New life for an old Friendly's, COVID surge, 'Gilded Age' dollhouse: Top New Bedford stories

NEW BEDFORD — Sure, it's bitterly cold outside, but that can be a good thing: It offers plenty of time to catch up on the week's top news stories.

And perhaps catching up on the news will take your mind off last night's Patriots game.

From the COVID surge to the possible commutation of a convicted killer's sentence to the shutdown of a Dartmouth testing site, the New Bedford area saw some intense stories this past week. So grab a cup of soup and a warm blanket, and catch up with us.

Farm & Coast to take over old Friendly's

After sitting vacant for almost a decade, the old Friendly's on Dartmouth Street is being leased by Farm & Coast Market as a new production and catering kitchen.

“For a couple of years, we've been looking for a place to expand and as close by as we could," said Jody Cote, Farm & Coast general manager.

“We've kind of outgrown our little spot here, not so much for the service end of things, but more for like production. We just don't have the room to keep up with it all."

On Dec. 1, Farm & Coast leased the Friendly's building, located only one and half miles from the retail space at 7 Bridge St.

What's going in at old restaurant: A gourmet food business is taking over the old Friendly's in Dartmouth. Here's the scoop.

Local doctor shares weight loss journey

After losing 125 pounds, Dr. Kevin R. Gendreau switched from family medici to obesity medicine, so he could share his journey with patients and add optimism to their weight loss goals.

Now, he wants to share his story with the world in his new book, "Fasting While Furious: How I Turned Anger and Sadness into Motivation for Weight Loss."

"Sometimes heartache can lead to improvements in oneself," said Gendreau.

In 2016, Gendreau weighed 306 pounds and was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease and depression.

"I put a lot of my weight on over the years between the rigors of being a pre-medical student," Gendreau admitted.

'Heartache can lead to improvements': Local doctor shares weight loss story in new book

COVID surge in New Bedford area

New Bedford currently has the highest number of COVID cases in Bristol County and ranks No. 8 for the highest number of cases in the state, according to the latest case numbers reported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The Jan. 13 report from the DPH showed New Bedford having dramatic jump of 2,845 more cases than the previous week.

Dartmouth has the fifth highest number of COVID cases in Bristol County, out of 20 communities, coming in behind Fall River (No. 2), Taunton (No. 3), and Attleboro (No. 4).

COVID surge: New Bedford has highest COVID cases in Bristol County, Dartmouth ranks 5th highest

Dollhouse from New Bedford in HBO's 'Gilded Age'

A dollhouse from New Bedford will be transported back to the late 19th century for the upcoming HBO series "The Gilded Age."

“It was exciting," said Nathaniel Ellis, 37, owner of Flip This Dollhouse located on the second floor of Kilburn Mill.

In March 2021, Ellis said he received a phone call from assistant set designer Amanda Finnegan, who was seeking a large Victorian mansion dollhouse to use for a production filming in Newport about the Gilded Age.

Ellis said he put the pieces together. "I was freaking out, but tried to play it cool," he said.

Flip this Dollhouse featured: How this dollhouse from a New Bedford shop snagged a role in HBO's upcoming 'Gilded Age'

Thomas Koonce's sentence to be commuted

A former U.S. Marine and convicted killer who has spent the last 30 years in prison, has had his life without parole sentence commuted by Gov. Charlie Baker, who had until Friday to decide.

Thomas E. Koonce, 53, of Brockton, was 20 years old when he shot and killed Mark J. Santos, 24, of New Bedford in 1987.

He was serving a life sentence since 1991 for first-degree murder with no chance of parole.

“The authority given to me by the people of Massachusetts to commute and pardon individuals is one of the most sacred and important powers of this office,” said Baker in a press release on Wednesday. “There are few things as important to me in this position as ensuring justice is served for the individuals impacted by a crime and my responsibility to ensure fair application of justice to all."

Learn more about the case: Baker commutes sentence of Thomas Koonce, who killed a New Bedford man in 1987

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Top news: 'Gilded Age' dollhouse, Farm and Coast buys Friendly's