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North Adams Man Indicted for Wife's Murder

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A North Adams man has been indicted in the murder of his wife, Charli Ann Cook, last year. 
 
A grand jury in Berkshire Superior Court on Wednesday returned a true bill for a charge of homicide against Michael Cook, 43. 
 
North Adams Police arrested Cook and charged him for the July 11, 2019, assault that hospitalized his 41-year-old wife. Charli Cook died at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield in December from injuries sustained in the July attack.
 
The Berkshire District Attorney's Office previously secured indictments for charges of assault to murder, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a household member, and armed assault with intent to murder. The court previously ordered Michael Cook detained without the right to bail.
 
"Our thoughts remain with Charli Cook's family and friends and I thank the grand jurors for their careful consideration of the facts as investigators, prosecutors, and advocates continue to seek justice for this horrific crime," District Attorney Andrea Harrington said.
 
Police responded to Chase Avenue in North Adams at approximately 1 a.m. on July 11, 2019, and found Charli Cook unresponsive. Northern Berkshire EMS transported her to Berkshire Medical Center and she was later transported to Baystate, where died on Dec. 1, 2019.
 
Charli Gould Cook was a native of North Adams who attended McCann Technical School and had worked as a certified nursing assistant.
 

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MCLA Selects Pennsylvania Educator as 13th President

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The board of trustees on Thursday voted 8-2 to offer the 13th presidency of Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts to a Pennsylvania higher education executive. 
 
Diana L. Rogers-Adkinson is senior vice chancellor for academic and student affairs and chief academic officer for the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, providing system-level leadership for 10 universities serving approximately 80,000 students.
 
"I thought she was really able to articulate the value of a liberal arts education and our mission to both society and, you know, to our students in their lives," said Trustees Buffy Lord before presenting the motion to offer her the post. "I think that she'll be a fantastic advocate for MCLA within Berkshire County, but also in Boston. You know, my sense is that she's going to be able to fight for us if it needs to happen." 
 
Rogers-Adkinson was one of four finalists for the post out of 102 completed applications. 
 
Trustees expounded on her experience, leadership and communication style. She was also one of two candidates, with preferred by the faculty, the college's unions and Higher Education Commissioner Noe Ortega. 
 
The second candidate, Michael J. Middleton, provost and vice president at Ramapo College of New Jersey, withdrew after consultation wiht his family, according to Lord. 
 
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