Top stories: Bourassa Hardware closing, stormy weather, new horror shop

Faith Harrington, The Standard-Times
·4 min read

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

A fire that broke out Wednesday afternoon in the city's near North End sent one to the hospital and displaced residents. According to New Bedford Fire Chief Kruger, the fire originated in the second-floor north apartment of 92-94 Ashley Blvd., with flames that began to stretch up to the third floor before firefighters were able to extinguish it.

The state is looking for new proposals to redevelop the New Bedford State Pier, and it's offering developers a broad latitude to make their pitch. The eight-acre New Bedford State Pier site includes 1,600 linear feet of wharves and 76,000 square feet of primary warehouse structures.

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

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

Deceased infant found in New Bedford was a boy, 1 to 4 weeks old

A deceased infant found along a Fort Taber walking path was male and had likely been dead for one to four weeks, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's Office.

The official cause and manner of death of “Baby Doe,” who was found on Dec. 9, is still pending final autopsy results.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III and investigators are asking anyone with further information about this case to come forward.

Deceased infant: found in New Bedford was a boy, 1 to 4 weeks old

New Bedford's Bourassa family hardware store on Acushnet Ave. closing after 100 years

Gerard Bourassa takes a call at Bourassa Hardware on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford set to close in January after one hundred years of operation.
Gerard Bourassa takes a call at Bourassa Hardware on Acushnet Avenue in New Bedford set to close in January after one hundred years of operation.

Therese Bourassa Bernier said Bourassa True Value Hardware on Acushnet Avenue has been "open six days a week for as long as I can remember."

The Bourassa family has been running the business in all that time, helping generations of North End residents fix or spruce up their homes, repaint, get new keys, or with any one of the hundreds of homeowner chores requiring a handy hardware store.

Bourassa Hardware is closing its doors Jan. 13 for good.

Closing after 100 years: New Bedford's Bourassa family hardware store on Acushnet Ave.

SouthCoast residents warned to avoid wooded areas during Monday's high winds

A New Bedford DPI crewmember removes the tree which fell and damaged a vehicle on Emerson Street in New Bedford due to the high winds.
A New Bedford DPI crewmember removes the tree which fell and damaged a vehicle on Emerson Street in New Bedford due to the high winds.

All of Eastern Massachusetts was on warning for high winds Monday after the SouthCoast woke up to dark skies, rain and high winds that had begun knocking down trees and power lines in the early morning hours.

New Bedford Fire Chief Scott Kruger said on Tuesday that firefighters had gone out on 64 total responses during and in the aftermath of the unexpectedly severe weather. Of those, 32 are categorized as directly "storm-related."

According to New Bedford Public Information Officer Holly Huntoon, Monday's weather prompted the city to close the CoveWalk and HarborWalk walking paths and Fort Taber.

Winslow Elementary School in the city's West End was dismissed at 11:20 a.m. due to a power outage, Huntoon said. The hurricane barrier was also closed.

Storm watch: SouthCoast residents warned to avoid wooded areas during Monday's high winds

Many new restaurants were added to the New Bedford food scene in 2023

Mey Tex, the owner, helps two customers with their order at the newly opened Mey Breakfast located at former Margarets location on Main Street in Fairhaven.
Mey Tex, the owner, helps two customers with their order at the newly opened Mey Breakfast located at former Margarets location on Main Street in Fairhaven.

The city welcomed a delicious wave of new culinary hotspots with the arrival of Mey Breakfast, Sixes & Sevens, Cast Seaside Bar and Bites, and several others in 2023. With a diverse range of flavors and dining experiences, these new restaurants are already making a delectable mark on the city's food scene.

These owners have taken on the challenge of revamping previous locations and creating their own restaurants in various areas of New Bedford. With a goal not only to make a difference in the local food scene, but also to contribute to the city's economy.

New Bedford food scene in 2023: Many new restaurants were added

'The place where October never ends': New horror-themed shop opens in downtown New Bedford

Matt Bassette, owner, has his arm bitten by a T-Rex at the newly opened The Horror Family store on S Sixth Street in downtown New Bedford.
Matt Bassette, owner, has his arm bitten by a T-Rex at the newly opened The Horror Family store on S Sixth Street in downtown New Bedford.

For as long as Matt Bessette can remember, horror has been an integral part of his life. His father used to tell him that you couldn't find a kid that loved Halloween more than Christmas.

Now Bessette has his own store dedicated to the horror genre on 9 S. 6th St. His shop, named The Horror Family, is based on stores he researched such as Nightmare Toys in Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

In his store, he provides a variety of horror-themed items, such as Funko Pops, NECA figures, plush cushions, tumblers, T-shirts, and posters.

'The place where October never ends': New horror-themed shop opens in downtown New Bedford

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

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: This week's top stories according to our readers.