TAUNTON, Mass. (WPRI) — An investigation is underway after two bicyclists were hit by a car in Taunton Thursday afternoon, according to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn.

Donald MacManus, 76, of Seekonk, was riding his bike down North Walker Street with a 72-year-old Attleboro man when Quinn said both of them were hit by an oncoming car.

Quinn said MacManus was rushed to Morton Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The other bicyclist was brought to Rhode Island Hospital with significant trauma to his lower extremities, he added.

Read more at wpri.com.

FALL RIVER — Nelson Coelho told a woman he’d recently met and shared crack cocaine with that he was involved in the deadly robbery that killed 54-year-old convenience store owner Lal Kishor Mahaseth during an attempted armed robbery and that it was an accident, prosecutors alleged. 

And they said Coelho, 40, asked the woman if she would be his alibi as police searched for Mahaseth’s shooter. 

Coelho is on trial for Mahaseth’s murder, which occurred inside Mahaseth's convenience store on Rock Street on Oct. 18, 2021. He is also charged with possession of an illegal firearm and armed robbery, which prosecutors say he committed at another convenience store on Durfee Street the night before Mahaseth was fatally shot with a bullet to his heart.

Coelho has been held on bail since his arrest a week after the murder.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

Fallon Health, a not-for-profit healthcare services organization based in Worcester with more than 45 years of experience providing care, has plans to open a new Summit ElderCare PACE Center in Dartmouth by the end of this year. 

PACE, a Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, provides services to adults 55 and older, including adults with complex medical needs, so they can age with dignity in their home or community. It's the biggest PACE program in Massachusetts. 

Kristine Bostek, senior vice president of PACE Programs, said if the service area that would include Bristol and Plymouth counties and part of Barnstable County receives final approval, there may be as many as 9,000 residents eligible for PACE in the area.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

FALL RIVER — Fifteen jurors were presented images of a disturbing scene caught on surveillance video inside the Stop N Save convenience store on Rock Street. It showed 54-year-old owner Lal Kishor Mahaseth being gunned down during a robbery by a man disguised head to toe in black in October 2021. 

Mahaseth would be hit by a single fatal bullet to the chest when he attempted to fend off the robber by throwing a desk chair over the store’s counter. He was found by a customer more than an hour later. 

The murder and robbery trial of Nelson F. Coelho, 39, began in Bristol County Superior Court on Wednesday.

Read more from Jo C. Goode at heraldnews.com.

State gas prices rose for the second consecutive week and reached an average of $3.60 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, up from last week's price of $3.57 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The average fuel price in state has risen about 32 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the state in the last year have been as low as $3.07 on Jan. 29, 2024, and as high as $3.76 on Aug. 7, 2023.

A year ago, the average gas price in Massachusetts was 4% lower at $3.47 per gallon.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

FALL RIVER — Since taking over at his alma mater at Durfee in 2020, Mike Martin is finally living his dream as a manager.

Going back to his hay days as a high school baseball player in 1986-1990 and even as head coach, the Hilltopper Hall of Famer haven't had a fast start to the season like he's seen in 2024.

Durfee is off to its best start in nearly two decades with an 8-1 mark and is currently ranked 15th in the Division 1 power rankings. Monday's 6-5 win over Bishop Stang gave the Hilltoppers their sixth straight victory. They are also unbeaten in league play at 3-0. Their only blemish on the year is a loss to neighboring Diman.

Read more from Steven Sanchez at heraldnews.com.

The state Legislature races are shaping up, now that the deadline has passed for nominees to seek a place on the September primary ballot. And one state rep race could be a repeat of 2022. 

For those seeking a seat on Beacon Hill in November, April 30 was the deadline to submit their nomination papers to local election officials.

In the 5th Bristol District state representative race, incumbent state Rep. Patricia Haddad, a Democrat, and Republicans Justin Thurber and Melissa Terra of Somerset all returned nomination papers.

Haddad has represented the 5th Bristol District since 2000, winning 12 general elections. In her time in office, she has faced a primary challenger only her first time, and has faced a challenger in the general election only three times. Before winning state elective office, Haddad was a teacher; she served on town offices in Somerset for years, including the School Committee from 1993 to 2001. 

She is a member of the board of delegates on the New England Board of Higher Education. She has cited among her achievements securing funding to ease the loss of Brayton Point Power Station to Somerset’s tax base, obtaining revitalization funds for Swansea Town Beach, and working to bring offshore wind projects to Somerset.

Thurber challenged Haddad in the 2022 general election. An Air Force Reserves veteran, he mounted a successful write-in campaign to get on the Republican ticket in the primary. He ran on a platform of conservative economics including lowering taxes and supporting businesses, and opposition to COVID vaccine and mask mandates.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

RAYNHAM, Mass. (WPRI) — A 35-year-old Raynham man was shot and killed after he pulled a gun on officers responding to his apartment Tuesday afternoon, according to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III.

Quinn said the four officers were called to Stephen Maclean’s King Philip Street apartment for the second time in less than 24 hours to conduct a well-being check.

Maclean had been arrested and charged with intimidation of a witness and disorderly conduct on Monday during an ongoing court case involving his girlfriend, Quinn said. Probation officers allegedly asked for him to be held, as he was on probation for OUI at the time of the arrest, but a judge released him.

Read more at wpri.com.

Families use every measure to find lost or missing pets. Affixing posters around the community is one way to get help in locating their dog, cat or other family pet. Contacting your local animal control office is another means many use.

Photographs of missing or lost dogs and cats and other animals are constantly being posted to the New Bedford Police Animal Control Facebook pages.

Some will be reported as found, whether they returned home on their own or were dropped off at the new animal control headquarters at 890 Brock Ave. to be reunited with their owners. Sadly, some are lost forever. 

New Bedford's Director of Animal Control Emanuel “Manny” Maciel and two other animal control officers work seven days a week and log in all calls about missing dogs, cats and other pets, including the owner’s contact information, when they went missing and where they were found. This allows officers to match descriptions of lost pets with those that are found and help reunite them with their owners.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

FALL RIVER — The Bristol County District Attorney’s Office can no longer withhold the identities of police officers it is investigating in cases of possible police misconduct on privacy grounds, according to a ruling by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. 

The 37-page ruling was released Friday over an appeal brought by Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III after Fall River resident Eric Mack filed a public records lawsuit in Suffolk County Superior Court against Quinn's office and won. 

A Superior Court judge in March 2023 ordered Quinn to release records from an investigation after the shooting death of Mack’s brother, 30-year-old Black man Anthony Harden, which involved two Fall River officers.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

DARTMOUTH — A newly created state agency charged with the Herculean task of addressing the state housing crisis has taken to the road to seek input.

The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities was established in 2023 by Gov. Maura Healey to create more homes and lower housing costs to state residents.

Secretary Ed Augustus and agency officials are making 14 stops around the state to solicit feedback by folks in the front lines dealing with housing issues, which is, preeminently, a lack of housing.

Their third stop was UMass Dartmouth on Tuesday to discuss South Coast housing issues.

Augustus said the input will be used in developing a state housing plan, which is something that hasn't been done in 40 years.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

NEW BEDFORD – It’s been a decades-long battle, but women will now be allowed to serve as festeiras (committee members) of the Feast of the Blessed Sacrament alongside their male counterparts, and ultimately become members of the Clube Madeirense S.S. Sacramento, Inc., the organization which sponsors the annual staple celebration in New Bedford.

On April 28, the club voted to amend its bylaws to include women, passing the measure with 116 votes to 21.

The historic vote was held six months after an unsuccessful attempt to change the bylaws took place on Oct. 29, when the vote was split 50-50. For the change to be approved, 75 percent of the club’s general assembly had to agree to the motion.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

With the fate of Steward hospitals like Morton in Taunton hanging in the balance, State Sen. Marc Pacheco said Southeastern Massachusetts and the Cape and Islands “cannot withstand any further loss of healthcare in terms of hospital closings.”

“That just can’t happen. It would be a threat to the region’s health, when we’re already in a crisis situation,” the Taunton Democrat said at a state hearing in Taunton Wednesday, April 24, on the precarious state of healthcare in this region of the state.

The hearing of the Senate Post Audit & Oversight Committee, which Pacheco chairs, took place against the backdrop of the ongoing financial crisis enveloping Steward Health Care, which owns eight hospitals in Massachusetts, including Morton, Saint Anne’s in Fall River and Good Samaritan Medical Center in Brockton.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

FALL RIVER — The city has long had the reputation of having fantastic dining. It’s also currently in the midst of a scorching hot real estate market with several long-beloved eateries for sale. But selling restaurants isn’t easy. 

On the market right now are Fall River landmarks like Patti’s Pierogis, Mee Sum and O Gil, longstanding hotspots whose multicultural cuisine reflects the city’s history as a haven for immigrants. Newer eateries with promise, like Towne House and 19 Prime, are up for grabs. The Historic Abbey, the Rock Street restaurant and function hall that was once Lizzie Borden’s church, was put on the market last summer. It too is still available.  

Some have lingered for months or years. Some have seen drastic drops in their asking price. 

Yet triple-deckers and single-family homes, even in rough shape, get snapped up quickly. So why is selling a restaurant challenging?

“All the ones that aren’t selling, they come with their own pile of issues,” said Holly Bronhard, a Realtor with eXp Realty. “I don’t think it has anything to do with the market.”

Read more at heraldnews.com.

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WPRI) — Six people were forced from their home after a fire broke out in New Bedford Sunday evening.

Crews responding to Shawmut Avenue around 6 p.m. found heavy smoke and fire coming from the garage of the single-family home.

The fire was under control by 6:30 p.m. and the scene was cleared by 8 p.m.

No injuries were reported and the fire is under investigation.

From wpri.com.

DEDHAM, Mass. (WPRI) — The long-awaited Karen Read murder trial is set to open Monday with opening statements.

Read, 43, of Mansfield, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of her Boston police officer boyfriend, John O’Keefe.

Prosecutors said O’Keefe was found unresponsive in a snowbank outside of a Canton home in January 2022. O’Keefe, a 16-year veteran of the Boston Police Department, was rushed to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Investigators believe Read dropped O’Keefe off at the Fairview Road home and hit him as she was leaving, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors said Read told officers the two had been out drinking with friends prior to the incident, adding that she dropped him off and went home because she was not feeling well.

Meanwhile, Read’s defense says she is the victim of a coverup. They believe that O’Keefe was beaten inside the home, bitten by a dog, and left outside.

Read more at wpri.com.

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — The East Providence Police Department (EPPD) arrested a man after a brief car chase regarding a stolen vehicle from North Providence.

Police Captain Michael Rapoza told 12 News that the pursuit started in Seekonk on Sunday and continued into East Providence.

Police followed this vehicle for a short period of time before calling off the chase in the Rumford area.

Seekonk police then found the vehicle with no driver inside shortly after the chase was called off.

Read more at wpri.com.

Lionel Messi scored two goals to excite a New England Revolution-record crowd, leading Inter Miami CF to a 4-1 victory on Saturday night.

Messi didn’t disappoint the crowd of 65,612 that filled Gillette Stadium, scoring on a left-footed kick from deep inside the box for his ninth goal of the season, breaking a 1-all tie in the 68th minute.

The attendance beat the previous record of 61,316, when the Revolution lost to the LA Galaxy in the 2002 MLS final.

See more at wpri.com.

Westport Annual Town Meeting voters, on May 7, will have a chance to make some considerable changes in town, including a zoning bylaw change that would make Airbnb rentals legal, and a scaled-down water/sewer extension project.

While Westport voters decided against a $35,000,000 debt exclusion that would have funded a large water/sewer extension spanning Rte. 6, a set of articles and motions relative to the project will still be presented as planned. However, officials will seek to modify the amount on Town Meeting floor down to $8 million, according to Infratructure Oversight Committee member Bob Daylor.

"The Infrastructure Oversight Committee plans to ask the Town Meeting to amend the motion to reduce it to $8 million which is the estimated cost for the first section alone," Daylor said in a warrant review video posted to the town's official YouTube channel. "That would allow the critical first piece of connection to Fall River to happen and to build it roughly to the Route 88 area. Really, the commercial heart in the northwest would now have water and sewer."

Read more at heraldnews.com.

FOXBORO, Mass. (WPRI) — Hours after welcoming their new quarterback to Foxboro, the Patriots picked out a new target for him.

New England had the #34 pick in the NFL Draft, which they traded Friday night to the Chargers along with pick #137 in exchange for picks #37 and #110.

With that #37 pick, the Patriots selected Ja’Lynn Polk from the University of Washington.

Read more at wpri.com.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Providence police are investigating a stabbing at Rhode Island Hospital where two security guards were hurt early Friday morning.

Commander Timothy O’Hara said 39-year-old Manuel Gouveia was being escorted out of the waiting area just before 2 a.m. for a disturbance when he pulled out a straight-edged razor blade and assaulted two security guards.

“The hospital’s Providence Police detail was on scene and quickly apprehended the assailant,” a spokesperson for Lifespan told 12 News. “Thankfully, the officers were not seriously injured, and we thank them for keeping our staff and other patients safe.”

The guards suffered lacerations, O’Hara said, one above the ear and one behind the neck. They were treated for their injuries.

See more at wpri.com.

FALL RIVER — It was just a typical Sunday for a few local eateries, then BAM! In walks one of Fall River's most famous former residents, celebrity chef and James Beard winner Emeril Lagasse.

"We were very loud on Sunday and it switched to murmurs really quickly," said Andrew Ferreira, co-owner of Europa Pastries and Coffee Shop, which received a surprise visit from Lagasse amid their morning rush.

The city native was in town doing research for his first Portuguese restaurant he plans to open in New Orleans late this summer. Research included a trip back to his roots for a culinary tour of popular Portuguese spots in the Providence, Fall River and New Bedford areas.

Read more at heraldnews.com.

FALL RIVER — Adam Gauthier, formerly of Somerset, accused of killing three family members on Christmas night on the Veterans’ Memorial Bridge in an alleged drunk driving accident, pleaded not guilty to related charges on Wednesday in Bristol County Superior Court. 

Gauthier, 41, was indicted last month by a Bristol County grand jury on three counts of manslaughter while operating under the influence and two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. 

Gauthier is accused of driving a 2023 Range Rover SUV drunk the wrong way from the Somerset side of the bridge on Route 6. He allegedly crashed into several vehicles head-on. The crash killed Jacoby Arruda, 15, and his grandparents, Floriano Arruda, 73, and Donna Arruda, 68, all of Seekonk. 

Read more from Jo C. Goode at heraldnews.com.

FALL RIVER — Tracy Bishop, an employee of Saint Anne’s Hospital for the past 20 years, said the facility is more than her workplace. 

“It’s a family hospital," she said. “My grandparents were here. My children, my husband, my mom. It's so much more than keeping the doors open. It’s a family. It’s a community." 

She and a few dozen other people attended an hourlong rally at Kennedy Park across from Saint Anne’s on Thursday afternoon. Workers and their supporters held signs and spoke out strongly, urging new ownership of Steward Health Care facilities in the face of a financial crisis that could close hospitals like Saint Anne's, destabilize patient care for more than 200,000 state residents, and have severe downstream economic effects.

Read more from Dan  Medeiros at heraldnews.com.

Mosquitoes are universally understood to be the major downside of spring and summer. Like ticks, there's no such thing as a good mosquito season — more often divided into categories of "bad" and "very bad."

According to Sam Telford, professor of infectious diseases and global health at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in North Grafton, unfortunately this year is going to be the latter.

"This year will be tremendous for mosquitoes," said Telford. "As it warms up, with all the standing water there will be a huge emergence in May."

April showers may bring May flowers, but they also leave a great deal of standing water — which means a number of ready-made mosquito nurseries.

Read more at heraldnews.com.