While the COVID-19 infections continue to decrease, the COVID-19 related death numbers aren’t decreasing. New Bedford health officials reported three additional COVID-19 related deaths since Thursday, eight in the past three days, bringing the total to 80 in the city.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 15 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Friday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1,953, up from 1,938 on Thursday.

28 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River for the second consecutive day, according to the Mayor’s Office. This brings the total in Fall River to 1,419. Full details here.

The Department of Correction (DOC) announced Thursday that it met its goal on Monday of conducting universal COVID-19 testing, with 7,679 tests performed as of Wednesday and many inmates having been tested more than once. Full details here.

This conversation between a Dedham cop and a woman is going viral for good reason:

“So I am sitting in my cruiser typing a report and this woman just came up to me and asked me if she could talk to me for a second.

I said ‘Absolutely.’ and got out of my cruiser and spoke with her. The very first thing she said was she told me my life matters to her. She told me that she doesn’t see me as a white cop she sees me as a human and that we are all human and we are all the same. She then asked me if she could give me a hug which I accepted. I told her that her life mattered to me as well and we continued to chat for about 20 minutes about all that is going on in the world.

And during those twenty minutes, it wasn’t a cop and citizen or a cop and a black citizen talking. It was just two humans having a conversation. Before she left she gave me a small bible and told me that she will be praying for me. We need more people in the world like this woman.” -John Rinn.

Michael P. Norton
State House News Service

As Gov. Baker mulls ways to safely reopen businesses and on the heels of a jobs report showing the national jobless rate falling to 13.3 percent, President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Maine on Friday.

On Friday afternoon, Trump plans to participate in a roundtable with commercial fishermen in Bangor before visiting Guilford where he plans to tour Puritan Medical Products. He’s due back at the White House early Friday evening.

There are reports that the Trump administration is warming to the idea of spending $1 trillion in another round of economic stimulus as the nation tries to get back on its feet following the blow delivered by COVID-19. With many businesses itching to restart and avoid collapsing, Baker on Saturday plans to detail the timing of the second phase of his planned economic reopening. Massachusetts next week will mark its third full month in a state of emergency.

In a move with potential impacts on environmental policies, Trump signed an executive order Thursday instructing federal agencies to speed infrastructure projects and giving his agencies under his oversight 30 days to submit a list of projects that are being put on a fast track. Trump rarely visits New England and his arrival is expected to draw protesters amidst a growing movement for government and people to confront social injustices and systemic racism.

A wanted suspect was shot early this morning after police say he drove straight at a Trooper.

According to Dave Procopio of the Massachusetts State Police, Troop B was notified that police agencies in Vermont were looking for a Ford F-150 pickup occupied by a white male stemming from a reported carjacking in that state.

Information received by MSP is that the suspect was pursued by police in Vermont earlier today but was not captured. Further information indicated that the suspect had driven over the state line into Massachusetts.

An MSP cruiser located the vehicle this morning traveling on Route 2 eastbound, heading toward Shelburne Falls, and began to pursue.

Shortly prior to 9 a.m., an MSP Trooper positioned to the east of the approaching suspect vehicle near the Buckland-Shelburne line exited his cruiser and began to lay stop sticks onto the road to disable the truck.

Preliminary investigation indicates that as the Trooper was in the process of laying down the deflation device, the suspect vehicle approached and drove at him as he stood on the road. The Trooper fired his gun and struck the operator. The pickup truck struck the cruiser and continued to travel east on Route 2.

The pickup continued to travel east for several more miles on tires damaged by the deflation device. The suspect vehicle finally became disabled on Route 2 in Greenfield and the operator was taken into custody.

The operator was confirmed to be the suspect that Vermont police were seeking earlier in the day. The suspect was transported to Baystate Medical Center where he remains at this hour receiving emergency treatment.

The suspect is identified as Daniel Williams, 33, of South Burlington, Vermont.

The investigation into the incident is ongoing and is being conducted by State Police detectives with assistance from MSP Crime Scene Services and Ballistics units. As in all police-involved shootings, the incident will he reviewed by the district attorney.

The Community Foundation today announced $665,000 in grants to nonprofits providing significant emergency support for immigrants, emergency childcare facilities, and local college students in need.

These grants contribute to the more than $1.9 Million that the Community Foundation has allocated over the past several weeks through its SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund. The Fund supports nonprofits that are on the frontlines serving those in our region most severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the grants made, more than $130,000 was distributed to organizations responding to urgent financial needs occurring in immigrant households. These funds will provide direct assistance to immigrant families in need of food aid and rent assistance.

Another significant portion of this round’s funding supported the Southcoast’s emergency childcare facilities. The YMCA Southcoast, one such recipient, is steadfast in their mission, the improvement of the spiritual, mental, social, educational and physical conditions of all persons.

“We remain vigilant and committed to doing all we can to meet the needs of our community during this unprecedented time. With the award of emergency relief funds, we have been able to expand the availability of emergency day care to three of our six sites: New Bedford, Swansea and Wareham. Over 1,000 children have come through our doors while their parents and caregivers continue their brave work on the front line.” Said Jim Scherer, President and CEO of the YMCA. “Additionally, we continue to address food insecurity with our initiatives across YMCA Southcoast. Through our partnerships with local organizations, we have been able to distribute over 80,000 meals to families in need.”

And College students most in need will benefit from this latest tranche of grants as well. The Bristol Community College Foundation, along with the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, received a grant to provide direct support for students, covering expenses such as inability to pay rent and food insecurity. Laura L. Douglas, President of BCC said “We are delighted that these funds will support our dedicated students with their critical needs as they pursue their college dreams. Throughout this challenging time, many students and families have lost jobs and assumed new technology costs during the transition to learning remotely, including Wi-Fi or additional equipment. As a result, many students have sacrificed or delayed expenses such as food, rent and transportation. These funds will assist our students with essential needs, and we are very grateful.”

This fourth round of grants from the Fund was made possible through the Community Foundation’s partnership with the Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund. The Massachusetts COVID-19 Relief Fund supports those across the state most impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis, focusing on essential frontline workers and vulnerable populations including the homeless, immigrant populations, people with disabilities and those facing food insecurity. The Fund works in concert with regional community foundations and non-profit leaders who partner with local leaders to understand the response and relief landscape, strategically filling in where gaps are pronounced. For more information, visit MACovid19ReliefFund.org.

“Well into the third month of this pandemic, the need remains incredible as it has revealed the many weaknesses in our society’s ability to take care of our residents. The innovation, clarity, and facility with which our non-profit organizations and schools have risen to the challenge is nothing short of awesome. We are proud to be able to partner with so many of them”, said John Vasconcellos, President of the Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts.

To date, the Fund has raised more than $2.8 million from a wide range of corporate donors, foundations, and individuals, in response to the Community Foundation’s call to come together on behalf of our community.

Details of each grantee’s work can be found listed below. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $110,000 were distributed to the following organizations:

Grantees:

• Attleboro YMCA
• Boys & Girls Club of Plymouth
• Bristol Community College Foundation
• Catholic Social Services of Fall River, Inc.
• Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores
• Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County, a program of JRI
• Citizens for Citizens, Inc.
• Coastline Elderly Services, Inc.
• Family Service Association of Greater Fall River Inc.
• House of Possibilities, Inc. (HOPe)
• Immigrants’ Assistance Center
• Katie Brown Educational Program
• Kennedy-Donovan Center, Inc.
• M.O. L.I.F.E., Inc.
• New Bedford Star Kids Scholarship Program
• NorthStar Learning Centers, Inc.
• Samaritans of FR/NB, Inc.
• Schwartz Center for Children
• Seven Hills Behavioral Health, Inc.
• Southeastern Massachusetts Ser-Jobs for Progress Inc.
• The Arc of Bristol County
• The Bridge: A Center for Hope and Healing
• The Literacy Center, Inc.
• The Women’s Center
• United Way of Greater New Bedford
• YMCA Southcoast
• Joe Andruzzi Foundation, Inc.
• UMASS Dartmouth Foundation

Next round of grants is scheduled to be open June 12th, 2020. Please visit our website at that time for further directions to apply.

How to give
You can help those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting our region’s nonprofits on the front lines. Donations to the SouthCoast Emergency Response Fund may be made online at https://cfsema.securepayments.cardpointe.com/pay.
For general questions and inquiries about the Fund, please direct your inquiry to emergencyfund@cfsema.org. For any questions regarding making a donation, please contact the Community Foundation’s Development Manager, Tricia Grime at pgrime@cfsema.org. Lastly, for media inquiries and interview requests, please contact Jasmyn Baird at jbaird@cfsema.org.

Michael P. Norton
State House News Service

The Department of Correction (DOC) announced Thursday that it met its goal on Monday of conducting universal COVID-19 testing, with 7,679 tests performed as of Wednesday and many inmates having been tested more than once.

So far, according to the DOC, 390 inmates have tested positive, for a positivity rate of 5.07 percent. Of those cases, 339 inmates have recovered and about 50 have an active diagnosis. There have been three or fewer positive cases at 11 of the 16 facilities that DOC oversees, with no positive cases at seven facilities. The testing was conducted by mobile teams consisting of DOC employees and workers at Wellpath, which provides medical services to the department. The Department of Fire Services and Brewster Ambulance Service also helped with testing.

Mobile testing will continue within all facilities on a “strategic basic” and “any inmate who meets criteria for testing is tested, and any inmate requiring a hospital-level of care is hospitalized.” The department confirmed eight COVID-19 deaths to date.

The City of New Bedford has roadwork sites for the upcoming week of June 8, 2020 –June 12, 2020 and they are as follows:

Eversource:

Eversource will replace the gas mains at the following locations:

• Tarkiln Hill Rd. and Park Ave. from Tarkiln Hill Rd. to Church St.
• Hill St. from Hillman St. to Mill St.
• Hillman St. from County St. to Pleasant St.
• Cottage St. from Parker St. Campbell St.

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 (Monday – Friday), police details and traffic controls will be in place.
• Department of Public Infrastructure will be filling potholes on a continuous basis throughout the city.
• Department of Public Infrastructure conducting its annual street sweeping program city-wide.
• The contractor (WES Construction) is scheduled to continue construction of the new pumping station and installation of the site utilities 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.
• 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.

New Bedford health officials reported two additional COVID-19 related deaths since Wednesday, five in the past two days, bringing the total to 77.

Mayor Jon Mitchell’s office reported 15 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases in New Bedford on Thursday, bringing the total positive cases in the city to 1,938, up from 1,923 on Wednesday.

28 additional cases of COVID-19 have been identified in Fall River, according to the Mayor’s Office. This brings the total in Fall River to 1,391. Full details here.

Gov. Charlie Baker brushed off the idea of imposing a statewide curfew on Monday after violence followed protests against police brutality a day earlier, and criticized President Donald Trump’s leadership as “nowhere to be found” amid a time of massive social upheaval. Full details here.

Six Bristol County Sheriff’s Office staff members and seven county inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 since May 28.

Five of the six staff members to test positive since May 28 are corrections officers while the other is a classification counselor. The six new cases brings the BCSO total to 40 staff members since the beginning of March. Of those 40, 27 have recovered and returned to duty and 12 remain away from the facility recovering, all of whom are expected to be fine and return in the coming weeks. One individual resigned after recovering.

The seven new cases brings the total number of county inmates who have tested positive for COVID to 39, 24 of whom have recovered and returned to general population. Eleven remain in medical isolation being monitored by health care professionals and four were released as their sentences ended.

Over the past few months, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has instituted many protocols to protect inmates, detainees and staff from the Coronavirus outbreak. Some of those measures include:

· All employees were given masks that must be worn inside the secure perimeter of our facilities. All inmates and detainees have also been given masks to wear for protection.

· All areas of the facility are being cleaned\disinfected every day on every shift.

· All staff members are being screened before entering the buildings; new arriving inmates are being screened before being accepted into custody.

· In-person visitation has been suspended to limit the number of people coming in and out.

MaskNB, an initiative announced by Mayor Jon Mitchell in partnership with the Southeastern Massachuestts chapter of the American Red Cross and Joseph Abboud Manufacturing Corporation, will continue mask distribution this weekend, June 6 and 7, at New Bedford High School’s parking lot.

Distribution began last week, with thousands of masks provided to residents of Ward 1 and Ward 2. The distribution of cloth masks at no cost to City residents continues with Ward 3 and 4 residents this weekend, as the distribution is organized by Ward. The distribution will be done through an organized drive-through system for cars, observing social distancing. Residents are asked to limit their mask requests to those in their household and/or any elderly or vulnerable neighbors (who have been advised against leaving their homes).

On Saturday, June 6, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., residents of Ward 3 may pick up masks at New Bedford High School’s parking lot, 230 Hathaway Boulevard. Ward 3 contains many central areas of the city including the neighborhoods around New Bedford High School, the neighborhoods on and around Hathaway Road, most of Sawyer Street and its intersecting roads, and the neighborhoods off Mount Pleasant Street between Austin Street and Nauset Street.

On Sunday, June 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., residents of Ward 4 may pick up masks at New Bedford High School’s parking lot, 230 Hathaway Boulevard. Ward 4 is located in the center and south of the center of the city, including the downtown area, most of the streets between Elm and Parker Street, including Kempton Street east of Rockdale Avenue and its intersecting streets, and the neighborhoods to the south of the downtown, along Purchase Street south to Rivet Street.
Residents of Ward 5 and Ward 6 may pick up masks the weekend of June 13 and 14.

Any resident who is unsure of the Ward in which they live may visit wheredoivotema.com and enter their address. This website provides polling location, and the first information noted is the Ward in which the resident lives. Residents do not need to be registered voters to use this online tool.
Under the MaskNB distribution plan, interested residents in each of the City’s six Wards will have an opportunity to obtain free cloth face masks at New Bedford High School, 230 Hathaway Boulevard, on the following assigned dates and times:

Ward 3: Saturday, June 6 – 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Ward 4: Sunday, June 7 – 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Ward 5: Saturday, June 13 – 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Ward 6: Sunday, June 14 – 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Ward 1 and Ward 2 distribution took place last weekend. The dates are listed at www.masknb.com. Additional dates may be announced based on available supplies.

Residents should arrive at the main vehicle entrance of New Bedford High School, located at 230 Hathaway Boulevard, and remain in their vehicles as Red Cross volunteers hand out masks based on their requests. Residents are asked to limit their mask requests to those in their household and/or any elderly or vulnerable neighbors (who have been advised against leaving their homes).

Mayor Jon Mitchell announced the MaskNB initiative on May 14. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend the wearing of cloth face coverings in public where social distancing is difficult to maintain; cloth face coverings are not a substitute for medical-grade masks, but provide more protection against the spread of viruses than not covering one’s face. More information about the use and effectiveness of cloth face coverings to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is available at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html.