St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.
Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.
First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.
Nov. 28 Becket Federated Church, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.
Dec. 5
Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.
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Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.
iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.
Construction Company Owner Guilty of Illegal Dumping
Staff reports iBerkshires 04:27PM / Friday, November 14, 2008
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A town of Florida man pleaded guilty in Berkshire Superior Court on Friday to illegally dumping sewage into the North Adams sewer system last year.
John Duquette, 35, pleaded guilty to four charges of illegally dumping sewage.
Superior Court Judge Peter Valis sentenced Duquette to pay a $2,000 fine to the commonwealth, $1,000 in restitution to the city of North Adams, and ordered that he serve two years' probation.
Duquette was indicted by a grand jury on Feb. 29 and arraigned on March 24 in Berkshire Superior Court, where he had entered a plea of not guilty and was released on personal recognizance. He changed his plea to guilty on Friday.
Duquette owns Berkshire County Construction in North Adams that, in addition to general construction, blacktopping and landscaping, also does septic cleanings. He ordered his employees to empty sewage from the the company truck through a sewer hose attached to a coupling on a manhole cover on the construction company's property on Ashland Street.
Two former employees contacted the North Adams Police Department last year and told them about the sewage dumpings. North Adams authorities referred the matter to state Attorney General Martha Coakley's office, which began a joint state Environmental Crimes Strike Force investigation in October 2007.
Authorities determined that Duquette was responsible for illegally dumping thousands of gallons of septic waste into the North Adams sewer system. Waste pumped from local septic sytems is supposed to be transported to the Hoosac Water Quality District for disposal.
Duquette was also charged with witness intimidation and assault and battery related to allegations that he threatened an employee to never to say anything about the operation and physically assaulted the employee. A trial has not yet been scheduled.
Three years ago, Duquette had tried to relocate his business from Florida to the area near Massachusetts and Demond avenue but ran into vocal opposition from neighbors. The Planning Board eventually denied his permit.
