LOCAL

Noise ordinances, new life for Coyle, and 'her vacant chair': Our top 5 stories

Kristina Fontes
The Taunton Daily Gazette

Before we begin this new week in earnest, we're taking a look back at the week that was. From neighbors seeking a noise ordinance, to the story behind "her vacant chair" at Mayflower Hill Cemetery, to BCC finding a new home at Coyle & Cassidy, these are the stories that resonated most with Taunton Daily Gazette readers this past week:

How loud is too loud?

After a recent party on Highland Street that neighbors say was too loud, those neighbors brought a list of complaints to the City Council.

Lu Silva stands in the backyard of her 181 Highland St. home, as family members play in the background on July 26, 2021.

This was our top story this past week, and the dispute has led neighbors to seek a noise ordinance. Gazette Reporter Chris Helms takes a look at what happened, here.

More:Disgruntled applicant not satisfied with Taunton's tweak to retail pot rules

'Her Vacant Chair'

Ed and Terri Cripps, who make up the band Batavia, have several songs on their new album "Mythos" that are inspired by folklore and legends from our area.

The headstone "Her Vacant Chair" is located in the Mayflower Hill Cemetery in Taunton.

One of them, "Her Vacant Chair" is about a well-known gravestone from Mayflower Hill Cemetery that has been the subject of "haunting" speculations for years. What's the real story behind it? Gazette Reporter Desmond Bernal dives into the truth behind that legend, as well as the "redheaded hitchhiker" of Route 44, and the sad story of the Mercy Brown "vampire" incident in Rhode Island.

Photos:Stroll into the past at Taunton’s Mayflower Hill Cemetery

Coyle & Cassidy building gets new life

Bristol Community College has found a new location for its Taunton Center: Coyle & Cassidy. They'll be taking up residence there in the fall, bringing the shuttered school building back to life. In addition to classrooms, moving into Coyle means that now the college will also be able to offer a full-sized gymnasium, an auditorium and biology and chemistry labs.

The former Colye and Cassidy High School is now the new Taunton Center for Bristol Community College. Fall classes start on Sept. 7, 2021.

Registration is open now.

More:How this Coyle & Cassidy grad keeps school spirit alive

A real slice

Who's got the best pizza around? A loaded — with toppings — question. Raynham native and pizza connoisseur Todd Mead set out to get some answers, as well as some inspiration for his own future pizza ventures.

Todd Mead, a former Raynham resident, held a pizza-tasting event with some of the most well-known establishments in the Brockton area to evaluate his pizza against some of the greats at Bear's Den Fly Fishing Co. in Taunton on Saturday, July 24, 2021. Mead is planning to open a pizza food truck in Colorado, where he now lives.

He's launching a South Shore-style pizza truck in Colorado, so he wanted to see how his pies are going to stack, er, slice up, against the best in the business.

More:Saucy places to grab some chicken wings in the SouthCoast

'Let kids be kids'

Rounding out our top stories of the past week is some splashy news: after a serious makeover, Hopewell Pool has reopened! The leak is gone, the deck is ADA-accessible, and lifeguards and pool-goers alike are happy about the changes.

Haylee Farrands, 10, and Kaylee Harper, 10, watch as Cayden Farrands, 9, and Summer Festival Counselor Mark Brown jump in the deep end of Hopewell Pool in Taunton on Thursday, July 22, 2021.

Read more about the improvements here, as well as pool hours and other information for would-be swimmers, before you go and take a dip.

Photos:Hopewell Pool reborn after major renovation

Taunton Daily Gazette/Herald News copy editor and digital producer Kristina Fontes can be reached at kfontes@heraldnews.com. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette today.