News

Looking back on the year 2024 in Dartmouth

When the clock approaches midnight at the end of the month, there are a number of moments for the town to look back on from the year 2024, whether in celebration, mourning or for hope. This year marked the first in which the town hit over $100...

Paradox Acres to receive $17,000 agriculture grant

Paradox Acres in Dartmouth will receive nearly $18,000 in grant funds to improve its composting operation in 2025 as part of an overall agricultural program aimed at maximizing farm production. The $17,812.50 award will be used for the purchase of a...
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Holiday recycling tips for Dartmouth residents

The town of Dartmouth is offering residents holiday clean-up options to encourage recycling and composting to avoid waste and save landfill space. Below are disposal options for real Christmas trees after all decorations have been removed. Real...

Kwanzaa ceremony welcomes unity into the community

Nyla Walker, 7, read aloud the seven principles of Kwanzaa as kids took turns lighting the seven candles held in a kinara and her mom, Samia Walker, told visitors about the holiday. Each candle the kids lit symbolizes one of the seven principles of...

Transfer station rates to increase January 1

Several transfer station disposal rates, including fees for construction and demolition waste and bulky item waste, are set to increase on Jan. 1. The fee increases come after concerns that a large number of people are disposing of commercial waste...

Board selects candidate for town administrator position

In a 4-1 vote Monday night, Dec. 16, the Select Board decided to offer the position of town administrator to Bridget Almon, who is currently the director of finance in Fall River. The vote in opposition came from Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald,...

Frosting, sprinkles and friendly competition make for holiday fun at the library

As the clock ticked, kids frantically mixed their frosting and laid out the sprinkles and fondue that were sure to make their holiday cupcake stand out in the annual cupcake decorating competition Saturday, Dec. 14 at the North Branch Library. For...

Rotary members serve as ‘My Brother’s Keeper’ to help families in need

MIDDLEBORO – Members of the Middleboro Rotary Club and their families and friends visited My Brother’s Keeper in Dartmouth to select and wrap presents for families that would otherwise not have a Christmas. For the third year in a row, club members...

Proposal made to amend town garbage regulations

A proposed amendment to the town’s garbage regulations would require homeowners and contractors to complete an asbestos inspection before disturbing materials for renovation and demolition projects. The amendment would make it a requirement for...

How to dispose of burnt out string lights

As residents prepare for the holidays and begin decorating their homes, any burnt out string lights should be brought to the Dartmouth Transfer Station at 976 Russells Mills Road for recycling. String lights recycled at home can get stuck in the...

Revisions made to Dartmouth’s electricity aggregation plan

The town of Dartmouth is holding a 30-day public review period for its revised aggregation plan for Dartmouth Community Electricity Aggregation, which is the town’s official electricity supply program. The program provides new electricity supply...

Fill the Bus comes home for Christmas

The seats of two school buses were packed on Saturday, Dec. 7, but not by kids on a weekend field trip but by dozens of donated toys. Bags stuffed with toys sat in every row on the bus, organized by volunteers from the Dartmouth Police Department...

Tree lighting decks the Hall

Cheers and applause filled the crisp December air as Dartmouth welcomed in the holiday season with the annual Town Hall tree lighting ceremony. Hundreds of people gathered together in front of Town Hall on Saturday, Dec. 7, joining voices in a...

Cross Road improvements hearing spurs logistical questions

As rain poured down Wednesday morning, Dec. 11, Dartmouth commuters who took Cross Road were given a gentle reminder of just how bad the flooding can get as they passed by Potter Elementary School. A “Road Flooded” sign has made its permanent home...

‘A Hallmark movie in our own town’: Padanaram shows off its festive side

As the clock approached 6:30 p.m., a crowd joined together, huddled in the cold, at the Maritime Center where a tree of decorated buoys stood tall. Under the string lights, they sang in unison to holiday songs with Santa and Mrs. Claus after an...

Heating assistance program now open

The enrollment period for the Home Energy Assistance Program is now open. The Home Energy Assistance Program provides financial relief to eligible households to help them pay winter heating bills and is a free, statewide resource. The program pays a...

Four final candidates to be interviewed for Town Administrator position

After Shawn MacInnes left the Town Administrator position in July, the town of Dartmouth has been searching for a candidate to fill the position. On Wednesday, Dec. 11 and Thursday, Dec. 12, the Select Board will conduct the final interviews with...

Planning Board extends new offer for Planning Director position

The Planning Board came before the Select Board on Dec. 2 to discuss extending a new offer for the Planning Director position after Camerin Bennett chose to not accept the role, which has been open since July after Christine O’Grady resigned. On Oct...

Beyond the Star Store

Stretching across the facade of what used to be Bed Bath and Beyond in the Dartmouth Towne Center, a shopping plaza, is a long blue temporary banner with the words Art & Design Studios. It’s been nearly a year and a half since the UMass...

‘Pulling’ the community together with tractors

Down on Lucy Little Road, the Paskamanset Beagle Club has opened its property to some visitors hosting a friendly competition of tractor pulling. On Sunday morning, Dec. 1, the Paskamanset Slab Tractor Pullers hosted its second and final competition...

Sheriff’s Office awarded Innovation of the Year award

The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office used to have a rate of suicide three times higher than the national average and the highest in the state, but after the office hired Lindsay Hayes, a nationally recognized expert on inmate suicide, the office has...

Wreath and repeat: Troop 13 sells homemade wreaths to support its charter

When the wreaths arrive they are blank. But those who buy them wouldn’t have a clue as the girls of Dartmouth Scouting Troop 13 put them all together for sale themselves, tying bows and collecting all the pine cones and holly. The troop set up on...

Holiday cheer arrives early at Hill Crest Alpacas

Reindeer aren’t the only animals Santa and Mrs. Claus like. It turns out they fancy alpacas, too. On Sunday, Nov. 24, the Clauses visited Hill Crest Alpacas for the farm’s Christmas celebration. This was the eighth time Santa and Mrs. Claus stopped...

Clearing the air: High school staff crack down on vaping

Dartmouth High School equipped its restrooms with sensors designed specifically to measure the amount of vapor in the air from e-cigarettes back in early March after educators wondered how prevalent vaping is for its students. Much to the school’s...

Annual trash and trash bag rates to increase

Dartmouth’s annual trash and trash bag rates will be gradually increasing starting in Fiscal Year 2026, but by how much is still unknown. At the Board of Public Works meeting on Thursday, Nov. 21, representatives from planning firms Weston &...

Dartmouth Southcoast Health welcomes new provider

There is a new staff member at Southcoast Health Family Medicine in Dartmouth this month. Rachel Ray earned her Doctor of Nursing Practice from UMass Dartmouth and will be seeing patients of all ages. To learn more about Southcoast Health providers...

Select Board approves new Substance Use Program Coordinator position

The Select Board unanimously agreed to establish a new town position to track, fund and create resources using opioid settlement funds at its Monday, Nov. 18 meeting. The Substance Use Program Coordinator position was created by the Dartmouth...

Select Board allocates remaining ARPA funds as deadline approaches

The Select Board allocated $1,390,000 in revenue replacement funds to four projects, including school building improvements, a Town Hall upgrade and water main replacements. The Select Board previously allocated revenue replacement funds to a...

DNRT sprints into ‘biggest’ trail race yet

For mother-daughter Dartmouth duo Jennifer and Molly Rouillard, the Dartmouth Natural Resource Trust’s annual Trail Race is a family tradition. Jennifer said it’s the woods. “The woods call me to come back,” she said, adding, “It's just so much fun...

A stroke of kindness: Volunteers gather to help Dartmouth homeowner

Like an old fashion barn raising, approximately 30 volunteers gathered together Saturday, Oct. 19, to help a neighbor in need. Pam of Dartmouth had recently lost her husband and has been struggling with some health issues for some time. Though she...

Appreciating 70 years of ‘extraordinary’ service, sacrifice

In 1918, World War I ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. “I know its trivial information, but not so just to remember these veterans over the years,” said Select Board member Stanley Mickelson at the town’s sixth annual...

Giving back to veterans one craft at a time

Packed in a small room at the Veterans of Foreign Wars building, small businesses and self-proclaimed hobbyists sold their handcrafted goods to familiar faces. Baked goods, bouquets, candles, birdhouses and more were all for sale at the annual event...

Host of problems: The blunt reality of cannabis business in Dartmouth

The Dartmouth Select Board will not be willingly accepting host community agreements with the town’s cannabis businesses anytime soon, according to Select Board Chair Shawn McDonald. After rejecting two agreements at prior board meetings with Solar...

MCAS will be administered in town despite vote to remove graduation requirement

Nearly 60% of Massachusetts and Dartmouth voters favor ending the MCAS graduation requirement, but the Dartmouth School Committee says the test will continue to be administered in town. “We’re holding our own,” said School Committee Chair Chris...

Updated: Dartmouth voters favor Harris by thin margin

The unofficial results are in and Dartmouth voters went for Democrat Kamala Harris on Tuesday, Nov. 5 by a narrow margin of 31 votes over Republican opponent former President Donald Trump, with a voter turnout of 71.9%, or 18,159. Nearly half of the...

Dartmouth voters favor Harris by slim margin

The unofficial results are in and Dartmouth voters went for Democrat Kamala Harris on Tuesday, Nov. 5 by a narrow margin of 31 votes over Republican opponent former President Donald Trump, with a voter turnout of 71.9%, or 18,159. Nearly half of the...

Cat-ching up: Seasoned vets spotlight changes in the practice at gala

At the Humane Society & Shelter – SouthCoast in Dartmouth last week, a small dog that was in labor for multiple days was brought in by an owner who thought her pet was going to have to be euthanized. “The uterus was the size of the dog,” said...

Veterans lunch serves more than a meal

The Dartmouth Friends of the Elderly created its annual veterans lunch as a way to honor the veterans in the community, but attendees at this year’s lunch said it also gives them the opportunity to be with the people who can best understand their...

‘It’s going to take an even bigger village’: First affordable housing in decade breaks ground

Since 2018, the Dartmouth Partners in Housing have been working to break ground on its affordable housing project — the first in Dartmouth in over a decade. However, after facing a number of financial challenges and raising over $4 million for the...

A scary good time in Padanaram kicks off trick-or-treating

Halloween on a school night? To Michael Jackson — or really to Ethan King, 9 — it was no big deal. “I’m feeling good and I think my teacher is going to be a little bit loose with us tomorrow because everyone is going to have a sugar rush,” King said...

What to know for Election Day, Nov. 5

Dartmouth voters will bubble in their decision for president, senator and house representative as well as seven other open seats and five laws on Election Day, Nov. 5. Just below their presidential selection, Dartmouth residents will mark their...

Select Board allocates ARPA funds as deadline approaches

Drinking water treatment and wastewater treatment will get $247,100 in federal American Rescue Plan Act money to pay for repairs and match the Public Works Department’s contribution to the Buzzard Bay Coalition’s "septic-to-sewer incentive" program...

Historian dives into the depths of local history

The seats in the Russells Mills Schoolhouse were once again filled on Sunday, Oct. 27 as over 30 people gathered for a lesson about local Native American history. Local historian Richard Gifford gave a presentation on specifically the history of...

New options available for disposing pumpkins and cornstalks

There are several options residents have to keep their Halloween pumpkins and cornstalks out of the trash, including setting them out with the town of Dartmouth’s curbside yard waste pickup, dropping them off with yard waste at the Water Pollution...

New curbside food scrap collection program introduced to town

The town of Dartmouth and the Greater New Bedford Regional Refuse Management District are partnering with Black Earth Compost to facilitate a new curbside food scrap collection program that will help reduce household waste by up to 30%, the Refuse...

All treats, no tricks at first trunk or treat event

As a high school student dressed in a gorilla costume roamed between cars, kids dressed as superheroes, Disney princesses and even as Bullseye, the Target mascot, went from trunk to trunk in search of candy. “I [saw] a little girl dressed as a...

Application now open for heating assistance

The town of Dartmouth will once again offer heating assistance this winter. Qualified households are eligible to receive up to $500 in direct payments to their home heat provider. The application opened on Oct. 23 and the first review of submissions...

$2.1 million sewer grant marks progress in town affordable housing

A $2.1 million MassWorks grant has provided the remaining funds needed to complete the planned upgrades to the Elswick and Route 6 pumping stations, according to the Massachusetts Senate. These upgrades were made necessary by the recent developments...

Town selects new planning director

After Planning Director Christine O’Grady resigned from the role in July, the Planning Board and Select Board have been searching for a new person to fill the position. On Tuesday, Oct. 22 two candidates, Camerin Bennett and Daniel Gioiosa, came...

Town officials petition for state meeting to address composting regulations

Composting sites in Dartmouth have raised smell complaints in residential neighborhoods for years . A study conducted around 2017 at one of the composting sites revealed that the sites weren’t just creating odors but also harmful environmental...

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