Election 2009: Alcombright Announces His Plan for Debates

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Dick Alcombright
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Mayoral Candidate Dick Alcombright today announced his plans for debates this fall:

"I have been contacted by the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce about participating in a debate hosted by them and the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on either Sept. 29 or 30 and have agreed in principle to this debate.  We are working with the Chamber on format and ground rules for the debate and I am sure we will firm up the event fairly quickly. I look forward to the opportunity and thank both the Chamber and MCLA for sponsoring this important event."

"In addition, and in response to the Transcript's offer to host a second debate, I have contacted several local media outlets in Berkshire County regarding the possibility of their participation in a second debate in mid-October. I am pleased to announce that Tammy Daniels of iBerkshires, Larry Kratka of WUPE/WNAW, Sherman Baldwin of WBRK, Charlie Dietz of WAMC and Charles Giuliano of Berkshirefinearts.com have agreed to participate as panelists. I am also very excited to announce that Paul Hutchinson, town clerk of Adams, has offered his services as moderator. We will wait to hear from the Transcript as well as our opponent on format, ground rules, venue, and final date and time."

"I feel that it is very important to have all of the local media involved in the debate process as it includes many voices and audiences in the area. I believe my opponent agrees with this philosophy as he was quoted in the Aug. 6 issue of the Transcript as saying '... I'd like to see the local media put [another debate] together.'"

"We welcome the upcoming debates as an opportunity to discuss the most important issues facing the City of North Adams and thank all who have agreed to participate."

Together We Will Succeed

If you are interested in helping to elect Dick Alcombright as the next mayor of North Adams, e-mail him at info@AlcombrightForMayor.com or call him at 413-663-5057 and visit AlcombrightForMayor.com.

Submitted by the Committee to Elect Alcombright for Mayor
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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