News & Notes: Man Arraigned in North Adams Murder

By Larry KratkaBerkshire News Network
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Bronx Man Held in Murder

NORTH ADAMS — A Bronx, N.Y., man was arraigned Wednesday morning in Northern Berkshire District Court in the stabbing death of Daniel Walters.

Ronnell Garmie, 19, also known as "Clue," pled not guilty on one count of murder before Judge Paul Vrabel, who  ordered that he be held without bail at the Berkshire County House of Correction.

Garmie was arrested at his mother's Bronx home on Aug. 21, a day after Walters, 24, was found bleeding on a lawn on Navajo Drive in the Wheel Estates Mobile Home Park with multiple stab wounds.

Police reports say the two were in an altercation over a drug deal.

A pretrial conference has been scheduled for Oct. 10; the case expected to be moved to Berkshire Superior Court.

The investigation is being conducted by members of the North Adams Police Department, state police detectives assigned to the district attorney's office and members of the State Police Crime Scene Services.             

Traffic to Detour for 'Good Morning, America'

STOCKBRIDGE — Main Street will be closed on Monday morning for a live broadcast by ABC's "Good Morning, America" show from the front porch of the Red Lion Inn.

Police Chief Richard Wilcox said no motor vehicle traffic or parking will be allowed on Main Street, within the business block, between South Street, Route 7 and Elm Street during the hours of 2 and 9:30 a.m. Police will be detouring traffic away from the Red Lion Inn area.
 

No truck traffic will be allowed to enter or egress the Red Lion Inn intersection between 6 and 9:30 a.m. Contractors and delivery vehicle owners and operators are encouraged to alter their routes or delivery times. People using either Route 7 or Route 102 can expect some delays during the time traffic is being detoured and are encouraged to find alternate routes of travel. 

Audience parking will be allowed at the Berkshire Theatre Festival parking lots, either from Route 7, East Street or Route 102, East Main Street.There will be limited parking on West Main Street.

New Ashford Finally Getting Connected

NEW ASHFORD — The town of New Ashford is the latest Western Massachusetts town that will be set up with high-speed Internet service. Businesses and residents have been dependant on slow dial-up service, but high-speed service should be up and available by the end of the month.

New Ashford is one of two dozen towns in Western Massachusetts that is being offered Verizon high-speed DSL service as part of a $200 million capital investment put forth by the company earlier this year.

Berkshire Bank Conducting Company Food Drive

PITTSIFELD — Berkshire Bank and Berkshire Insurance Group are conducting a companywide food drive through their new Employee Volunteer Program.

The drive will run from Sept. 15 through Sept. 26 and will benefit local food pantries and food banks in the regions served by the bank and Berkshire Insurance Group. The public is encouraged to participate.

Local food banks and pantries have witnessed a surge in demand over the past six months that is expected to intensify during the upcoming winter season, when families are confronted with soaring heating bills. Collection points for the food drive will be set up at all bank branches and insurance offices throughout the Berkshire Bank system in Berkshire County and the Pioneer Valley, the Capital Region in New York and in Southern Vermont. 

Provided by the Berkshire News Network, Radio Stations WNAW/WUPE, news partners of iBerkshires.
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Greylock School Project Garnering Interest From Bidders

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A recent walkthrough of the Greylock School site turned out more interest than expected, which school officials and project managers hope will translate into multiple bids. 
 
The project includes the demolition of the 60-year-old elementary school and the construction of a new two-story school directly to its north. 
 
"We don't always expect a lot of them to show when a building is going to be demolished. There's not a lot for them to see," said Tim Alix of Collier's International, the owner's project manager, told the School Building Committee on Tuesday. "But just putting eyes on the site, seeing where the utilities are coming in so they can they've seen them all that information on the documents, but to see it in 3-D and they can start making their plans.
 
"We're hopeful that that means that we are going to be receiving a number of bids in each category. So that's encouraging."
 
The subcontracting bids are due Tuesday and the general contractors' on Jan. 14. Alix said there will be plenty of time to review the subcontractor documents before releasing that information so the general contractors can compile their bids. All bidders went through a prequalification process this past fall to be accepted by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, which is covering more than two-thirds of the cost of the project.
 
Jesse Saylor of TSKP Studio, the school's designer, said there have also been a lot of questions from potential bidders. 
 
"We have received a number of bidders' questions, which are called bid RFIs, and that's normal," he said. "I think it shows participation, you know, bidders who are working on the job, are looking at the documents, and they're finding things that they want to make sure they understand."
 
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