New Bedford residents of any age can now receive a $20 Dunkin’ gift card if they get their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine at one of the city’s clinics. Mayor John Mitchell announced the incentive will be available through the end of June at the Andrea McCoy Recreation Center, New Bedford Health Department mobile […]
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
ICE ends relationship with Bristol County Sheriff Hodgson, citing mistreatment of detainees
Secretary Alejando Mayorkas of the Department of Homeland Security announced he is seeking the immediate closure of an ICE detention center in Bristol County as part of a broader effort to ensure the nation’s immigration detention centers are meeting the federal government’s health and safety standards. Since at least 2007, Bristol County’s jails have housed […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Associates who arranged bribes for Fall River’s ex-mayor set to be sentenced this summer
Hearings have been scheduled for several defendants who testified that they helped Jasiel Correia solicit more than $500,000 from marijuana vendors.
Posted inArticle, South Coast Bureau
Jury convicts ex-Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia on 21 counts of fraud, extortion
Former Fall River mayor Jasiel F. Correia II was found guilty on Friday of 21 criminal charges, including the extortion of marijuana vendors seeking his approval to open in the wake of the drug’s legalization for recreational use in 2018. The charges, which spanned five years Correia spent in and out of City Hall, also […]
Posted inArticle, Business, Environment, South Coast Bureau
Vineyard Wind gains final approval from Biden administration
The federal government announced its final approval of the nation’s first utility-scale offshore wind farm Tuesday. The 800-megawatt Vineyard Wind project, south of Martha’s Vineyard near Cape Cod, would be the first utility-scale wind power development in federal waters. Vineyard Wind, a joit venture between a Danish investment firm and the Basque utility Iberdrola, indicated […]
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Jury weighs verdict for former Fall River mayor Jasiel Correia
The corruption trial of former Fall River mayor Jasiel F. Correia II is coming to a close. South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke spoke with host Dave Fallon about closing arguments in the case, which concluded on Monday.
Posted inArticle, Business, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Witnesses in Correia trial detail alleged pay-to-play scheme for marijuana licenses in Fall River
The former mayor of Fall River, Jasiel F. Correia II, is on trial this month for 24 criminal charges, including allegations that he took more than half a million dollars in bribes from marijuana vendors seeking his permission to open. This is a detailed account of one of the alleged bribes, drawing on witness testimony and exhibits of evidence from the trial.
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Jury set to deliberate next week in corruption trial of former Fall River mayor
Witness testimony wrapped up on Thursday in the trial of Jasiel Correia, who faces 24 federal charges, including accusations that he took more than half a million dollars in bribes from marijuana companies seeking his permission to open.
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
Witnesses describe unraveling of Jasiel Correia’s business career
The focus of the trial of former Fall River Mayor Jasiel Correia this week shifts to alleged corruption at City Hall, following five days of testimony about alleged financial fraud at a company he founded before taking office.
Posted inArticle, Politics, South Coast Bureau
First witnesses testify in Correia trial, tracing rise from shoe salesman to mayor of Fall River
Testimony begins this week in the trial of Jasiel Correia, the former mayor of Fall River accused of taking $600,000 in bribes from marijuana companies and defrauding investors in a company he founded before taking office. Correia’s attorney, Kevin Reddington, offered a first glimpse of the defense’s strategy during opening arguments on Monday, pounding the […]
