Top Stories: Amber Alert, Fairhaven girls basketball coach, and The Vault opening

As we head into the weekend, let's take a look at the news from this past week.

A 50-year-old New Bedford man was sentenced to life in prison with no parole after being convicted of the January 2018 first-degree murder of Chantel Bruno in New Bedford, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced. Kenneth Roark was convicted on Wednesday, Nov. 23, of first-degree murder, home invasion, and animal cruelty following a two-week trial in Fall River Superior Court.

The new state-of-the-art Level II special care nursery at St. Luke's Hospital is now up and running, meaning babies who were born premature, ill, or with other complications and their parents are in for a much different experience than those requiring the same level of care in the past, as the unit — the only one quite like it in the area — is designed to minimize the separation of parents and baby that such medical attention often entails.

Keep up with high school sports with scores, game highlights, and player of the week voting at https://www.southcoasttoday.com/sports.

Then there are the most-read stories of the week on https://www.southcoasttoday.com:

Two men arrested in connection with incident triggering Amber Alert

Two men were arrested in connection with an Amber Alert Thursday, Dec. 1, that originated in Dartmouth and ended in Fall River.

On Thursday, State Police activated the Amber Alert in search of a male infant who they believed was kidnapped from his home in Dartmouth by his mother’s former boyfriend, who was armed with a knife. The mother and child were found safely a short time later in Fall River.

Upon being interviewed by detectives, the female disclosed that she and the child had not been abducted, and had left willingly without being threatened.

Police:Two men arrested in connection with Dartmouth incident triggering Amber Alert

The Vault is reopening in December

After closing in June, The Vault Music Hall & Pub will be reopening its doors in December with new plans for the Purchase Street venue's future.

“We’re excited to announce that going forward, The Vault (or Greasy Luck if you wish to still refer to it as that) will be available for private events,” owner Howie Mallowes wrote in a Facebook post. “Book your holiday parties, birthdays, fundraisers, weddings, reunions, or whatever type of private event that suits your cause.”

As for the restaurant, Mallowes also said they will no longer be open seven days a week, but will only open to be utilized to support private events if needed.

Events:The Vault is reopening in December. Here's who will be performing at the first show.

New Bedford house with connection to 'Witch of Wall Street' Hetty Green getting new owner

A house with connections to the "Witch of Wall Street," which is the current location for New Bedford Child & Family Services, may be getting a new tenant. According to Kinnane Group, Inc, the property is under contract and anticipates a closing, since it was first listed on Oct. 28.

In 1836, the house was rented to Edward Mott Robinson, the father of Hetty Green. She would later be known as either the richest woman in America, for turning $100,000 into $200,000,000 during the Gilded Age, or the “Witch of Wall Street,” for her eccentric and anti-social behaviors.

The building has been home to New Bedford Child & Family Services for over a decade. On March 10, 2021, it was announced during a press conference that the nonprofit purchased the former Regal House Furniture site at 965 Church St. and began preparations to relocate.

Real Estate:New Bedford house with connection to 'Witch of Wall Street' Hetty Green getting new owner

Familiar face takes over Fairhaven High girls basketball program

There may not be many people that love Fairhaven High girls basketball more than Erin (Baldwin) Costa does.

She enjoyed a record-breaking high school career at Fairhaven High that saw her become the school’s all-time leading scorer (boys and girls) at the time with 1,466 points, be named to the South Coast Conference All-Star team all four years, and earn back-to-back Standard-Times Player of the Year honors.

The 32-year-old Costa is now back at Fairhaven High, taking over the girls basketball program from longtime head coach Jeff Perry, in hopes of bringing it back to its glory days.

Sports:Familiar face takes over Fairhaven High girls basketball program

Game-winning TD and interceptions galore

Here’s a look at last week’s top performers in high school Football:

Apponequet: Jackson Gagnier carried the ball 21 times for 144 yards and scored a touchdown as the Lakers beat Old Rochester for the first time on Thanksgiving since 2014.  Jackson Moore had an interception and 45 yard return for a touchdown to extend Apponequet’s lead to 14-3 over Old Rochester.

Bishop Stang: Luca Cincotta scored a touchdown and two-point conversion in a loss to Bishop Feehan.

Fairhaven: Colby Correia not only scored a touchdown, but he also had two interceptions on defense as Fairhaven beat Dartmouth. Justin Marques scored the game-winning touchdown for Fairhaven on a three-yard run in the third quarter to lift the Blue Devils to their second straight win over Dartmouth on Thanksgiving.

New Bedford: Dezmond Brunskill had a pair of interceptions in the second half in a win over Durfee. Colin Rego caught a 53-yard touchdown pass from Amari Harris to put the Whalers up for good over Durfee.

GNB Voc-Tech: Isander Algarin had a pick-six in the Bears’ win over Diman. Nasir Cox had an interception return for a touchdown as Voc-Tech beat Diman.

Old Colony: Chris Egan carried the ball 16 times for 135 yards to surpass 1,000 for the season. He also had two touchdowns in the Cougars’ win over Tri-County. Shawn Markham not only scored one of Old Colony’s four touchdowns, but he also had an interception on defense as the Cougars shut out Tri-County.

Wareham: Elijah Carrionn had a hand in all three of Wareham’s touchdowns in a loss to Bourne, Carrion — throwing for a pair and rushing for another. He also completed a two-point conversion pass.

All of these stories can be found in their entirety at SouthCoastToday.com.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Top Stories: St. Luke's nursery, Hetty Green's old home, and Amber Alert