North Adams Hosting Rabies Clinic for Affected Neighborhood

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The city is sponsoring a free rabies vaccination clinic for the Chase Hill neighborhood after a cat last month tested positive for rabies.

According to city officials, the infected cat spent its time outdoors and was from the Chase Hill area. It tested positive on June 2.

In response, the city, Animal Fund, state Departments of Agricultural Resources and Public Health, the Berkshire Humane Society, Animal Dreams, Second Chance Animal Shelter of Shaftsbury, Vt., Greylock Animal Hospital, Pittsfield Veterinary Hospital, and animal control officers are working in collaboration to offer free rabies vaccination, microchip identification, and spay/neuter services to cats and dogs in the affected area.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for the neighborhood and the community," said Mayor Richard Alcombright in a release. "I want to thank all of our state and local partners for coming together to provide these services as we collectively pool resources in this effort to protect public and animal health."

Rabies is a contagious viral disease that infects the central nervous system and can cause death within days. It is usually transmitted through wild animals but unvaccinated domestic animals like cats and dogs can also be infected.

More than 1,000 possible cases were submitted to the state Department of Health in the first six months of this year but only about 5 percent tested positive for the disease. Most positives were from skunks and raccoons, although two cats tested positive. The state requires all cats, dogs and ferrets to be vaccinated every three years.

More information on rabies and pets is available here.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.