Latest news with #PaulCoogan
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Fall River election 2025: Who's running for mayor, council and school board?
FALL RIVER — Candidates submitted their nomination papers and certified signatures to qualify for the 2025 municipal election this past week on July 19. The upcoming mayoral, City Council, and School Committee races have no shortage of newcomers and returning challengers — many who have dabbled in politics or boast a notable presence online. Incumbent Mayor Paul Coogan is seeking his fourth term as the city's top executive. He has been mayor since being first elected in 2019. Previously, he served on the School Committee. Running against Coogan are Gabriel "Boomer" Amaral, Carlos Cesar, Christopher Silvia and Michael J. Vandal. 2025 election takes shape: Who's running for political office in Fall River so far? Who is running for Fall River mayor? In January, Cesar, the former president of the Flint Neighborhood Association, announced on Facebook that his campaign will revolve around securing funding for city schools, making Fall River an affordable place to live, and supporting public safety. Amaral took to Facebook as well to announce a run for mayor, where his budding campaign insists that he is the only candidate in the mayoral race pledging to decrease the budget 'without putting the taxpayers and the first responders at risk.' Amaral previous ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 2019 and 2023 and mounted a campaign for state representative in 2024 to replace Paul Schmid. This month, Silvia, the owner of Christopher's cafe on South Main Street, pursued a campaign and joined the race with weeks to spare, stating in a July 21 Facebook post that he would be embarking on a 'yet another journey … to do the right thing for our city and its people.' City Council race sees all incumbents in the running, plus five new challengers All incumbent City Councilors are running for re-election: Shawn Cadime, Joseph Camara, Michelle Dionne, Paul Hart, Bradford Kilby, Linda Pereira, Cliff Ponte, Andrew Raposo and Ricky Tith. Silvia's spouse, Nathan Silvia, has entered the running for a seat on the City Council. In addition to Nathan Silvia, Michael G. Canuel, Jonathan D. Lima, Louis Alves Melim and Christopher Michael Peckham are running to score a seat on the council. Peckham will renew his bid for a seat on the City Council since he last ran in 2021. On several social media platforms, he promised action on rising taxes and fees, and to be 'the unwavering voice for change.' Canuel more recently urged current councilors to hold the Coogan administration accountable when it comes to abiding by the city's 2017 Home Rule Charter. In a Facebook post, Canuel recalled his 2009 run for City Council, and pledged, if elected, to be a councilor 'who makes data-driven decisions, asks tough questions, and never forgets who's paying the bill.' Laura Pacheco announced a run to claim a seat on the City Council early this year, and on a Facebook page dedicated to her burgeoning campaign, said she was collecting signatures at eateries around the city as recently as June 10. However, her name is not included in the roster of nominees shared with The Herald News by the city's Office of Elections as of the July 19 deadline. School Committee: three incumbents running, with the promise of new faces Thomas Khoury, Kevin Aguiar and Collin Dias are the only three Fall River Public School Committee members who are seeking to renew their terms. Randy Scott Dudek, Marc Nathaniel Mollicone, John Sylvia, Ana Cristina Riley, Emanuel Moniz, Shelley Joy Stewart and Shiv Thakur will seek a seat on the School Committee. Current School Committee members Bobby Bailey, Mimi Larrivee and Shelli Pereira are not among those running. Thakur, a real estate agent, is the only newcomer who has embarked on a social media campaign to date, championing access to 'quality education, support, and opportunity' for every member of the Fall River community. 'My goal is to listen, uplift, and work together to build a stronger future for all,' he wrote in a July 9 Facebook post. What's the next deadline for nominees? July 19 was the certification deadline for candidates listed to submit the requisite number of signatures to qualify for the preliminary and municipal election ballot. Certified candidates will receive back their cover letter and nomination papers, signed by the chief elections official, Ryan Lyons. Candidates must file their papers with the City Clerk by Saturday, Aug. 2, at 5 p.m. All papers will be placed on file with each candidates' election records. The following Monday, Aug. 4, is reserved as the deadline for any candidate to withdraw from the election, or to make an objection to a nomination. When is the preliminary election in Fall River? On Tuesday, Sept. 16, precincts will be open for polling between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Requests for a recount, and acceptance of write-in nominations must be filed by Sept. 22 by 5 p.m. When is the municipal election in Fall River? To vote in the November election, voters must register by Oct. 25 to vote in person, or by Oct. 28 for an absentee or a mail-in ballot. Winning candidates will be decided by election results on Tuesday, Nov. 4. Precincts will be open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Recount requests must be submitted by Nov. 14 at 5 p.m. This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Fall River 2025 election: Candidates for mayor, school board on ballot Solve the daily Crossword
New York Times
19-07-2025
- New York Times
Fire at Massachusetts Assisted Living Facility Claims a 10th Life
A tenth person has died after a fire engulfed an assisted living facility in Fall River, Mass., on Sunday, according to officials. The victim, Brenda Cropper, 66, died at a hospital on Friday after being in critical condition all week, the Bristol County district attorney, Thomas M. Quinn III, said in a statement on Saturday. The district attorney's office mistakenly announced Ms. Cropper's death prematurely on Thursday, blaming the error on a 'miscommunication' with a medical agency. The fire erupted on Sunday night at the assisted living facility, Gabriel House, which housed about 70 residents. More than two dozen people were injured. The cause of the fire, which was the deadliest in Massachusetts in 40 years, remains under investigation. The union representing Fall River firefighters, the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 1314, said there could have been more firefighters at the scene initially if city leaders had heeded its warnings that the department needed to bolster its ranks. Capt. Frank O'Regan, a member of the union, said the department had warned of inadequate staffing for decades and that additional firefighters would have saved more lives at Gabriel House. Mayor Paul Coogan of Fall River deflected the criticism, saying that the department's most recent staffing request had been fully met and that how it uses its firefighters to cover shifts is up to department leaders. The mayor said the building had sprinklers and working fire alarms, but that emergency workers had not yet been able to check whether all the warning systems had been working properly at the time of the fire.
CBS News
17-07-2025
- CBS News
Investigators look at possibility deadly Fall River fire may have been caused by smoking near oxygen tank
Investigators in Fall River, Massachusetts are looking into a number of issues in connection with the deadly fire at the Gabriel House assisted living home, including the possibility that the fire was caused by smoking near an oxygen tank, according to WBZ-TV I-Team sources. The sources also said investigators are also looking into the possibility that the building's sprinkler system may have been clogged and not working properly. Ten residents, all between the ages of 61 and 86, died in the fire Sunday night and more than two dozen were hurt. The tenth victim died Wednesday, according to Bristol County District Attorney Tom Quinn. Investigators have not said officially how or where the fire started, but they do not believe the cause was suspicious. Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan said only two people were working at the Gabriel House when the fire started.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Yahoo
A fire engulfed a Massachusetts assisted-living facility, killing 9 people. Here's what we know
Elderly residents – some in wheelchairs and some dependent on oxygen tanks – were blinded by deadly smoke as they tried to escape an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, which caught fire Sunday evening. Calls to 911 reporting the fire at Gabriel House began coming in shortly after 9:30 p.m., marking the start of a prolonged emergency response to rescue the roughly 70 people who lived there. Despite efforts by scores of firefighters – nearly half of whom were off duty at the time – and 'every police officer in the city,' nine Gabriel House residents died in the fire, according to officials. Those killed range in age from 61 to 86. Dozens of others were injured, one critically. Some residents, desperate to escape, hung out of windows, begging to be rescued, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. The blaze was the deadliest fire in the state since 1984, when 15 people died in a fire at a rooming house, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. Authorities, including the Massachusetts State Police, say the cause of the fire is unclear but 'does not appear to be suspicious at this time,' Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn, III said Monday. 'It's a tragedy, no matter how it happened or what started it,' Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told CNN. Here's what we know as the investigation continues: 'All that I could do was just stand there and choke' Many Gabriel House residents – unable to walk or reliant on oxygen tanks – were trapped as smoke filled the hallways. Loraine Ferrara told WCVB she was rescued through her bathroom window. 'I thought I was dead. … I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to meet my maker.' Al Manza said he got a face full of smoke when he opened his door. 'All that I could do was just stand there and choke,' Manza told WCVB, noting he couldn't even see the hand of the firefighter who led him to safety through the dense smoke. Firefighters broke windows and evacuated residents on ladders. In some cases, air conditioning units had to be pushed out of windows to pull people to safety, according to the firefighters' union president. Many residents were unconscious or trapped and unable to escape on their own. One woman whose father lived at Gabriel House desperately tried to guide him to safety while they were on the phone. 'He was on the floor talking to me, and I am crying, telling him, 'Break the window. Try to break it,' because he is so weak, and he couldn't break it,' she told WCVB. Her father was rescued after she was able to direct firefighters to his location. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy emphasized the unique challenges of rescuing the assisted-living residents after visiting the scene, saying, 'All of these people needed assistance.' 'Many were in wheelchairs. Many were immobile. Many had oxygen tanks. They were severely compromised,' the governor said. Scope of rescue effort 'overwhelmed' first responders Firefighters and police sped to the scene of the fire after the assisted-living facility's automatic alarm system triggered an emergency call. Still, first responders pleaded for additional help rescuing residents, many of whom were unconscious or unable to walk, according to Broadcastify audio from Sunday night. At the response's peak, about 65 firefighters were on the scene – nearly half of whom rushed to help even though they were off duty. 'Every police officer in the city' also rushed to the scene, the fire chief said. 'Everybody was rescuing people.' 'When I got here, what I saw was everyone overwhelmed,' said Michael O'Regan, one of the off-duty firefighters who responded and the president of the Fall River firefighters' union. Rushing to the fire meant going without breathing equipment for some of the off-duty responders, O'Regan said. 'I didn't have time to go get the stuff, and we didn't have any extra stuff, so we did what we had to do.' Frank O'Regan, Michael's brother and fellow firefighter, said he was horrified when he arrived 40 minutes into the response to find residents still trapped on Gabriel House's third floor. 'I couldn't believe that after all this time, there was still a full area with people trapped,' he said, calling it one of the events with the 'worst loss of life' he's seen in his career. Understaffing of the Fall River Fire Department limited the response to Sunday's fire, according to Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. National standards call for four firefighters per company, but only two of Fall River's 10 companies meet that, he said, noting eight more firefighters could have been available if the standard was met. Bacon, the fire chief, acknowledged the shortfall and said that particular standard hasn't been met in the city since the 1980s or '90s. On Tuesday, Bacon described the operating model of his department as 'less firefighters and more overtime,' saying it 'worked for us, but it's also working our firefighters to the bone, and it's going to lead to more injuries and it's going to lead to more issues down the road.' Coogan, the mayor, is working with Bacon to increase the minimum number of firefighters on engines in Fall River, he said at a news conference Wednesday. The city will rely on overtime hours in the short term to meet the new staffing threshold, and it plans to hire 15 to 20 additional firefighters over the next two years, Bacon said Wednesday. Previously, Bacon said rescues involving nursing homes or assisted-living facilities housing people with mobility or respiratory issues are 'the worst-case-scenario' for the fire department 'because it's difficult to save anybody.' 'The staff on hand went above and beyond and did more work than they absolutely should have been asked to do. They worked themselves harder than they should have had to,' he said. 'But the work that they did saved a ton of lives on that call.' What we know about Gabriel House Gabriel House, founded in 1999, housed around 70 residents at the time of the fire, according to the Department of Fire Services. Two staff members were working overnight Sunday, Bacon said. The facility was set for recertification and a compliance review in November, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services told CNN. Massachusetts' Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the state agency responsible for certifying assisted-living residences, last conducted an onsite visit at Gabriel House at the end of October 2023. The facility was recertified that December, after addressing some areas of noncompliance, largely stemming from missing or delinquent documentation, according to reports reviewed by CNN. Officials at the Wednesday news conference called for more uniform safety inspections for assisted living or nursing facilities, noting that current standards vary and may be insufficient. 'I just learned today that a nursing home and assisted living has a different standard on inspections,' Coogan said. 'Maybe those have to be uniform so we know exactly what's going on.' Gabriel House's owner, Dennis Etzkorn, said he and his family are 'devastated by the tragedy' that occurred Sunday night and pledged full cooperation with investigators. 'Our thoughts are with every one of our residents, their families, our staff, and the brave first responders,' Etzkorn said in the statement. 'We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and provide them with any information they may need throughout the investigative process regarding the cause and origin of this fire.' The city is still investigating the fire and will consider changes to building standards for assisted living facilities based on any findings, with the goal of preventing similar tragedies in the future, Bacon said on Wednesday. Etzkorn faced criminal charges more than a decade ago that may have banned him from operating an assisted-living facility if he'd been convicted. He was accused of running a scheme to illegally pay kickbacks in order to receive Medicare patients, but prosecutors dropped the charges after a judge ruled key evidence had been obtained improperly, according to records reviewed by CNN. Between 2003 and 2013, Etzkorn was sued in federal court at least three times by former employees who accused him of sexual harassment. Those cases were settled out of court, according to records. Victims range in age from 61 to 86 Authorities have identified seven of the nine Gabriel House residents who died in Sunday's fire. Three were in their 60s, five were in their 70s, and the oldest was 86 years old. Among them was Richard Rochon, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran. Rochon's family mourned his death by highlighting the struggles he endured throughout his life – including PTSD, homelessness and affording health care – and called for better treatment of American veterans. 'We as a country should take care of veterans better,' the family said in a statement to CNN. 'They have served for our country; the least we can do is make sure they live a happy healthy retirement.' The other victims who were identified are: 64-year-old Rui Albernaz; 61-year-old Ronald Codega; 69-year-old Margaret Duddy; 78-year-old Robert King; 71-year-old Kim Mackin; and 86-year-old Eleanor Willett, Quinn said. Willett worked as a secretary for more than 20 years and Mackin was a violinist who performed in orchestras in the Boston area, The Associated Press reported. Around 30 residents were hospitalized after the fire, including one person in critical condition, the district attorney said. CNN has reached out to area hospitals for an update on the hospitalized. A total of 18 residents were taken to Saint Anne's Hospital and most of them have been or are ready to be discharged, Kelly Brennan, a hospital spokesperson, said Tuesday. But two of those residents were transferred to a trauma center in Rhode Island, where one of them remains in critical condition, Brennan said. Dozens of residents displaced by the fire were placed in temporary housing Monday, and seven people were still waiting to be transferred from a displacement center to other facilities on Tuesday, Bacon said. CNN's Aaron Eggleston, Jason Carroll, Sarah Boxer, Jillian Sykes, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman, Majlie de Puy Kamp and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
CNN
17-07-2025
- CNN
A fire engulfed a Massachusetts assisted-living facility, killing 9 people. Here's what we know
FacebookTweetLink Elderly residents – some in wheelchairs and some dependent on oxygen tanks – were blinded by deadly smoke as they tried to escape an assisted-living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts, which caught fire Sunday evening. Calls to 911 reporting the fire at Gabriel House began coming in shortly after 9:30 p.m., marking the start of a prolonged emergency response to rescue the roughly 70 people who lived there. Despite efforts by scores of firefighters – nearly half of whom were off duty at the time – and 'every police officer in the city,' nine Gabriel House residents died in the fire, according to officials. Those killed range in age from 61 to 86. Dozens of others were injured, one critically. Some residents, desperate to escape, hung out of windows, begging to be rescued, Fall River Fire Chief Jeffrey Bacon said. The blaze was the deadliest fire in the state since 1984, when 15 people died in a fire at a rooming house, CNN affiliate WCVB reported. Authorities, including the Massachusetts State Police, say the cause of the fire is unclear but 'does not appear to be suspicious at this time,' Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn, III said Monday. 'It's a tragedy, no matter how it happened or what started it,' Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan told CNN. Here's what we know as the investigation continues: Many Gabriel House residents – unable to walk or reliant on oxygen tanks – were trapped as smoke filled the hallways. Loraine Ferrara told WCVB she was rescued through her bathroom window. 'I thought I was dead. … I couldn't breathe. I thought I was going to meet my maker.' Al Manza said he got a face full of smoke when he opened his door. 'All that I could do was just stand there and choke,' Manza told WCVB, noting he couldn't even see the hand of the firefighter who led him to safety through the dense smoke. Firefighters broke windows and evacuated residents on ladders. In some cases, air conditioning units had to be pushed out of windows to pull people to safety, according to the firefighters' union president. Many residents were unconscious or trapped and unable to escape on their own. One woman whose father lived at Gabriel House desperately tried to guide him to safety while they were on the phone. 'He was on the floor talking to me, and I am crying, telling him, 'Break the window. Try to break it,' because he is so weak, and he couldn't break it,' she told WCVB. Her father was rescued after she was able to direct firefighters to his location. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healy emphasized the unique challenges of rescuing the assisted-living residents after visiting the scene, saying, 'All of these people needed assistance.' 'Many were in wheelchairs. Many were immobile. Many had oxygen tanks. They were severely compromised,' the governor said. Firefighters and police sped to the scene of the fire after the assisted-living facility's automatic alarm system triggered an emergency call. Still, first responders pleaded for additional help rescuing residents, many of whom were unconscious or unable to walk, according to Broadcastify audio from Sunday night. At the response's peak, about 65 firefighters were on the scene – nearly half of whom rushed to help even though they were off duty. 'Every police officer in the city' also rushed to the scene, the fire chief said. 'Everybody was rescuing people.' 'When I got here, what I saw was everyone overwhelmed,' said Michael O'Regan, one of the off-duty firefighters who responded and the president of the Fall River firefighters' union. Rushing to the fire meant going without breathing equipment for some of the off-duty responders, O'Regan said. 'I didn't have time to go get the stuff, and we didn't have any extra stuff, so we did what we had to do.' Frank O'Regan, Michael's brother and fellow firefighter, said he was horrified when he arrived 40 minutes into the response to find residents still trapped on Gabriel House's third floor. 'I couldn't believe that after all this time, there was still a full area with people trapped,' he said, calling it one of the events with the 'worst loss of life' he's seen in his career. Understaffing of the Fall River Fire Department limited the response to Sunday's fire, according to Edward Kelly, president of the International Association of Fire Fighters. National standards call for four firefighters per company, but only two of Fall River's 10 companies meet that, he said, noting eight more firefighters could have been available if the standard was met. Bacon, the fire chief, acknowledged the shortfall and said that particular standard hasn't been met in the city since the 1980s or '90s. On Tuesday, Bacon described the operating model of his department as 'less firefighters and more overtime,' saying it 'worked for us, but it's also working our firefighters to the bone, and it's going to lead to more injuries and it's going to lead to more issues down the road.' Coogan, the mayor, is working with Bacon to increase the minimum number of firefighters on engines in Fall River, he said at a news conference Wednesday. The city will rely on overtime hours in the short term to meet the new staffing threshold, and it plans to hire 15 to 20 additional firefighters over the next two years, Bacon said Wednesday. Previously, Bacon said rescues involving nursing homes or assisted-living facilities housing people with mobility or respiratory issues are 'the worst-case-scenario' for the fire department 'because it's difficult to save anybody.' 'The staff on hand went above and beyond and did more work than they absolutely should have been asked to do. They worked themselves harder than they should have had to,' he said. 'But the work that they did saved a ton of lives on that call.' Gabriel House, founded in 1999, housed around 70 residents at the time of the fire, according to the Department of Fire Services. Two staff members were working overnight Sunday, Bacon said. The facility was set for recertification and a compliance review in November, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services told CNN. Massachusetts' Executive Office of Aging & Independence, the state agency responsible for certifying assisted-living residences, last conducted an onsite visit at Gabriel House at the end of October 2023. The facility was recertified that December, after addressing some areas of noncompliance, largely stemming from missing or delinquent documentation, according to reports reviewed by CNN. Officials at the Wednesday news conference called for more uniform safety inspections for assisted living or nursing facilities, noting that current standards vary and may be insufficient. 'I just learned today that a nursing home and assisted living has a different standard on inspections,' Coogan said. 'Maybe those have to be uniform so we know exactly what's going on.' Gabriel House's owner, Dennis Etzkorn, said he and his family are 'devastated by the tragedy' that occurred Sunday night and pledged full cooperation with investigators. 'Our thoughts are with every one of our residents, their families, our staff, and the brave first responders,' Etzkorn said in the statement. 'We will continue to cooperate with the authorities and provide them with any information they may need throughout the investigative process regarding the cause and origin of this fire.' The city is still investigating the fire and will consider changes to building standards for assisted living facilities based on any findings, with the goal of preventing similar tragedies in the future, Bacon said on Wednesday. Etzkorn faced criminal charges more than a decade ago that may have banned him from operating an assisted-living facility if he'd been convicted. He was accused of running a scheme to illegally pay kickbacks in order to receive Medicare patients, but prosecutors dropped the charges after a judge ruled key evidence had been obtained improperly, according to records reviewed by CNN. Between 2003 and 2013, Etzkorn was sued in federal court at least three times by former employees who accused him of sexual harassment. Those cases were settled out of court, according to records. Authorities have identified seven of the nine Gabriel House residents who died in Sunday's fire. Three were in their 60s, five were in their 70s, and the oldest was 86 years old. Among them was Richard Rochon, a 78-year-old Vietnam veteran. Rochon's family mourned his death by highlighting the struggles he endured throughout his life – including PTSD, homelessness and affording health care – and called for better treatment of American veterans. 'We as a country should take care of veterans better,' the family said in a statement to CNN. 'They have served for our country; the least we can do is make sure they live a happy healthy retirement.' The other victims who were identified are: 64-year-old Rui Albernaz; 61-year-old Ronald Codega; 69-year-old Margaret Duddy; 78-year-old Robert King; 71-year-old Kim Mackin; and 86-year-old Eleanor Willett, Quinn said. Willett worked as a secretary for more than 20 years and Mackin was a violinist who performed in orchestras in the Boston area, The Associated Press reported. Around 30 residents were hospitalized after the fire, including one person in critical condition, the district attorney said. CNN has reached out to area hospitals for an update on the hospitalized. A total of 18 residents were taken to Saint Anne's Hospital and most of them have been or are ready to be discharged, Kelly Brennan, a hospital spokesperson, said Tuesday. But two of those residents were transferred to a trauma center in Rhode Island, where one of them remains in critical condition, Brennan said. Dozens of residents displaced by the fire were placed in temporary housing Monday, and seven people were still waiting to be transferred from a displacement center to other facilities on Tuesday, Bacon said. CNN's Aaron Eggleston, Jason Carroll, Sarah Boxer, Jillian Sykes, Casey Tolan, Isabelle Chapman, Majlie de Puy Kamp and Cindy Von Quednow contributed to this report.
