image description — Pittsfield VFW Post 448 Cmdr. Arnold Perras, left, and Quartermaster Hank Morris pose with this year's 'Voice of Democracy' essay winner Taibat O. Ahmed.

Taconic Sophomore Wins Voice of Democracy Essay Contest

iBerkshires Staff
04:28PM / Friday, March 11, 2022Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Taibat O. Ahmed, a sophomore at Taconic High School, for a second year in a row, has won as this year's first-place winner of the Veterans of Foreign Wars "Voice of Democracy" essay contest for Pittsfield.

Ahmed has won $1,000 as first-place winner for Taconic High School, $1,000 as first-place winner for Pittsfield, $250 as first place for District 9 Berkshire County, and $2,000 for third-place winner at the Massachusetts VFW state level for a total of $4,250.

Awards were presented to her on March 2 at Taconic High School.

The length of the essay was limited to a 3 to 5 minute oral duration. The theme of this year's essay was titled: "America: Where do we go from here?"

Other winners for Berkshire County, District 9 were, second place, from VFW Housatonic Post 8183, Victoria M. Pevzner of Great Barrington; and third place, from VFW Lenox Post 12079, Paige E. Schultze of Otis. In addition, Inyene-Abasi Idara Bell, a freshman at Miss Hall's School, has won $1,000 as its first place winner.

Ahmed is in the SEA Academy, and has been on the high honor roll every quarter since the sixth grade. She also runs track and participates in Taconic's Fall Festival of Shakespeare and spring musicals. She is the daughter of Abdulrahim and Halimat Ahmed.

Voice of Democracy judges for Berkshire County District 9 were retired Army Lt. Col. James Clark, Pittsfield school teacher Rose Ann Sturgeon and retired Pittsfield School Committee Chair Kathy Yon.

Since 1947, the Voice of Democracy has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars' premier scholarship program. More than 50,000 high school students compete for more than $2.3 million in scholarships and incentives each year. Students compete by writing and recording a broadcast script on an annual patriotic theme. Starting within a local community, a winner can advance to county, state and a national first-place award of $30,000 in addition to awards given at the preliminary levels of competition. The National Association of Secondary School Principals has placed this program on the NASSP National Advisory List of Contests and Activities.

Tags: scholarships,

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Trial Scheduled for North Adams Woman Accused of Killing Grandmother

Staff reportsiBerkshires
04:59PM / Monday, October 05, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A 2027 trial date is scheduled for a woman accused of killing her grandmother in North Adams four years ago.

A jury trial for Kelsie Cote is set for May 24, 2027, in Berkshire Superior Court.

Cote, 30, is alleged to have killed 74-year-old Doris A. Cote, who was found dead with sharp and blunt force injuries in her Church Street, North Adams, home on Nov. 1, 2022.

Cote has pleaded not guilty to five felony charges: murder, armed assault to murder a person age 60 or older, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon of a person age 60 or older, and one count of withholding evidence from official proceedings.

Hearings for evidence suppression will be held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1.

A conference to review the case's status was held on Sept. 28. Assistant District Attorney Marianne Shelvey, representing the Berkshire County District Attorney's Office, filed a motion to impound certain documents, which was allowed by Judge Maureen Hogan.

Cote is represented by attorney Kevin Joseph Reddington, who is also the defense lawyer for Lindsay Clancy, a Duxbury woman accused of killing her three children in 2023. Cote's case has reportedly been delayed because of the seven-week Clancy trial in Plymouth County, which ended in a mistrial on Sept. 4.

The Berkshire Eagle reported that Reddington told the court he seeks to suppress Cote's statements because he argues she was not read her Miranda rights, and that he will file motions to suppress evidence found during the execution of a search warrant, arguing that the police did not have probable cause.

Allegations include:

On or about Oct. 26 and on Nov. 1, Cote allegedly altered, destroyed, mutilated, or concealed a record, document, or other object or attempted to do so to impair the record, document, or object's integrity for use in an official proceeding.

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