Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 14h

As frigid winter months approach, so do higher gas bills. #Eversource has proposed an average 13% hike for Southeastern Massachusetts. In response, legislators are targeting delivery charges and oversight.

Eversource gas bills rise again; legislators target delivery charges - The New Bedford Light

Eversource has proposed an average gas rate hike of 13% for Southeastern Massachusetts.

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 14h

Low-income households in the Greater New Bedford area can now apply for #heatingassistance for the upcoming winter season. But benefits are lower this year, and applications could be delayed because of the federal government shutdown. Here's how it works:

How to apply for heating assistance in the South Coast in 2025 - The New Bedford Light

Applications are being processed more slowly because of the federal government shutdown, but you can still apply.

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 14h

#TurningPointUSA's Bristol and Dukes County Activism Hub now aims to reach students and schools from the outside in. A kickoff event in New Bedford marked a new era for the local chapter and the national conservative youth organization still reeling from the assassination of founder Charlie Kirk.

Turning Point USA kicks off new chapter in New Bedford - The New Bedford Light

Galvanized by the death of founder Charlie Kirk, the conservative youth organization is now looking to reach students from the outside in.

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 1d

The Light’s analysis of New Bedford preliminary election data shows huge potential for change in the November election. Hispanic and Latino voters could be the most powerful untapped voting bloc. The candidates who successfully reach these voters may upend the traditional logic of city politics.

Analysis: Can New Bedford candidates reach the Hispanic and Latino community? - The New Bedford Light

Could a sea change be in the air after three challengers beat out incumbents in the preliminary election?

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 1d

New Bedford firefighter Jonathan Pacheco has been sanctioned by the Fire Department after making a Facebook post about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
#socialmediapolicy #NewBedford #CharlieKirk

New Bedford firefighter sanctioned after Charlie Kirk comments - The New Bedford Light

An independent investigation found that Jonathan Pacheco had violated the city’s social media policy. He had been placed on leave since Sept. 15.

newbedfordlight.org

1

Reposted by The New Bedford Light

Anastasia Lennon @aelennon.bsky.social · 1d

New Bedford PD announced it charged a man for possession of drugs and a loaded firearm while intoxicated. What the press release doesn’t state is that the firearm, a handgun, is registered to a New Bedford police officer
@newbedfordlight.bsky.social
tinyurl.com/3ujmwkue

Gun found with suspect registered to New Bedford police officer - The New Bedford Light

A police internal investigation is underway to determine how the firearm came into the possession of a suspect charged with drug and intoxication offenses.

tinyurl.com

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 2d

A low-turnout preliminary saw 5.7% of New Bedford’s registered voters cast their ballots on Tuesday to determine which at-large councilors will advance to the Nov. 4 general election. newbedfordlight.org/new-bedford-...

4

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 2d

Dozens of demonstrators and their signs called on ICE to show compassion to Juan DeLeón Mayic and his son, Diego DeLeón Lucas, of New Bedford, as they gathered in the parking lot at Burlington Mall across the street from the #ICE office.

Protesters show solidarity with New Bedford father, son at ICE check-in - The New Bedford Light

Demonstrators arrived at the Burlington facility early Tuesday to support Juan DeLeón Mayic and Diego DeLeón Lucas, who were later detained.

newbedfordlight.org

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 2d

A research project that would have studied how New England #offshorewind projects affect commercial fish species is now dead in the water. It's one casualty of $7.5 billion in clean-energy funding cuts announced by the Department of Energy.

Offshore wind’s effects on fish won’t be studied due to federal cuts - The New Bedford Light

The canceled study, which would have employed New Bedford fishermen, is one casualty of $7 billion in clean-energy funding cuts in Democrat-led states.

newbedfordlight.org

1 2 2

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 3d

Follow that bot! The Jellyfishbot, that is. The first of its kind on the East Coast, the bright yellow robot nicknamed "Bumblebee" is geared to fight against litter in Fairhaven's harbor. Watch it work; find out how it landed there⤵️
newbedfordlight.org/fairhaven-wa...

4

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 4d

🗳 On Tuesday, Oct. 7, New Bedford voters will decide which at-large councilors will appear on the November ballot. Here’s all you need to know, from who's running to where to vote to how to cast your ballot. #election2025

How to vote in New Bedford’s preliminary election on Tuesday - The New Bedford Light

On Oct. 7, voters will decide which at-large councilors will appear on the November ballot. Here’s all you need to know.

newbedfordlight.org

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 4d

InPerson: New Bedford’s Eric Jay Santos — songwriter, sportswriter, teacher — whose passion for words has him living his childhood dreams.
Read the interview:
newbedfordlight.org/new-bedfords...
Watch the video:

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 7d

📝Student test scores in New Bedford and around Massachusetts have mostly flatlined or declined, according to the latest statewide data. In the first year when 10th grade scores no longer would determine who graduates, far fewer of New Bedford’s high schoolers participated in these tests. #MCAS

City MCAS scores flatline or decline, with high school participation down - The New Bedford Light

Now that the 10th grade MCAS tests are no longer a graduation requirement, fewer high schoolers in New Bedford participated.

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 8d

Opinion: How was it that after 35 years of providing longevity pay to elected officials New Bedford suddenly stopped the practice last year? It stopped because a second-year city employee, working by herself in an understaffed treasurer’s office, questioned it, writes Light columnist Jack Spillane.

Andrea Sanchez: the city worker who questioned longevity pay for pols - The New Bedford Light

Andrea Sanchez was on the job for less than a year before she started to ask why elected officials were getting the same longevity pay as management.

newbedfordlight.org

2

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 8d

✍️ They gathered at the Dartmouth Public Library North Branch to hand-copy the #U.S.Constitution, an exercise aimed at introducing the document to the public and encouraging interaction with it and meditation on it.
✍️ Want to try it? There's a second workshop tomorrow. More below⤵️

A chance to ‘write’ the U.S. Constitution in Dartmouth - The New Bedford Light

The public is invited to hand-copy the U.S. Constitution as a way to interact with — and interrogate — the bedrock of American governance.

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 9d

Pascual Cuin González, an immigrant with asylum status and a work permit, was detained in three facilities -- in Massachusetts, New York and Louisiana -- before being released. He was never told why he was arrested by #ICEagents or let go. With 🎥

New Bedford asylee back home after weeklong ICE detention - The New Bedford Light

Pascual Cuin González, an immigrant with asylum status and a work permit, was detained in three facilities before being released.

newbedfordlight.org

1 3

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 9d

Opinion: It is self-defeating to keep reporters at arm’s length, says veteran journalist Ken Hartnett. Who better to explain New Bedford's challenges — and its plans to solve those challenges — than our long-term mayor? @jonmitchellnb.bsky.social #opengovernment #NewBedfordMA

Opinion: A journalist’s letter to Mayor Mitchell - The New Bedford Light

It is self-defeating to keep reporters at arm’s length. Who better to explain the city’s challenges — and its plans to solve those challenges — than our long-term mayor?

newbedfordlight.org

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 10d

Store owners on Acushnet Avenue say #ICE operations have dealt a blow to more than their revenue. “Definitely, you can see the impact,” said Muhammad Naseer, owner of America’s Market, a grocery store on Acushnet Avenue, “not just in the numbers, but in the psyche of the community.”

Impact of Trump policies worsens for immigrant businesses - The New Bedford Light

Store owners on Acushnet Avenue say ICE operations have dealt a blow to their revenue – with one business reporting a 50% loss in sales in the last eight months.

newbedfordlight.org

2

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 10d

No safety issues were found at the only #assistedlivingfacility in New Bedford after the city's Fire Department began quarterly #safetyinspections this month. The action was taken one week after The Light reported that Whaler's Cove had not received a formal inspection in at least 18 years.

Fire Department begins formal safety inspections at Whaler’s Cove - The New Bedford Light

The New Bedford Fire Department found no safety issues during its first formal inspection of the city’s assisted living facility in at least 18 years.

newbedfordlight.org

3

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 11d

Opinion: The Trump administration recently released a long-promised report decrying the sorry state of the #health of American #children and saying how it planned to change this. What is most telling about this report is what it does NOT cover, writes Edward P. Hoffer, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.C.

Opinion: Does the MAHA movement actually care about America’s children? - The New Bedford Light

If RFK Jr. and his followers truly cared about America’s children, gun control would be top of their priority list.

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 11d

Chasing the Muse: "Salad Days," the 63-piece exhibit inside old greenhouses at Haskell Public Gardens is unique, thoughtful … and problematic in a kind of perfect way.
Read Don Wilkinson's review, with his photos of works from the exhibit⤵️
newbedfordlight.org/salad-days-a...

‘Salad Days’ greater than the sum of its parts - The New Bedford Light

The 63-piece exhibit inside old greenhouses at Haskell Public Gardens is unique, thoughtful … and problematic in a kind of perfect way.

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 13d

Constituents at a New Bedford town hall spoke before lawmakers about impending federal cuts to #healthcare, #education and #foodassistance. To offset losses, advocates are pushing a “Corporate Fair Share” bill in Massachusetts, which would require multinational corporations to pay more state taxes.

Corporate tax fight hits home in New Bedford as federal cuts loom - The New Bedford Light

State reps addressed 100 people about Massachusetts’s response to federal cuts to health care, student loans, and food assistance. Advocates want to raise state taxes on multinational corporations.

newbedfordlight.org

1 3

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 14d

🍂The air may be getting brisk but the season’s #fallfestivities are warming up. Check out our calendar of events around the South Coast. Got more? You can submit them to us, too!

South Coast is the place for fall fun - The New Bedford Light

Munch an apple, pick a pumpkin, meander in a maze now that autumn has arrived on the South Coast.

newbedfordlight.org

2

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 14d

James Roy, a progressive candidate for at-large city councilor in New Bedford, addresses accusations that he attempted to hide his past history of substance use. Some of the unflattering specifics of that past have now reared their head in election season attacks.

New Bedford City Council candidate speaks about history of substance use - The New Bedford Light

In an interview with The Light, James Roy addresses accusations that he attempted to hide his past and says, “No one should be defined by their lowest moment.”

newbedfordlight.org

1

The New Bedford Light @newbedfordlight.bsky.social · 14d

🧢 Since the federal government abruptly halted construction at Empire Wind for one month in the spring, and then Revolution Wind in August, workers supporting the buildout of #offshorewind in New England have grown worried about the industry’s future — and theirs.

Offshore wind labor force hoping for work that might not continue - The New Bedford Light

Union workers worry the Trump administration’s opposition to offshore wind might shut down the industry.

newbedfordlight.org

1