What would a Mayor O'Connell run for governor mean for Taunton?

Kristina Fontes, The Taunton Daily Gazette
·2 min read

Good morning, Taunton! Today is Saturday, Dec. 4. The city's Lights On festival is tonight! Before you go and "Unwrap the Magic" of this year's display — it's the 108th, by the way — we put together a gallery of some photos from Lights On over the years, with help from our friends at the Old Colony History Museum. Go ahead, travel back in time to holidays past, in what is definitely a much more fun way than Scrooge had to.

This was the Taunton Green holiday display in 1936.
This was the Taunton Green holiday display in 1936.

What an O'Connell run for governor would mean for Taunton

Citing unnamed sources, the Boston Herald reports that Mayor Shaunna O'Connell is "seriously considering" a run for governor. If she does run, it would shake up Taunton politics. Holly Robichaud, a well-known GOP figure who advises O'Connell and other Republican politicians, said the mayor has nothing to announce at the moment.

If O'Connell did run in 2022, Taunton has no provision for a special election in the city charter. Gazette Reporter Chris Helms takes a look at what would happen instead.

Dighton Festival of Trees

Looking for a different kind of Christmas tree this year? Maybe one with needles of dazzling red or white? Or a tree decorated with family fun board games or a patriotic color scheme? A dozen of these elaborately decorated Christmas trees will be raffled off, with the proceeds to benefit Dighton nonprofit groups, at Araujo Farms & Greenhouses, 1522 William St., on Sunday, Dec. 5. Learn more about it, right here.

Taunton COVID-19 update

Over the past week, hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have nearly doubled in the city. On Thursday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that there are 26 people hospitalized with COVID at Morton. Last week, there were 15. Taunton's weekly COVID cases also reached levels not seen since Jan. 2021, when the city was still in a winter surge, with 241 new cases of COVID reported in the city over the past week. We break down the Mass. DPH report here, including how vaccinations are progressing in our area.

Weather

Your three-day forecast.
Your three-day forecast.

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Check out all these stories and more at TauntonGazette.com. As always, we thank you for reading! Have a great weekend, everyone.

This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton Daily Gazette Daily Briefing newsletter Dec 4 2021