North Adams Hospital Employees 'Occupy' Campus

Protesters line Hospital Avenue outside the NARH campus on Thursday afternoon.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — As protesters gathered on Hospital Avenue on Thursday afternoon, their thoughts were with Beacon Hill.

About two dozen protesters gathered just off the grounds of North Adams Regional Hospital and provide a backdrop for live TV news reports by stations from Albany, N.Y., and Springfield.

Inside the building, union representatives helped union and non-union employees alike prepare for life after Friday's announced closure of the more than 125-year-old institution.

"I have no faith," said one longtime employee leaving the building with a bag full of personal materials.

Some are planning on not moving on. The Massachusetts Nurses Association is calling the gathering of union and community members in the hospital's dining room an "occupation." The hospital's two unions — the other is Service Employees International Union 1199 — had been calling for residents to join them in a vigil.

Union members earlier had heard from Mayor Richard Alcombright, who repeated he has continued to be in contact with the governor and the region's state delegation.

1199SEIU was planning for high visibility actions including a radio announcement, posters and the very visible protest, all to ensure that the eastern end of the state was aware of the depth of local support.

"The level of commitment is extremely high, " said Jeff Hall, spokesman for 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East. "This is now expanded beyond a regional issue, it's now a statewide issue and getting statewide focus in the press, but that focus needs to turn into action."

DiLego Jewelry to Close After Over 90 Years in Business

By Daniel MatziBerkshires correspondent
05:28AM / Tuesday, May 07, 2024

Sisters Pamela Costine, left, and Cynthia Lamore have been operating the store since their aunts retired in 1987. Both started working in the business as teens.  Lamore's decided it's time to retire. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — DiLego Jewelery Store, the family-owned business that has been a staple of North Adams for nearly a century, will be closing this summer. 

 

The closure was announced on the store's Facebook page late Sunday night, where it immediately drew comments of remembrance and well-wishing.

 

Cindy Lamore, whose great uncle Frank DiLego opened the store on Main Street in the late 1930s, said the shop will cease operations following her retirement, slated for June 30. A 20 percent off Mother's Day sale will begin immediately, with increasing discounts leading up to the closing date.

 

It took Lamore "a couple of years" to reach the decision to close. Witnessing the passing of lifelong friends or their struggles with debilitating illness prompted her to reconsider her priorities, especially considering the extensive time devoted to running a small business. 

 

"You really question what you're waiting for," she reflected.

 

While recognizing that changing consumer habits have led to a decrease in jewelry and watch sales in recent years, Lamore stressed that her decision to close was a personal one. She and her business partner and sister, Pamela Costine, wanted "to do it on our terms," she said.

 

Comments on Facebook praised the store's customer service, and friends, family, and customers alike reminisced about buying jewelry for special occasions, stopping in for watch repairs, and the perennial rite of childhood for many: getting ears pierced.