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News

Community Band honored with donations from two local organizations

The Dartmouth Community Band was honored with donations from two local organizations on Friday, Jan. 13 in a ceremony at the Maria Connor Center for Active Living. Neil Sylvia, a longtime percussionist in the band who is also a part of its informal...

MSPCC to oversee Healthy Families program on much of South Coast

The Children’s Trust , the state’s child abuse prevention agency, has given the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (MSPCC) a contract to oversee the Healthy Families Massachusetts program for Acushnet, Fairhaven,...

Popular TikToker escorted from Dartmouth Mall

Attention shoppers: playing a saxophone through a traffic cone at the Dartmouth Mall is not allowed. This was the lesson TikTok star and New York-based musician Wenzl McGowen learned after being escorted out of the mall on Friday, Jan. 6. The...

Inmate suicide points to ‘blind spot’ in procedures, sheriff says

Newly-inaugurated Sheriff Paul Heroux said the recent suicide at the Dartmouth jail likely reveals a “blind spot” in department procedures — something he said he intends to fix. In an interview with the New Bedford Light, Heroux said that while the...

Officials aim for balanced budget in upcoming fiscal year

Budget season is now underway and Dartmouth officials say they are worried national economic trends could make it difficult to have a financial plan that avoids a Proposition 2 ½ override. “This is going to be one heck of a year,” Finance Committee...

Town looks to form coalition against proposed septic changes

Town officials on Monday announced their intentions to build a coalition of coastal communities to oppose proposed changes to the state’s septic regulations. At the Select Board’s Jan. 9 meeting, members unanimously agreed to invite officials from...

Dartmouth girl dies on Christmas day

Tragedy struck a Dartmouth family on Christmas day as a 16-year-old girl died from complications of juvenile diabetes on Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022. Hailey K. Housewright, a Dartmouth resident and Dartmouth High student, was an aspiring illustrator with...

State to hold informational session on septic regulations Jan. 18

An information session regarding possible changes to state septic tank regulations will be held at UMass Dartmouth on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 6 p.m. The meeting, hosted by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, comes after the agency...

Contact town first prior to public shade tree removal, officials remind

In the wake of last year’s unapproved public shade tree removal, Director of Public Works Tim Barber (who is also Dartmouth’s tree warden) and the newly established Tree Committee are reminding residents to contact the town first prior to any tree...

Heroux sworn in as Bristol County Sheriff

FALL RIVER — The Paul Heroux era is officially underway at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office. Heroux was sworn in by Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin on Tuesday evening at a ceremony at Durfee High School in Fall River to succeed...

Land trust rings in 2023 with first guided hike of the year

The Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust is starting 2023 on the right foot… and the left. To kick off the new year, the land trust hosted its annual walk through a section of its Frank Knowles/Little River reserve, which saw a couple dozen nature...

Geese abound in local waters, Lloyd Center reports

This winter is shaping up to be the season of the goose, according to the first count of the Lloyd Center for the Environment's annual winter waterfowl survey. The Lloyd Center began the survey in 1988 with a focus on the American black duck and a...

St. Peter’s ‘The Bridge’ to get award for providing mental health services

Dartmouth’s St. Peter’s Episcopal Church has been named by Massachusetts General Hospital a s the recipient of its 2023 "Spirit of Compassion Award." The award, given annually by the hospital’s Endowment for the Advancement of Psychotherapy,...

Photos of the year

From blizzards to droughts, Halloween haunts to Christmas strolls, there was a lot to see in Dartmouth in 2022. As the year draws to a close, Dartmouth Week looks back at some of the highlights through the lenses of its dedicated reporters.

Here’s what made headlines in Dartmouth in 2022

It was certainly a busy 2022 in Dartmouth. The past 12 months saw a number of new faces get elected to local office, a resident as involved in a tri-state chase , the closure of Big Value Outlet , the cleanup of toxic soil in Bliss Corner, and one...

Virtual program gets inmates ready for the road

If there’s an immediate skill Darnessa Almeida, an inmate at the Bristol County House of Correction, hopes to perfect, it’s backing up an 18-wheeler. Last time she did it, she managed to knock over at least half the cones in the parking lot. “...

Prudential committee names new Fire District 2 chief

After months of meetings, controversy and deliberation, Dartmouth’s Fire District 2 has a new chief. The Fire District 2 Prudential Committee appointed Erick Turcotte, a current lieutenant with Dartmouth’s Fire District 1, as District 2 chief...

Holiday schedule for trash pickup

The Dartmouth Department of Public Works has announced the holiday schedule for residents enrolled in the S.M.A.R.T. solid waste and recycling program. There will be no solid waste/recycling collection on Monday, Dec. 26. Solid Waste/recycling...

Dartmouth YMCA food pantry provides toys, groceries for needy families

Every week, the Dartmouth YMCA’s Full Plate Project helps hundreds of local families in need by distributing groceries to those dealing with food insecurity. But with the holiday season in full swing, the organization partnered with Dartmouth United...

Harbor projects awarded state grants

The Town of Dartmouth has been awarded $72,000 in grant funds from the state’s Economic Seaport Council, Town Administrator Shawn MacInnes announced during the Select Board’s Dec. 19 meeting. According to MacInnes, $40,000 is allocated toward a...

Task force seeks solutions to help homeless

Coming from Lowell, Dartmouth Building Commissioner Joe Braga knows first-hand the kind of devastation people can experience when they’re desperate for shelter. “I can tell you horror stories,” he said at a Select Board meeting earlier this month...

Holiday recycling tips from Department of Public Works

The holidays are here and the Department of Public Works is reminding residents to recycle packaging and other materials this season. "When sharing gifts this holiday season, please make room for new items by donating, selling, or recycling items...

Dartmouth homes get in the holiday spirit

It may not be a white Christmas, but homes across Dartmouth are keeping the holiday spirits bright with festive lights and ornate displays. On Azalea Drive, crowds of residents came out to see all sorts of holiday wonder at the Botelho household...

Bridge rehabilitation on Old Fall River Road

The Dartmouth Department of Public Works will be reconstructing portions of Fall River Road beginning Monday, Dec. 19. According to the notice, the department is focusing on the bridges which go over the Copicut and Shingle Island rivers. Work will...

Community resource fair Dec. 19

In an effort to better help homeless and at-risk residents get back on their feet, the Town of Dartmouth will host a community resource fair Monday, Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the North Branch Library. The aim of the fair, organized by the...

VFW craft fair benefits local veterans

Dartmouth crafters gathered together to support local veterans on Sunday, Dec. 11 as the Dartmouth VFW Ladies’ Auxiliary held its annual holiday craft fair. Organizers said that vendors gave a small donation to reserve a table and each provided an...

Dartmouth toy drive to brighten holiday seasons of needy children

Christmas morning will be a little brighter for many local children thanks to the efforts of the Dartmouth Police and Safe Zones New Bedford. The local non profit partners with police departments from Dartmouth, Acushnet and Fairhaven every year for...

State extends public comment period on proposed septic regulation changes

Following the request of the town's representatives on Beacon Hill, the state’s Department of Environmental Affairs announced Friday that it would delay any decisions on updating its septic tank regulations in order to garner more public feedback...

Dartmouth Grange hulas into the holidays with ukulele concert

What a way to say “Aloha” to the holiday season. The Dartmouth Grange Hall held its annual holiday concert on Tuesday, Dec. 6 featuring the quirky stylings of the Unlikely Strummers, a community-based ukulele group from around the South Coast and...

Show us your holiday decor!

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas....On certain streets in Dartmouth, especially. Do you know of a home that has beautiful holiday decorations? Maybe it’s even yours? We want to see it! Feel free to send us a photo of the home or tell us...

Assistant town manager leaving for job in Halifax

Assistant Town Administrator Cody Haddad is leaving Dartmouth, Town Administrator Shawn MacInnes announced during the Select Board’s Dec. 5. Meeting. According to MacInnes, Haddad has accepted a job to be the next town administrator for Halifax...

Select Board seeks to stop Thirsty Whale complaints

“It looks like a small riot every night.” That’s how Police Chief Brian Levesque described the average scene after last call at the Thirsty Whale on Cove Road, a bar whose liquor license renewal was the subject of a lengthy discussion during the...

Town celebrates annual tree lighting

The parking lot in front of Town Hall was full of families and Christmas spirit as the Department of Parks and Recreation held its annual tree lighting ceremony on the evening of Sunday, Dec. 4. “Thank you for showing up tonight,” Select Board Vice...

Santa Paws stops by Dartmouth shelter

Pets from all over the region came to paws for the purrfect holiday photos Saturday as “Santa Paws” stopped by the Humane Society and Shelter SouthCoast for the first time in three years. “We’re getting back into the swing of things,” Shelter...

Padanaram kicks off Christmas season with holiday stroll

Hundreds gathered in Padanaram on Friday night, Dec. 2 for the village’s annual holiday stroll where the street was closed and businesses stayed open late, offering hot chocolate and mulled cider to shoppers welcoming the holiday season. Everywhere...

Historical society releases comprehensive texts on 18th-century Dartmouth Quakers

The Dartmouth Historical and Arts Society, in collaboration with the Colonial Society of Massachusetts, recently completed work on two new historical volumes that give a window into the early history of the Town of Dartmouth. The works, titled “The...

Raffle to help moms in need

The Dartmouth Moms Group at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church has started a new program this year, “Moms Helping Moms.” This new initiative hopes to spread little extra cheer to moms experiencing a hardship this holiday season through five $500 Target...

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