Headlines

Ben Garver/New England Newspapers
New England Newspapers LENOX -- There were no common themes in the booty except this one -- he snatched whatever he could and ran. A Bible. BB guns. Silverware. CDs. Watches. Family photos. Jewelry. A bag of marshmallows. It was all laid out on tables inside Lenox Town Hall on Thursday, hundreds of items police say Stefan E.   Full Story
 
New England Newspapers PITTSFIELD -- Two Adams brothers are on three years probation and each have to pay more than $60,000 in restitution for defrauding the Internal Revenue Service by hiding their incomes and avoiding taxes on their home renovation business over the course of four years. Scott Farrington, 34, and his brother Mark, 33, were sentenced in U.   Full Story
 
North Adams Transcript ADAMS -- In the wake of a child pornography charge that has shaken the Police Department and this small town, Officer Alan Vigiard has resigned and a former officer, Thomas Cook, has been hired to replace him. The 45-year-old Vigiard’s resignation came to light during Wednesday’s Selectmen’s meeting, when Town Administrator Jonathan Butler asked the   Full Story
 
Darren Vanden Berge/New England Newspapers
New England Newspapers PITTSFIELD -- A judge heard more testimony Thursday in the Berkshire Superior Court trial of a former police officer accused of assaulting a man while he was in police custody. Joshua N. Mantello, 30, who was fired from the North Adams Police Department in March, is accused of punching, choking and using a Taser on Matthew Trombley, an intoxicated suspect who was in   Full Story
 
North Adams Transcript NORTH ADAMS -- Just three weeks after Berkshire Community Action Council opened its fuel assistance program, the organization has already approved 3,000 households in Berkshire County for federal funds to purchase heating oil, natural gas and wood for the winter. "At this early time in the program, my perception would be that each household will receive about one tank   Full Story
 
North Adams Transcript WILLIAMSTOWN -- One-stop Thanksgiving dinner shopping -- all with a local flavor -- is what organizers of the first annual Holiday Farmers’ Markets hope to achieve on Saturday. Berkshire Grown, a nonprofit focused on promoting the buying and eating of local food, will present Holiday Farmers’ Markets in Williamstown and Great Barrington featuring over 50   Full Story
 
North Adams Transcript WILLIAMSTOWN -- Mount Greylock Regional School District will receive up to roughly half a million dollars from the Massachusetts School Building Authority to replace the high school’s aging boilers and upgrade its heating plant. The School Building Authority Board approved the project at its meeting Wednesday morning, authorizing MSBA Executive Director   Full Story
 
Gillian Jones/North Adams Transcript
North Adams Transcript NORTH ADAMS -- The Modern Liquors property on State Street is set to become a thing of the past this spring -- the city is planning to purchase and demolish the building to increase available parking space for the Noel Field Athletic Complex. Mayor John Barrett III said Tuesday that the city has received $221,000 in federal funds through the state Executive Office of   Full Story
 
New England Newspapers PITTSFIELD -- A Berkshire Superior Court judge will decide whether a former North Adams police officer used excessive force on a man held in protective custody. Joshua N. Mantello, who was fired from the North Adams Police Department earlier this year, opted Wednesday for a jury-waived trial, which means his fate will be determined by Judge John A.   Full Story
 
Gillian Jones/North Adams Transcript
North Adams Transcript WILLIAMSTOWN -- While they may be part of the newest class at Mount Greylock Regional High School, members of the Class of 2013 have made their mark by collecting almost 700 cans of food for area food pantries. Ninth grade class advisor and English teacher Drew Gibson said Tuesday the class collected 695 cans as part of a food drive, which began on Oct.   Full Story
 
North Adams Transcript WILLIAMSTOWN -- While it’s already a leader among art museums worldwide, the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute is looking to become a leader in environmental sustainbility with the second phase of its campus enhancement and expansion project. Deputy Director Tony King said Monday the Clark will incorporate the latest "green" technologies into the second   Full Story
 
North Adams Transcript NORTH ADAMS -- A year after city employees picketed outside of City Hall in protest of Mayor John Barrett III’s decision to deny them entry into the state’s Group Insurance Commission plan, the mayor has offered up an agreement allowing the move. "I’m still against it, and I still think it’s a bad move for the city," Barrett said Tuesday during   Full Story
 
Gillian Jones/North Adams Transcript
North Adams Transcript NORTH ADAMS -- February 1968 brought the Vietnam War home to the city. A 21-year-old North Adams soldier -- Army Sgt. Peter W. Foote -- was killed by sniper fire while saving a fellow soldier near Tuy Hoa, a coastal village on the South China Sea. The state officially honored Foote’s sacrifice on Nov.   Full Story
 
Gillian Jones/North Adams Transcript
North Adams Transcript WILLIAMSTOWN -- For five generations, two local families have been attending school in the same building in the same location in town. The Little Red Schoolhouse, which has been home to the Williamstown Cooperative Nursery School since 1964 -- and before that the South Center School -- has been a part of the Rhodes and Young family histories for decades.   Full Story
 
North Adams Transcript WILLIAMSTOWN -- A Williams College visiting professor, who pleaded guilty to charges of fraud in federal court last week, has been terminated from the college. In a letter to the Williams College community, Interim President William Wagner said Bernard Moore’s employment with the college ended as of Monday.   Full Story