NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — An errant crow apparently caused a power outage that affected nearly 7,000 National Grid customers on Saturday morning.
While the utility company can't confirm for sure it was the bird, a crow was found at the North Adams substation, said National Grid spokeswoman Jackie Barry.
"Crows, sometimes when they alight or take off different parts of their body touch different parts of energized equipment and it can arc," she said, because of their size and wingspan. "There was no damage to the equipment but it shut off a number of breakers that are connected to three lines that serve Williamstown and North Adams."
The breakers flipped at about 10:30, affecting customers in North Adams' West End, Williamstown and south along the west side of Route 7, according to the company's power outage map. The outage lasted about 45 minutes.
The utility does put in animal deterrents but they can find their way in, said Barry, particularly squirrels.
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Gotta love iberkshires for being on the ball and getting this story up so fast! thanks!
To L Perry's point ... the opposite is likely to happen. I wonder how much National Grid guys make for overtime on a Saturday when they're called to take care of this. The little fried crow incident probably cost several hundred dollars in overtime. Do they get a four-hour minimum?
I once lived in the Berkshires, now live in New Hampshire. In the last 2 years I have lost my power for weeks at a time. Do not complain about 45 minutes!!!!!!
Don't know about anyone else but these crows are becoming quite the nusanace in many parts of the City. They have grown to an enormous amount. Wait 'til Spring, you'll get wake up calls about 4am. I hate the damn things. Wish there was something that can be done to get rid of them.
Any ideas? Maybe if enough of these incidents happen the authorities will do something about it?
@Liz I to once lived in the berkshires and live in NH as well.Ive been here since 2004.And Last Feb we lost power for 5 days.I can't believe someone would even think about asking the electric company for accomidations.45 Minutes is nothing compaired to how often we lose it up here.
To Well Done Crow: Right on! Rather than pay those guys a 4 hr min to come in and restore your power on a Sat morning, tell them to stay home! You wouldn't mind using candles and cooking on a fire in your yard till they come in on Mon morning.
Way to go genius....the damn crows are twice the size of a cat. Now there's an intelligent thought. Maybe a 12 gauge and some #2 birdshot would solve the problem. Although it is tough to do living in the city. Here's a thought, move to the country with the fisher cats and bears. They're more entertaining.
Letter: Let's Prioritize Investment in Public Education in Massachusetts
Letter to the Editor
To the Editor:
Across the 1st Berkshire District, our schools face a unique set of challenges. Declining enrollment, rising transportation costs, workforce shortages, increasing special education expenses, and growing student mental health needs are placing significant pressure on local districts and taxpayers alike.
We need to continue to strengthen the connections between our primary schools, higher education institutions, career training programs, and local employers so that more young people can build successful futures right here in the Berkshires. Whether it's early college programming that has been spearheaded and highly successful right here in the 1st Berkshire District with MCLA, new trades training like the HVAC program at McCann, or the high demand certifications and trainings in healthcare now being built and operated at BCC, MCLA, and within our K-12 system. Each of these represents an example of how we do things well right here in our region, and lays the groundwork for how we can continue to advance educational support.
A strong public education system is directly connected to housing, childcare, transportation, workforce development, and economic opportunity. If we want to retain young families, attract new residents, and build a stronger regional economy, we must continue investing in educational excellence at every level.
I support continued and enhanced investment in public education, career and technical education, and early childhood education. I also support policies that recognize the unique challenges facing rural and small-city districts, particularly around transportation funding, the imbalance of special education costs and state funding formulas, and educator recruitment and retention. When local students' needs change, we need to be aggressive in advocating and designing policies that remain agile to the cost-of-service impacts and be willing to change existing practices such as the Chapter 70 funding formula. Together, we need to foster a culture of equitable education investment that lifts up our students and families, not one that measures their value based on standardized tests that have proven to be determined more heavily by median household income, and not the quality of our educators, the commitment of our students or the support of our communities.
Every student deserves a pathway to success, whether that pathway leads to a college classroom, a skilled trade, military service, entrepreneurship, or a career right here in the Berkshires. As your State Representative, I will work collaboratively with educators, families, school leaders, higher education institutions, workforce partners, and state agencies to make sure that the Berkshires have a strong voice in shaping the future of education policy in Massachusetts, and will ensure that our communities get the tailored support we need and deserve.
Sincerely,
Andrew Fitch North Adams, Mass.
Candidate for state representative, 1st Berkshire District
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It's too late to get tickets — the event's sold out! — but you can hear some of the performances in the downtown area. Or, you can listen for free on NEPM (New England Public Media) 88.5.
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On Tuesday, June 16, Moulton was recognized by Superintendent Timothy Callahan during a Drury High School faculty meeting. She was presented with a commemorative certificate and a gift certificate for $200 for school classroom supplies. click for more
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — An errant crow apparently caused a power outage that affected nearly 7,000 National Grid customers on Saturday morning. 
