Tom Petty fan? Here’s J.Kelley performing ‘Learning to Fly” on New Bedford Guide weekly.
Catch his interview here: https://www.facebook.com/NewBedfordGuide/videos/487858588700111/
Check out Jason’s schedule and albums here: https://jkelleymusic.com/
Special Weather Statement in effect from 1:00 PM until 10:00 PM EDT.
Two rounds of showers/thunder today, one this morning and a second this afternoon/evening. Some of the afternoon/evening storms may produce strong wind gusts and heavy downpours. Keep an eye to the sky if you are outside this afternoon.
A frontal system will approach the region, bringing the threat for strong thunderstorms this afternoon across north-central and western Massachusetts, then will cross the remainder of the region through the afternoon into early tonight.
Some of these storms may become severe, with the main threats of strong to damaging winds as well as heavy rainfall that may produce localized highway and street flooding. There is also a chance for large hail.
The showers and thunderstorms are expected to arrive at around 1:00PM and linger through 10:00PM, then should slowly weaken through the remainder of the night.
Household Hazardous Waste can be brought to the Crapo Hill Landfill, 300 Samuel Barnet Boulevard, New Bedford. from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
Banned or Unregistered Pesticides:
Call the manufacturer or go online to learn if the pesticide is banned or no longer registered for use. If so, save in original container for the next household hazardous waste day.
• DO NOT triple rinse containers for banned or unregistered pesticides.
Registered Pesticides, Empty Containers:
• DO NOT recycle or reuse pesticide containers. Take the following steps:
1. Fill the empty pesticide containers with cold water and use the rinse water as if it were the full-strength product, in accordance with the label instructions.
2. Repeat this procedure two more times.
3. Do NOT pour rinse water down the drains.
4. Once the container is empty and triple rinsed, it should be wrapped in newspaper and disposed of in the trash.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has notified the New Bedford Health Department of the finding of West Nile Virus in a primarily bird-biting mosquito sample obtained in the vicinity of Oak Grove Cemetery in New Bedford. The mosquito is of the Culex pipiens/restuans complex species and is mainly bird-biting.
Second Round of State Aerial Sprayings Planned
MDPH and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources announced plans today for a second round of aerial sprayings in certain areas of Bristol and Plymouth counties overnight on Wednesday, August 21.
For more information: https://www.mass.gov/news/state-officials-announce-plans-to-conduct-second-round-of-aerial-spraying-for-mosquitoes-in.
Dusk Closures Continue
The City of New Bedford recently began closing parks and other open public spaces at dusk in response to the risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE). Multiple positive tests of mosquitoes with EEE in New Bedford and surrounding municipalities have led the state’s Department of Public Health to classify the risk level in Greater New Bedford as ‘critical’ for EEE. Closures will continue until Friday, September 13; park lights will be turned off at dusk (approximately 7:30 p.m.). The park closures will be reevaluated and the City will announce its plans from September 13 onward. Athletic leagues and other organizations utilizing the park should not continue their activities beyond dusk, due to the increased risk of EEE.
Ground Sprayings Continue
Ground spraying for mosquitoes will continue through the summer in the early mornings of Fridays and Tuesdays. Friday rounds of spraying will target areas including Buttonwood Park, Brooklawn Park, Fort Taber, Hazelwood Park, Riverside Park, Clasky Common Park, Ashley Park, the Poor Farm area, Custom House Square and the downtown area. Tuesday rounds of spraying will target the far North End of the city, including the areas surrounding the New Bedford Business Park, New Bedford Regional Airport, Sassaquin Pond, and Acushnet Avenue north of Phillips Avenue. Ground spraying occurs place between 2:00 am and sunrise on Friday and Tuesday morning, weather permitting. Residents in the vicinity of the targeted areas may wish to close their windows this evening prior to the spraying.
Precautionary Measures
The same precautionary measures are advised for EEE, West Nile Virus, and the Zika virus. These include the following:
Avoid Mosquito Bites
Ø Be Aware of Peak Mosquito Hours – While mosquitoes are out at all hours of the day, their peak biting times are from dusk to dawn. Consider rescheduling outdoor activities that occur during evening or early morning. Otherwise, take extra care to use repellent and protective clothing, especially if you work or spend a lot of time outdoors.
Ø Clothing Can Help Reduce Mosquito Bites. Although it may be difficult to do when it’s hot, wearing long-sleeves, long pants and socks when outdoors will help keep mosquitoes away from your skin.
Ø Apply Insect Repellent when you go outdoors. Use a repellent with DEET (N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide), permethrin, picaridin (KBR 3023), IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus [p-methane 3, 8-diol (PMD)] according to the instructions on the product label. DEET products should not be used on infants under two months of age and should be used in concentrations of 30% or less on older children. Oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under three years of age. Permethrin products are intended for use on items such as clothing, shoes, bed nets and camping gear and should not be applied to skin.
Mosquito-Proof Your Home
Ø Drain Standing Water – Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water. Limit the number of places around your home for mosquitoes to breed by either draining or getting rid of items that hold water. Check rain gutters and drains. Empty any unused flowerpots and wading pools, and change water in birdbaths frequently.
Ø Install or Repair Screens – Some mosquitoes like to come indoors. Keep them outside by having tightly-fitting screens on all of your windows and doors.
“Hi, New Bedford Guide,
I am writing to you today to bring awareness to a neighborhood that has become a dumping ground. I’ve lived in this neighborhood my whole life and also attended this beautiful school that is now a dumping ground and no one is doing anything about it.
Dunbar School on Dartmouth St. in the south end of New Bedford closed its doors in 2011 and it sat vacant until a private contractor (Sherwood Building Co. Inc.) purchased the property for $40,000 in 2016. – something residents were never made aware of.
They have not taken care of this property as you can see from the photos. There are multiple violation tags taped to the door and still nothing.
I figure if I can bring awareness to this issue something can be done. It only takes one person to care enough about the community and our neighborhoods to make a difference and we as a community cannot allow this disgusting mess to ruin our city.
I hope maybe if people hear about this something will be done about it
Thank You,
Anonymous”
A 38-year-old Brockton man who, while armed with a knife, robbed a hotel clerk in Raynham last year was sentenced last week to serve six to eight years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.
Joseph Pierce pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to a single indictment charging him with armed robbery. The defendant is also awaiting trial for similar robberies of hotels in Waltham and Boston and has a lengthy history of arrests and convictions for larcenies, firearm crimes and narcotics.
On Sunday, October 28, 2018, at 2:00am, Raynham Police were dispatched to the Courtyard Marriott Hotel at 37 Paramount Drive for a robbery. Upon arrival, police spoke with the female clerk, who was visibly upset and broke down crying multiple times. The victim stated she was in the back room getting a folder when a male walked into the back room. The victim told him that he couldn’t be back there. The male took out a knife and said “give me all your fucking money, I don’t want to have to hurt you, but if you don’t give me the money I’ll have to.” Both the defendant and the victim then walked out to the front desk. The suspect had the knife approximately two inches from the victim’s side.
The suspect took the money from the cash drawer and asked for other places where there was money. He told the victim to get where he could see her and said “no phones, no cops.” After getting the money, the suspect went to leave. But when he got to the door, the suspect turned around, came back to the desk and cut the phone cord with his knife. He stated “I know hotels have safes, show me where the safe is.” The victim stated she didn’t have access to the safe. The suspect then said “I’m going to have to hurt you if you don’t show me the safe.” The victim ran to the back room and shut the door behind her. The suspect then started pounding on the door and tried to open it. When the victim said she was going to call the police, the suspect fled from the hotel. The victim said the suspect fled in a dark colored four door sedan.
Hotel surveillance video showed the suspect entered the hotel at 1:58am wearing a black Red Sox hat with a white B, jeans and a black zip up track jacket with white piping around the zipper, white logo on the left chest and white under the arms. On surveillance, the suspect is seen holding a knife. The suspect fled the hotel at 2:00am.
Minutes before the robbery, the Walmart at 36 Paramount Drive, which is across Paramount Drive from the Marriott, contacted police to report a shoplifting by a white male wearing a white shirt and a black baseball hat with a white B on it. At 1:25am, a white male exited the store with two iRobot vacuum cleaners without paying for them. When he was confronted by store employees, the suspect went back into the store and the vacuums were recovered.
The suspect was observed on video getting into a black Hyundai Elantra with a Virginia license plate. After reviewing the surveillance videos, police believed it was the same suspect in both the Marriott and Walmart incidents. Police ran the registration and learned the vehicle was a rental from Avis/Budget Rental. The rental agreement listed a Brockton woman as the renter of the car. After looking at the woman’s Facebook account, police identified the defendant as the suspect from Walmart and Marriott.
The defendant was apprehended at the rear of a residence in Brockton as he attempted to flee out of the bulkhead. During a search, police seized $806 from the defendant, black and white Nike sneakers that the defendant was wearing during the arrest and a black and white zip up jacket (similar to the one in the Marriott and Walmart videos). The hotel clerk also identified the defendant in a photo array.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Carolyn Morrissette and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Sharon Donatelle.
“This is a career criminal who is a menace to society who clearly needs to be kept off the streets for as long as possible,” District Attorney Quinn said.
Ward 6 City Councilor Joe Lopes will run unopposed for a third straight term. He was the only one to submit or even pull nomination papers. He ran unopposed in 2015 and 2017 as well.
The last time Lopes faced opposition was in 2013 when he defeated Ian Marcus Saunders 1,117 to 194.
A heat advisory for multiple counties in Massachusetts has been issued. The temperatures and humidity will create “feels like” temperatures in the mid-to-high 90s.
The advisory will be in effect from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday.
“The heat and humidity may cause heat stress during outdoor exertion or extended exposure. Heat illness is also possible for those in non-air-conditioned locations. Prolonged heat is most dangerous for young children and the elderly. Car temperatures can reach lethal temperatures in minutes.” -National Weather Service.
“It is with great sadness we announce the passing of K9 Diesel (retired). K9 Diesel served the Commonwealth diligently alongside his partner, Officer O’Connell, for several years.” Massachusetts State Police.
Massachusetts State Police photo.
In the first article of this series, we talked about Chinese cuisine. In this one, we’ll talk about perhaps the most popular cuisine on earth: Italian.
Unless you grew up in an Italian or Sicilian household a typical American’s experience of those cuisines rarely goes past things like pizza, lasagna, spaghetti, ravioli, calzone or bruschetta. Even with dessert, not much is known beyond the big “four” of tiramisu, cannoli, biscotti, and gelato. But there are hundreds of dishes that most Americans haven’t tried and if we go regional,
Think about this: if Americans have made those things a part of their lives and in some cases are very passionate about it, what else in Italian and Sicilian cuisine are they missing out on? If those things are so delicious and mouth-watering and only known through popularity, you would do yourself a disservice to not investigate to discover dishes that are just as delicious if not more so.
Italian and Sicilian food has an astounding regional variety and even among nationals, there is an unawareness of dishes. For example, while we in Massachusetts consider cherrystones, coffee milk, and linguica as common as water, there are swaths of America that haven’t a clue what they are.
Having grown up in a Sicilian household I’ve eaten a large number of dishes that my Portuguese, French-Canadian, African-American, Hispanic friends in the community thought were exotic or even downright strange. This is the case for all ethnicities when it comes to their food – what is ubiquitous, normal and every day for one is brand new for another ethnic group.
I don’t know about you, but as a hardcore foodie, I actually get excited when I have the opportunity to try food I’ve never heard of. I have a bucket list of foods that I have heard of but haven’t tried yet, e.g. durian, balut, shark fin soup, bird’s nest soup, Hákarl, Casu Marzu, et al. and I’d love to check off as many as I can before I die.
Anyhow, blah, blah, blah. Let’s talk food.
Arancini with peas, ground beef, tomato. Photo by Catfisheye.
For those who are only a little adventurous and need some coaxing to try something beyond the standard Italian dishes Arancini is probably the best to start with. There’s nothing out of the ordinary about it to scare anyone away. Arancini is a Sicilian classic that has been mentioned as far back as the 10-the century.
Simply put they are rice balls rolled in bread crumbs with various centers that alternate with mozzarella, sausage or ground beef and tomato sauce, or even peas and tomato sauce. They are then deep-fried until golden brown – crispy on the outside, piping hot on the inside. Serve with some dipping red sauce and you have a great appetizer or starter.
In Italy, they are popular street food and you can find vendors selling large versions place in a protective cardboard or dense paper envelope so you can walk around enjoying the vistas while chomping on one of Italy’s most delicious foods.
If you take a close look at Italian food it is typically a few main ingredients, using the freshest possible ones, and using perfect portions cooked for an exact length of time. Spaghetti Bolognese is as simple as it gets, but guess what? Ask 10 people to cook it and you taste some awful versions and some mind-blowing versions. The difference? The afore-mentioned freshness of ingredients and cooking it just right.
The problem with this is that if you don’t have a lot of experience making the dish, the tiniest mistake will make the difference between bad and great. That’s a dish with core three ingredients.
With Cacio e Pepe this theme is brought to an extreme level. Often, Cacio e Pepe is a benchmark for a chef demonstrating what can be done with a few ingredients. Mess up one step, one ingredient, cook it a few seconds too long or short and it will be forgettable. Do it all right and your face will light up and your belly will sing with joy.
Ready for the ingredients on this one? Un-sauced spaghetti, parmesan, fresh ground black pepper, and butter or extra virgin olive oil. Are you laughing? I hope so because I want you to scoff at the concept of this dish being incredible. I want you to make fun of me as some rube. Then I want you to order it at a restaurant and when you get it at the right place you will think about this article and thing “That Joe was right! He’s still a stupid rube, but he was right!”
Doubt me? Ask yourself how many bad pizzas you’ve had? How many amazing ones? Even with just cheese pizza, the difference between 2 places on the same street can be night and day, right?
If you are a meat lover, especially when it comes to beef and/or steak this is about as umami or savory a dish you will find in any cuisine. Osso Buco is on any serious foodies’ bucket list of “must try” dishes. Osso Buco is cross-cut veal shanks braised in white wine and natural au jus style broth accompanied with cubed potatoes, carrots, celery, parsley, and garlic. You may find some variations that throw in tomatoes and/or onion.
The key here is the temperature and time the dish spends braising. When done right the meat can be attacked using a fork, no knife is needed. Because it is cooked with bone in the shank the richness that comes from that bone and the marrow raises Ossobuco to another level. A life-changing level. I kid, I kid. Ok, I’m not kidding.
Meat not your thing or looking to take a break and get some vegetables? another Sicilian classic, Caponata, will right up your alley. Like red sauce, you will find minor variations from town to town, even household to household with each claiming their version to be the best.
Caponata is a slightly sweet, slightly sour eggplant based salad. Married with the fried or grilled eggplant are olives, tomato, onion, capers, celery, raisins, basil and pine nuts. A kiss of honey, perhaps some red pepper flakes and you have a bowl of happy. You can find variations on some menus that have anchovies to add an element of richness. If you are a vegetarian or vegan, just be aware of that.
This insalata is one of that I love so much that I make it at home. Of all the dishes on this list, this is one that you allows some leeway – you can make some minor mistakes and it will still come out good. Give it a go and let us know how you make out in the comments.
Gnocci or “knots on wood” is one that sort of snuck on the list. I have come across a few people, even stubborn ones who prefer that hot dog, pizza, hamburger life, that have heard of gnocchi. Although, trying it is another thing.
Gnocchi is another dish I make at home, both potato and semolina/pasta versions. In essence, they are small love lumps or tiny dumplings made from the aforementioned pasta or potato but can be also made with egg, cheese, cornmeal or even breadcrumbs.
It is incredibly versatile because the gnocchi itself is there to supply texture to the dish and to sponge up the sauce you accompany it with. For that reason substitute soups that call for pasta with gnocchi. The sauce can be simple alfredo, a red sauce, a bolognese, some freshly grated parmesan, or even used to make cacio e pepe.
They are so popular that you can find variants in French, Croatian, Austrian, Polish, Brazilian, Argentinian, even Portuguese cuisines. For the curious, in Portugal they are called nhoque.
Last but not least is one that even those who are about the hot dog, hamburger, steak and potatoes life may have heard of or tried because it is, in essence, steak. Saltimbocca means “jumps in the mouth” because it is so incredibly life-altering delicious that you will go into auto-pilot when eating it. Have you ever gone out with friends who talk a lot and food comes to the table that is so delicious that suddenly everyone is quiet? Yes, that’s saltimbocca.
Ready for some taste buds to fire up? Saltimbocca is pan-fried, thinly sliced veal lined or wrapped with prosciutto and sage; marinated in dry white wine, olive oil or saltwater. Veal on its own is delicious, prosciutto on its own is delicious, whine on its own is delicious, so hey why not put them all together?
It is not uncommon to come across versions that utilize steak or chicken instead and if you are squeamish about using veal because you can look for this version or even ask a waiter if you can substitute it.
So, head out into the world foodie explorers and the next time you eat at an Italian restaurant and want to try something new or are feeling adventurous try one of these dishes.
If you end up finding something you really like, then let us know in the comments. If you don’t like it at all and you are now mad at me, let me have it in the comments. Let us know where you had and what you took issue with or really enjoyed about the dish.