2nd Street Clinic on How to Seal, Expunge Criminal Record

08:00AM / Monday, November 11, 2024Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — 2nd Street, together with Community Legal Aid, will hold a free clinic on how to seal or expunge a criminal record on Thursday, Nov. 14 from 1-3 pm.

The clinic will be held at the 2nd Street offices, located at 264 Second Street. Private consultations will be available.

Community Legal Aid attorney Annie Maurer will lead the clinic, which will cover legal rights withrespect to housing and employment for those with a criminal record, as well as sealing and expungement of such records. Maurer will explain the four types of sealing/expungement: sealing by mail, sealing by court, age-based expungements and reason-based expungements.

The clinic is particularly designed for those who have either never been found guilty of a charge or who have fulfilled the requirements of a guilty plea or verdict. Such persons often have difficulty finding or keeping housing or employment due to their Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI), which landlords and employers commonly use for background checks. Legal experts will be on hand to help decode CORI and determine if eligible charges may be sealed or expunged.

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Berkshire Community College Names Presidential Finalists

Staff Reports 11:05AM / Thursday, February 19, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state's first community college has narrowed down the field to replace retiring President Ellen Kennedy.

Presidential Search Committee has recommended four finalists who will be participating in on-campus interviews and forums in the coming weeks.

The finalists, "identified ... from a strong initial pool of applicants," according to a college statement, are Hara Charlier, president of Central Lakes College in Minnesota; Nicole Esposito, chief executive officer of Manchester Community College in New Hampshire; Karen Hynick, acting provost for Connecticut State Community College; and Albert Lewis Jr., chief of staff / executive vice president at Northwest State Community College in Ohio.

The finalists were screened and evaluated using the "Presidential Profile" that was developed through conversations and listening sessions with members of the campus community and executive search firm Academic Search.

"From the outset, this search has reflected the very best of BCC — openness, collaboration, and deep engagement with our community," said Julia Bowen, chair of the BCC Board of Trustees, in a statement. "I have been incredibly impressed by the strength, experience, and passion of the candidate pool. These four finalists are exceptional leaders, and I am genuinely excited for our campus community to meet them and help us welcome the next president who will guide BCC into its next chapter."

Biographies:

Albert Lewis Jr.

Lewis holds a doctorate in education from Gwynedd Mercy University in Pennsylvania, a master's in industrial/organizational psychology from Grand Canyon University in Arizona, and a master's in education administration from the University of Akron in Ohiol.

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