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New Bedford emerging as cleantech leader
 NEW
BEDFORD Efforts by city officials to position the city
as a "cleantech" hub have started to pay off, and many
industry experts say the city could see a burst of
economic activity over the next several years.
"Is there going to be a 1,500-person, thin-film
manufacturing facility in New Bedford tomorrow? No,"
said John DeVillars, a partner at Blue Wave Strategies,
an advisory company to renewable energy projects.
"Can New Bedford, over the course of several... [read more]
Federal stimulus benefits city workforce
 Local
employers, nonprofit organizations and other agencies
will have a chance to apply for newly available money
for adult education and English language programs.
The state has set aside $1.4 million in federal stimulus
money to fund a new "Learn at Work" program. Applicants
can seek up to $225,000 for three years.
"This is an all-American program that teaches English to
the individuals that have the capacity to soar in our
society but for that one obstacle, and that obstacle... [read more]
Tom Cruise/Cameron Dias film shoots chase scene on Route 18
 NEW
BEDFORD There was an unusual sight on Route 18
Thursday night: a dozen cars, in perfect unison, moving
in reverse.
On cue, the cars stopped, waited, then drove forward,
choreography they repeated again and again as the night
wore on.
The vehicles were part of a chase scene being filmed for
the movie "Knight and Day" formerly "Wichita"
starring Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz.
Neither star was in the city, but a Diaz stunt... [read more]
Downtown New Bedford Wine & Tapas Bar on its game!
 Despite
an economy that has taken its toll on restaurants,
Richard Cardoza's downtown New Bedford fixture Cork
Wine & Tapas Bar remains as vibrant as ever.
Cardoza opened the popular night spot in December of
2006, hoping, he said, to give the downtown a shot in
the arm economically even when others had closed or
shied away from locating there.
The city, although in an on-going state of
revitalization was still a risky investment... [read more]
State grants funds to Harbor Development Commission
 NEW
BEDFORD The New Bedford Harbor Development Commission
has been awarded two grants from the Massachusetts
Seaport Advisory Council, which met Friday in Salem.
The city received a $50,000 harbor coordinator grant
that will provide support staff for harbor-related
projects, HDC Executive Director Kristin Decas said.
The council also awarded the city, in partnership with
Fairhaven and Fall River, a $316,059 port security
grant, which provides a 25 percent state match... [read more]
Redevelopment of Gateway Cities as creative places is
potential job growth driver
 At
a recent roundtable with leaders from across the state,
we learned how Massachusetts discovered the value in
"creative economy" economic development well before
Richard Florida popularized the concept with his 2002
book Rise of the Creative Class. Gateway Cities working
to stage a comeback have benefited greatly from the
states trailblazing work, and many are beginning to
demonstrate how the creative economy offers a viable
road to renewal. Unfortunately, the challenging economic
times the state now faces jeopardizes creative economy
investments critical to long-term growth and a robust
recovery... [read more]
Mural a testament to New Bedford's art history
 It's
startling when you first see it.
The postmodernist mural that Sig Haines and Zach Meunier
have been painting this past couple of months on a side
wall of Carter's clothing store in downtown New Bedford.
It's startling for the sheer quality of the art and it's
startling for its juxtaposition to the 19th-century
architecture of New Bedford's national park. The work,
even before it is completed, has made an aesthetic
comment about the adjacent district's 19th-century,
whaling-era environment.
Instead of meditating on the sea or the... [read more]
Another successful Bioneers Conference wraps up downtown
 NEW
BEDFORD The curtain came down on the annual Bioneers
by the Bay gathering in downtown New Bedford on Sunday
afternoon and, as the participants departed, Desa Van
Laarhoven, executive director of the Marion Institute,
which presents the environmental conference, declared
the three-day event an unqualified success.
"I think it's the best yet. I've heard a lot of reaction
from people who said the keynote speakers were
unbelievable. We were shocked actually that we got more
people than last year, given the economy," she said... [read more]
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