Pier dedicated to Norton; Swansea parents air concerns: Top stories
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As we prepare to kick off a new week, let's take a look back at the week that was. The following were the most read stories of the week on heraldnews.com:
Election results: Fall River says 'yes' to MBTA; Beacon Hill incumbents keep seats
With the midterms being held this past Tuesday, election news was of course big this past week.
As of this writing, some national races were still too close to call, or headed to a runoff, with control of Congress hanging in the balance. In Massachusetts, Maura Healey won the race for governor. She is the first woman elected as governor of Massachusetts, and the first openly lesbian governor in the country. She and outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker have already met to discuss the transition of power.
Locally:
Fall River voters opted to join the MBTA, with an overwhelming majority voting in favor; 77.68% to 22.32%, according to unofficial results. The South Coast Rail project is on schedule to be completed in fall of 2023.
All aboard:Fall River has booked its ticket for South Coast Rail, as MBTA membership vote wins
Fall River area voters also returned all incumbent state legislators to Beacon Hill, with three Democrats maintaining leads over Republican challengers. State Rep. Patricia Haddad, D-Somerset, retained her seat in the 5th Bristol District; state Rep. Paul Schmid, D-Westport, won his race to represent the 8th Bristol District; and state Sen. Michael Rodrigues, D-Westport, won another term as senator for the 1st Bristol and Plymouth District. Here's the breakdown of those races.
Local election news:Incumbents keep Beacon Hill seats as Haddad, Schmid, Rodrigues edge challengers
After 40 years, dedicated 'Senator Thomas Norton City Pier' opened to the public
After 40 years of clean-up, planning, and redevelopment, the city pier is open to the public, and has a new name, that of a longtime public servant.
A ceremony was held for the public debut of the newly-named “Senator Thomas Norton City Pier.”
Norton, a state legislator in both the House and Senate for 26 years from 1972 and 1998 and representing Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, Westport and Freetown as an elected official, attended the dedication and shared some words with a crowd of over 100 people.
Ceremony held:After 40 years, dedicated 'Senator Thomas Norton City Pier' opened to the public
Fast feet: Top 10 Fall River area boys cross country runners of all time
The Top 10 list for boys cross country is somewhat a family reunion. The honorees include two sets of brothers: the Lussiers from Somerset High and the Donnellys from Bishop Connolly.
However, the title of all-time best has been reserved for Durfee High School’s Ronnie Ferreira.
Take a jog down memory lane and meet all of the Top 10.
Fast feet:Top 10 Fall River area boys cross country runners of all time
Poor communication, dismissive staff: Swansea parents air concerns about special education
Parents and family members of disabled students are alleging that Swansea Public Schools has systemic flaws in its special education department, including a culture of poor communication with parents, a tendency to separate special education students from their peers and decisions that amount to discrimination against disabled students.
“This is not a request. This is his right as a human being,” said Melyssa Looker, a mother of a 3-year-old special education student who spoke during the meeting.
Poor communication, dismissive staff:Swansea parents air concerns about special education
Herald News/Taunton Daily Gazette copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Herald News Top 5 MBTA election Thomas Norton Swansea special ed
