English Bulldog Puppies for Sale in New Bedford, MA

The YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts has been awarded a $100,000 grant from the Point32Health Foundation to support community-led initiatives that improve health outcomes, according to a community announcement.

The funds will support community-driven priorities in New Bedford, including mental health access and language justice. Gail Fortes, executive director of the YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts, said the investment will enable the organization to take strategic leadership of the Health Equity Community of Practice (HECoP), ensuring that community-driven priorities remain at the forefront of the city’s policy agenda.

“By aligning our collective efforts with the city’s health improvement plans, we are building a sustainable foundation for long-term systems change and empowered local leadership,” Fortes said.

The grant is part of a larger $1.8 million investment by the Point32Health Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, according to the announcement. The foundation awarded 24 grants to organizations that lead with community voices and priorities.

“These investments strengthen organizations that lead with community voices and priorities,” Kristin Lewis, president of the Point32Health Foundation and executive vice president of Point32Health, said in the announcement. “By investing in their missions, we can help create lasting, transformative change across the communities we serve.”

The YWCA Southeastern Massachusetts, founded in 1911, serves an area that stretches from the Rhode Island state line east to Provincetown, south to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket, and north to Attleboro, Brockton and Plymouth. The organization provides programming in youth and adult services, racial justice, economic advancement, leadership development, residential services and health and wellness.

The YWCA helps women, girls and their families attain self-sufficiency by providing services to support the vast needs of people from numerous populations.

Point32Health, the parent company of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, serves nearly 2 million members. The Point32Health Foundation supports communities in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

This story was created with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at cm.usatoday.com/ethical-conduct.

The City of New Bedford allows you to file a claim if you or your vehicle has suffered damage or injury as a result of a pothole on a city street. Don't whine to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, though, if your pothole experience occurs on a state-owned roadway. They don't want to hear about it.

I hit a pothole on Blackstone Boulevard in Providence, Rhode Island, a few years ago that rivaled the craters you might see in downtown Tehran these days. No joke, man, it was massive. It looked like the kind of cavity a bunker-buster might hollow out.

I blew two tires in that sinkhole.

Though I fought valiantly, I couldn't convince Providence City Hall that it should pay for my damage.

Potholes are a big problem this time of year in parts of the country that experience winter weather. Between blowouts, alignments, and other issues, the repair shops are busy.

"People can file a claim at the City Solicitor's Office (CSO)," New Bedford Public Information Officer Jonathan Darling said. It can be done through the CSO's website.

There is a four-page application on the CSO website for filing a pothole damage claim. Be sure you take lots of pictures of the pothole and the damage it causes.

Massachusetts, however, views things differently.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, "We make every effort to take care of roadway issues, but it's not always possible to timely discover, clean up, or make repairs."

"There can be no recovery for property damage, only personal injury (limited to $4,000.00), in actions against the Commonwealth due to road defects," MassDOT said.

If damage occurs in an "active construction zone," MassDOT will be happy to "forward your claim to the contractor of record."

NEW BEDFORD, MA – On Tuesday, March 3^th, 2026, the New Bedford High School Jazz Band hosted the Massachusetts Association for Jazz Educators (MAJE) Cape Cod/Coastal Festival at New Bedford High School. The band performed for adjudicators and earned a gold medal, with a score of 68 out of a possible 75 points. This is the first time the jazz band has earned a gold medal since the 1990s!

After their performance, the jazz band received a clinic from one of the 4 esteemed adjudicators. The students received positive feedback about their musicianship and their enjoyment of playing jazz music together, as well as some things to improve upon for future performances.

“This festival is just the next checkpoint in our year,” said jazz band director Timothy Mason, “But it’s also really an opportunity for the students to take ownership of their jazz band. For me, it was rewarding to see my students being the best versions of themselves both on and off the bandstand.”

Freddy Renovato, a senior trumpet player said, “MAJE was a good time. Things went smoothly. We had a good performance with room to grow.”

Kaleb McGee, a senior percussionist, said, “I liked that the clinician brought up the tempo for one of our songs as an experiment.” They also said, “We need to keep listening to the songs so they don’t get beyond us.”

The NBHS Jazz Band will perform Saturday, March 14^th at the MAJE State Finals at Norwood High School, with an opportunity to win a spot at the Hatch Shell performance in Boston in May. They also look to future performances in May: The District-Wide Art Show at the Paul Rodrigues Administration Building on May 14^th, and the Rotch-Jones-Duff Concert in the Gardens on May 19^th.

New Bedford and the South Coast of Massachusetts could face a significant winter weather event this weekend as a rapidly intensifying bomb cyclone takes shape off the East Coast, bringing the potential for heavy snow, damaging winds, and coastal flooding risks.

Meteorologists are closely monitoring a low-pressure system expected to undergo bombogenesis — a rapid drop in central pressure — starting Saturday afternoon and peaking Sunday into early Monday. This “winter hurricane-like” storm is forecast to track in a way that could target southeastern Massachusetts, including New Bedford, Fall River, and nearby areas, with some models showing the heaviest impacts here.

Forecasters the National Weather Service indicate growing confidence that southeastern MA, including the South Coast, stands a strong chance of seeing more than 6 inches of snow, with possibilities of 6-12 inches in spots if the track stays close to shore. Blizzard conditions — featuring strong winds and blowing snow leading to very low visibility — are possible, especially toward Cape Cod but potentially extending to coastal South Coast communities.

Winds are a major concern, with gusts potentially reaching 40-60 mph or higher along the coast, raising the risk of power outages, downed trees, and difficult travel. Northerly gusts could whip up existing snowpack from the recent storm, creating hazardous drifts.

Coastal flooding is another key threat for New Bedford residents near the water or in low-lying areas. The storm aligns with a full moon and higher-than-normal astronomical tides, combined with large offshore waves (potentially 15-25 feet), which could lead to moderate coastal flooding, beach erosion, and minor inundation at north- or northeast-facing shores during high tide Sunday.

Ahead of the storm, expect very cold conditions through Saturday, with lows in the single digits and highs in the teens to lower 20s, keeping any existing snow from melting significantly.

While the exact track remains uncertain — a shift even slightly could lessen impacts for some areas — local officials and weather experts urge South Coast residents to prepare now: stock up on essentials, monitor updates from the National Weather Service, charge devices, and avoid unnecessary travel if conditions worsen Sunday into Monday.

The SouthCoast still hasn’t fully dug out from underneath 14 inches of snow dumped upon us, and already another snowstorm may be on the horizon.

A variety of weather models show the possibility of a storm on the weekend of Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 along the East Coast, said Allison Santorelli, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Given the cold temperatures that will already be in place, a developing low pressure system along the coast could bring more snow, sleet or rain to places that experienced the winter storm that cleared out on Jan. 26, Santorelli said.

What do weather services say about another winter storm?

The National Weather Service has not issued any alerts or watches for Jan. 31 or Feb. 1. Its seven-day forecast indicates a 30% possibility of snow on Sunday, Jan. 31.

Weather forecasters Accuweather and The Weather Channel indicate they’re tracking a potential winter storm.

Accuweather’s forecast indicates a 35% chance of precipitation with “the potential for a major winter storm.” TWC’s forecast for Sunday, Jan. 31, has a higher 64% chance of snow, with possibly 4 inches expected.

SouthCoast weather forecast for this week: Bitter cold

For now, the winter snowstorm of Jan. 25 was enough, covering the region in about 12 to 14 inches of snow.

The snow is likely to linger on the ground, as NWS predicts temperatures will remain frigid for the rest of the week. Conditions on the SouthCoast are expected to be mostly cloudy to partly sunny; daytime temperatures will rise to the low 20s, dipping into the single digits overnight.

Material from a story by Dinah Voyles Pulver of USA Today was used in this report.