This is an update of an earlier article.

“As a result of a follow up investigation of the incident that took place on September 1st, Detectives from the Mattapoisett Police Department executed a search warrant on the 2013 Nissan Altima which was used during the robbery.

A search of the vehicle produced large amounts of marijuana, replica AK-47, large knife, scales, multiple cell phones, and $9,580.00 in cash.

The currency and vehicle were seized by the Mattapoisett Police Department pending forfeiture.

Additional charges are pending at this time.”-Mattapoisett Police Department.

With the Associated Press/Boston Globe declaring Jake Auchincloss the winner of the MA-04 Congressional race, Auchincloss released the following statement:

“In the depths of another crisis, when America had just entered WWII, a poor Jewish kid walked into a Marine recruiting office. That kid was my grandfather.

America saw potential in him and sent him to college. It changed his life, and mine. I joined this race to help make that story of opportunity a reality for this generation of Americans. And tonight, we’ve taken a step forward.

I’m honored that the people of the Massachusetts Fourth District have chosen me as the Democratic nominee for Congress. We won 25 of the 34 cities and towns across the district, a testament to the strong, full-district campaign we built. My deepest gratitude goes out to the voters who placed their confidence in my capacity to drive progress — and to the volunteers and supporters who shared our message across their cities and towns.

I’d also like to thank my fellow candidates. These talented, hardworking individuals campaigned during unprecedented times with passion and purpose. In doing so, they elevated the stories of working families in need, placed a spotlight on injustices that must be resolved, and crafted solutions that can help fix today’s crises. I hope to partner with them for years to come.

I’d like to especially thank Jesse Mermell. This race was close, and I’m proud to have run alongside her.

To my family, most especially my wife, Michelle, and my son, Teddy: it is a joy to share this journey with you. I am indebted to you for your patience and support during a difficult year. I love you.

Though this is a moment of celebration, our campaign is not over. Let’s unite now, as Democrats, to win on November 3rd — both here and across the nation. We must defeat the Republican nominee, a Trump Republican. We must rally behind Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to defeat the Trump agenda and get to work rebuilding this country: its institutions, its confidence, and its commitment to justice.

That work starts here at home. There’s much to be done across our district, and it should begin by focusing on an inclusive economic recovery for all of the Massachusetts Fourth. We must leave no one behind.”

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of September 8, 2020 –September 11, 2020 and they are as follows:

No work on Monday, September 7th for Labor Day.

Eversource:

Eversource will replace the gas mains and service at the following locations:

• Myrtle St. from Sawyer St. to Cedar Grove St. (Main)
• Peckham St. from Mt. Pleasant St. to County St. (Main)
• Bannister St. from Coggeshall St. to Peckham St. (Main)
• Hathaway Rd. from Town Line to Rockdale Ave. (Services)
• Hathaway Rd. from Highland St. to Nauset St. (Main)
• Davis St. from Riverside Ave. to 389 Davis St. (Services) 
• Hatch St. from Acushnet Ave. to Belleville Ave. (Services)
• Conduit St. from Acushnet Ave. to Shaw St. (Services)
• Summer St. from Durfee St. to Locust St. (Main)
• Studley St. from County St. to Summer St. (Main)
• Woodlawn St. from Brock Ave. to W. Rodney French Blvd. (Services)
• Bolton St. from Kaine St. to Rivet St. (Services)

Eversource will be doing final street and sidewalk restoration at various locations city wide

Other:

• Contractor (PA Landers) to continue drainage work at MassDOT Project #606709, New Bedford – Roadway Reconstruction and Related Work (including signals) along a section of Kings Highway and Tarkiln Hill Road. Construction to take place during regular working hours (Tuesday – Friday), police details and traffic controls will be in place.
• Contractor (New Hampshire Boring) conducting test pits on Union St. from Sixth St. to County St. September 8th to September 10th. There will be police detours and signage in place.
• Contractor (Private Contractor: Southcoast Development) will be conducting work within the roadway at the intersection of Acushnet Ave. and Ashley Blvd. for the new Cumberland Farms project. Police details and traffic controls will be in place.
• MassDOT will be making repairs on the bridge at I-195 eastbound over Route 18 ramp. Work will be from August 18th to November 30th.
• Department of Public Infrastructure will be filling potholes city-wide on a continuous basis.
• Department of Public Infrastructure conducting its annual street sweeping program city-wide.
• Contractor (WES Construction) scheduled to continue landscaping and begin final paving at the Front St./ Elm St. site. Elm St., between JFK Memorial Highway (RTE 18) and MacArthur Dr. will be closed to westbound traffic. Westbound traffic will be detoured via MacArthur Drive. There will be detour signage and traffic controls in place.
• The contractor (Bay State Wind Water) is scheduled to replace the municipal interconnecting water meter at Marine Park and continue water meter replacements at various NBHA locations.
• Due to ongoing construction at the High Hill Reservoir residents may experience discolored water. The water is safe, and the discoloration will be temporary. We recommend allowing the water to settle for a few hours and then flushing your service line by letting the bathtub run for a few minutes until the water clears.

** Please note: Contractors will continue to follow guidelines and protocol regarding COVID-19 social distancing while conducting work in construction zone.

Due to the current COVID-19 situation the Department of Public Infrastructure will be closed to the public entry. Office staff is available to assist by email and telephone.

On Thursday, September 3, 2020 at approximately 2:38 a.m., Dartmouth Police responded to Dartmouth Woods Drive, after receiving a call that a male was attempting to break into a vehicle.

Upon arrival, officers located a male matching the description of the suspect.

During the investigation which followed, officers located a window punch in the backpack which the male suspect was carrying. In addition, a witness also positively identified the male as the individual who allegedly attempted to break into the vehicle.

As a result of the investigation, Joshua AUDETTE, 29, of Fairhaven was arrested and charged with attempt to commit a crime (felony b&e into a motor vehicle during the nighttime), and possession of burglarious tools.

Officer Amanda TAVARES, Officer Stacy LEEDS, and Officer Marc VACHON were all involved in the investigation.

In addition to commending the officers for their outstanding work, Chief Brian P. LEVESQUE also commended the citizen who was responsible for stepping forward to identify AUDETTE.

Dartmouth Police photo.

At approximately 9:30 p.m. yesterday two Troopers assigned to the Troop D Community Action Team were alerted by the Brockton Police Department of a shooting that took place in their city. The Troopers, patrolling in a single cruiser, responded to the area of the Westgate Mall in order to search for a vehicle matching the description of the one that fled the shooting.

Just before 10 p.m. they observed a similar vehicle, a gray Chevrolet SUV, and began to follow it. While doing so, they observed the vehicle travel over a curb and onto a sidewalk. The Troopers activated the cruiser’s blue lights and initiated a motor vehicle stop on the Chevrolet in the area of retail stores at the Westgate Mall.

Once the vehicle was stopped the Troopers approached it and identified the operator as SHAHEN EDWARDS, 42, of New Bedford. EDWARDS provided a Massachusetts identification card and information of the vehicle, which was rented in a family members name. EDWARDS informed the Troopers he did not possess a valid driver’s license. It was confirmed his license was revoked due to a prior offense of Operating a Motor Vehicle while Intoxicated. EDWARDS was removed from the vehicle and informed it was going to be towed.

Once EDWARDS was secured the Troopers began an inventory of the vehicles contents per State Police policy. They quickly observed indications that parts of the vehicle’s interior had been removed and replaced, which is common when concealing narcotics while transporting them. While investigating one of these areas they quickly located a plastic bag with nearly 30 grams of a substance believed to be Crack Cocaine.

After a subsequent search of the vehicle Troopers located a loaded 9mm pistol capable of holding 15 rounds of ammunition along with another bag containing nearly 100 grams of a substance believed to be Fentanyl. EDWARDS is currently on probation with multiple convictions of drug distribution, firearms possession, and driving with a revoked license. The serial number on the firearm was scratched off and destroyed, rendering it unable to be traced.

EDWARDS was placed under arrest and transported to State Police-Middleboro. A bail commissioner was contacted and set bail at $50,040. EDWARDS is expected to be arraigned at Brockton District Court on the following offenses:

1. Operating a Motor Vehicle while Suspended for OUI;
2. Operating a Motor Vehicle with a Revoked License, Subsequent Offense;
3. Possession of a Firearm with Prior Violent/Drug Crime;
4. Possession of a Firearm with a Defaced Serial Number while in Commission of a Felony;
5. Possession of a Large Capacity Weapon;
6. Possession of Ammunition without FID Card;
7. Trafficking in Fentanyl;
8. Trafficking in Cocaine; and
9. Marked Lanes Violation.

One of the duties of the Wareham Police Department is processing applications for firearms licensing. In addition, once a License To Carry is issued, the police department manages that permit until its expiration. Below is the process to obtain a Massachusetts Firearms License to Carry.

New Applicants

• Complete an approved Massachusetts Firearms Safety Course or a Massachusetts Hunter Safety Course (visit www.mass.gov. for a list of instructors)

• Complete the Massachusetts Firearms Application

• Send the following items with the application:

• Copy of MA Driver’s License or State Issued ID

• Proof of residency in the Town of Wareham (examples are: Utility bill, rental agreement, cell phone bill, bank statement, credit card bill, most recent excise tax bill)

• Proof of Citizenship – a birth certificate or US Passport. Naturalization Certificate or Green Card if you are a resident alien.

• Application fee- $100.00 check made payable to the Town of Wareham.

• Once these items are received, the department will contact you for an appointment to be fingerprinted, which is a requirement.

As the result of the Coronavirus emergency, new applicants will see a delay in processing. The department is finally able to start fingerprinting applicants. We ask that you remain patient and be aware we are processing applicants as fast as possible.

Renewal Applicants
You need everything listed above except the Safety Course Certificate. The fee is waived if you are over 70 years old.

All applications and supporting documentation shall be mailed to:

Wareham Police Department
2515 Cranberry Highway
Wareham, MA 02571

As a reminder, answer all questions honestly or you will be denied a License to Carry. If you have any further questions don’t hesitate to contact the police department directly.

“Thomas A. Nies, Executive Director
New England Fishery Management Council
50 Water Street, Mill 2
Newburyport, MA 01950

RE: DEIS for Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies FMP – Joint Comments from the Cities of Gloucester and New Bedford, Massachusetts

Dear Mr. Nies,

We are writing to express our shared opposition to the measures being considered under Amendment 23 to the Northeast Multispecies Fishery Management Plan, and accompanying Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS).

The Council’s preferred option of 100% At Sea Monitoring (ASM) target for groundfish sectors is excessive. Pursuing such regulatory action is completely misplaced when considering the social and economic impacts our communities are actively facing with the COVID-19 pandemic.

We strongly urge the Council to take a more mindful and realistic approach when considering monitoring requirements in the groundfish sector fishery. Such approaches should consider cost-effective monitoring programs that offer true benefits to those businesses required to cover the expenses. These approaches should be based on sound – quantitative analyses.

The Council should be following guidance as set forth in federal statutes such as National Standard 8:

§600.345 National Standard 8—Communities.

a. Standard 8. Conservation and management measures shall, consistent with the conservation requirements of the Magnuson-Stevens Act (including the prevention of overfishing and rebuilding of overfished stocks), take into account the importance of fishery resources to fishing communities by utilizing economic and social data that are based upon the best scientific information available in order to:

1. Provide for the sustained participation of such communities; and
2. To the extent practicable, minimize adverse economic impacts on such communities.

The Council should be focusing on regulatory actions that work to strengthen and enhance fishing operations and promote seafood security.

Notwithstanding the continued competitiveness of the Port’s scallop fleet, the makeup of the groundfish fleet is but a fraction of what it has historically been in the port of New Bedford. The port of New Bedford had 90 groundfish vessels in 2010 and by 2018 only 28 remained a loss of 70%. Currently New Bedford only has a few groundfish sectors whose members are landing ground fish in New Bedford. The list includes Sustainable Harvest Sector, Northeast Fishery Sectors 7, 8 and 13. Some of these sectors are represented by membership organizations, Northeast Seafood Coalition and the Associated Fisheries of Maine who have shared their serious concerns with the Amendment 23 measures and DEIS analyses.

The annual catch limit (ACL) reductions have made groundfish fishing less profitable. ACL reductions on stocks that were once key to New Bedford namely George’s Bank yellowtail, have led to loss markets and fishermen have either left the fishery, shifted fishing effort to George’s Bank haddock (underutilized) or moved on to other fisheries. In 2010 the port of New Bedford had $32 million of groundfish landings revenue compared to groundfish landings revenue of $10.4 in 2018 a loss of $22 million.

The proposed action would devastate the groundfish businesses that remain, as they will be unable to absorb the cost of monitoring against the backdrop of depressed prices and operating margins the industry has experienced. The groundfish sector monitoring costs range between $650.00 to $700.00 per person per day which translates to several thousand dollars per trip. Again, at a time when the unemployment rate is so high and our communities are facing the social and economic devastation from COVID- 19 pandemic, imposition of additional costs is inadvisable.

Similarly, the City of Gloucester has lost nearly two-thirds of the active groundfish fleet since the inception of sectors in 2010. The remaining vessels, operating predominately under NEFS II, simply do not have the ability to absorb the additional expenses of monitoring. Almost all of the vessels in NEFS II would go out of business if they had to pay this cost out of pocket. NEFS II would no longer be economically viable.

The DEIS is incorrect in asserting that electronic monitoring (EM) is a viable alternative to offset costs of human ASM. The devil is in the details on the EM programs. For a groundfish sector such as NEFS II, whose membership make the majority of their fishing revenue from groundfish fishing, the DEIS fails to provide critical details to rationally map out the viability of EM as a tool and the true costs that could be incurred if adopting EM to replace the human ASM program. The audit EM program is not a viable option for the vast majority of the membership of NEFS II. The members who have been using this program have identified numerous issues, such as fish handling and the loss of the opportunity to pursue fishing. Max retention EM may be an option in the future but it is in its infancy. DEIS should not have proposed EM as a viable mechanism to offset expected monitoring costs in the DEIS until it was fully developed, analyzed and approved by the Agency.

Based upon the Council’s Amendment 23 public hearing presentation, Gloucester has the highest concentration of active groundfish vessels (34) and revenues from groundfish trips ($1.6 million) throughout the region. This action is poised to disproportionately impact Gloucester’s fishing community.

The Cities of Gloucester and New Bedford cannot support the Council taking action on Amendment 23 at this time. We believe the proposed changes will adversely affect ground fishermen at a time when our fleet is facing uncertainty due to the pandemic.
If you have any questions or require any additional information please let us know.

Sincerely,
Mayor Sefatia Romeo Theken
City of Gloucester

Mayor Jon Mitchell
City of New Bedford

A flyer circulating in a local New Bedford Black Lives Matter Facebook group is pushing for attendance for a “lie-in” at the newly openened Trump store in Somerset this Sunday.

For the Lie-in, the flyer states they “will lie down on the sidewalk outside of the Trump store holding a sign with a name of a Black life you want to honor.”

“Jayson Andrew Lima has been missing from New Bedford for about 5 months. A police report was made. He’s 32 years old, about 5’5.

If you see Jayson please call the New Bedford Police at (508) 991-6300.”