Grace Ferguson

Reporter for @NewBedfordLight

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

One company foreclosed on dozens of New Bedford properties to collect on tax debt it bought from the city. The property owners lost all of their equity, even though most debts were a fraction of the property's value.

My investigation for @NewBedfordLight
https://t.co/0YBBQHqAx8

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

🏘️New Bedford is calling on suburbs to pitch in on affordable housing. Read Part 1 of The Light's Housing in Distress series by @fergusonreports ➡️ https://t.co/LI1Is35ZuC

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

#Election2024 State House races in New Bedford and across Massachusetts are often uncompetitive, leaving voters with only one choice. https://t.co/Jo8PwAKqLn

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

my favorite social media platform

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

Reporter @fergusonreports details what to do if you miss a rent payment in New Bedford.

This is the latest installment of a series on how to navigate life in New Bedford. Ask us your questions and our reporters will look into it for you.

https://t.co/RAGUjYOVsX…

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

4/6 Want to know how to get food assistance in New Bedford? The Light's @fergusonreports has all the answers for you in our inaugural installment of Navigating New Bedford.

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

let me just submit the same records request to a few other municipalities for comparison...
*45 requests later*
yeah that's probably good

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

But SRTA Planning Director Shayne Trimbell told me this morning that it's too early to know for sure that SRTA will be able to get a grant. He'll be watching to see if Governor Healey approves the funding.

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

FARE FREE BUS UPDATE: The legislature included some funding for continued free fares in its final budget, now headed for the governor's desk.

A SRTA official says it's too early to know what it will mean for them, but they will have an update in the next few weeks.

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

SRTA started a 6-month fare-free pilot program on Jan 1 and recently extended it to Aug 31 due to the legislature's budget negotiations.

If Gov. Healey approves the funding, SRTA may be able to extend the free fares for another year.

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

South Coast Rail will start in May 2025, the MBTA announced on Thursday in the first update since the project was delayed for the second time two months ago. https://t.co/9SZvK8G87X

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

While you wait to find out what the MBTA is going to announce tomorrow.... take a look at this sick drone footage of New Bedford's new MBTA station

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

3/3 Take a sneak peek at the work done on New Bedford's rail stations thus far. https://t.co/teKMI9gZy5

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

1/3 The general manager of the MBTA is taking the unusual step of visiting New Bedford and Fall River on Thursday to make an announcement about South Coast Rail. https://t.co/VCvDo6GBGB

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

Join us for a Community Conversation about what's next for transit on the South Coast at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, June 18 in the third floor meeting room at the downtown branch of the New Bedford Public Library.

Admission is free, but please register here: https://t.co/ZabSayqAWL

[MBTA @MBTA]

We're holding a New Bedford public meeting for #SouthCoastRail. Join the T, General Manager Eng, and the South Coast Rail project team for an update:
🗓️Thursday, June 13
⏰7:30 PM
📍Whaling Museum - 18 Johnny Cake Hill, New Bedford
ℹ️https://t.co/rcqFyomkYk
#BuildingABetterT

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

Wondering when South Coast Rail will finally arrive? Join me and a panel of leaders at our next Community Conversation!

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

Local projects funded by pandemic relief money will shape the city for decades to come, city officials say. https://t.co/E8xxCu5yQq

[New Bedford Light @NewBedfordLight]

Just 6.5% of New Bedford residents have received a COVID-19 shot this season, according to state data. The city is tied with Fall River for the fifth-lowest vaccination rate in Massachusetts. https://t.co/WQIwYFjLmU

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

The rest of the email has info on what they are doing to address the issue:

[Grace Ferguson @fergusonreports]

News from my alma mater: Just learned from a Boston University fundraising email that almost one in every five @BU_Tweets students is experiencing food insecurity