Editor’s note: Massachusetts is #3 and Rhode Island is #5 (not #2 and #4 as reported earlier). The CDC separates New York City from New York, putting New York state at #7 on their list by state, but that doesn’t change the fact that New Jersey and New York are the worst-hit states by deaths for 100,000, then Massachusetts. To be more accurate, we are changing the title and updating the article.

While new COVID-19 infections in Massachusetts are way off from their highs at the peak of the crisis, the overall COVID-19 death rate tells a different story.

As of August 9th, Massachusetts had the third-highest and Rhode Island had the fifth-highest COVID-19 death rate per 100,000 listed by state (The CDC separates New York City from New York – but we will keep New York at #1). Massachusetts totaled 126 deaths per 100,000 people and Rhode Island totaled 96 deaths per 100,000 people. Only New Jersey’s 178 per 100,000 was higher than Massachusetts. New York City had a whopping 281 deaths per 100,000 people, mostly due to New York Governor Cuomo in late March ordering nursing homes to accept coronavirus patients from hospitals.

Although the national media has focused on Florida’s recent high infection numbers, Flordia ranked 18th on the CDC’s list with 38 deaths per 100,000 – putting Massachusetts at more than three times the death rate than Florida.

As of August 9th, Massachusetts has tested 1,311,358 residents, reported 112,459 confirmed COVID-19 cases, and reported 8,514 COVID-19 related deaths. The average age of death is 82-years old with 98.2% of the deaths reported having preexisting health conditions. No one under 20 years old has died from COVID-19 in Massachusetts. All of these statistics can be seen on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website here.

At approximately 3:15 p.m. today Troopers assigned to State Police-Charlton responded to reports of a motor vehicle crash involving a pedestrian on Route 90 eastbound at the 105 mile marker in Hopkinton.

Upon their arrival, they observed a 2013 Mazda CX-5, operated by a 40-year-old male from Hebron, Ct., that struck a pedestrian, Laurie Cain, 65 of Andover Connecticut, in the travel lane of Route 90 eastbound.

Westboro and Hopkinton Fire and EMS responded and pronounced the pedestrian deceased at the scene. Members of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner responded as well.

The cause and circumstances of the crash, including why the pedestrian was in the roadway, remain under investigation by Troopers assigned to State Police-Charlton, Middlesex County State Police Detective Unit, Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section, and Crime Scene Services. Troopers were assisted on scene by MassDOT, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and Westboro and Hopkinton Fire & EMS.

Yesterday at approximately 3:30 p.m. Troopers assigned to State Police-Foxboro responded to reports of a single vehicle crash, with serious injuries, on Route 95 northbound in the area of Exit 9 in Sharon.

Upon their arrival they observed a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado, operated by Christopher Smith, 54, of Waltham, that had struck a guardrail then continued into the woodline, where it struck a tree. Smith was the sole occupant of the vehicle.

Sharon Fire and EMS responded to the scene and pronounced Smith deceased at the scene. Members of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner responded to the scene as well.

The cause and circumstances of the crash remain under investigation by Troopers assigned to State Police-Foxboro, State Police Troop H Detective Unit, Collision Analysis Reconstruction Section, and Crime Scene Services. Troopers were assisted on scene by MassDOT, Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, and Concord Fire & EMS.

At about 8:30 a.m., Trooper Ryan Boswell, a recent graduate of the 85th RTT, and his Field Training Officer who is assigned to the Troop D Community Action Team stopped a Jeep Compass with a Virginia Registration for a hands free violation. The motor vehicle stop occurred on Deane St. in New Bedford.

As Troopers approached the vehicle they observed the operator, JOUSEPH PACHECO, 20 of New Bedford, quickly close the glove box before removing the gloves on his hands and tossed them on the floor board.

PACHECO was unable to produce a valid driver’s license and was asked to exit the Jeep. As a result of a search of the vehicle troopers located a loaded Jimenez .25 caliber handgun with two rounds of ammunition, two large clear bags of Marijuana, a digital scale and $267.00 in the glove box. PACHECO does not possess a license to carry.

PACHECO was placed under arrest and transported to State Police – Dartmouth where he was booked on the following charges:

1. Carrying a Loaded Firearm;
2. Possession / Carrying a Firearm;
3. Drug, Possess To Distribute Class D;
4. Unlicensed Operation of Motor Vehicle;
5. Holding Electronic Device, Non Hands-Free;
6. Fail to Signal; and
7. Fail Wear To Wear Seat Belt.

PACHECO was transported to the Ash Street Jail where he will be held pending his arraignment Monday in New Bedford District Court.

A 20-year-old New Bedford man suffered serious injuries in a rollover crash early this morning on Route 195 eastbound in Seekonk. A Massachusetts State Trooper who was helping investigate the crash sustained minor injuries when his cruiser was struck at the scene.

Troopers from State Police-Dartmouth responded to the initial crash, a single-vehicle rollover, at 3:22 a.m. Responding Troopers and other emergency personnel found the driver and line occupant of the 2007 Ford Focus with life-threatening injuries. The victim was transported by paramedics to Rhode Island Hospital.

Because of the severity of the man’s injuries, Troopers from the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section (CARS), Crime Scene Services Section, and State Police Detective Unit for Bristol County responded to assist in the investigation. While on scene a 2015 Ford Explorer cruiser, occupied by a Trooper assigned to CARS, was struck by a passing 2020 Toyota RAV4 driven by a 74-year-old Yarmouthport woman. The 32-year-old male Trooper sustained minor injuries and was transported to Rhode Island Hospital for examination, and later released. The driver of the RAV4 was not transported and is expected to be cited.

Another CARS Trooper responded to the scene and continued the crash reconstruction.

The investigation into the cause of the initial crash is ongoing.

Both New Bedford Guide and Fall River Reporter asked the community about their experience with the Massachusetts Pandemic Unemployment Assistance office. Many people sent messages about the dreadful customer service, the near-impossible standards that need to be met, the snail-like pace they have in responding, their identities being stolen which lead to denial of assistance to the person who did nothing wrong, and a host of other negative issues.

Have you had a negative experience with the Massachusetts Pandemic Unemployment Assistance office? Email info#newbedfordguide.com.

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“Regarding unemployment. Took me months to get it. Still have not received a nickel for my daughter. Have uploaded birth certificate, tax return and social security number. They either can’t verify she exists or they say she’s not a US resident. Been an ongoing issue since March.”-Dan Martins.

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“I applied for PUA 14 weeks ago. I received a determination that I was approved but payments were pending due to an unresolved issue. The issue is proving my identity.

I am 55 and sent them what I had, an expired photo id, my social security card, and an old birth certificate. I was denied because they could not prove my identity. They asked for nothing more.

Someone told me I needed a newer birth certificate and should have sent a marriage certificate to prove the name change. These things cost money, which I don’t have because my unemployment hasn’t paid.

I filed an appeal but was told that they have no idea when they would be doing them. I am to the point where I don’t even know why I bother to claim every week. Heck, I even had taxes taken out. All I can do now is wait.” -Anonymous.

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“On April 4th I started receiving unemployment assistance. On May 16th my claim was canceled.

Apparently they could not confirm my identity and there was fraud and stolen identities across the state. After weeks of hang ups, being put on hold, asking for a status on the claim, I finally got a request for more documents. I then sent my birth certificate, my social security card front and back, my 2019 tax returns, my license front and back (though it was expired, it was a real license), and a selfie with me holding the license.

Then followed another few weeks of “hang ups, being put on hold, asking for a status on the claim.” I received a letter saying that they lifted to denial and the documents were sufficient.

A few days later they reneged and said it wasn’t enough and I was back on denial. By this time it has been about 7-8 weeks of me with zero incoming coming in, meanwhile having to pay rent, utilities, internet, groceries, etc.

I immediately filed an appeal and went back into the cycle of “hang ups, being put on hold, asking for a status on the claim.” for almost 2 weeks before I finally go a live person to talk to. John was VERY nice, said he would talk to his supervisor. This was about July 28th. He got back on the phone and said “We never received your proof that you filed taxes in 2019, please resend that with anything else that would prove your identity. This is when I explained my expired driver’s licenses.

I had a stroke which left me with partial blindness in both eyes, partial paralysis on my left side, loss of balance and I was not having any more acute strokes, but was having micro-strokes averaging a few times a month. I did not renew my driver’s license because of my eye and balance issues, and because of the strokes I was continuing to have which could lead to serious injury (myself or others) or even death if I had one while driving.

I did what John asked, I sent all of the documents I mentioned above, PLUS gas and electric bills, my medical records, my Census receipt after I filled it out, proof of health care, and a 1099-HC – all documents with my name and address on them. He also mentioned that any appeal hearings wouldn’t happen until the end of the year – that means I am supposed to suck it up and accept the loss of income the past few months and wait 6 more months for it to be resolved.

That is unacceptable and what is also unacceptable is to ask people to be in a financial hole for a VERY SIMPLE issue that can be easily resolved in minutes – not months. The documents I provided – almost a dozen – were sufficient.

The irony of it all is that they are simultaneously denying my appeal, discontinued my assistance, and demanding I pay the money back. Think about that for a minute.

Who are they going to go after to get the past assistance checks before my discontinuation? So, they believe I am who I say I am enough to go after me to get past checks, but not enough to continue it? They will bang on my door, say I am not who I say I am but asking that very same person to pay back past money? Well, which one is it? Am I who I say I am or not? It would be funny if it wasn’t so sad.

There is no other way to explain this beyond simple incompetence.”-Anonymous.

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“I saw your post on Facebook and had to email and share my dreadful experience with unemployment.

I was a senior at UMass Amherst when the pandemic hit. We were sent home for Spring Break on March 13th and told that classes would be delayed for the two weeks following break, and then the situation would be re-evaluated for the remainder of the semester. I began my drive home only to receive an email during the drive saying that classes were officially canceled for the school year. I was almost home when it hit me that my income and employment were going to come to a screeching halt. At school, I worked three jobs and was a babysitter once a week. After we were sent home, I was thankfully able to keep one of those jobs, working as a remote Resident Assistant.

I had heard that unemployment benefits could be collected if you had a significant decrease in your income, which I did. So, I applied for the regular Unemployment Insurance which I was denied from because I did not make enough money, which is ironic to me. Then, I heard about the PUA program that was described to me as Unemployment for those who were working part-time and “gig” jobs. I was grateful to have this option and was approved for PUA. I received about 5 weeks of benefits until I was notified that someone tried to use my information to collect, so I was asked to verify my identity. After I did that, they denied all of the remaining weeks and told me I was supposed to be collecting Unemployment Insurance rather than Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.

Ever since then, I have been jumping through all of the hoops that they have presented, but make nearly impossible. I have been on the phone with them countless amounts of times trying to straighten things out, but usually, just end up having to submit more verification or information. It has been the most frustrating process, as I am eligible for about three and a half months’ worth of benefits, but have only received about a month’s worth. I was out of work for months, making no money and at my current summer camp job, our hours were severely cut due to the lack of campers attending. I am thankful for what I did receive, and I understand that other people are struggling more than I am, but it has all been such a headache. Being a recent undergraduate, I am now entering the workforce in a recession and without the money that I qualified for.

Thanks for letting me share my story!”-Kristina Mello.

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“I am a victim of identity theft. I work hard as a CNA and took care of my mother who was in hospice. My mom just passed away on June 30th and I went back to work. My first day back my client had a situation that put me out of work I then applied for unemployment.

Long story short I found out that I was a victim of fraud and still haven’t received anything. I have nothing and to make the situation worse I now have found out that my bank account as well has been compromised. I don’t get it. I have filed all paperwork with the state police local and unemployment fraud paperwork as well. SMH! Nobody cares”-Missy Bryant.

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Gov. Charlie Baker has had enough of people holding large private gatherings and disregarding COVID-19 mitigation strategies like social distancing. So on Friday, he indefinitely paused the state’s economic reopening, lowered the outdoor gathering limit, and empowered the police to enforce coronavirus-related orders.

Amid reports of large parties and unauthorized gatherings, Baker said “some residents feel a bit too relaxed about the seriousness of this virus.” He said he was putting the tighter restrictions in place in response to the uptick in COVID-19 cases that Massachusetts has seen in recent weeks.

“People need to understand that big groups — especially if people don’t distance and don’t wear face coverings, and don’t do any of the things that have been talked about and discussed time and time again — create, in many cases, spread,” Baker said during a State House press conference. “And that’s a big part of why we’re enhancing enforcement for local police and State Police, and why we’re lowering our gathering limit for outdoor events, and why we’re also, at the same time, going to engage a multidisciplinary effort around public health and public safety with the communities that have demonstrated that they are, in fact, higher-risk here in Massachusetts.”

The number of active COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts rose nearly 25 percent between July 29 and Aug. 5, and has been steady or climbing for nearly a month as new COVID-19 infections are once again outpacing recoveries.

The governor said the second step of Phase 3 of the state’s reopening plan will be put on hold and the gathering limit for any outdoor event will be reduced from 100 to 50 as of Tuesday. The limit for indoor gatherings will remain at 25, but Baker said the limits apply to all types of locations on public or private property. The revised order also mandates that everyone wears a mask or face covering anywhere that more than 10 people from different households could mix.

Movie theaters, gyms, casinos, museums and more were allowed to reopen in early July as part of Phase 3. The Baker administration referred to it as “Step One of Phase III” but did not fully detail what would be included in the second step of Phase 3. On the state’s reopening website, it lists indoor theater or concert hall performances, and laser tag, roller skating, trampolines and obstacle courses as the activities that would be allowed to reopen in step two of Phase 3.

Baker said Friday that he was authorizing all state and local police to enforce the orders, and that people who host events — even on private property — that exceed gathering limits will be subject to fines. He also announced the creation of a COVID Enforcement and Intervention Team that will ramp up enforcement efforts and coordinate intervention efforts in yet-to-be-named high-risk communities.

“We have to work hard, always, harder in some respects than ever, to contain COVID-19 and keep our economy open for business,” Baker said. “We also want to keep this virus out of our communities as we head into the fall so we can give our kids a chance to get back to school.”

The governor’s end-of-week announcement was met with scorn from the National Federation of Independent Business, which whacked Baker for slowing down the timeline to reopen for businesses.

“It is extremely disappointing that Governor Baker is choosing to roll back the state’s reopening, especially with Massachusetts now facing the worst unemployment rate in the nation. Many of these businesses, that were patiently waiting for Phase 3 part 2 to begin, may now never reopen their doors again,” Christopher Carlozzi, state director of the local chapter of NFIB, said. “Instead of delaying the opening of certain businesses, many taking every step imaginable to keep workers and customers safe, the administration should pursue the private gatherings that are causing the problems.”

Though he said there have been issues with restaurants and bars — “bars are closed in Massachusetts and bars masquerading as restaurants also need to be closed,” he said — the governor on Friday suggested that the coronavirus is primarily spreading in Massachusetts at social gatherings, not mainly in the workplace or at businesses that have reopened.

“When you chase a lot of the contact tracing, the biggest issue we have is people who are familiar with people being familiar with them in big groups,” he said.

He added, “If you think about a party, take a Fourth of July party or even a birthday party: 40 or 50 people in somebody’s backyard, moms and dads, the kids, all the rest; nobody wearing a face mask, nobody socially distancing; one or two people there who are asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic; hugs, handshakes, high fives, dancing, who knows, right? A whole bunch of people walk away from there little ticking clocks that are gonna go off at some point. And they go back home and they pass it along to a few people in their family and then we’re off.”

To deal with some of the problems reported at restaurants, Baker said Friday that his office had updated guidance for restaurants to make clear that they cannot act as de facto bars, which are slated to remain closed until there is a medical breakthrough to treat or cure COVID-19.

“One of the things that’s come up a number of times is that pretzels and potato chips meets the food service requirement. It clearly doesn’t,” he said. “What we tried to do with the amendment of the order is make absolutely clear you need to be serving food that’s prepared on-site and the people who are in your venue need to order and eat food if they’re going to order a drink.”

The administration also revealed plans Friday for a multi-agency COVID Enforcement and Intervention Team. Led by the Executive Office and Public Safety and Security and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, the team will also include officials from the state’s COVID-19 Command Center, the Massachusetts State Police, Department of Labor Standards, Division of Professional Licensure, Department of Public Health, Division of Local Services, Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission and the Executive Office of Technology Services and Security.

“This team will coordinate an increased enforcement effort across the state to ensure businesses and residents are aware of and are following the COVID-19 orders. By authorizing state and local police to enforce these orders, we can not only increase the number of people who will be out there and able to enforce these measures, but also ensure that there are penalties for those who refuse to make the adjustments that so many other people in Massachusetts have made and continue to make,” Baker said. “Secondly, the COVID-19 Command Center will identify higher-risk communities that we can work with collaboratively to help them deal with their outbreaks. This will be different in every town, but it will include things like helping a town access additional federal relief funds if circumstances warrant it. It will also likely include significant assistance to ramp up enforcement with respect to businesses, face coverings and gathering orders.”

Baker said the higher-risk communities will be identified using public health data, but will not be named until next week. He said he would have more to say on Tuesday.

“We still have some homework to do in terms of reaching out to and engaging the communities that, based on the public health data, are going to fall into this higher-risk category and we want to make sure we have a chance to talk to them and to start beginning the process of integrating our efforts with theirs before we name names,” he said.

A man who had two prior rape convictions, and had recently set free by Massachusetts Bail Fund after they posted the $15,000 bail, is charged with a new rape.

At about 1:28 PM on Wednesday, August 5, 2020, officers assigned to District B-3 (Mattapan) responded to a radio call to assist Boston EMS with an assault victim in the area of Blue Hill Ave and Wales Street in Dorchester.

On arrival, officers spoke to the adult female victim who was transported to a local hospital for treatment.

Following an extensive investigation by the Boston Police Department Sexual Assault Unit, a suspect was identified and taken into custody.

Officers arrested Shawn McClinton, 39-years-old, of Dorchester. McClinton is expected to be arraigned in Dorchester District Court on charges of Aggravated Rape, Armed Kidnapping with Sexual Assault, Strangulation, and Assault by means of a Dangerous Weapon.

The Massachusetts Bail Fund whose slogan is “Free Them All” opposes the bail system because they believe it is unfair to those with a lower income and because it is doesn’t work in preventing crime.

The New Bedford City Council has held four formal meetings to finalize the City of New Bedford budget for 2021 – two councilors have been completely absent from all four meetings with another attending only half of them.

New Bedford Guide requested the budget attendance logs with Assistant City Council Clerk Susan Henriques. The attendance records revealed that At-large City Councilor Debora Coelho and Ward 3 City Councilor Hugh Dunn have not attended any of the four meetings and At-large City Councilor Brian Gomes has attended two of them. In Feb of 2020, Councilor Debora Coelho announced that after 14-years on the city council she would retire at the end of this current term that started in January and lasts two years.

Seven of the eleven city councilors have attended all four budget meetings; Ian Abreu, Naomi Carney, Linda Morad, William Markey, Derek Baptiste, Scott Lima, and Joe Lopes. Councilor Giesta missed one meeting due to a family emergency.

Councilor Dunn explained his absence: “I have reviewed the budget book extensively and prefer to go directly to department heads when there are questions. I feel it is important to clarify that these are discretionary briefings, no votes take place at the meetings, and they are recorded and available to be viewed after the fact if necessary. My absence has no impact on my ability to effectively represent my constituents as we navigate the budget process.”

Councilors Coelho and Gomes were emailed and given a full day to provide a comment but didn’t respond at the time of this article being published.

Finalizing the City budget is one of the critical roles of the City Council. Mayor Mitchell presented his 2021 City Budget before the New Bedford City Council on Wednesday, July 15, via virtual meeting due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The budget total is $365 million, but the City Council can make cuts to it or leave it alone. Councilors meet with department heads to discuss their portion of the budgets and then make cuts based on these discussions. The size of the budget will also play a major role in property tax increases or fee hikes. Additionally, Mayor Mitchell has proposed closing the downtown police station and decommissioning Engine 8 – decisions the City Council will have to approve.

There are six total budget meetings this year with the final two meetings among department heads scheduled for 10 and 12 August. The final budget meeting and vote is on Aug 24.

Here are the attendance logs for the first four New Bedford City Council budget meetings:

Monday, July 27, 2020

PRESENT:

• ABREU
• BAPTISTE
• CARNEY
• GIESTA
• LIMA
• LOPES
• MARKEY
• MORAD

Wednesday, July 29, 2020

PRESENT:

• ABREU
• BAPTISTE
• CARNEY
• GOMES
• LIMA
• LOPES
• MARKEY
• MORAD

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

PRESENT:

• ABREU
• BAPTISTE
• CARNEY
• GIESTA
• GOMES
• LIMA
• LOPES
• MARKEY
• MORAD

Thursday, August 6, 2020

PRESENT:

• ABREU
• BAPTISTE
• CARNEY
• GIESTA
• LIMA
• LOPES
• MARKEY
• MORAD

While Massachusetts already requires high-poverty schools to provide breakfast to eligible students, that has left those kids who show up late to school late without a meal.

On Tuesday, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a bill that will help high-poverty schools serve breakfast after the start of the school day – something that could potentially provide breakfast to 150,000 students in approximately 600 schools. Massachusetts Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett), and State Reps. Andy Vargas (D-Lawrence) and Aaron Vega (D-Holyoke) filed the bills that became the Breakfast After the Bell law.

This means that starting in 2022, any school where at least 60% of the students are eligible for free or reduced meals must also offer breakfast after the bell with the option to pick up the meal later in the day and even eat it in class.

The ability to have breakfast before the school day starts is said to not only improve a child’s health but improve attendance, the ability to focus or concentrates which will lead to better academic achievement.