Ben Berke

Legal aid groups filed a lawsuit this week on behalf of three migrant teenagers who allegedly worked at a seafood processing plant in Fall River that supplies some of the region’s biggest supermarket chains.  The minors, who are not identified by name in the complaint, allegedly started working at Raw Seafoods’ processing plant in the […]

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 […]

After a yearslong review process, state health regulators have granted final approval to the proposed sale of Roger Williams Medical Center and Our Lady of Fatima Hospital, opening the door for a nonprofit to take over ownership of the struggling Rhode Island hospitals from a for-profit private equity firm. Otis Brown, a spokesman for the […]

New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell wants his city to do more to promote its connection to one of the great American novels.  Mitchell unveiled the design for an eight-foot bronze statue of Moby Dick author Herman Melville at a press conference on Friday morning.  The statue portrays Melville in a heroic pose with his mouth […]

Organizers of the annual Moby Dick reading marathon in New Bedford say they set a new attendance record this past weekend. Nearly 2,500 people traveled to the Whaling Museum to participate, arriving  from 37 states and countries as far away as Australia, Brazil, and Sweden, according to Amanda McMullen, the museum’s president and CEO. “It’s […]

The federal agency that studies the ocean and manages fisheries lost about 1,200 employees in February. But for the fishermen regulated by the agency, it’s still business as usual on the docks.  On a recent Wednesday, many crews on New Bedford’s fishing piers were doing gear work for their next trip, as Eric Hansen repaired […]

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 […]

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority proposed service reductions to nearly all of its bus routes on Thursday as it tries to balance a budget deficit. The proposed cuts, which are laid out in detail on RIPTA’s website, would affect 58 routes total, 17 of which would be eliminated entirely.  In an interview after announcing […]

Rhode Island’s governor announced a new plan on Monday to resolve RIPTA’s budget shortfall. The proposal would reduce bus frequency on 46 routes, increase fares, and introduce more advertising across the public transit system. Gov. Dan McKee said these changes would help the system avoid eliminating bus routes in their entirety.  McKee and leaders from […]

Rhode Island’s big swing at police reform is slow to make change