The 2026 Massachusetts state primary falls on Tuesday, Sept. 1, ahead of midterm elections this November.

Registered voters in Massachusetts will cast ballots for U.S. senator, governor, and attorney general, among several other offices. The primary election determines which candidates will represent their respective parties in November's general election.

While incumbent Gov. Maura Healey is the only gubernatorial candidate on the Democrats' ballot, two candidates – Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve – are on the Republicans' ballot. Incumbent Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Seth Moulton are competing for the 2026 U.S. Senate Democratic nomination, while John Deaton is the only Republican running for senator.

If you're registered as a Democrat or Republican, you can vote only in your respective party's primary, according to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth's office. If you're registered as Unenrolled ("Independent") or in a political designation, you can vote in the primary of your choice.

You can find your Massachusetts polling location here to vote in person on Tuesday, Sept. 1.

For the first time since his election to the U.S. House of Representatives six years ago, Rep. Jake Auchincloss faces a Democratic Party primary challenger.

Auchincloss will face off against Jason Poulos, an artificial intelligence policy expert from Sherborn. The winner is expected to face Thomas Stalcup of Brookline - the sole Republican running for the seat on that party's primary ballot - in November's general election.

Auchincloss has represented Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District since his 2021 swearing-in. He won the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 2020 House elections with 22.4% of the vote; eight other candidates split the remaining ballots in a tight race.

Massachusetts’ 2026 primary election is set for Sept. 1. Fall River is at the southern end of the 4th Congressional District, which stretches north through Taunton, Attleboro and Milford to Boston’s south suburbs, all the way past Route 128 into Newton and Brookline.

See more at heraldnews.com.

Four new Flock cameras aren’t hitting the streets of Tiverton quite yet.

On Aug. 18, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee called for a statewide pause on new automated license plate reader cameras and ordered a 60-day review to create new statewide standards on the technology.

“Public safety and personal privacy are not mutually exclusive. Rhode Island needs clear and consistent rules of the road for this technology,” he wrote in a press release.

The governor can’t force cities and towns to stop installing the cameras. But at an Aug. 24 meeting of the Tiverton Town Council, local officials followed McKee’s lead.

“I think it would be wise just to follow what the state has asked us to do,” said Council President John G. Edwards.

As of Aug. 28, the contract for four new cameras approved by councilors on July 27 has not been signed. The two cameras already operated by Tiverton police are still up and running, Deputy Chief Michael Miguel confirmed to The Herald News.

The Rhode Island State Police also has two Flock cameras in Tiverton. State police cameras “may continue to operate,” according to McKee’s proclamation.

Automated license plate reader cameras have recently come under intense public scrutiny, with local governments across Massachusetts and Rhode Island canceling contracts with their providers. Though courts have found them to be legal, the cameras that automatically log passing license plates have raised privacy and surveillance concerns; in New Bedford, an officer is accused of misusing the camera system to stalk an ex-girlfriend. Police — including in Fall River, home to over 40 cameras made by Flock Safety — say they make investigations more efficient.

See more at heraldnews.com.

The Great Feast of the Holy Ghost of New England will reach its peak during the weekend of its 40th anniversary celebration, when thousands of visitors are expected to gather in Fall River for two days of Azorean traditions, religious ceremonies, music and community fellowship.

Running Aug. 26 to 30 at Kennedy Park, the feast is marking four decades as one of the largest celebrations dedicated to the Divine Holy Spirit outside Portugal. While activities take place throughout the week, organizers say Saturday, Aug. 29, and Sunday, Aug. 30, will showcase many of the festival's most iconic traditions.

Founded in 1986 by the late Heitor de Sousa, the feast has grown into a major expression of Azorean faith and culture in North America, drawing Holy Ghost brotherhoods from across New England and beyond.

For Ma?rcia Sousa Da Ponte, president of the organizing committee, the anniversary serves as both a tribute to the volunteers who built the event and a reminder of its enduring mission.

“The 40th anniversary is a way of honoring everyone who worked to keep this tradition alive,” Da Ponte said. “It's also a moment to think about what we want these festivities to be in the years ahead.”

See more at heraldnews.com.

Jurors were excused Friday afternoon after not yet reaching a verdict in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial. The jury in Plymouth, Massachusetts, must decide whether to hold the former labor and delivery nurse criminally responsible for killing her three children in 2023. They are expected to resume deliberations Monday.

While both sides agree she killed her children, Clancy’s attorneys argued she suffered from postpartum psychosis, with Kevin Reddington saying “lousy medical care ” exacerbated her condition. Plymouth County prosecutors argued she intentionally planned the killings and that the nation’s healthcare system is “not on trial here.”

Postpartum psychosis is estimated to afflict 1 to 2 per 1,000 women after delivery. Experts at the Cleveland Clinic describe it as a mental health emergency affecting someone’s sense of reality. It can happen to anyone after giving birth, but the chances are higher for people with certain mental health conditions.

See more at wpri.com.

City building inspectors are facing a flood of citizen complaints about asbestos risks stemming from the demolition of the old police station at 158 Bedford St.

Those concerns are unfounded, building commissioner Glenn Hathaway said, thanks to mitigation measures taken by the demo crew.

“I’m not polluting the city,” Hathaway told The Herald News.

Demolition of the old police station began on Aug. 18 after Hathaway deemed the dilapidated building a health hazard in June 2026, allowing him to bypass a typical 12-month demolition delay for historic structures.

Typically, asbestos is removed from inside a building before it’s demolished. That wasn’t possible with the old police station, said Daniel McGrath with ARAM Environmental Testing, who was hired by Hathaway to survey the building for asbestos and to monitor air quality during demolition.

“It was just too unsafe in there, you know, floors falling through,” McGrath said.

So contractors from Bestech, Inc. demolished the building as is under a $1.4 million contract. That comes with risks. Signs around the demolition site warn passersby of possible asbestos exposure. Workers must continuously spray rubble with water to prevent dust from flying. McGrath monitors four air quality sensors around the site to ensure mitigation measures are working.

Lindsay Clancy's lawyer says there is no way of knowing how long the jury will take to decide on a verdict.  Jurors began deliberating yesterday after hearing closing arguments. 

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington says the case involved extensive evidence, testimony and exhibits.  The defense argues Clancy suffered postpartum psychosis, while prosecutors say she remained criminally responsible. 

Jurors may consider murder, manslaughter or not guilty verdicts based on a lack of criminal responsibility.

Nine students from the SouthCoast region have received scholarships totaling $45,000 through the James J. Karam Scholarship Fund, which awarded $5,000 to each recipient for academic achievement and community involvement.

The scholarships, now in their 14th year, support students attending University of Massachusetts campuses and are renewable for recipients who continue to demonstrate excellence in their studies and civic engagement, according to a community announcement.

“For more than a decade, it has been an honor for my family and me to be able to support extraordinary young people who are doing great work across the UMass community," said Karam, a former chairman of the university's board of trustees.

The University of Massachusetts Foundation said this year's class includes five first-time recipients and four returning scholarship winners enrolled at UMass Amherst, UMass Boston and UMass Dartmouth.

This year's recipients are:

• Adelia Bond, of Fall River, a junior at UMass Dartmouth studying business administration and a graduate of Everett High School.
• Nanda de Souza Meirelles, of Fall River, a freshman at UMass Boston studying communications and a graduate of BMC Durfee High School.
• Kissamy Georges, of New Bedford, a previous Karam Scholarship recipient who is a senior at UMass Dartmouth studying bioengineering and a graduate of Wareham High School.
• Ayla Guillotte, of New Bedford, a junior at UMass Boston studying philosophy, law and ethics and a graduate of Fairhaven High School.
• Jack Librera, of Swansea, a previous scholarship recipient who is a junior at UMass Amherst studying sports management and a graduate of Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School.
• Jackie Sassin, of Acushnet, a previous scholarship recipient who is a senior at UMass Dartmouth studying marketing and a graduate of Dartmouth High School.
• Savanna Silva, of Fall River, a previous scholarship recipient who is a junior at UMass Dartmouth studying nursing and a graduate of Excel High School.
• Olivia Viera, of New Bedford, a senior at UMass Boston studying political science and a graduate of New Bedford High School.
• Lacey Zimmerman, of Fall River, a freshman at UMass Dartmouth studying psychology and a graduate of BMC Durfee High School.

The UMass Foundation said the scholarship reflects Karam's longstanding support of public higher education.

“The University of Massachusetts has been a beneficiary of Jim Karam’s leadership for decades, and the Karam family continues to be a model for how our supporters drive impact for our campuses,” UMass Foundation CEO James R. Julian Jr. said.

See more at heraldnews.com.

The Fall River Public School Committee approved a new position at its August meeting, but what will the new assistant, who will report to interim Deputy Superintendent Elizabeth Legault, do?

In an Aug. 25 interview, Mayor Paul Coogan who also serves as the chairman of the Fall River public school board, said an executive confidential assistant to the deputy superintendent would effectively be Legault’s “right-hand person,” or in other words, “someone the deputy could rely on to be confidential and take care of things,” he said.

Another supervisory position that Coogan later said would oversee the school district’s nutrition regulations was also approved unanimously at the Aug. 19 school board meeting.

In March, the new 2026 School Committee moved to oust former Superintendent Tracy Curley, and following Curley's resignation, appointed Kathleen Smith, who has served as the public school district’s interim superintendent, while the interim deputy position as Smith’s second-in-command went to Legault. 

It has not been determined who may occupy the new executive role who will report to Legault.

See more at heraldnews.com.

Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell is part of a bipartisan coalition that is announcing a 17-billion-dollar settlement with Meta.  It's over allegations that its social media platforms harmed young people. 

The multistate agreement requires Meta to make big changes to its products and practices. 

It also sets aside at least 366-million dollars for Massachusetts. 

Campbell says the agreement is aimed at changing how Big Tech protects young users.

The Lindsay Clancy trial is entering its final phase.  Jurors will hear closing arguments and legal instructions today before beginning deliberations. 

Clancy admits to strangling her three children, but pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder. 

Prosecutors allege the killings were premeditated, while the defense says Clancy suffered a postpartum psychotic break.  Jurors may consider murder, manslaughter or not guilty verdicts based on a lack of criminal responsibility.

Police have arrested a convicted felon accused of stealing more than a dozen firearms from a Middleboro home last month, according to authorities.

James Delano has been federally charged with being a felon in possession of ammunition. Police said more charges against Delano are pending.

Middleboro detectives identified Delano as a suspect with the assistance of cell phone data, privately owned security cameras, digital forensics, automated license plate readers and witness interviews.

Investigators believe Delano broke into the home on July 25 and stole 15 guns. Detectives searched Delano’s residence three days after the break-in and discovered ammunition, as well as a cell phone, according to police.

Police said Delano was eventually tracked by investigators to a relative’s home in Cold Brook, New York.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives visited that home on Aug. 13 and found five of the stolen guns, as well as several rounds of ammunition, buried in the nearby woods.

See more at wpri.com.

Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan, in conjunction with the Portas da Cidade Advisory Committee and the Prince Henry Society, will host a special ceremony commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Portas da Cidade, or Gates of the City.

The celebration will take place on Monday, Aug. 31, at 10:30 a.m. at the Gates of the City plaza on Ponta Delgada Boulevard.

The ceremony will mark two decades since the gates became a distinctive symbol of Fall River’s strong Portuguese and Azorean heritage and enduring cultural ties between the city and Portugal.

A delegation of dignitaries from Portugal and the Azores are expected to attend to join Mayor Coogan, local elected officials, community leaders and members of the Portas da Cidade Advisory Committee and the Prince Henry Society for the 20th anniversary celebration.

The Portas da Cidade have become an important landmark in Fall River, welcoming residents and visitors while celebrating the city’s deep Portuguese roots and its historic relationship with the Azores, in particular Fall River and Ponta Delgada’s status as Sister Cities.

This 20th anniversary is an opportunity to celebrate the vision, dedication and cooperation that made the Portas da Cidade project possible, while recognizing the special relationship between Fall River and the Azores.

See more at heraldnews.com.

The second annual Herren Outdoor Shootout Summer Jam, sponsored by Herren Promotion, is set to get underway on Aug. 26-27 in Dartmouth.

Some of the best AAU basketball programs, high school programs and 8th grade teams in the area will gather on Burgo Basketball Association asphalt at 101 Slocum Road for under the lights basketball action, beginning on August 26.

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The boys action begins at 4:15 p.m. with Joseph Case vs. Apponequet followed by Westport vs. Dartmouth at 5:15 p.m. Durfee takes to the asphalt at 6:15 p.m. against Taunton High. At 7:15, Greater New Bedford Voc. Tech faces off against New Bedford.

The final contest will pit Bridgewater-Raynham against White Mamba at 8:15 p.m.

See more at heraldnews.com.

Governor Maura Healey's administration is providing schools with new guidance on ICE.  The guidance outlines steps to follow if ICE agents arrive or request access to a student or their records. 

Schools are advised to consult legal counsel, document interactions, notify families and protect confidential information. 

The guidance follows a new law extending protections against warrantless civil immigration arrests to schools and child care centers. 

Districts and state funded or licensed child care programs must adopt policies by September 1st or their first day of classes.

A forensic psychologist says Lindsay Clancy should be held criminally responsible for killing her three children. 

Dr. Kirk Heilbrun testified that Clancy was mentally ill, but understood her actions were wrong and could follow the law. 

Jurors must decide whether Clancy could appreciate the wrongfulness of her actions or conform them to the law. 

Defense attorney Kevin Reddington challenged Heilbrun's testimony and argued postpartum psychosis prevented Clancy from controlling her actions.  Clancy admits killing her children, but is asserting an insanity defense.

The New Bedford City Council considered several motions Tuesday regarding the police department’s use of automated license plate readers.

This comes after last week’s meeting was cut short due to a lack of decorum among several residents in attendance.

The New Bedford Police Department put a temporary pause on its Flock camera system earlier this month after an audit resulted in “internal investigations” and an officer being placed on paid administrative leave.

Councilors passed a motion asking New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell and Police Chief Jason Thody to take down the city’s Flock cameras.

The motion is simply a request and not a mandate, which means Mitchell and Thody do not have to adhere to it.

The majority of the council is also looking to legislate against the use of Flock cameras to ensure their requests become law.

Three other items regarding Flock cameras were referred to various committees, where councilors will work on drafting ordinances that will eventually be voted on. Those items include requiring city leaders to discuss the use of the cameras, investigate the technology further and eventually abolish the use of it altogether.

See more at wpri.com.

A Fall River man pleaded not guilty to all charges stemming from a June 10 double homicide that saw one victim allegedly impaled with a pitchfork and another allegedly bludgeoned with a cobblestone.

Vitor Francisco Gomes, 28, was arraigned in Bristol County Superior Court on Aug. 24 on two counts of first-degree murder and one count of carrying a firearm without a license.

He is being held without bail, something agreed to by prosecutors and his defense lawyer.

The double homicide in Fall River's South End rattled locals, with a neighborhood bar calling it a “freak event,” the district attorney describing it as “brutal and depraved” and Mayor Paul Coogan calling it “a tragedy for the city of Fall River.”

Gomes was previously arraigned in district court. Criminal cases can move up to superior court when defendants are indicted by a grand jury. Gomes was indicted on Aug. 13.

The victims are Pablo Henrique Rocha-DaSilva, 20, of Whitman and Eduardo Cardoso DaSilva, 19, of Fall River. It is unclear if the victims are related to each other.

Under Massachusetts law, superior courts have jurisdiction over first-degree murder cases, which arise when prosecutors allege killings are committed with “deliberately premeditated malice” or with “extreme atrocity or cruelty.”

Gomes’ specific charges state that he assaulted and beat the two victims “with intent to murder.”

Judge Thomas J. Perrino scheduled a pretrial conference for Sept. 28 and a pretrial hearing for Feb. 9, 2027. Because Gomes’ case involves murder charges, it must be disposed within 360 days.

Perrino allowed motions by Gomes' defense requesting funds for a private investigator and a psychiatrist or neurologist.

See more at heraldnews.com.

A special meeting of the New Bedford City Council is scheduled for tonight. 

It's to complete unfinished business after last Thursday night's meeting was abruptly suspended.  It became chaotic due to shouting, chants and booing during a discussion about Flock automated license plate reader cameras. 

New Bedford's cameras have been off-line since earlier this month when potential unauthorized use was uncovered. 

Jury deliberation in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial is expected soon.  The Boston Globe reported closing arguments could happen today. 

The defense claims insanity, arguing Clancy was suffering from postpartum psychosis when she killed her three young children in January, 2023. 

The prosecution maintains the murders were premeditated and methodical and that Clancy should be held criminally responsible. 

With students across the SouthCoast getting ready to head back to school, now is a good time to see how local high schools stack up against others across Massachusetts.

Massachusetts continues to be a leader in education, and the 2026-27 U.S. News & World Report rankings offer a look at where SouthCoast schools fall among them.

Massachusetts once again came out on top nationally with 47% of the state's high schools placing in the top quarter of schools nationwide. New Jersey followed at 44%, while Maryland came in at 43%.

The rankings look at several factors, including college readiness, graduation rates, and other academic measures, giving a snapshot of how schools across the state are performing.

So how did SouthCoast high schools stack up?

The U.S. News & World Report rankings show Somerset Berkley Regional High School leading the pack among schools in the Greater Fall River and surrounding area, ranking No. 148 in Massachusetts.

Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School in Fall River follows at No. 173, while Joseph Case High School in Swansea ranks No. 184.

Atlantis Charter School in Fall River comes in at No. 206, followed by Westport Junior/Senior High School at No. 213.

B.M.C. Durfee High School ranks No. 277, while Argosy Collegiate Charter School comes in at No. 299.

According to the latest U.S. News & World Report rankings, Apponequet Regional High School in Lakeville ranks highest among the schools in the Greater New Bedford and surrounding area, coming in at No. 57 in Massachusetts.

Testimony is set to resume today in the Lindsay Clancy murder trial in Massachusetts. 

The prosecution is still calling on rebuttal witnesses after the defense rested its case on Friday. 

Clancy has admitted to strangling her three young children in 2023, but has pleaded not guilty while claiming she had postpartum psychosis. 

Closing arguments could begin sometime early this week. 

The “Diman dream” is now a reality. The result is a sterling new vocational high school — “the newest, greatest, and best” in the Commonwealth — that will welcome the incoming class of 2030, and upperclassmen, on the first day of school on Sept. 3. 

From a lofty idea to a brisk November 2023 groundbreaking, to Aug. 21, 2026, when Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School administrators and community members, flanked by architects, project managers, state agencies, and local delegates, chopped a bright orange ribbon, a “new beginning” has materialized.

Diman Superintendent Brian Bentley reminded a lobby filled with staff, teachers, students, supporters, and committee members that it all started with a question: “Would you support a new Diman?” From there, he told the story of a “powerful” grassroots campaign that grew into an ad hoc School Building Committee and eventually garnered the support of the Massachusetts School Building Authority in 2018. It received Diman School Committee approval along with the commitment of local Fall River, Somerset, Swansea, and Westport taxpayers.

Calling the new Diman “a truly magnificent building,” Bentley called on several speakers, including Massachusetts Secretary of Education Stephen Zrike Jr., and MSBA Executive Director Mary Pichetti. Behind the podium, the weather-stained brick of the old Diman drew a stark comparison to the “transformative investment” Zrike said, that hosted the ribbon-cutting and subsequent tour. 

Pichetti said the new state-of-the-art school is outfitted for energy efficiency and is designed to reduce operating costs while offering students a “top-notch, hands-on education.” Pichetti acknowledged that vocational students studying relevant trades were involved in the build.

Police were in the Corky Row neighborhood until the wee hours of Thursday morning conducting a major operation targeting “quality of life crimes” and drug offenses.

The idea for the operation came from an Aug. 5 shooting on Fourth Street that saw a 21-year-old taken to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the abdomen, said interim Chief of Police J.T. Hoar.

“I had a meeting with my command staff and said, ‘I’m tired of this kind of thing happening in the neighborhood, I know there’s good people in that neighborhood,’ and I wanted to make an impact there,” Hoar told The Herald News.

The so-called Operation Restore the Row was led by Capt. William Platt and lasted from 4 p.m. on Aug. 12 until 4 a.m. on Aug. 13, Hoar said. It involved over 35 officers.

They seized drugs, secured several cars and arrested over 40 people with outstanding warrants and “other offenses,” according to a Fall River Police Department press release. Hoar said the arrest warrants were related to “low-level drug activity.”

An FRPD press release about the operation said it also targeted “individuals whose influence can discourage residents from cooperating with law enforcement.”

“This was essentially an operation designed to send a message that we’re going to draw a line in the sand,” Hoar said.

See more at heraldnews.com.

The city is getting a state grant to take a “key first step” toward restoring or redeveloping the Bank Street Armory.

The Massachusetts Historical Commission has awarded the city a $30,000 grant to perform a "conditions assessment and feasibility study" for the building, according to Alex Silva, president of the Preservation Society of Fall River.

The money comes from MHC's Massachusetts Preservation Project Fund, a 50% reimbursable matching grant program open to cities with properties listed in the state Register of Historic Places.

The nonprofit group and the Historical Commission have been working with the city to determine the building’s future. That first step, Silva said, is a complete top to bottom assessment of everything the building needs.

“This is essentially the key first step that should’ve always been done for the building,” Silva said.

The armory opened to the public on Feb. 24, 1897. The castle-like structure was once home to a volunteer militia and the National Guard. Generations of Fall River kids played basketball on the court in the drill hall, and it hosted pro wrestling shows featuring the likes of Hulk Hogan. In later years, it hosted the Greater Fall River Re-Creation and Youth Build programs.

The building was shuttered and those programs relocated in April 2015, when an inspection revealed one of the chimneys had loose granite blocks leaning in toward the gym. City workers later repaired the chimney, but the building has been ruled unsafe for habitation and used solely for municipal storage since.

The interior is in bad condition.

See more at heraldnews.com.