City festival season steps off on Acushnet Avenue

NEW BEDFORD — It's that time of year when Acushnet Avenue turns into a street in Portugal for a weekend.

And not just any street.

The "Ave" will host the 11th edition of the Day of Portugal street festival, a weekend filled with the popular culture, food and music from the Iberian country.
Festival President Carlos Pinhancos said the festival unites all Portuguese immigrants in the area, whether they are from mainland Portugal, the Azores or Madeira [read more]

 Gov. Patrick announces $1.3 million for I-195 ramp at Fairhaven Mills

NEW BEDFORD — Gov. Deval Patrick announced Thursday the award of $1.3 million to fix the traffic interchange at Interstate 195 and Coggeshall Street across from the Fairhaven Mills redevelopment project, disclosing new, detailed information about the developer's plans in the process.

In a prepared release, Gov. Patrick disclosed that in addition to a major retail tenant, the developers are planning:

The governor's release also noted that [read more]
 

 American Cruise Lines reports successful first port of call of the season

NEW BEDFORD — The 215-foot cruise ship American Star glided into port Monday night, sidled up to State Pier and inaugurated the city's 2008 cruise ship season. It was scheduled to sail from the harbor at 3 a.m. today.

Port officials said their goal this year is to step up the region's image for cruise ships, encouraging passengers to take in sights, including the New Bedford Whaling Museum, galleries and restaurants downtown.

The American Star is operated on the [read more]
 

 National sail publication singles out New Bedford as sailing destination

Once a key whaling port, and now the number-one fishing port in value of catch in the United States, New Bedford, Massachusetts, wants to add “cruising destination” to its résumé. The Economic Development Council and the New Bedford Harbor Development Commission are working hard to make that happen.

“New Bedford possesses authentic charm,” says Matt Morrissey, the executive director of the New Bedford Economic Development Council. “It hasn’t been Disneyfied.”

Additional moorings will be added to [read more]

 Greater New Bedford -- industry benchmark in the marine science

FALMOUTH — Continuing to strengthen the state's marine science & technology sector in southeastern Massachusetts, the John Adams Innovation Institute is making investments to support research and commercialization of new technologies, according to a release from the institute.

As the economic development arm of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, the Innovation Institute is working with UMass Dartmouth's SouthCoast Development Partnership (SCDP) to expand the Marine and Oceanographic Technology Network (MOTN), an industry [read more]
 

 City scallopers help manage stocks off Massachusetts coast

NEW BEDFORD — Two city scallopers are taking video surveys of the ocean floor this week to gather information about the size and abundance of scallop stocks on fishing grounds off the Massachusetts coast.

The surveys of the Great South Channel and the southern end of Georges Bank, known as Closed Area II, are part of a wider study that the UMass Dartmouth School for Marine Science and Technology conducts each year. The video project, which began in 2003, is an annual mapping of the seafloor from Virginia to the Hague Line [read more]
 

 City fisherman involved in fisheries scientific study

Fisheries scientists have teamed up with local groundfishermen to get a more accurate measure of the yellowtail flounder swimming in the popular fishing grounds of Georges Bank.

Depleted yellowtail flounder stocks drive fishing regulations for both the city's scallop and groundfishing fleets, making it important for regulators to have the best information available on the size of the yellowtail population.

Groundfishermen, who are struggling in [read more]

 Port of New Bedford featured in PBS documentary

A screening of “New England Fishing Communities: The Challenges and The Sacrifices,” produced by Rhode Island PBS will be previewed Thursday, June 12th at the Seaman’s Bethel located at 15 Johnny Cake Hill in New Bedford.

The 30 minute documentary style program which will air in its entirety on June 16th is a continuation of last season’s Emmy®-nominated story, New England Portrait. This episode visits with commercial fishermen in Point Judith, RI, Gloucester and New Bedford, Mass. The program presents commercial fishing through the eyes of [read more]

 A new look for New Bedford -- UMass Dartmouth’s Star Store arts campus is at core of a growing creative economy and the revitalization of downtown New Bedford

On a recent Thursday AHA! Night in downtown New Bedford, one instantly feels the energy and vitality of a living, breathing urban community. Galleries buzz with excitement, as new works are unveiled to appreciative art lovers. Across the street, a former industrial garage recently revamped as an independent concert venue hosts a fledgling jazz-rock ensemble and their enthusiastic audience. An improv troupe resembling a trio of Greek statues delights passersby while in the distance diners enjoy a meal. At the center of the excitement, UMass Dartmouth's satellite arts campus--known as the Star Store from its previous life as [read more]
 

 Science and Mother Nature join forces in New Bedford

NEW BEDFORD — Gardeners in New Bedford are bringing the brilliance of science and Mother Earth together by planting vegetation that will naturally detoxify the soil in a downtown patch of property.

This summer, blacktop will be taken up and greenery will be put down in Wings Court to create an urban oasis in what is now primarily a concrete jungle.

"We want to show in a small and accessible place the many ways to manage a landscape so it detoxifies [read more]