Massachusetts’ Southeast Housing Court stands out as the state’s toughest court for tenants facing eviction, even while a federal moratorium on evictions was in place.
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, South Coast Bureau
Massachusetts’ South Coast prepares for evacuation if Henri floods low-lying areas
New Bedford is the only city in Massachusetts with a hurricane barrier. Tony Marques, who lives right next to it, said the last time he saw the gates close on Rodney French Boulevard was when Hurricane Bob hit in 1991. But he and others in the city are preparing to rely on the gates once […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Renewed eviction moratorium offers protections for renters in most R.I. and Mass. cities
The Biden administration announced on Tuesday it is extending the federal eviction moratorium, revising an earlier decision to let the protection expire. The president had previously said that a recent Supreme Court ruling barred the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from extending its eviction moratorium without congressional approval. But after Congress let the protection […]
Posted inArticle, Metro Desk, South Coast Bureau
A last defense for thousands facing eviction in R.I. and Mass. will expire this weekend
The federal moratorium on evictions expires July 31, exposing thousands of families in Massachusetts and Rhode Island to removal from their homes after they fell behind on rent during the pandemic.
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Ex-Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia appeals convictions
Jasiel Correia, the former wunderkind mayor of Fall River, is appealing all 21 convictions a jury returned against him this spring. Correia’s 70-page motion was filed on Monday, shortly before a deadline for disputing the convictions expired. His latest attorney, Daniel Marx, wrote that the evidence used against Correia during the four-week trial was “a […]
Posted inArticle, South Coast Bureau
Ex-cop charged with stealing $49,000, a fraction of the New Bedford police union’s missing funds
A former New Bedford police sergeant has been charged with stealing nearly $50,000 from the police union’s bank accounts. But an internal audit conducted last year showed more than $674,000 has disappeared without records of how it was spent.
Posted inArticle, Health, South Coast Bureau
Covid-sniffing dogs introduced at Bristol County jails
One researcher said studies show dogs are identifying Covid with greater accuracy in trial settings than drugs or explosives.
Posted inArticle, Education, South Coast Bureau
Search for new head of UMass Dartmouth nearing conclusion
UMass President Marty Meehan said he expects to select a new chancellor for the university’s campus in Dartmouth by the end of the summer. A 20-member search committee has been evaluating candidates since April, with an eye toward finding stability after shuffling through five chancellors in the past seven years. Several of them served on […]
Posted inArticle, Business, Environment, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford planning port facility that would double the city’s capacity for offshore wind assembly
A power plant once fueled by coal will be demolished to make room for the emerging renewable energy industry.
