MCLA Green Living Seminar: Factors that Influence Demand for Green Power

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Lori Bird, director of the World Resources Institute's U.S. Energy Program and Polsky Chair for Renewable Energy, will give a talk titled "Factors that Influence Demand for Green Power" as part of MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 24, 2021. 
 
Green Living Seminar Series webinars are free and open to the public; community members can register for each lecture at mcla.edu/greenliving. All seminars take place weekly on Wednesdays at 5:30 p.m. through April 14. 
 
For the World Resources Institute (WRI), Lori Bird focuses on decarbonization by the utility sector and large buyers, increasing grid flexibility through market design and transportation electrification. 
 
Prior to joining WRI, she served as a principal analyst in the Markets and Policy Group of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, where she specialized in renewable energy policy, solar and wind energy markets, and integrating variable generation into electric grids. At NREL, she helped launch the Solar Energy Innovation Network, a large, multi-year program designed to leverage research support to advance cutting edge solutions to solar market challenges. Earlier, she led extensive work on green power markets and stakeholder engagement activities on renewable grid integration. She also provided testimony to states on renewable energy policy and technical assistance to state agencies and international clients. Over her career, she has co-authored nearly 150 publications on renewable energy, including articles in a variety of academic and trade journals. She received several NREL awards for her sustained contributions in renewable energy markets. 
 
Earlier in her career, she worked for DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Denver on the Million Solar Roofs Initiative and Hagler Bailly Consulting in Boulder, Colorado, where she prepared economic and policy analyses for clients such as utilities, U.S. EPA, and the World Bank. She holds a master's degree in environmental studies from Yale University's School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and a B.A. in economics and environmental studies from Indiana University. 
 
Every semester, MCLA's Green Living Seminar Series hosts lectures by local, regional, and national experts organized around a central theme related to the environment and sustainability. The 2021 series theme is "Individual Actions and Environmental Sustainability." The series is a presentation of the MCLA Environmental Studies Department and MCLA's Berkshire Environmental Resource Center. 
 
For more information, go to www.mcla.edu/greenliving or contact Elena Traister at (413) 662-5303. 

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North Adams Police Charge 7 After Drug Investigation

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Police charged seven people after executing simultaneous search warrants on Eagle Street and Arnold Place.

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026, members of the North Adams Police Department Detective Unit and Berkshire Law Enforcement Task Force executed search warrants at 212 Eagle Street Apartment 3 and 59 Arnold Place.

According to police, the search warrants were the result of a month-long investigation into a group of people from Springfield utilizing both residences as part of their heroin and cocaine distribution operation.

Police reported that during the search warrant execution at 212 Eagle Street Apartment 3, Giovanni Ramirez was taken into custody. Joanne Bentley and Chad Luczynski were also located in the apartment and will be charged as part of this investigation.

During the search warrant execution at 59 Arnold Place, Sandra Bunt, Raven Vanderburg, Jaiden Langford-Andrews and Angel Ortiz were all taken into custody.

Bunt's bail was revoked on a separate open case, and she is held without bail. Vanderburg is being held without bail for a probation violation on a separate case.

Langford-Andrews, Ortiz and Ramirez were all held without bail pending dangerousness hearings scheduled for later this week and early next week.

As a result of the investigation, the following evidence was seized:

  • Approximately 110 grams of cocaine
  • Approximately 2,323 bags of heroin (46 grams)
  • Approximately $6,817 U.S. Currency
  • Multiple functioning digital scales with residue

The following people were arrested and charged with the following:

Jaiden Langford-Andrews of Springfield:

  • Arrest Warrant
  • Trafficking Heroin 36-100 grams
  • Possessing with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
  • Conspiracy

Angel Ortiz, of Springfield:

  • Trafficking Heroin 36-100 grams
  • Possessing with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
  • Conspiracy
  • Giovanni Ramirez, of Springfield, Massachusetts:
  • Trafficking Cocaine 36-100 grams
  • Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin
  • Conspiracy

Sandra Bunt, of North Adams:

  • Trafficking Heroin 36-100 grams
  • Possessing with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
  • Conspiracy

Raven Vanderburg, of North Adams:

  • Trafficking Heroin 36-100 grams
  • Possessing with Intent to Distribute Cocaine
  • Conspiracy

The following people were charged but not taken into custody:

Joanne Bentley of North Adams:

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