Posted inArtscape, Episode, Local, South Coast Bureau

New Bedford says goodbye to a downtown eccentric

Ira Cohen, a bookseller and art model who kept a literary spirit alive in a tough New England seaport, died this January at 70 years old after a brief illness. Cohen was the focus of what turned out to be the last show UMass Dartmouth exhibited at its gallery in downtown New Bedford before the university abruptly closes its campus there at the end of the month. For this week’s Artscape, South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke interviewed more than a dozen people who knew Cohen. The result is a collection of stories, memories and impressions that form another lasting portrait of Cohen.

Posted inArticle, Arts And Culture, South Coast Bureau

Reviving a lost tradition at Hazelwood Park

Our South Coast Bureau Reporter Ben Berke is a frequent visitor of Hazelwood Park, where volunteers are seeking to revive a lost tradition of playing croquet and lawn bowling in New Bedford’s South End. He stopped by last Friday for the grand re-opening of the park’s bowling greens.

Posted inArticle, South Coast Bureau

Massachusetts’ South Coast prepares for evacuation if Henri floods low-lying areas

New Bedford is the only city in Massachusetts with a hurricane barrier. Tony Marques, who lives right next to it, said the last time he saw the gates close on Rodney French Boulevard was when Hurricane Bob hit in 1991. But he and others in the city are preparing to rely on the gates once […]

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