Top stories: police lawsuit, Z reno, and permanent jewelry

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.

Since opening Your Father's Mustache in October 1982, everyone seems to know either Manny Medeiros or his barber chair. Now, after over 40 years, he’s putting down the scissors and comb for good. Medeiros first opened Your Father's Mustache with his brother-in-law Ken Nelson, naming the shop after the popular national chain that Nelson once worked at before joining forces. Soon after, Nelson left and hired Janice Parker to take his place. She is also retiring this year.

In a lawsuit filed with Bristol County Superior Court earlier this month, Dartmouth High School guidance counselor Melissa Fitzgerald alleges she suffered "unlawful discrimination on the basis of ... sex and retaliation" after making complaints of sexual harassment from then-Vice Principal Richard Gill. Attorney Scott Lang, who is representing Fitzgerald, told The Standard-Times there is currently no court date set for this matter.

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:

Former Fairhaven cop wins $830,000 lawsuit for unlawful termination

Fairhaven police
Fairhaven police

The town of Fairhaven owes a former Fairhaven police officer a total of $830,000, plus a yet-to-be-determined amount in interest and fee compensation that an attorney says will likely push the total to over $1 million after a jury found he was fired unlawfully in 2016 for admitting he was an alcoholic.

Jonathan Alves' lawsuit, filed Feb. 14, 2019, at Bristol County Superior Court in New Bedford, named the town, Fairhaven Police Chief Michael Myers, and now-retired Fairhaven Town Administrator Mark Rees as defendants, claiming the town and police department were not truthful about their reasoning for firing the Fairhaven native.

Court:Former Fairhaven cop wins $830,000 lawsuit for unlawful termination. The town may appeal.

Permanent jewelry? Fairhaven metalsmith introduces latest trend to the SouthCoast

Patterson, owner of Salted Silver, prepares to install a permanent bracelet on a client.
Patterson, owner of Salted Silver, prepares to install a permanent bracelet on a client.

Tattoos and piercings have been a mode of self-expression since Neolithic times. Now, a new body-altering trend has made its way to the SouthCoast: permanent jewelry. Kristen Patterson is the owner of Salted Silver, SouthCoast’s first permanent welded jewelry studio.

Permanent jewelry is jewelry such as a bracelet, necklace, or anklet that you can’t remove without breaking it. Rather than just closing the piece with a clasp, the jeweler welds the two ends together.

Influencers such as Jaclyn Forbes, Victoria Jameson and Vienna Skye have shown off videos of them getting their permanent jewelry. Hashtags such as “permanentjewerly” and “permanentbracelet” boasted a combined total of 160 million views during the summer of 2022.

Hot topic: Permanent jewelry? Fairhaven metalsmith introduces latest trend to the SouthCoast

Proposal to close New Bedford's Ash Street Jail now includes two options

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux gives media and state representatives a tour of the Ash Street jail in New Bedford which he plans on closing.
Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux gives media and state representatives a tour of the Ash Street jail in New Bedford which he plans on closing.

Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux said he wanted to impress the legislative delegation touring the Ash Street Jail with an important fact: This is one old building. It's 135 years old, actually, and Heroux's thinks that it's time to move on, close it, and bring jail operations to the main House of Correction complex in Dartmouth.

Heroux's initial idea was to move the Ash Street inmates to the former ICE detention center at the main campus. That would require retrofitting the building to add 100 single cells. They're also considering a new cheaper idea to retrofit an unused 9,600-square-foot gymnasium in the main building to replace the Ash Street Jail.

Heroux:Proposal to close New Bedford's Ash Street Jail now includes two options

New Bedford's Pope's Island will play a key role in Vineyard Wind construction.

This rendering depicts a completed renovation of Pope's Island, able to assist multiple crew transfer vessels working in offshore wind.
This rendering depicts a completed renovation of Pope's Island, able to assist multiple crew transfer vessels working in offshore wind.

A new partnership will meet the demand for fuel for New Bedford's fishing industry as well as Vineyard Wind, as construction of the offshore wind farm gets underway.

Vineyard Wind has signed a partnership with Shoreline Offshore, a joint venture between Quinn Fisheries and SEA.O.G Offshore, a leading integrated logistics provider, to build out a berthing and fueling area on Pope's Island for crew transfer vessels.

Shoreline Offshore was created in 2022 to connect the emerging offshore wind industry with local businesses in and around New Bedford through one central entity. Its mission is to ensure New Bedford's local marine-based businesses are included in the continued growth of New Bedford's marine economy.

Offshore wind:New Bedford's Pope's Island will play a key role in Vineyard Wind construction. Here's how

The Zeiterion is planning a multi-million dollar renovation.

The building at 684 Purchase St. turns 100 this year, and its many supporters - including the Z's dedicated fundraising organizers - see the finished project, pictured in this rendering, providing superlative entertainment, education and community events to the region for the next 100 years.
The building at 684 Purchase St. turns 100 this year, and its many supporters - including the Z's dedicated fundraising organizers - see the finished project, pictured in this rendering, providing superlative entertainment, education and community events to the region for the next 100 years.

It's fitting that the Zeiterion's multi-million-dollar renovation project will blend a restoration of its historic beauty with modernization of sound, lighting and patron amenities.

After all, the building at 684 Purchase St. turns 100 this year, and its many supporters - including the Z's dedicated fundraising organizers - see the finished project providing superlative entertainment, education and community events to the region for the next 100 years.

The project's estimated price tag is $31 million, and construction is scheduled to begin in September and last 12 to 14 months.

Theatre news:The Zeiterion is planning a multi-million dollar renovation. Here's what it will look like

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

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Top stories this week trending jewelry, lawsuits, and Zeiterion update