Boston Globe explores New Bedford’s museums, restaurants and other interest points

In the 1850s this was the richest city in the country due to the fortunes amassed by whaling ship captains.

Today New Bedford’s harbor is the richest fishing port in the nation based on the dollar value of the catch, thanks to the high price of scallops.

Whaling and fishing are at the heart of the city’s 13-block, 34-acre New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, established by Congress in 1996.

A stone’s throw from Interstate 195, visitors can walk cobblestone streets and learn about life in the “City That Lit the World.’’... [read more]

  Casino developer locks up New Bedford waterfront site

NEW BEDFORD — A New York City developer has secured options on the old NStar power plant on the city's waterfront for the development of a casino, state Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny confirmed Thursday.

"They contacted us in the last 24 hours to say they had signed the options," Montigny said of KG Urban Enterprises, which lists an address of 125 Park Ave.

Montigny said he did not know the terms of the agreement but said the options are contingent on the state approving casino gaming and the developer being able to acquire a license for the site... [read more]

  Sea and sky look state of the art in an aquarium built on science

NEW BEDFORD - Standing sentry over Union Square, the grand neoclassical structure that was once headquarters of the New Bedford Institution of Savings is now a repository for wealth of a different kind.

These days the former financial temple harbors the riches of the sea, having been transformed into the Ocean Explorium, part aquarium and part science museum.

Since its grand opening in July, New Bedford’s newest attraction has quickly become a popular family destination... [read more]

  New Bedford Business Park looks ahead to another successful year

While many businesses were breathing a sigh of relief at the passing of 2009, Thomas G. Davis of New Bedford saw the year as just another opportunity to expand the New Bedford's Business Park.

Although characterized by bankruptcies and foreclosures elsewhere, the year brought "an almost unbelievable amount of success" to New Bedford's main commerce center, he said.

In 2009, Reinhart Foodservice, formerly NATCO Corp., capitalized on a new company contract to expand its New Bedford operations; Konarka Technologies moved into the former Polaroid building bringing exciting new technologies to the region; and, late in the year, Morgan Advanced Ceramics got the news that it had been selected as one of 28 recipients of substantial tax incentives through the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. The award will help the company expand and add jobs in 2010... [read more]

  'Voices from the Waterfront' book recounts oral histories of fishing industry figures

A new book designed to provide its readers with a window into New Bedford's complex and colorful fishing industry was released Jan. 14.

Titled "Voices from the Waterfront," the book is just that — allowing 40 people, who derive their livelihoods from a business that annually contributes $5.5 billion to the New England economy, to tell their stories in their own words.

Subtitled "Portrait of the New Bedford Fishing Industry," the book was produced as a collaborative effort between Laura Orleans and Kirsten Bendiksen, co-founders of the annual Working Waterfront Festival in New Bedford, and Connecticut's Mark Starr, a professional photographer who has previously produced photo books on the commercial fishermen of Point Judith... [read more]

  Whaling Museum gets funds to restore Bourne Building

NEW BEDFORD -- The century-old main gallery of the New Bedford Whaling Museum is set to undergo a total renovation and restoration project, thanks in large part to a $1.5 million federal government appropriation.

Sen. Paul Kirk, D-Mass. and Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., joined local and state dignitaries and National Park Service representatives in the museum's Bourne Building this morning to celebrate the project, which will restore the structure to its 1907 splendor while bringing it up to modern building codes.

Frank said the project serves as a perfect example of government partnering with private donors to accomplish something that private efforts couldn't do alone, creating jobs and boosting the local economy in the process... [read more]

  Polaroid, Acushnet Foundation funds boost workforce, early literacy programs 

NEW BEDFORD — The Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts recently awarded $108,000 in workforce development and early literacy grants with funding from the Polaroid and Acushnet Foundation Funds

“These grants are part of our ongoing strategy to fund programs that are working to increase the region's historically low levels of educational attainment,” said Foundation President Craig J. Dutra.

Six local organizations received a total of $100,000 in grants from the Polaroid Fund for workforce development programs, with an emphasis on advocacy and capacity building, as well as English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), Adult Basic Education (ABE), and General Education Development (GED) classes... [read more]