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Jan 24, 2025 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
NEW BEDFORD — A routine meeting of the City Council turned into a carnival of grievances against Mayor Jon Mitchell in which councilors alleged mismanagement, dysfunction, and manipulation. The trigger for the grievances was a monthslong delay in appointing two people to the city’s licensing board — the three-person committee that oversees liquor licenses — and the shift of blame onto the City Council in local media.
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Jan 13, 2025 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
An investigation by the state’s Office of Campaign and Political Finance did not find any evidence of inappropriate coordination between an independent fundraising group and local candidates in Rochester, Marion, and Mattapoisett — an area known as the Tri-Town. The state office did find several instances of unreported or mis-reported campaign finances, but did not recommend any fines or penalties after those documents were corrected.
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Jan 6, 2025 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
The widow of the late New Bedford deputy fire chief who died of “suicide by cop” in a shootout outside a Fairhaven bar has filed a lawsuit against the City of New Bedford, Mayor Jon Mitchell, and three unnamed “John Does” inside City Hall. Paul Coderre Jr. died on Dec. 29, 2023, after making “fatalistic” comments and discharging a firearm in an altercation with local police.
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Dec 30, 2024 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
If New Bedford had its renaissance, it happened because of education. Or if New Bedford has yet to undergo its renaissance, it will rely on education for the metamorphosis. Whatever you believe about this city or its direction for the future, the education news of this year likely has shaped it. The past year saw both devastating blows to the city and transformative plans for its future.
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
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Dec 5, 2024 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
NEW BEDFORD — The first draft of a strategic plan calling for more than $1 billion to rebuild or renovate the city’s aging schools will be presented at Monday night’s School Committee meeting. The ambitious plan would replace seven of the district’s 100-year-old elementary schools with four newer, larger, and more efficient buildings by 2035. It also calls for a full renovation of New Bedford High School by 2038.
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Dec 1, 2024 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
NEW BEDFORD — Walking up the block of Oaklawn Street next to Clark’s Cove, you can tell which houses had their lead pipes pulled out by looking for the fresh, black asphalt that interrupts the concrete sidewalk.
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Nov 21, 2024 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
Hundreds of hand-drawn cards litter the conference table in a back room of the Buttonwood Park Zoo. “Ruth … You made a lot of pepol hapey!”“I am sorry for your lost.”“I love you Ruth.”First-graders from a nearby elementary school sent the latest outpouring of a city’s love and grief. The shaky crayon lines and colored pencil drawings betrayed that little hands were behind these messages.
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Nov 12, 2024 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Colin Hogan
NEW BEDFORD — The city has disciplined the fire lieutenant who posted anti-LGBTQ messages on social media and drew sharp criticism from the community, but officials declined to say what the punishment was. Lt. Chuck Bailey posted about drag performances on Facebook: “It is a mental illness,” he wrote. “The crossdressing drag s— is just utter bull—.
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Nov 6, 2024 | 
newbedfordlight.org | Eleonora Bianchi |Colin Hogan
NEW BEDFORD — The immigrant community in New Bedford woke up to election results that they saw as a “shock” and a “disaster.” But by the day’s end, advocates had already reignited emergency plans that could keep families together, protect New Bedford’s economy, and enshrine residents’ human rights. “I was totally in shock when I woke up this morning,” said Helena DaSilva Hughes, director of the Immigrants’ Assistance Center (IAC). “I thought, there’s just no way we’re going back,” she said.
