Politics

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 …

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 …

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 …

The New Bedford Election Commission has announced that Early Voting for the 2020 state primary election will be held at the New Bedford Main Library, 613 Pleasant Street, from Saturday August, 22 through Friday, August 28. Any voter who wishes to cast their ballot in person prior to Election Day, …

Chris Lisinski State House News Service Returning to a fully in-person education model in New Bedford Public Schools would create an “unacceptable risk of an outbreak,” Mayor Jon Mitchell warned in a formal address Thursday where he also touted the city’s local leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic. Districts are weighing …

Chris Van Buskirk State House News Service The City of Boston delivered nearly $5.8 million in overtime pay to police in connection with shifts associated with the wave of protests in May, June, and July where thousands gathered to object to police brutality and systemic racism, the News Service has …

New Bedford City Hall will reopen on a limited basis beginning Monday, August 10, 2020, in order to provide in-person services at the Treasurer’s Office, City Clerk’s Office, and Elections Office, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The Sixth Street entrance will be the only public entrance …

Matt Murphy State House News Service The state’s largest police union is asking all 4,300 of its uniformed officers and members of the public to support the 66 House legislators who voted against a sweeping policing reform bill that the union said would put police and the public at risk. …

Chris Lisinski State House News Service A bill imposing new reporting requirements on the Department of Children and Families for oversight purposes quickly passed through the Senate Friday after receiving unanimous House approval earlier this month. The Senate Ways and Means Committee’s version of the bill (H 4852) requires DCF …

The town of Hingham has ordered the Hingham Fire Department to remove Thin Blue Line flags from their fire trucks. The flags were being displayed leading up to the anniversary of Weymouth Police officer Michael Chesna’s death, who was shot 10 times and killed with his own gun in 2018. …