Call Center Company in New Bedford, MA

NEW BEDFORD — Miramax is planning to adapt its acclaimed film "The Holdovers" into a TV series, according to a recent report from Variety. The 2023 Oscar-winning comedy/drama, beloved by many as a new holiday classic, is in the early stages of development for television.

Filmed around the Massachusetts area, the production spent a few days in the Fairhaven area shooting inside Fairhaven High School as well as inside the James Arnold Mansion in New Bedford.

Fall River native Pamela Jayne Morgan had a role in film as a waitress who refuses to serve the restaurant's prized dessert cherry jubilee because one of the ingredients is alcohol and there was an underage kid at the table.

"I would be thrilled to see this turned into a series because the overall storyline relative to Paul Giamatti's character taking Dominic Sessa under his wing is a heartwarming story," Morgan said.

Morgan said she hopes to return in the TV show

While there aren't many details yet, the article stated that Miramax’s head Jonathan Glickman has expressed his desire for original director Alexander Payne to return for the project. Glickman stated the importance of maintaining “connective tissue with the original property” to ensure the adaptation feels authentic.

"This concept can stretch to many other students that are away at boarding school and how sometimes the staff become their family, perhaps even as close as their actual family," Morgan said.

"If they expanded the story to be more about the students and staff, there’s potential for a lot of character storylines."

Da'Vine Joy Randolph took home the Best Actress In a Supporting Role Academy Award for the film in 2023. The film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture of the Year and Best Original Screenplay. On Rotten Tomatoes, the movie stands tall with a near-perfect 94% score. In his review, Collider's Ross Bonaime called it "Alexander Payne's warmest film yet."

"I hope they also decide to film it locally and set in the same time period. And hopefully they can come back to my character's restaurant because we served good food and give patrons a good service unless they give you a hard time for doing your job," Morgan said with a laugh.

"Maybe this 'cherry jubilees waitress' might find her way to working in the kitchen at the school alongside Da'Vine's characters."

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

“Ranking Member Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Senator Cory Booker (D-N.J.) announced the introduction of the New Start Act of 2025, legislation that would establish a five-year pilot program within the Small Business Administration (SBA) to award grants of $100,000 to $500,000 to organizations annually to provide entrepreneurial development training to currently or formerly incarcerated individuals.

The legislation which can be seen HERE is being introduced during Second Chance Month, which recognizes the important role of individuals, communities, and agencies across the country in supporting the safe and successful reentry of people returning home or returning to their communities from jails and prisons each year.

“Individuals who are currently or formerly incarcerated deserve to be able to participate fully in society and not be locked out of the labor market. This legislation would help decrease barriers to entry for these individuals who either wish to become an entrepreneur or must strike out on their own due to labor market discrimination, by providing economic stability, opportunity, and investment through the Small Business Administration,” said Ranking Member Markey. “Everyone deserves the chance to rebuild their lives, and this legislation would help provide the funding and resources necessary for currently or formerly incarcerated individuals to do just that.”

“Starting a small business can be transformational for formerly incarcerated people, and can be a pathway to overcome the barriers in an economy that is not built for them, through higher quality jobs, increased wages, and meaningful job experience,” said Senator Booker.

“The New Start Act is legislation that invests in the futures of currently and formerly incarcerated people by providing training and resources to those want to become entrepreneurs and start their own business. Everyone deserves a second chance, and this bill allows individuals exiting prison to shape a new future for themselves, contribute meaningfully to their communities, and break the cycle of recidivism.”

“Nearly one-fifth of Black men in America will face incarceration at some point in their lives. That’s not just a statistic — it’s a call to action. The New Start Act answers that call by investing in entrepreneurial training for those who are incarcerated, helping ensure that when they return home, they return with purpose. By empowering returning citizens to become business owners and job creators, we not only reduce recidivism — we build stronger families, stronger communities, and a stronger economy. USBC proudly supports this effort to make reentry about opportunity, not just survival,” said Ron Busby, Sr., President & CEO at U.S. Black Chambers, Inc.“-Sentator Ed Markey’s Office.

On Monday morning, the MBTA debuted its newest rail line: a two-branch extension of the former Middleborough/Lakeville Line to the Bristol County cities of New Bedford and Fall River.

Here's what to know about the Commonwealth's newest transit line:

Trains every 70 minutes

The schedule features near-hourly service between New Bedford, Fall River, and downtown Boston, with the earliest weekday inbound trains departing Fall River and New Bedford at 4:27 and 5:05 a.m., respectively, and the latest trains for both cities departing South Station at 11:59 p.m.

Most trains will run about 70 minutes apart, although some rush-hour trains will run more frequently.

View the official timetable here.

The scheduled trip time from both New Bedford and Fall River is approximately 95 minutes, which is faster than most rush-hour driving times between the two cities, but a bit slower than driving with no traffic.

Shuttle trains between East Taunton and branches

The T is also running connecting shuttle trains between East Taunton and Fall River or New Bedford, with cross-platform transfers at the East Taunton station, to allow for easier connections between Boston and the ends of the new line's two branches.

For instance, if you're riding from New Bedford to Boston, there are direct trains scheduled at 5:55 and 7:25 a.m.

But there will also be a connecting shuttle train that will depart from New Bedford at 6:22 a.m. to take you as far as East Taunton.

From East Taunton, your shuttle will meet up with the 6:35 a.m. train from Fall River, so you can switch trains and continue on to South Station.

Those shuttles are denoted on the train schedules with purple arrows that indicate a transfer to the waiting train.

Fully accessible stations, bikes allowed on all trains

The MBTA built 6 new stations for the new rail line, at Middleborough, East Taunton, Freetown, Fall River, Church Street (a park-and-ride station on the north side of New Bedford), and downtown New Bedford.

Thanks to fully accessible, level-boarding platforms at all the new stations, passengers will be allowed to carry bicycles on board all trains that serve the new line.

Note that the former Middleborough/Lakeville station, located on Commercial Drive, will no longer serve commuter rail trains. It will still be a stop on CapeFlyer service during the summer.

Free fares this week, and free weekend rides in April

The MBTA's new New Bedford/Fall River regional rail line will offer fare-free service from opening day until the end of March, and will continue to offer fare-free rides every weekend in April.

For other times, the T has also started selling tickets for the Fall River/New Bedford Commuter Rail Line on its mTicket mobile ticketing app.

The new stations will all be in Zone 8, which means that a full-priced one-way ticket between South Station and Fall River or New Bedford will cost $12.25.

NEW BEDFORD – Whitney Lutz, the manager of the newly opened Asian market Yum Yum Tiger at 767 Purchase St., is excited to introduce new types of snacks into the downtown area.

“We offer a lot of Asian snacks, from chips to ice cream and frozen foods,” she said. “We have a pretty big selection of different ramen, there’s a lot to explore there.”

Lutz opened Yum Yum Tiger on March 22.

“So far, a lot of people like it because they've been saying they used to have to go far for these things, and now they can find it closer,” she said. “We take any recommendations, so if they're looking for something specific, we'll try to get it.”

The store is filled with unique items that many locals might not have encountered before unless they visited Asian territories.

“We have some viral ice creams that look like the fruit itself," Lutz said. "And there are fun drinks like pouch drinks.”

TikTok food trends are available to try inside the market

Lutz said a lot of people have been saying they like not having to travel far for these products such as the Providence area where they are more common. She also said that customers of all ages will come into the shop just to try something new.

“We try to make the prices as fair as possible, so everyone can try a little bit of something different,” Lutz said. “It’s important that anyone and everyone feels welcome.”

Although just one week in, there’s already repeat customers.

“We see familiar faces coming back, which is a good sign,” said Lutz, adding that TikTok trends around Asian food have been a major attraction because of that as well.

“We often hear, ‘Oh, I’ve seen this online and wanted to try it!’”

People can walk out with ready-to-eat ramen

Customers can also utilize a microwave or have their ramen made from the counter to take with them.

“We don’t have a seating area yet, but everything is designed for takeout, so customers can enjoy it wherever they like,” she said.

As the store continues to adjust hours and offerings, Lutz is eager to see how Yum Yum Tiger grows within the downtown business community.

“It’s exciting to bring a piece of Asian culture to New Bedford and to have the community embrace it so enthusiastically,” she said.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.