Patriots Claim Ratings Win in First Game of 2019 Season

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The Patriots kicked off the 2019 season with a dominant road win on Thursday night, defeating the Detroit Lions 31-3 at Ford Field in their first preseason game.

    In addition to a strong defensive performance, including nine sacks, a stellar 150.0 rating for quarterback Brian Hoyer and several highlight-reel plays from some of the newest faces on the team, the Patriots also took a victory in the weekly ratings.

    In a combined total of WBZ-CBS and WMUR-ABC stations in the Boston (Manchester) DMA, the Patriots vs. Lions game delivered a 13.7 household rating – the highest local program rating of the week – and a 27 market share, with an average of 463,300 viewers. Ratings peaked at 8:15 p.m. with a 17.4 rating and a 32 share.

    Additionally, WBZ’s “Patriots GameDay” rounded out the top five local programs of the week with a 5.5 household rating and 13 market share.

    The Patriots will travel to Tennessee next week for a matchup with the Titans on Saturday, Aug. 17 at 7:00 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast locally on WBZ-CBS with Bob Socci handling play-by-play duties, Scott Zolak leading color commentary and Rob Ninkovich providing analysis from the sideline.

New Bedford, Massachusetts fishing company, managers, vessel captain to pay in civil penalties

BOSTON — New Bedford, Massachusetts-based Vila Nova do Corvo II, Inc., company managers Carlos Rafael and Stephanie Rafael DeMello, and vessel captain Carlos Pereira agreed to pay a total of $511,000 in civil penalties and to perform vessel improvements.

This was to ensure compliance measures to resolve federal Clean Water Act claims stemming from oily bilge discharges from the commercial fishing vessel Vila Nova do Corvo II, a related discharge of fuel oil filters, and violations of pollution control regulations.

The United States filed the complaint in this action in April 2019 in the U.S. District Court for the