Top stories: Tax evasion, altar boy settlement, fire tip reward
As we head into the week, let's take a look at the news from this past week.
A 65-year-old Dartmouth man was charged with stabbing a woman to death in Chelsea on Tuesday after allegedly admitting to the deed to police, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office. Angel T. Alvarez is being held without bail after being charged with murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.
The elevated boardwalk section of the Mattapoisett Rail Trail bike path between Reservation Road and the end of Goodspeed Island Road had a soft opening on April 28. That stretch of the 1.28-mile project from Neck Road to Depot Street had to be replaced when it was discovered last fall that the boards were warping.
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:
Profitable Port of New Bedford draws IRS scrutiny of tax evading fishermen
Seven New England fishermen, including three from New Bedford and one from Fall River, were charged last month with tax evasion and failing to file returns. The other three indicted were from Rhode Island, according to a press release from the IRS Criminal Investigation unit.
According to the indictments, the commercial fishermen each worked for fishing companies operating primarily out of New Bedford, or Point Judith, R.I. They were paid as independent contractors with their employers filing 1099 forms with the IRS documenting their income.
If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison for each evasion count and one year in prison for each failure to file a tax return charge.
Profitable Port of New Bedford: draws IRS scrutiny of tax evading fishermen
Bishop Stang players fight for their coach as she battles stage four cancer
For the past two years, Bishop Stang’s girls lacrosse players have watched head coach Alison Caito-Galligan battle stage four melanoma that spread to her brain. On Monday night, the Spartans put up a little fight of their own in their Stick it to Cancer game.
With their coach directing them from the sideline, Stang’s players battled back from a 5-1 deficit to secure a 6-6 overtime tie with Fairhaven. With her players spearheading the effort, the Spartans raised around $4,000 for the American Cancer Society.
Some days are better than others, but Caito-Galligan continues to coach and continues to fight for her life.
More than sports: Bishop Stang players fight for their coach as she battles stage four cancer
New Bedford's fishing community is working with Vineyard Wind
For Captain Tony Alvernaz, accepting a job doing safety work for Vineyard Wind has provided added income for his family and the families of the people who work for him.
They are monitoring the work zone for Vineyard Wind as the company proceeds with turbine installation and at the same time are helping get the word out to other fishermen
Based in New Bedford, Alvernaz said his greatest worry is losing fishing grounds. He is part owner of the Kathryn Marie and manages six boats. Normally his employees will work up to 100 to 110 days, but this year they were potentially looking at working for 70 days to make a living.
“Now they’ll get an extra 45 days at a decent pay, a decent rate,” he said. “You do what you’ve got to do. They’re all young family guys, and I’ve got two kids to put through college.”
Fishing: New Bedford's fishing community is working with Vineyard Wind. Here's how.
Former altar boy's lawsuit against former New Bedford priest alleging sexual abuse settled
A civil lawsuit brought by a man alleging he was sexually abused by a former New Bedford priest when he was an altar boy over 30 years ago has been settled "in the low to mid six figures," according to the plaintiff's attorney.
Jason Medeiros was a former altar boy at St. Anthony of Padua Church in New Bedford and participated in a Catholic youth group. Both were supervised by Father Richard Degagne, according to a press release issued by Boston-based attorney Mitchell Garabedian.
The lawsuit alleged that Degagne sexually abused Medeiros on multiple occasions in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine in approximately 1988 and 1989 when he was about 12 and 13 years old. The abuse allegedly occurred over two years. Degagne has denied the allegations in the lawsuit.
Settlement: Former altar boy's lawsuit against former New Bedford priest alleging sexual abuse settled
Investigation continues into suspicious Hawthorne Country Club fire in Dartmouth
A luxury home developer still has an agreement in place to purchase the old Hawthorne Country Club on Tucker Road despite a fire there Sunday afternoon. The exact origin and cause of the fire in the abandoned country club building are still under investigation, according to Jake Wark, spokesman for the State Fire Marshal’s office.
With a reward of up to $5,000 being offered for information about the fire that caused extensive damage, state and local fire officials continue to ask the public for help.
Anyone with information on the fire, or who made observations in the area of the former Hawthorne Country Club on Sunday afternoon, is asked to share it with Dartmouth Police or the State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit at 978-567-3310.
Reward: Investigation continues into suspicious Hawthorne Country Club fire in Dartmouth
All of these stories can be found in their entirety at SouthCoastToday.com.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Top stories this week include a stabbing, fire investigation, and sexual abuse case
