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Whiplash Weather in Store for the Berkshires

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Mother Nature is making sure there's a snowy background for Friday night's tree lightings in North Adams and Pittsfield. The National Weather Service is predicting a few inches and up to 5 inches in the higher elevations, with steady snowfall until 10 p.m. 
 
Motorists should beware of slippery roads and low visibility, especially Friday night.
 
A number of school districts have canceled after-school programs for Friday: Hoosac Valley Regional; Berkshire Arts & Technology Public Charter; Mount Greylock Regional School District; Drury High; and Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union (early dismissal, too).
 
But wait, this is the Berkshires so you know the weather will change on the dime — and that will happen at the beginning of next week. 
 
Another storm system forming in the Midwest will be pushing warmer air into the Northeast, according to Accuweather, with temperatures jumping back up into the 40s and 50s. The 2 feet of snow we got will start melting and ... yep, a big slushy mess, icy conditions and possible flooding. 
 
"Within the existing snow on the ground, there is between 1 and 5 inches of water as of Thursday, Dec. 5," says Accuweather's  senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski.
 
Oh, of course, there's rain in the forecast as well. A couple inches of it. And then — wait for it — a frigid blast on Wednesday will make sure all that slushy stuff turns to icy stuff!
 
One thing's for sure, weather is never dull in the Berkshires. 

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Macksey Updates on Eagle Street Demo and Myriad City Projects

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

The back of Moderne Studio in late January. The mayor said the city had begun planning for its removal if the owner could not address the problems. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Moderne Studio building is coming down brick by brick on Eagle Street on the city's dime. 
 
Concerns over the failing structure's proximity to its neighbor — just a few feet — means the demolition underway is taking far longer than usual. It's also been delayed somewhat because of recent high winds and weather. 
 
The city had been making plans for the demolition a month ago because of the deterioration of the building, Mayor Jennifer Macksey told the City Council on Tuesday. The project was accelerated after the back of the 150-year-old structure collapsed on March 5
 
Initial estimates for demolition had been $190,000 to $210,000 and included asbestos removal. Those concerns have since been set aside after testing and the mayor believes that the demolition will be lower because it is not a hazardous site.
 
"We also had a lot of contractors who came to look at it for us to not want to touch it because of the proximity to the next building," she said. "Unfortunately time ran out on that property and we did have the building failure. 
 
"And it's an unfortunate situation. I think most of us who have lived here our whole lives and had our pictures taken there and remember being in the window so, you know, we were really hoping the building could be safe."
 
Macksey said the city had tried working with the owner, who could not find a contractor to demolish the building, "so we found one for him."
 
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