Highlights from the 2019 New Bedford Cape Verdean Recognition parade held on Saturday, July 6, 2019.

Here’s a look at the revolutionary eve Fife and Drum Corp at Saturday’s Cape Verdean Recognition parade in downtown New Bedford.

Michael Silvia captured the fireworks over Fall River from the Iwo Jima monument at Bicentennial Park.

The 2020 election cycle has begun and it will be one of the most heated elections in U.S. history. With extreme passion comes heated arguments and of course physical assaults.

A viral story on Turtleboy sports got my attention this morning.

On July 1st, a man posted a video showing a woman screaming obscenities, throwing trash and flipping off a man during what he claims is rush hour traffic on Route 128 in Massachusetts. In his text on YouTube, he claims the woman was doing it because of his Trump flag that can be seen in the video.

In the text on his YouTube video, he also claims she swerved at his vehicle and threw other trash at him before the video started:

“So this happened….on route 128 in Massachusetts during the morning rush hour. Before the camera started rolling, this woman had swerved into me, thrown what I think was a pizza box and several bottles of water. Yes, she’s essentially driving a dumpster on wheels.

Either way, I didn’t call the cops – I mean, I could, but she’s clearly nuts and I figure it’s a hell of a laugh.”

It’s very concerning that this woman was screaming “Die!” while throwing objects and barely paying attention to the road in front of her. I also can’t condone filming and driving, but can’t blame the guy for wanting to document a person harassing you with a vehicle.

Unfortunately, this is what our country has come to – physically attacking people for wearing a hat, having a flag on your vehicle or simply having an opposing view. Last Friday, the avowed white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of counter-protesters in Virginia in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison Friday on hate crime charges. Just a few days ago, Antifa members physically assaulted a conservative journalist in Portland, sending him to the hospital with a serious head injury. There are crazy, angry people on both sides of the extreme political spectrum – this woman attacking a Trump supporter is just the example of the day.

We have 16 more months until the 2020 election and I expect things will get much worse between now and then. My suggestion is to try and have conversations with those you disagree with – assaulting them is never the answer. But I expect these final words to fall on deaf ears.

A former Hadley Police Department officer was sentenced on Thursday, June 20, in federal court in Springfield for using unreasonable force during an arrest and then falsifying a police report of the incident.

Christopher M. Roeder, 50, of Agawam, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to 14 months in prison and one year of supervised release. In February 2019, after a week-long trial, a federal jury found Roeder guilty of one count of deprivation of rights under color of law and one count of falsification of a document.

Evidence presented at trial established that, on April 3, 2017, Roeder struck an arrestee in the face without legal justification, while the arrestee was seated on a bench in the Hadley Police Department booking area. The strike fractured the arrestee’s nose in multiple places and required surgery to repair. Roeder subsequently attempted to obstruct the investigation into his assault of the arrestee by falsifying his police report describing the incident.

“Officers aren’t only expected to enforce the law in their communities, they are expected to follow it themselves,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling. “In this case, an officer broke a man’s nose for no legitimate purpose and then, in an effort to cover up the attack, falsified official documents about the incident. This behavior is unacceptable in someone entrusted with protecting the public safety.”

“Law enforcement officers are sworn to uphold and defend the laws of our nation,” said Assistant Attorney General Eric Dreiband. “Roeder abused his power and violated the constitutional rights of an arrestee, eroding the public’s trust in law enforcement. The Department of Justice will continue to hold law enforcement officers accountable for their actions.”

“As a police officer sworn to uphold the law, Mr. Roeder’s conduct deliberately abused the authority bestowed upon him, undermining the integrity of our criminal justice system,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Office. “The overwhelming majority of law enforcement officers perform their duties with dedication and integrity, putting their lives on the line every day to keep our communities safe. This case illustrates the FBI’s commitment and ability to address isolated incidents where officers betray the badge and the public’s trust.”

U.S. Attorney Lelling, Assistant Attorney General Dreiband, and FBI Boston SAC Bonavolonta made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla, Chief of Lelling’s Springfield Branch Office, and Trial Attorney Timothy Visser of the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division prosecuted the case.

Joe Rand, the Directors of Teen Challenge Massachusetts, talked about the We Do Recover Wall at the Run to End Addiction at Bridgewater State University earlier this month.

A man was walking his alpaca on Purchase Street in downtown New Bedford on Saturday.

Here’s a look at the New Bedford High School Army JROTC and the Bay State Band at this week’s Memorial Day parade in New Bedford.

Here’s Miss New Bedford Meighread Dandeneau singing our National Anthem at the Memorial Day ceremony yesterday.

The New Bedford High School Marching Band sounded great at the New Bedford Memorial Day Parade.