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New Year's Baby Born in North Adams

Staff reportsiBerkshires
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Paul Harvey Daniels
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Paul Harvey Daniels eschewed the traditional middle-of-the-night arrival to make his debut in the middle of the afternoon on New Year's Day.

It wasn't soon enough for mom Dawn Marie Daniels, 33, who had been having contractions on and off since Christmas. She went to the hospital on Wednesday only to be sent home; her water broke at 4:30 a.m. on New Year's Day and the couple headed for the hospital, this time to stay.

Young Paul was expected to arrive on Jan. 6, but, she said, "they come when they're ready."

Once the contractions began, dad John M. Daniels Jr., 37, had actually been hoping the newest member of the family would be early.

"I was pushing for Dec. 31," he joked, "to get the deduction."

Paul Harvey had his own schedule, however, and was born at 2:28 p.m., the first baby of the New Year in Berkshire County. He weighed in at 7 pounds, 8 ounces.

"He was anxiously awaited," said paternal grandmother Elaine Daniels of Cheshire.

It was a bit of a coup for North Adams Regional Hospital, which hadn't had a first baby of the year in recent memory. The honor usually goes to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, which brings nearly three times as many babies into the world as NARH. The North Adams hospital has about 300 births a year.


Nurse Lynn Burke thought it had been at least 20 years since NARH claimed the title but no one was quite sure. "It's been a long time," she said.

The Cheshire couple married in 2005 and have another child. Paul's big brother Henry is 2.

He's not named for radio legend Paul Harvey; the couple wasn't thinking of him at all. "The name did kind of sound familiar," said John Daniels.

Paul Harvey is actually named for three people — his maternal grandmother Paula Rhinemiller, Paul Madigan, the late husband of his great-great-aunt Bernice Madigan, and the late Harvey John Daniels, his paternal great-grandfather and former Cheshire selectman.

His grandfathers are John M. Daniels Sr. and Leslie Rhinemiller.

Dawn, a special education teacher at Lee Middle and High School, and John, who works for the U.S. Postal Service and Future Homes Inc., haven't decided yet whether to add a third child to their family.

"Never say never," said Dawn Daniels as young Paul yawned mightily.
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Clarksburg Sees Race for Select Board Seat

CLARKSBURG, Mass. — The town will see a three-way race for a seat on the Select Board in May. 
 
Colton Andrews, Seth Alexander and Bryana Malloy returned papers by Wednesday's deadline to run for the three-year term vacated by Jeffrey Levanos. 
 
Andrews ran unsuccessfully for School Committee and is former chairman of the North Adams Housing Authority, on which he was a union representative. He is also president of the Pioneer Valley Building Trades Council.
 
Malloy and Alexander are both newcomers to campaigning. Malloy is manager of industrial relations for the Berkshire Workforce Board and Alexander is a resident of Gates Avenue. 
 
Alexander also returned papers for several other offices, including School Committee, moderator, library trustee and the five-year seat on the Planning Board. He took out papers for War Memorial trustee and tree warden but did not return them and withdrew a run for Board of Health. 
 
He will face off in the three-year School Committee seat against incumbent Cynthia Brule, who is running for her third term, and fellow newcomer Bonnie Cunningham for library trustee. 
 
Incumbent Ronald Boucher took out papers for a one-year term as moderator but did not return them. He was appointed by affirmation in 2021 when no won ran and accepted the post again last year as a write-in.
 
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