NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Third-grade pupils from Sullivan Elementary School spent Friday morning constructing cards for veterans at The Soldiers' Home in Holyoke.
"They're going to the people that are in the war," 8-year-old Michelle Purcelli said.
Pupils from Anna Saldo-Burke's class made about 300 cards, with the assistance from Drury High students in the English Advanced Placement class. They glued recycled card fronts on the covers of the red or green construction-paper cards. On the inside, the card contained the message "Happy Holidays! Thank you for your service."
Saldo-Burke said her class has never made so many cards in one session. She initially thought The Soldiers' Home hosts a 100 or so veterans, but later found out there were about 300. Her class rose to the occasion.
"It's really about thinking of others," Saldo-Burke said. "We just try to make a better world by doing this."
Saldo-Burke's third-grade class previously made about 500 cards that were sent to an array of troops around Thanksgiving, including international and American servicemen in Afghanistan. The Air Force responded by sending back a plaque, thanking the class.
Jaci Abin, a senior at Drury High School, worked with a table of pupils.
"We do a lot with community service that we attach to our books," Abin said. Her AP English class recently read "Life of Pi." She said the survival theme linked to the soldiers' life.
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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 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, 2026, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers from the North Adams Police Department responded to 365 Houghton Street following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said that 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 the 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 Department 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 2:00 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 4 shotguns, 6 rifles, 2 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," North Adams Chief of Police 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."
On Friday, June 12, Matthew Parker will be arraigned in Northern Berkshire District Court for an incident that occurred on Wednesday evening, June 10, into the early morning of Thursday, June 11. click for more
The upper section of Houghton Street was blocked off for hours on Wednesday night as authorities sought to deal with an individual reportedly having a mental health issue.
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