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WAREHAM -- From her back deck, Grace Campia has a view clear across Spectacle Pond.
On a recent warm afternoon, a few children splashed noisily off a nearby dock. Along the far shore, a bass fisherman quietly worked his boat between patches of lily pads.
"What don't you see?" Mrs. Campia asked a visitor. She paused for a long second and then filled in the answer herself.
"Sea gulls," she said. "You don't see any sea gulls."
A flotilla of gulls once frequented the pond, but only a single herring gull has been spotted from the Campia deck so far this summer.
NEW BEDFORD -- The city's fishing industry, rocked by declining fortunes in the 1990s, maintained its ranking as the nation's third leading dollar producer in 1995, when it landed $86.9 million worth of seafood.
The figures represent a $4.5 million increase over 1994 levels, marking the first time since 1990 that the city's landings have seen an upward trend in value.
Fishing industry leaders say the figures add fuel to their argument that New England fishing stocks are showing signs of recovery.
Sweeping welfare reform measures enacted in Massachusetts last year could become more strict upon passage of the federal welfare reform bill.
The federal bill, which also reduces some benefits for legal immigrants, requires welfare recipients to work to continue receiving assistance, sets a family cap on benefits, and limits the amount of time recipients can receive aid -- all elements of the law that went into effect in Massachusetts Nov. 1.
With a stroke of the president's pen, legal immigrants no longer would be eligible for student loans, some nutrition programs for children and some forms of medical assistance, which translates into big problems for Southeastern Massachusetts, said Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., who voted against the measure.
FREETOWN -- Housing for the elderly is coming to town.
"This is real. We're ripe for it. We hope to do this right away, mainly because it will be advantageous to the elderly," Selectman Robert A. Robidoux said yesterday.
A developer from Stoughton, using a state comprehensive permit, intends to build 65 houses on 80 acres near the railroad tracks off Chace Road.
WAREHAM -- The town is asking for nearly $1 million from the state's Small Cities Grants program.
Community Development Director Constantine "Gus" Yankopoulos said the prospects are good that the town will receive most or all of the $980,000 request.
"We've had good luck in the past," he said, adding that the town meets most of the needs requirements set by the state.
"The only thing we don't know is what the competition is going to be like. That will have a bearing on how much we get," he said.
The application requests funds for a wide range of community development efforts, many focusing on the Onset Village area.
By Ric Oliveira, and William Corey
Standard-Times staff writers
NEW BEDFORD -- From the multi-colored flagstone porch to the polished wood of the second-floor landing, Manuel Goulart has toiled for 11 years to turn his home into his castle.
Everything about the place is of his own hand, except the view from the rear windows. From there, he sees the Center for Health and Human Services' methadone clinic --the site of the proposed needle-exchange program. From there, he see his property's value plummeting.
He spent more than a decade turning a distressed building into a lovely home. Now he is asking the city to take it off his hands.
FAIRHAVEN -- It's a first for Linda Pacheco. The Westport woman is accustomed to being on camera. However, she's usually being interviewed because she heads the Bristol County chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving.
This time, Mrs. Pacheco is the interviewer on local cable access channels of Acushnet/Fairhaven Cablevision.
U.S. Representative Barney Frank says he expects legislation that would resolve the fishing industry's long-standing dispute with the IRS will be heading to President Clinton's desk by Friday.
"So far, so good," said the Massachusetts Democrat as the legislation awaits action in a Congressional conference committee. "I'm optimistic that we're going to have this on the president's desk by the end of the week."
The legislation clarifies when fishermen are considered self-employed for tax purposes and retroactively eliminates an estimated $10 to $17 million in back taxes, late interest and penalties the IRS has sought to assess against about 85 fishing vessel owners because of a dispute over interpretation of the tax code.
NEW BEDFORD -- Nearly two years after unveiling a plan to renovate police headquarters, the mayor is eyeing plans to borrow $5.2 million to do the work.
"The bottom line is, we can't wait any longer," Mayor Rosemary S. Tierney said.
She is formally asking city councilors to approve a measure allowing the city to borrow the money to fix the Spring Street building, a project that was announced in October 1994. Mayor Tierney said a 20-year bond would be used to fund the project if the council approves.
The city had hoped to win money from a promised state cash pool to launch the project, but Mayor Tierney said that money never materialized and it looks unlikely that any state dollars will be available soon for the work.
WASHINGTON -- President Clinton said yesterday he would sign a Republican welfare bill ending the 60-year federal guarantee of open-ended assistance to the poor, all but assuring enactment as the presidential campaign enters the final three months.
The House quickly passed the bill, 328-101, and the Senate was expected to approve it today.
President Clinton pledged during his 1992 presidential campaign to end the current welfare system, but he had vetoed two previous overhaul plans from the Republican-led Congress, leading the GOP to accuse him of reneging on his promises.
ATLANTA -- The FBI pressed its investigation yesterday of Richard Jewell, searching the security guard's home for evidence that the hero of the Olympic bombing may actually have been the bomber.
Agents with a search warrant entered the two-bedroom apartment a day after Mr. Jewell, 33, emerged as the prime target of the investigation into last Saturday's fatal explosion at Olympic Centennial Park.
Photo by The Associated Press
EAST MORICHES, N.Y. -- Investigators think that if a bomb destroyed TWA Flight 800, it most likely exploded in a front cargo bin that held passenger luggage, a source close to the investigation said yesterday.
That could narrow the search to people who had access to passenger bags, airport workers and others who came in contact with the cargo area, which lies below the plane's kitchen and first-class cabin.
But investigators also speculate that a bomb could have been placed in the nose wheel, or in a food cart in the front upper section of the jumbo jet, said the source, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The disaster still hasn't been termed a crime, but the FBI has been checking out airport employees and anyone else with access to the plane. The agency hasn't said how much background data it has collected on passengers.
BOSTON -- Concern about the record level of spending in the state's 1994 U.S. Senate campaign has driven Sen. John Kerry and Gov. William F. Weld to the brink of an unprecedented spending cap in their own race this year.
Under the terms of a tentative agreement negotiated personally by Sen. Kerry and Gov. Weld, the candidates each would spend no more than $5 million on media expenses and overall no more than $6.75 million on the race, retroactive to July 1.
BOSTON -- Trump Inc. and Harrah's, two of the biggest names in the gaming industry, reportedly are considering Boston as a site for casino gambling.
Officials of both companies confirmed that meetings had been held with city officials, but neither company would give details, a Boston newspaper reported.
City officials said the discussions were not unusual, and that Mayor Thomas M. Menino did not take part in them.
WASHINGTON -- House and Senate negotiators have agreed to include a $5,000 credit to defray adoption expenses in legislation raising the minimum wage and cutting taxes on businesses.
Addition of the provision was part of a tentative pact reached by House Ways and Means Chairman Bill Archer, R-Texas, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman William V. Roth, R-Del.
Parents adopting children younger than 18 could subtract up to $5,000 in adoption expenses from their income taxes. Unused portions of the credit could be carried forward for five years.
By The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- Executives in the construction and manufacturing industries expect continued modest growth over the next three months based on two June surveys, Dun & Bradstreet Corp. reported yesterday.
"Manufacturers expect the third quarter to be very much in line with overall trends established in the first half of the year," said Joseph W. Duncan, vice president and chief economist of Dun & Bradstreet.
Pretty funky so far. Let's keep going....
Shortly after moving to the Windy City, his mother brought him to the 1125 Club on Madison Avenue to meet legendary bluesman Muddy Waters, who told Eddie he could sit in with the band if he learned to play.
Four years later and with guitar in hand, Eddie returned to the club, played a scorching rendition of "Still A Fool," and earned a spot on the bandstand.
He was 12 years old.
On tonight's "New York Undercover" repeat (9 p.m., Fox), when Williams (Malik Yoba) and Torres (Michael DeLorenzo) go after a sniper, they learn he has a vendetta against five people who had set him up for a scam at the Wall Street firm where he once worked.
So what? Well, so nothing, actually. The real drama of "New York Undercover" lately has taken place behind the scenes.
Those athletes you see talking to themselves at the starting blocks or on the diving board, all alone, have not been driven crazy by the pressure of the Olympics. They're reciting mantras they've learned to try to cope with that pressure.
Besides the burden of trying to win -- reinforced everywhere by advertising slogans implying that nothing else counts -- there can be a debilitating fear of failing, say sports psychologists now considered almost as integral as trainers and coaches.
Part of their job, besides helping athletes focus and visualize their best performance even as they get ready to do it, is to put winning and losing into perspective.
Most of the 11,000 competitors at the Summer Games will leave without a medal.
By Rob Gloster, Associated Press writer
ATLANTA -- Michael Johnson and Gail Devers both wore gold accessories last night. Only one will have a chance to wear the real thing today.
Johnson, wearing gold shoes made just for the Atlanta Games, moved within two races of his historic Olympic double by advancing to the semifinals of the 200.
But Devers' two-inch gold fingernails were not nearly long enough to help her complete a double triumph of her own.
Devers, the 100-meter winner, finished fourth in the 100-meter hurdles. No woman has won both races in 48 years.
KANSAS CITY -- Statistically speaking, catcher Mike Stanley has been a defensive disappointment for the Boston Red Sox.
He's the worst in the major leagues at throwing out basestealers. But he hasn't let that affect him at the plate.
Stanley has delivered as expected offensively, and he continued to do so last night, lofting a tie-breaking two-run homer to left field in the eighth inning that sparked the Red Sox to a 5-3 victory over the Royals.
Stanley's homer, after a leadoff single by Mo Vaughn, was his 18th of the year and third in the six games on the trip. It gave Boston a 4-2 lead at the expense of Kansas City starter Chris Haney.
ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cecil Fielder, wanting to escape Detroit and play for a contender, was traded by the Tigers to the New York Yankees on Wednesday night for outfielder Ruben Sierra and minor league pitcher Matt Drews.
"I'm just happy to have the opportunity to go somewhere with someone in contention and I'll try to help the New York Yankees win the pennant and the World Series," Fielder said in Detroit. "I feel good about going out there."
Fielder, who hit 51 homers in 1990 -- including his 50th at Yankee Stadium -- has at 28 homers in six consecutive seasons. He is hitting .248 this year with 26 homers and 80 RBIs.
Rick Avila was so uptight he took Monday off from work.
The man who openly admits to "eating and sleeping" baseball was having a digestive nightmare.
Less than a week before, Avila had guided Post 307 of Dartmouth to the American Legion playoffs for the first time in the 14-year history of the team.
But instead of answering "Disney World" to the question "Hey, Rick Avila, where will you be going after leading your team to its greatest season ever?" the rookie coach could only sigh ... "Dartmouth Town Hall."
By Richard Pacheco
Standard-Times correspondent
It's a recipe for success: Take a dash of good, old-fashioned story. Toss in some terrific George and Ira Gershwin tunes. Mix with a more than liberal dose of dance and there you have it: "Crazy for You."
The New Bedford Festival Theatre is presenting the Broadway smash hit at the Zeiterion Theatre Aug. 8-10 and 16-18.
By Gretchen Fehrenbacher
Standard-Times staff writer
Saturday night could prove an important point in Debra Smook's budding career as an artist.
One of the new and growing number of artists joining Gallery X, she will be among some 30 members exhibiting when "A Public Hanging" opens with a flourish.
From 7 to 10 p.m., supporters of the local arts scene can view a spectrum of media, as they mingle with artists, some familiar and others new.
The reception will be held at the gallery, 169 William St. in New Bedford.
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