Top stories: Fay's renovation, robot server, and an axed TV series

Faith Harrington, Standard-Times
·5 min read

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

AMC axes series that was filmed in New Bedford. In November, the downtown was all abuzz when the area was transformed into the 1930s for the AMC series "Invitation to a Bonfire." Now, it looks as if the series may also remain in the past. According to Variety.com, AMC dropped the six-episode mini-series due to cost-cutting measures announced by the network.

A Tri-Town group is stepping up the fight against hate with a nonprofit called Tri-Town Against Racism. It started out with efforts to provide local access to books that feature diversity before beginning to hold public talks and events. One of the group's earliest initiatives saw the installation of drop boxes in Marion and Mattapoisett, where residents can walk up anytime and borrow books from a collection that's been curated with an emphasis on diversity.

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:

A New Bedford fishing boat needed a new engine. Cost: $175K. And that was just the start.

Pedro Cura, owner of the fishing boat Fisherman, looks on as Robert Savage a technician with Windward Power Systems installs the wiring for the new engine they are installing in the hull of the New Bedford fishing boat.
Pedro Cura, owner of the fishing boat Fisherman, looks on as Robert Savage a technician with Windward Power Systems installs the wiring for the new engine they are installing in the hull of the New Bedford fishing boat.

Pedro Cura had a decision to make. Last September, Paulo Valente was coming through Butler’s Flat, heading back to the dock, when suddenly the engine blew in the dragger he captains for Cura and his business partner.

One of the options Cura was entertaining was cutting up the boat for scrap metal and just calling it a day. Another was using parts from another old engine he found to rebuild it. Instead, he decided to buy a new engine from Windward Power Systems in Fairhaven a month later.

The new engine costs about $175,000, but there are many related costs with the conversion from a Caterpillar to a Mitsubishi engine, from installing new coolers to paying welders for five weeks of work. It’s possible they may need to take it out of the water to replace the cooling system.

Cura estimates there may only be another 10 or so draggers among all the scallop boats in New Bedford Harbor, and he’s determined to keep his Fisherman working.

Decisions:A New Bedford fishing boat needed a new engine. Cost: $175K. And that was just the start.

Fay's Restaurant in Dartmouth to close for renovations.

Fay's Restaurant in South Dartmouth.
Fay's Restaurant in South Dartmouth.

Fay’s Restaurant & Catering will close for 10 days starting Jan. 14, to allow for a major renovation to its interior. It has been over a decade since Fay’s underwent an interior update. In 2020, the restaurant added an outdoor dining area.

Renovations will include a new floor for the lounge, dining room, bathroom, and kitchen. There will also be new paint, wall covers, booths, banquette tables, coverings as well as a new bathroom and new bar tops, and an updated bar area.

They plan to reopen the restaurant for lunch at noon on Tuesday, Jan. 24.

Dining:Fay's Restaurant in Dartmouth to close for renovations. Here's the plan.

New Bedford City Council votes down GNB Voc-Tech hall of famer's school board appointment

Carol Pimentel fields council questions on her admissions policy views during the committee meeting in which her appointment was voted down.
Carol Pimentel fields council questions on her admissions policy views during the committee meeting in which her appointment was voted down.

Carol Pimentel said the City Council's 5-4 vote against her appointment to the Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School Committee on Tuesday was puzzling.

"I'm highly qualified. I can't answer it. There's no reason why I shouldn't have been voted in. I have all the qualifications. I'd like to ask them, the people who voted against me, why? I thought I was going to get in. Some of the people who said they were going to vote for me didn't."

The sticking point seemed to be her views on GNB Voc-Tech's admissions policy, which she acknowledged, but added, "even still."

Councilors Pereira, Morad, Carney, Ian Abreu, and Maria Giesta voted against recommending her appointment to the full council for approval. Councilors Shane Burgo, Brian Gomes, Scott Lima, and Brad Markey voted for it.

Local government: New Bedford City Council votes down GNB Voc-Tech hall of famer's school board appointment

Fairhaven restaurant introduces SouthCoast to its first robotic serving assistant

Traveler's Alehouse owner Minh Tieu removes the sample food items from the top of the robot after it successfully delivered them to the front desk of the Fairhaven restaurant. The robot which staff call Wall-E, gives staff a hand in bringing orders for take-out and to the tables.
Traveler's Alehouse owner Minh Tieu removes the sample food items from the top of the robot after it successfully delivered them to the front desk of the Fairhaven restaurant. The robot which staff call Wall-E, gives staff a hand in bringing orders for take-out and to the tables.

It may be the start of 2023, but at Traveler’s Alehouse, it’s at least ten years in the future with its technological advances including a robotic server.

Since unveiling the artificial intelligent serving device it has helped to assist servers with carrying plates to tables or relaying takeout orders from the kitchen to the front, so staff members don't have to leave the hosting station unattended.

“I think a lot of people have a misconception of robots, until they see it in real life,” owner of the restaurant, Minh Tieu said, adding that since being open for the past two years they’ve maintained a full staff.

“This isn’t a way to replace someone at all. It’s to assist and help the staff.”

Innovation: Fairhaven restaurant introduces SouthCoast to its first robotic serving assistant

Murder charge reduced to manslaughter for Eric Pope's accused killer

Former New Bedford School Committee member Eric Pope, 41, died Saturday, April 23, a week after being punched in the face outside of a sports bar in Philadelphia, PA by a bouncer there. At the time of his election in 2001, Pope, at the age of 21, was the youngest person to have served on the New Bedford School Committee.
Former New Bedford School Committee member Eric Pope, 41, died Saturday, April 23, a week after being punched in the face outside of a sports bar in Philadelphia, PA by a bouncer there. At the time of his election in 2001, Pope, at the age of 21, was the youngest person to have served on the New Bedford School Committee.

The Pennsylvania man accused of killing 41-year-old New Bedford native and former School Committee member Eric Pope back in April has had his original third-degree murder charge reduced to involuntary manslaughter, as per a judge's decision, court records show.

According to spokesperson for the Philadelphia County District Attorney's Office Jane Roh, the defense attorney representing the defendant, Kenneth Frye, 24, of Philadelphia, had filed a motion to quash the murder charge which court records show was granted by Judge Lillian Ransom on Dec. 22, a day after Frye's most recent court date.

After posting a $350,000 bail on May 10, Frye was held for trial at a preliminary hearing in July, Roh said. Court documents indicate bail has not been set again since then. Frye is due back in court on Feb. 1 for a pre-trial conference.

Crime:Murder charge reduced to manslaughter for Eric Pope's accused killer

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

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Top Stories: Fighting hate, fishing woes, and an axed AMC series