As the war in Ukraine spreads throughout the country, a dwindling Ukrainian congregation in Fall River hopes their prayers will make a difference for their priest’s relatives outside Lviv.
Ben Berke
Based in New Bedford, Ben staffs our South Coast Bureau desk. He covers anything that happens in Fall River, New Bedford, and the surrounding towns, as long as it's a good story. His assignments have taken him to jails, factories, city halls, fishing vessels, bakeries, environmental cleanup sites and the homes of hundreds of interview subjects. Ben joined the bureau in February 2021 after three years in Brockton reporting for The Enterprise. His freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe and The Providence Journal. When he's not working, Ben can often be found near the beach hiking, surfing and collecting the strange things that wash ashore.
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Former Bristol County prosecutor to run for D.A. in first contested election in 16 years
The last time voters in Bristol County, Massachusetts had more than one candidate for district attorney on their ballots was 2006. For the following sixteen years, the power of choosing which crimes to prosecute belonged to Sam Sutter and his first assistant Thomas Quinn III, who was appointed district attorney after Sutter left office in […]
Posted inArticle, Health
New Bedford nurses win union contract after lengthy labor dispute
Nurses at St. Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford ratified their first union contract on Friday, bringing an end to a three-year dispute over working conditions and wages. For much of the pandemic, nurses at St. Luke’s, the city’s largest employer, earned less than their peers at nearby hospitals, according to the union. The Massachusetts Nurses […]
Posted inArticle, Business, Environment, South Coast Bureau
Brayton Point shifts toward future as an offshore wind hub
Three years ago, the concrete cooling towers at the Brayton Point Power Plant crumbled to the ground in a controlled explosion that some considered a harbinger of America’s clean energy transition. Within seconds, the remains of what was once the Town of Somerset’s main employer and heaviest polluter became a pile of rubble. The demolition […]
Posted inArticle, Education, South Coast Bureau
Dartmouth will hold town referendum on high school’s Indian logo
Athletes from Dartmouth High School compete in sports leagues as the Indians, a team name that some town officials are seeking to cast aside as they align the high school with sports teams across the country reconsidering language and imagery that’s offensive to Native Americans. But the conversation in Dartmouth ground to a halt this […]
Posted inArticle, Environment, South Coast Bureau
Commercial fishermen take their fight against Vineyard Wind to court
A pair of lawsuits filed recently by fishing interests aims to block the development of the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm off the coast of Martha’s Vineyard. Vineyard Wind received federal approval in May to erect 62 turbines on a stretch of the ocean floor 15 miles south of the island, enough to power […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Fall River reconsiders body cameras as police face questions over Anthony Harden’s death
The mayor is negotiating with the city’s police unions this winter over a move most American police departments of Fall River’s size have already made.
Posted inArticle, Health, South Coast Bureau
Southcoast hospitals hit with biggest surge in COVID-19 patients yet
Record numbers of patients from Massachusetts’ least vaccinated city are overwhelming local emergency rooms, nearly nine months after a vaccine that largely prevents severe cases became publicly available.
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Sheriff Hodgson faces challenge from Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux, a former prison administrator
This will be the first contested reelection bid for Sheriff Thomas Hodgson since 2010.
Posted inArticle, Health, South Coast Bureau
Bracing for Omicron surge, Southcoast Health postpones non-essential medical appointments starting Monday
The pause was ordered by Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker, along with the deployment of up to 500 National Guard members to assist hospitals.
