REACH, N. Adams Public Library team up for health offerings

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NORTH ADAMS - The North Adams Public Library and the REACH Community Health Foundation are collaborating to offer fitness and nutrition programming at the North Adams Library.

On Tuesday, April 22 at 11 a.m. the journey towards better fitness and nutrition begins with a presentation on gardening for families by the Northern Berkshire Grows program of the REACH Get Fit program. Co-Manager Jennifer Muñoz will give families the opportunity to plant seeds that will be incorporated into the flowerpots for the library. While the project takes place Muñoz will talk about gardening with the family and about the Community Garden projects in the northern Berkshires.

On Wednesday, April 23 at 11 a.m. the "Healthy Kids on the Mooove" program will present “Cowabunga Calcium.” REACH Get Fit Program Co-Manager Liz Grees will present a program explaining why calcium is important to growing kids and easy ways to get calcium into your diet. In addition to the presentation, Ms. Grees will incorporate active play through Cowabunga Calcium Tag.

Also during the month of April, Families Making Changes returns to the library on Tuesday evenings at 5:15 p.m. Families Making Changes is a six-week program that focuses on making healthy permanent changes that will improve a families overall health. The program begins April 8 and runs through May 13.  Although the program requires pre-registration, families who are interested in the program may attend any session to get information.


“We partnered with the North Adams Public Library during the 2007 spring vacation week with great success,” said Sharon Leary, Outreach and Communications Coordinator for REACH. “We are always looking for ways to collaborate with the local libraries and know from past experience the public library is a popular destination spot during all school vacations. It just made sense that we do it again.”

For information on other offerings from the North Adams Public Library, log-on to www.naplibrary.com or call 413-662-3133.

The REACH Community Health Foundation’s mission is to improve the health and wellness of the northern Berkshire Community through education, outreach and advocacy in collaboration with community members and organizations. For more information on REACH programs, call 413-664-5326.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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