Elder Services Hires New Community Services Director

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Elder Services of Berkshire County, Inc. (Elder Services) announced the recent hiring of Kayla Brown-Wood as the Agency's Community Services Director.
 
In her new role, Kayla will be responsible for Elder Services' federal programs. These include the Home and Community Based Programs (Information and Referral, Volunteers, Options Counseling and Family Caregivers) as well as the Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, Planning and Development and the Nutrition and Food Service departments. 
 
She will also oversee the Agency's outreach activities and marketing efforts.    
 
Kayla, who resides in Adams, worked at BFAIR for the past eight years, most recently as the Director of Day Services with responsibility for the community based day habilitation and employment programs funded by the Department of Developmental Services, Mass Rehab Commission and MassHealth.
 
She earned a Bachelor's Degree from Fitchburg State University and is currently pursuing an MBA in healthcare administration from Franklin Pierce University.
 
Elder Services Executive Director Christopher McLaughlin commented, "We are very pleased that Kayla has joined our team. We believe her leadership qualities, experience and passion for community-based services will serve her well in her new role and look forward to her making significant contributions at our Agency."
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Pittsfield Resident Victim of Alleged Murder in Greenfield

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A man found dismembered in a barrel in Greenfield on Monday has been identified as Pittsfield resident.
 
The Northwestern District Attorney's Office identified victim as Christopher Hairston, 35, and subsequently arrested a suspect, Taaniel Herberger-Brown, 42, at Albany (N.Y.) International Airport on Tuesday.
 
The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Herberger-Brown told investigators he planned on visiting his mother outside the country. 
 
Herberger-Brown was detained overnight, and the State Police obtained an arrest warrant on a single count of murder on Tuesday morning, the Greenfield Police Department said in a press release.
 
According to a report written by State Police Trooper Blakeley Pottinger, the body was discovered after Greenfield police received reports of a foul odor emitting from the apartment along with a black hatchet to the left of the barrel, the Greenfield Recorder reported. 
 
Investigators discovered Hairston's hand and part of a human torso at Herberger-Brown’s former apartment, located at 92 Chapman St, the news outlet said. 
 
According to the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Herberger-Brown originally told investigators that he had not been to the apartment in months because he had been in and out of hospitals. 
 
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