Top stories: State Rep. Carol Doherty dies, remembered for 'dignity,' 'grace' and 'humor'
Top stories this past week included:
Taunton High student basketball referees are getting valuable experience.
Tom & Jimmy's announced that it'll soon be scooping up ice cream at a fourth location.
With the MBTA starting commuter rail service in about a month to Fall River, New Bedford and Taunton, riders may want to start checking to see if they're eligible for some savings.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro South has been honored with the Bronze League of Eagles Award.
Middleboro has hired six new firefighters, and South Station is to be open 24/7. Learn more, here.
The Berkley Police Department is seeking help from the public in identifying two suspects in connection with recent vehicle break-ins.
The Homes2Suites Hotel in Raynham, located on Commerce Way, will officially cease operating as an Emergency Assistance (EA) family shelter for the state's Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) by Dec. 31, 2025.
These were the Top 5 stories of the past week, according to Gazette readers:
Last weekend, Taunton State Rep. Carol Doherty died at the age of 82 after "a brave battle with pancreatic cancer," her office announced.
Doherty, a former longtime Taunton School Committee member, has served asstate representative in the 3rd Bristol District since 2020. The district includes parts of Taunton and Easton.
In the days since her death, Doherty's loved ones, friends, and colleagues are remembering her for leading with uncommon "dignity," "grace" and "humor" until the very end.
'An incredible legacy of service': Taunton's Carol Doherty led with uncommon 'dignity,' 'grace' and 'humor' to the very end
Doherty's death leaves a sudden vacancy in the 3rd Bristol state house district she represented.
According to the Massachusetts secretary of state's office, it is up to the House to order a special election in the 3rd Bristol to fill the vacant seat.
Here's how it would work.
3rd Bristol state house district: Will special election be held to fill Carol Doherty's state rep seat? How that works
Three men from Taunton were arrested and charged with breaking and entering, larceny, and drug trafficking, in connection with a home robbery on Winthrop Street in Taunton.
This is what we know about the break-in, as of this writing.
Three arrested in Taunton home burglary: What we know about the Winthrop Street break-in
Fusion Kitchen, a restaurant in Taunton serving Japanese cuisine, had its liquor license suspended for four days by the city's License Commission after police officers were allegedly assaulted at the restaurant on Sunday, Feb. 9.
Gazette Reporter Emma Rindlisbacher has the story.
Fusion Kitchen: Taunton restaurant's liquor license suspended, hours slashed after cops allegedly assaulted
Hong Kong City, a restaurant on Broadway in Taunton, has filed a lawsuit against the Taunton Board of Health.
The restaurant, at 174 Broadway, alleged in a lawsuit that the board of health retaliated against the owner, Philip Fei Pan, for not doing business with a cleaning company owned by a relative of a heath inspector.
The lawsuit further alleges that an inspection report of the restaurant contained a "forged" signature of someone who did not conduct the inspection, that the executive director of the health department made "racist statements" at a public meeting, and that there were "falsified facts and records" related to health violation reports made against the restaurant.
In contrast, the board of health said they had "ample evidence of" what they described as Hong Kong City's "significant health violations."
This is what we know, as of this writing.
Restaurant files lawsuit: Alleging discrimination, Taunton restaurant sues board of health. Here's what we know.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Top stories: State Rep. Carol Doherty dies, remembered for 'grace'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Fox News
a day ago
- Fox News
Priced out in Las Vegas? 5 costly steaks that can cut into tourists' wallets
Tourism in Las Vegas has dropped this summer relative to recent years, with visitors griping about Sin City's high prices, including exorbitant resort fees. But for some tourists, Vegas is still the ultimate place for indulgent amenities, drinks and – above all – once-in-a-lifetime meals. Jackie Dadas-Kraper, a Las Vegas-based publicist and vice president at Interdependence Public Relations, said the city's steak dinners can be "a performance, a status symbol and a story all in one." "Tourists are willing to spend three or even four figures on steak because this city elevates dining into an experience," she told Fox News Digital. "Here, a steakhouse meal is more than just food. It's a celebration of taste, travel and unforgettable moments." But are the unforgettable moments worth the price? Below are some examples of high-priced steaks that can cut into your wallet after just one dinner. This steakhouse's signature showpiece is a $1,000 spectacle known as "The Beef Case." It's exclusively available at the glitzy Papi Steak, inside the Fontainebleau hotel. The dish features a 55-ounce Australian wagyu tomahawk steak. It has a marbling score of 9 – the highest possible rating. To complete the over-the-top experience, the steak has been known to arrive inside a custom-designed diamond-studded suitcase. At nearly 3.5 pounds, the steak is built for sharing. John Travolta once ate the famed dish at the restaurant's Miami Beach location, as People and other sources reported. Fox News Digital reached out to Papi Steak for more information. The "Tomahawk Feast" at One Steakhouse features dry-aged U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Prime tomahawk steaks, weighing a hefty 18 pounds. The feast also comes with six sides, ranging from forest mushrooms to lobster macaroni and cheese. Priced at $1,500, it serves 10 to 12 guests and is carved at the table. But there's a catch. The tomahawk must be ordered 72 hours in advance, so that the beef can be sourced and adequately prepared, according to the restaurant. The "Taste of Japan" at the Wynn's Carversteak features a selection of traditional Japanese A5 wagyu, along with a 5-ounce Miyazaki wagyu striploin. Accompaniments include black garlic‑mirin mushrooms, shishito peppers and tare sauce. Yuzu kosho, a Japanese citrus-chili paste, is also added. At a cost of $300, there is a 4-ounce minimum and every additional ounce is $75, according to the restaurant's menu. The restaurant also offers less-expensive American wagyu, though that is still priced as high as $145. The Four Sixes Ranch Steakhouse at the Wynn offers a "Japanese Purebred Freedom Wagyu Tomahawk" dish. It weighs a hefty 48 ounces and is priced at $999.90. The beef, which is sourced from Freedom, Wyoming's Grazing Star Ranch, is carved tableside. The dish also features beef tallow raclette cheese popovers and is served with a side of bordelaise sauce. "Vaca vieja" means "old cow" in Spanish. The dish, inspired by Spanish cuisine, according to Bazaar Meat's website, offers a more mineral-rich flavor than younger beef. The per-pound price costs about $90, meaning that a bone-in cut could shoot upwards of $750. "The Bazaar team works with Mindful Meats in California, where they source whole, live 8- to 10-year-old Jerseys and Holsteins from certified-organic, non-GMO ranches in Marin and Sonoma counties for this dish," according to the menu. If you just want to try it, a tasting portion is $64. But you'll need to time it just right. The restaurant reopens at the Venetian Resort's Palazzo on Sept. 4.
Los Angeles Times
a day ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘L.A.'s little secret.' Why the South Bay is still the best destination for Japanese food
On bustling Western Avenue in the heart of Gardena, Sakura-Ya and Chikara Mochi sit about 250 feet away from each other, frequented by South Bay residents for decades for fluffy mochi and cakey manju. They're two of the only traditional Japanese mochi shops in L.A., with blink-and-you'll-miss-it signage. Just a block away is Meiji Tofu Shop, a nearly 50-year-old producer that churns out fresh soy milk and tofu daily. Cross the street to find Otafuku — where the Akutsu family has been serving traditional Tokyo soba since 1997. You'll find similar clusters of diverse Japanese food in strip malls across Gardena as well as Torrance, which has the largest East Asian population in all of L.A. The two neighboring cities are home to the biggest suburban Japanese community in the United States — and a decades-old restaurant landscape that feels like a time capsule, yet continues to flourish as a haven for classic Japanese cuisine and hospitality. 'It's like we're stuck in the '90s,' said South Bay native Daniel Son, the chef and owner of Gardena's Sushi Sonagi. 'These days, when everything is monetizing and content creating has to be so fresh, they don't care. They're just gonna make great product and quietly do it.' Japanese immigrants first came to the L.A. area in the late 1800s and early 1900s — many from San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake — as strawberry farmers. Unlike Little Tokyo, which has been subject to the whims of tourists and the changing landscape of downtown L.A., the suburban South Bay has maintained a more stable identity, according to Emily Anderson, a curator for Little Tokyo's Japanese American National Museum. 'In places like Torrance and Gardena, you have the development and preservation of Japanese American food — it [has] layers of history and struggle, but food ultimately being a source of comfort and identity,' Anderson said. When Torrance became the site of Toyota's North American headquarters in 1967, more Japanese immigrants, and food, came with it. Over the next few decades, dozens of restaurants opened in Torrance and Gardena, along with a growing number of Japanese supermarket chains like Tokyo Central, Nijiya Market and Mitsuwa Marketplace, giving neighbors a taste of home. By the time Toyota left Torrance for Texas in 2017, these businesses had proved themselves integral to the region's culinary fabric. Their networks, once primarily composed of Japanese immigrants and descendant families, had extended to residents of all backgrounds. 'My plan is to be the last bastion of Japanese food prepared the Japanese way,' said former Tokyo resident Kristen McIntyre, owner of homestyle Japanese restaurant Fukagawa in Gardena. Many Japanese restaurant owners in the area have a 'serve what you want to eat' mindset, said Otafuku owner Mieko Akutsu. 'We never adjusted the flavor for American people.' In her case, that means serving three types of soba, including sarashina soba — a white noodle made using the core of the buckwheat plant — which became known as an upscale dish in Tokyo, where regular, darker soba became a popular working-class meal during the Edo period. Today, restaurants like Sushi Sonagi, which opened in 2023, along with Michelin-starred Sushi Inaba in Torrance, lead the way in bringing Angelenos — and diners from across the country — to the South Bay, where troves of Japanese restaurants and shops, many immigrant-run and cash-only, shine in all their old-school glory. Many don't have PR firms or flashy Instagram accounts; some will give you a handwritten receipt and others don't have websites. 'I felt like [opening Sushi Sonagi] in the South Bay almost celebrates the diversity and the rich Asian American culture that's very deep here,' said Son, who blends his Korean American heritage into his roughly 20-course omakase. 'It's just really cool to bring more life to an area that I feel like is L.A.'s little secret.' But sushi is merely the cusp of the region's offerings. Torrance and Gardena are L.A.'s storied destinations for every type of Japanese food imaginable: Yoshoku restaurants, which combine Japanese and Western cooking, coexist alongside traditional izakayas, yakitori joints and newer businesses that hail from Japan. Use these 18 spots as a starting point for some of the best — and some of the oldest — Japanese restaurants that have quietly put South Bay suburbs on the L.A. dining map.
New York Times
a day ago
- New York Times
Finding Stillness in the World's Biggest City
Tokyo, one of the most populous cities in the world, has mastered the art of compression. During rush hour, white-gloved oshiya, or 'pushers,' squeeze commuters into packed subway cars. Hotel rooms are sometimes barely larger than the bed inside them. Major intersections teem with pedestrians, traffic and flashing billboards. As a photographer and journalist, I was familiar with Tokyo's density but wanted to explore its quieter side. I set out to chronicle the peaceful gardens, cafes, atriums and shrines where people don't just escape the noise; they find pockets of community, solitude and refuge. Hitoshi Abe, a Japanese architect and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, explained that Japanese design excels at creating spaces that evoke tranquillity. 'A little garden the size of a tatami mat can feel like a miniature of nature,' he said. 'Japanese design creates small environments that connect you to something larger: A bonsai mimics a full tree. A tearoom with one flower and the sound of boiling water can recall the feeling of being deep in nature.' This sensibility is rooted in the concept of shichu no sankyo — 'dwelling in the mountain inside the city' — a design philosophy that brings the essence of nature into even the most urbanized spaces. Researchers have established that spending time in nature has health benefits and that quiet, minimalist environments can reduce stress. The tendency to prioritize stillness and connection to nature 'is one of the core aspects of Japanese design,' Mr. Abe added. Tokyo is home to thousands of Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples, many of which date back centuries, serving both spiritual and ecological purposes. They can be vast in size, like the 170-acre Meiji Shrine and its surrounding forest or compact hideaways — small courtyards shaded by ancient trees, tucked between buildings. When Kenji Kureyama, an artist and yoga teacher, feels the need to unwind, he goes to Setagaya Hachiman, a well-known shrine in the Setagaya area of Tokyo. Green areas in the city feel like small reprieves, he explained, and offer cooler air. 'It's like a desert where you find these oases,' he said. Mr. Kureyama, 40, notes that more developments now try to incorporate greenery. 'It's about making the city, and our well-being, coexist with nature,' said Mr. Kureyama. KITTE Garden is a rooftop park atop a shopping complex, where lawns and views of Tokyo Station, a major railway terminal, invite visitors to pause and reconnect with nature. Light-filled atriums in shopping malls transform commercial hubs into urban sanctuaries where natural light and greenery create a relaxing space. The entrance hall of the Nezu Museum is a popular escape in Tokyo's bustling Aoyama district. The museum's garden feels worlds away from the city. Public gardens and museums' courtyards scattered across the city can also offer a break from the crowded streets. The Nezu Museum, in Tokyo's vibrant Aoyama district, is renowned for its collection of traditional Japanese and East Asian art; its modern architecture designed by Kengo Kuma; and a serene garden featuring bamboo-lined pathways and teahouses. Once a quiet place where locals came to appreciate the art, the museum has become a popular tourist attraction, said Junko Tokoro, who works in communications at the museum. Museum staff encourage visitors to maintain a peaceful atmosphere by refraining from taking pictures inside the gallery and keeping their voices low. In some venues — bookstores, reading rooms, small listening bars — silence is favored. At the book cafe R-za Dokushokan, near a busy shopping street, silence is a commodity hidden on a second floor. To find it, customers climb a narrow stairwell to find an arrow-shaped sign that reads: 'This is a place to spend time quietly. Talking is not allowed.' The owner, Taiki Watanabe, 55, opened the cafe in 2008. He said he wanted people to have a moment to have a conversation with themselves. 'Such conversations are born naturally in moments of stillness,' said Mr. Watanabe. A barista at the book cafe R-za Dokushokan. The cafe is tucked away, and talking is not allowed. The only sounds are ambient. The place is filled with old furniture, books and lush plants. 'These organic elements give visitors the feeling of being deep in a forest, far removed from the real world,' said Mr. Watanabe. Members of the co-working space and gallery in the Nakameguro district may not experience the quiet of the forest, but their office feels like it's encased inside of one, as the building is enveloped in thick ivy. The building's previous owner, Tomomochi Suga, lived there with his mother and became reclusive after she died. Ivy began to creep up the building, and he let it take over. When one of founding members, Tomoji Oya, 42, and his colleagues asked to lease it, they promised to create community and bring in young, creative people. building stands out with its facade wrapped in lush greenery. For Mr. Oya, the space feels like a chinju no mori — the sacred grove traditionally surrounding a Shinto shrine. The grove was a place where outsiders or wanderers could find refuge. The collective now includes Japanese and international members, each of whom was interviewed before joining. 'Good vibes only,' he added, smiling. Tokyo's crowded streets and stations can be overwhelming at times. Yet, Mr. Abe, the architect and professor, believes the city's genius lies in its balance — blending tradition with modern life, and connecting people to something larger. 'It shows how people can live peacefully even in the most intense environments,' he said.
