The Star Store began as a humble dry goods shop in New Bedford’s whaling era, evolved into a grand downtown department store that died when the malls arrived, and re-emerged as a state arts college, only to close abruptly in 2023 with little notice. New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell recalled this winding history as he […]
Star Store
Posted inArts And Culture, Local, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford’s Star Store sold for $1 to developer of artists’ housing
The Star Store, a former university arts campus in downtown New Bedford that closed abruptly in 2023, has been sold to a nonprofit that develops housing and workspace for artists. The Arts & Business Council Of Greater Boston purchased the Star Store for $1 on Thursday, according to a deed filed with the Bristol County […]
Posted inEducation, Local, South Coast Bureau
As Star Store campus closed, politician kept six-figure maintenance job
When UMass Dartmouth began renting the Star Store in 2001, the university entered into a public-private partnership that dazzled the city of New Bedford with promises of economic renewal. With an annual earmark of $2.7 million in the state budget, the Massachusetts legislature created a new college campus for the arts in the heart of […]
Posted inBusiness, Local, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford takes Star Store owner to court
The City of New Bedford is suing the private owner of the Star Store for more than $500,000 in unpaid taxes through a process that could end with the city seizing ownership of the downtown property if its tax bill remains unpaid. The Star Store, an historic building that fills nearly a full city block […]
Posted inEducation, Labor, The Weekly Catch
Child labor law violations in Fall River, behind the failed Star Store-UMass Dartmouth deal, and more
A seafood processing plant in Fall River is at the heart of a new lawsuit that claims the plant employed underage migrant workers – and says the teens were exposed to potentially dangerous conditions. The suit comes a year after an investigation by The Public’s Radio into possible child labor violations at seafood processors in New Bedford. Also, a year after UMass Dartmouth abruptly closed its arts campus at the Star Store in New Bedford, an investigation by the Massachusetts Inspector General gives us a clearer picture of what exactly happened and who’s to blame. And we hear a studio session with Providence-based jazz combo, the Leland Baker Trio. That and more on this week’s show.
Posted inEducation, Local, South Coast Bureau
Investigation unravels how New Bedford lost its downtown arts college
When UMass Dartmouth announced the sudden closure of its downtown arts campus in New Bedford last year, just three weeks before classes began, politicians and university officials were quick to point fingers. Conflicting allegations created a confusing tangle of blame, as movers emptied two decades worth of art and studio equipment from the sprawling beaux […]
Posted inBusiness, Local, South Coast Bureau
New Bedford’s Star Store at center of tax battle after art college’s abrupt exit
The private owner of the Star Store is facing a massive property tax increase from the City of New Bedford, a move that increases pressure on him to return the building to public use following the abrupt exit of UMass Dartmouth’s art college last summer. Local developer Paul Downey leased the Star Store to the […]
Posted inEpisode, The Weekly Catch
Breaking down the Brown protests, new Mass. law allows free phone calls in prisons and jails, and more
There is a growing tension on the campus of Brown University between students and the school’s administration over the war between Israel and Hamas. Those tensions came to a head at a recent vigil-turned-protest on campus. And one year after recreational cannabis sales began in Rhode Island, what progress has the state made on its promises over social equity? Also, there’s a new law in Massachusetts that makes phone calls free in prisons and jails – it’s welcome news for the prisoners and their loved ones, who until today have had to pay exorbitant fees. And UMass Dartmouth’s chancellor speaks out for the first time since the abrupt closure of the Star Store in August. Plus: The week in politics, and a few things to do this week.
Posted inArts And Culture, Artscape, Education, Episode, Local, South Coast Bureau
Interview: UMass Dartmouth chancellor sees slim chance of returning to Star Store
In his first interview since the Star Store closed abruptly in August, Chancellor Mark Fuller told our reporter Ben Berke that he does not see a pathway for moving the university’s art school back into downtown New Bedford.
