Fall River Now — Weekly Recap, Week Ending October 23, 2026

Transcript Welcome to Fall River Now. This is our weekly recap for the week ending October 23, 2026, where we cover the most significant local government news. Topping the news this week, public health officials took enforcement action against local businesses. The Fall River Board of Health voted during a virtual meeting on Monday to suspend tobacco sales at two city stores. Board members Thomas Cory, Michael J. Coughlin, and Stephen Gagliardi, MD, joined Health and Human Services Director Tess Curran to handle the disciplinary hearings and review routine administrative business. School safety was also front and center across multiple boards. On Wednesday, the Fall River Commission on Disability voted to fund an evacuation chair for Diman Regional Vocational Technical High School, approving the school's request to assist individuals with mobility needs during emergencies. Meanwhile, the Fall River School Committee's Facilities and Operations Subcommittee met Thursday to review several major capital projects. Subcommittee members addressed ongoing operational concerns, including past cleanout efforts at the Riley School, and discussed future plans for school records disposal and building upkeep. On the roadways, the Fall River Traffic Board approved several neighborhood changes on Wednesday. Members voted in favor of installing new stop signs on Ray Street and shifted school-area parking regulations. The board also granted a seventy-two-foot curb cut for a vacant property located at 11 Dyer Street after city engineering officials reviewed the site. In preservation news, the Fall River Historical Commission voted Tuesday to officially add 403 Anawan Street, the former Catholic Youth Organization building, to the city's historic register. That decision followed a Monday session by the Community Preservation Committee, which reviewed project eligibility determinations and began planning its evaluations for fiscal year twenty-twenty-eight funding. Also this week, downtown Fall River welcomed a familiar organization to a new location. The United Way of Greater Fall River celebrated the opening of its new office at 141 North Main Street on Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the One SouthCoast Chamber. In neighborhood concerns, city services logged routine reports this week, including a maintenance request for a malfunctioning, blinking light pole near Fifth Street. Looking ahead to next week, local government has a full calendar. The City Council meets Tuesday evening at Government Center, starting with a Health and Environmental Affairs committee session at five-fifteen, followed by the regular council meeting at five-fifty-five. On Wednesday, the Tax Increment Financing Board convenes at eight in the morning, the Licensing Board meets at five in the afternoon, and the Atlantis Charter School Board of Trustees gathers at five-fifteen on Jefferson Street. Fall River Now generates content via AI, like this podcast. Check FallRiverNow.com for more information. In this episode Fall River School Subcommittee Reviews Capital Projects and Records Disposal on October 22, 2026 Fall River Commission on Disability Approves Evacuation Chair Funds for Diman on October 21, 2026 United Way Opens New Fall River Office at Ribbon Cutting on October 22, 2026 Fall River Traffic Board Approves Ray Street Stop Signs and School Parking Shifts on October 21, 2026 Fall River Historical Commission Adds CYO Building to Historic Register on October 20, 2026 Fall River Community Preservation Committee Weighs Project Eligibility at October 19, 2026 Meeting Fall River Board of Health Suspends Tobacco Sales at Two Stores on October 19, 2026 Fall River Fire Department Honors Gabriel House Responders at Awards Ceremony on October 16, 2026 Blinking Light Pole Reported Near Fifth Street