrail said. “I have no doubt that his wealth of knowledge and experience will serve him well as Chief of Police, and I look forward to seeing how the department continues to grow and evolve under his leadership.”

Chief Nighelli is a member of the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, Southeastern Massachusetts Police Chiefs Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police and Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association.

He is married to his wife Holly and they have two children together.

“Holly has supported all of my career advancements while putting her career on hold to raise our kids,” Chief Nighelli said. “I am confident that without her support of my career and its often irregular schedule, achieving the position of Chief of Police would not have been possible.”

Chief Nighelli took over his new role following the retirement of Chief John Garcia, who officially retired on Jan. 2 after a 36-year career in law enforcement.

A Rhode Island man was sentenced to three years in prison today for tax evasion, announced U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division, and Special Agent in Charge Kristina O’Connell of IRS Criminal Investigation.

According to court documents, for more than ten years, Billie R. Schofield attempted to evade his federal income taxes. Schofield partly owned and worked for Northern Pelagic LLC, a seafood processing business located in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Despite earning hundreds of thousands of dollars in income, Schofield failed to pay taxes owed and, beginning in 2009, stopped filing income tax returns.

Between 2008 and 2018, Schofield obstructed IRS efforts to assess and collect his taxes by filing fraudulent forms, advancing frivolous tax arguments, creating and using a nominee entity and bank account, negotiating income checks to cash, and creating and submitting fraudulent checks to the IRS in an attempt to extinguish his tax liabilities. Including penalties and interest, Schofield caused a tax loss of more than $350,000 to the United States.

In addition to a term of imprisonment, U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith sentenced Schofield to three years of supervised release, a $5,000 fine, and ordered him to pay $364,200.22 in restitution to the IRS.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Zuckerman and U.S. Attorney Weisman commended special agents of IRS-CI, who investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Hebert and Trial Attorney Christopher P. O’Donnell of the Tax Division who prosecuted the case.

Today, Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito joined Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders to participate in a ceremonial signing of S.2984, An Act Promoting a Resilient Health Care System That Puts Patients First.

Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito were also joined by Senator Cindy Friedman, Senator Julian Cyr, and Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr to participate in the ceremonial signing. The Governor also acknowledged the work of Speaker of the House Ronald Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, and other legislators for their work in advancing this comprehensive health care legislation.

The new law increases insurance coverage for telehealth services, expands the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, other specialized nurses, and optometrists, and takes steps to protect consumers from surprise medical bills. Recognizing the continuing impacts of COVID-19, the law also extends requirements for all insurance carriers in Massachusetts to cover COVID-19 testing and treatment.

In addition, the legislation takes several steps to increase MassHealth member access to urgent care sites, including eliminating referral requirements before urgent care visits and requirements for care coordination with the member’s primary care physician.

New Bedford High School has been awarded a $250,000 grant through the Massachusetts Skills Capital Grant Program, the Baker-Polito Administration announced recently. The grant funding will be used to construct a state-of-the-art Marine Technology Laboratory to support New Bedford High School’s Career Vocational Technical Education programming in maritime industry skill training. The new facilities will prepare students for careers in marine and maritime industries.

The NBHS Marine Technology Laboratory will be outfitted with welding training equipment, virtual welding and diesel engine training equipment. To date, New Bedford High School has been awarded $650,000 in Skills Capital Grants since 2019. Previous awards include $125,000 for the school’s finance lab and $275,000 for robotics logistics equipment.

In announcing the awards, Governor Charlie Baker said, “At a critical time in our Commonwealth, these Skills Capital Grants will increase flexibility and support for schools and educational institutions to launch new programs and help more students develop important technical skills and prepare them for high-demand industries.”

Superintendent Thomas Anderson stated, “We commend NBHS staff for their work on this project, which has resulted in the award of this competitive grant. It will increase the high school’s capabilities in preparing students for an expanding range of careers and post-secondary educational opportunities. Thanks, too, for the support of our partners, including the Community Boating Center, New Bedford Port Authority, Quinn Fisheries/East Coast Fabrication and MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board.”

New Bedford High School’s Marine Technology Lab, which will include training systems connected to vessel construction and diesel engine technology, will support career pathway development for students interested maritime industry. The new laboratory and equipment will address the training requirements of the maritime industry sector. Also known as the “Blue Economy”, this sector is identified as an emerging growth career area by the MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board’s regional labor market blueprint.

“We are delighted to receive this third Skills Capital Grant Award to support the expansion of our Career Vocational Technical Education program, and grateful for Governor Baker’s continued support for NBHS”, said Bernadette Coelho, headmaster of New Bedford High School. “As the City of New Bedford has a rich history in the marine industry, it is only appropriate that NBHS serves as a career training center for new opportunities in the field”.

The planned marine technology lab compliments New Bedford High School’s growth in career technical education, as it has committed to fostering new vocational programming and supplementing its existing technical training offerings. The high school has offered marine construction programs in partnership with the Community Boating Center in New Bedford and plans to expand maritime offerings as a result of the new equipment.

“Our career technical students will be well positioned to obtain maritime industry careers with the training they will receive in this advanced technical laboratory”, said Christopher Cummings, Manager of New Bedford High School’s Career Vocational Technical Education program, who noted that NBHS will engage its existing maritime industry partners and MassHire Greater New Bedford Workforce Board to implement the new laboratory. “It is our goal to maximize the opportunities in the emerging Blue Economy by being the flagship training center for marine careers.”

New Bedford High School offers a broad range of Career Vocational Technical Education programming and is affiliated with the National Academy Foundation. In addition to marine programs, the school offers career pathway programs in Instructional Technology, Digital Media, Health Sciences, Engineering, Early Childhood Education, Criminal Justice, Finance, Business Technology, and Hospitality. For more information about Career and Technical Education at New Bedford High School, please contact Christopher Cummings, Manager of CVTE at 508 997 4511, ext. 20799.

Chris Lisinski
State House News Service

Massachusetts public health officials on Thursday reported the highest one-day total of newly confirmed COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began, though the rolling average positive test rate declined slightly.

The 7,136 cases in Thursday’s update lagged only the number of new infections in Dec. 26 and Jan. 2 daily reports — 7,424 and 8,542, respectively — both of which covered two days of data because they immediately followed holidays when reports were not published.

While new cases have skyrocketed in Massachusetts in recent months, far more tests are being performed than during the first surge in the spring, and the DPH counted 108,412 new tests in Thursday’s report. The seven-day average percent positivity rate dropped from 8.25 percent on Wednesday to 7.83 percent on Thursday. With 71 more fatalities among those with confirmed COVID-19 cases, the cumulative death toll in Massachusetts increased to 12,634 on Thursday, or 12,909 when counting those who died with probable infections.

Thirty fewer patients in Massachusetts hospitals had COVID-19 Thursday as a day earlier, but the state’s health infrastructure remains enormously strained, and only about 11 percent of all non-ICU beds were available in Thursday’s report.

State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey announced that for the first time on record, no children died in fires in Massachusetts in 2020. Historically, children and seniors have been most at risk of dying in fires. “To have no children, no one under the age of 18, die in a fire in Massachusetts is an amazing accomplishment. Through the 26 years of the Student Awareness of Fire Education Program (S.AF.E.), firefighters and classroom teachers have been helping to raise a fire safe generation of children.”

Saugus Fire Chief Michael C. Newbury, president of the Fire Chiefs’ Association of Massachusetts, said, “This milestone speaks to the hard work of firefighter-educators to teach children what to do to save themselves in a fire. We find fewer children hiding under beds or in closets, because they know how to use their home escape plan.”

State Fire Marshal Ostroskey said, “Ultimately, responsibility for home fire safety rests with the adults in the home, but the S.A.F.E Program has brought key safety information on maintaining smoke alarms, practicing home fire drills, cooking, heating, candle and match and lighter safety home to those adults. Goodness knows there’s nothing like being nagged by a 3rd grader to test your smoke alarm.”

“Just after this new year began, a child did suffer serious burns in an Oxford house fire. That reinforces how vigilant we must be to keep our children safe from fires and burns,” said Ostroskey.

39 Deaths in Massachusetts in 2020
Preliminary data from the Massachusetts Fire Incident Reporting System (MFIRS) indicates that there were 39 fire deaths in 2020, down from 42 in 2019. The deaths were all adults and 15, or nearly 40%, were older adults over the age of 65. The majority, 31, died in the so-called safety of their own homes. Half of these deaths occurred in homes where there were no working smoke alarms. “Working smoke alarms give you the one thing you don’t have in a fire – time – time to escape,” said Ostroskey. There is only 1-3 minutes to escape the average house fire in a home without fire sprinklers.