New Bedford business and nonprofit leaders signed a letter calling the current congressional map “the worst in a century.”
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
New Bedford voting districts redrawn to shift power toward Black and Hispanic voters
A statewide redistricting plan aims to create more districts where people of color comprise the majority.
Posted inArticle, South Coast Bureau
Mass. legislators question housing court on South Coast’s high eviction rate
In the wake of an investigation by The Public’s Radio, legislators are seeking answers from court administrators about the Southeast Housing Court’s exceptional eviction rate.
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford city councilor charged with drunk driving, five months after leaving accident without a sobriety test
A New Bedford city councilor was charged with drunk driving today, nearly five months after he was involved in a late night car crash and allowed by police to leave without taking a breathalyzer test. An independent investigation ordered by the Bristol County district attorney found New Bedford police officers never asked Dunn if he’d […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Fall River’s mayoral race narrows to two established rivals
Fall River’s mayor won a commanding majority in Tuesday’s preliminary election, which thinned the field of candidates to two: the incumbent Paul Coogan, and his remaining challenger, city council president Cliff Ponte. Nearly nine out of ten voters in Fall River stayed home in an election that brought few surprises: two political insiders advanced to […]
Posted inArticle, South Coast Bureau
Ex-Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia sentenced to six years in prison on corruption charges
Former Fall River mayor Jasiel F. Correia II was sentenced on Tuesday to 72 months in federal prison, beginning the next phase of Correia’s remarkable journey from the youngest mayor in Fall River’s history to convicted felon. Correia, now 29, was found guilty in May of extortion, extortion conspiracy, wire fraud and filing false tax […]
Posted inArticle, Politics
Across southern New England, ceremonies mark the 20th anniversary of 9/11
As the nation marked the 20th anniversary of 9/11 with ceremonies in lower Manhattan, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania, people across southern New England gathered in towns and villages, beaches and churches, to commemorate those who died. Here are highlights from a few of those ceremonies. Rhode Island leaders gather in Providence Rhode Island elected officials […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Fall River’s mayor and council president spar in last mayoral debate before primary election
Three candidates took the stage in a mayoral debate in Fall River on Friday night that quickly turned personal between the incumbent mayor and the city council president running against him. The debate, held upstairs from a crowded dining room at the Azorean Cultural Society, was conducted in English and Portuguese — an arrangement the […]
Posted inArticle, Business, Education, Environment, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford company faces steep fine for ‘excessively idling’ school buses
The Massachusetts Attorney General’s office reached a settlement in a lawsuit it brought against a local bus company this week for excessively idling its school buses in New Bedford. Tremblay’s Bus Company agreed to pay a fine of more than $100,000 for violating the Clean Air Act and other environmental laws. Attorney General Maura Healey […]
Posted inArticle
Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts cope with the remnants of Hurricane Ida, after historic rainfall
In Rhode Island and southeastern Massachusetts, the remnants of Ida brought heavy rains, flooding, sewage overflow, power outages and road damage Wednesday night and Thursday. The region remains under a flood warning until 6:30 pm tonight. Aquidneck Island experienced some of the heaviest rainfall and flooding. In Portsmouth, a road partially collapsed from the force […]
