Top stories: Fall River fatal shooting, Freetown rail station, costly septic upgrades and more

As we prepare to kick off a new week, let's take a look back at the week that was.

The city capped off the week with the welcoming of some special visitors. Sen. Elizabeth Warren was joined by other local officials at Durfee High School on Friday to celebrate what she called “once-in-a-lifetime funding" for the city.

In other news, former Fall River police officer Michael Pessoa, accused of assaulting and violating the civil rights of three men while they were in custody, is seeking separate trials.

Also, the community got some heartbreaking news as Fall River native Paul Couto, a longtime Freetown-Lakeville Middle School history teacher, died earlier this week after battling a rare and aggressive form of leukemia.

But the following were the most read stories of the week on heraldnews.com:

Murder-suicide in Fall River

It was a tragic scene on Bank Street early Wednesday morning, as police responded to a quadruple shooting and apparent murder-suicide. A 25-year-old Fall River man shot and killed himself after fatally shooting his fiancée’s father and wounding two other of her family members, according to the Bristol County District Attorney's office. The investigation remains active and ongoing, but here's what we know.

'It turns my stomach'DA's office IDs Fall River man who shot and killed fiancée's father before shooting himself

First train rolls into Freetown station

Bringing the South Coast Rail project to the SouthCoast in Fall River, New Bedford and surrounding communities is not just about transportation, it's also about fairness to the region. Those were some of the sentiments at the ribbon cutting at the new Freetown Commuter Rail Station last week led by Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Secretary of Transportation Jamey Tesler. Baker noted that Fall River and New Bedford are the only major municipalities within 50 miles from Boston that have been without commuter rail transportation. “I think about this as more than a rail project. I think this is about equity and opportunity,” said Polito. Read more about their visit here.

'A really great milestone'The first South Coast Rail train rolls into Freetown station.

Dismissal of charges denied for city councilor

City Councilor Pam Laliberte’s attempt to get two felony obstruction and harassment charges dropped from her criminal case were dashed, for now, after a District Court judge denied her request. Westport police filed charges in August and she’s been in Fall River District Court regarding the case three times, but Laliberte has not been arraigned on the charges. Laliberte gave up her seat as council president after word spread of an investigation by Westport police that she harassed her ex-lover and his wife by cellphone by using an app that hid the caller’s number, called a “burner” app. Read more on this story here.

City councilor in court:Judge unable to drop felony charges in love-triangle case

Locals could face septic upgrade costs

SouthCoast residents could face mandatory septic upgrades costing thousands of dollars — with estimates from $30,000 to $35,000 — under proposed Title 5 regulations on track to go into effect in early 2023. It's either that or their community has to agree to a comprehensive 20-year-plan to reduce nitrogen pollution, which would spare homeowners the individual expense, according to state environmental officials. While the goal of restoring the environment is laudable, "the regulatory regime that they're proposing this under is extraordinarily problematic - because one way or another this all comes back to the taxpayer," notes Dartmouth's director of public health. Read more on this story here.

Title 5 amendmentsHomeowners could face thousands in septic-system upgrade costs under state rule changes

Festivities on pause at FRHS

Sometimes, you need to put off having a little bit of fun right now, in order to have more in the future. The Fall River Historical Society has announced that it will not be holding Christmas events like “Deck the Halls!” this year in order to accommodate ongoing work for a major addition — the new Douglas Hills Borden Jr. and Joan Louise Borden Gallery — plus the installation of a new HVAC system. Read more about their plans here.

This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Top stories in Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, Westport, Tiverton