UPDATE: VSP Identify Victim in Pownal Hit-and-Run

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Update on May 9, 2025 at 2:55 pm: The Vermont State Police identified the victim of the hit-and-run crash as Adrienne Formel, 37, of Pownal. 
 
As of Friday morning, she was listed in critical but stable condition at Albany Medical Center in New York.
VSP’s investigation into this crash remains active and ongoing. No arrests have been made.
 
Troopers continue to request tips from the public by calling the Shaftsbury Barracks at 802-442-4521 or submitting information anonymously at https://vsp.vermont.gov/tipsubmit.

POWNAL, Vt. — State Police are investigating an apparent hit-and-run on Thursday morning that left a pedestrian with life-threatening injuries. 

 
The victim, a woman, was found near the intersection of U.S. Route 7 and Vermont Route 346 shortly before 7 a.m. She was taken to Albany (N.Y.) Medical Center.
 
Her current condition is unknown other than she is being treated for serious injuries. Her identity is not being disclosed pending notification of relatives and further investigation.
 
A crash was reported at about 6:40 a.m. and first responders found the pedestrian and began providing emergency care. State Police say the investigation points to the incident occurring between 6:30 and 6:38 a.m. 
 
Troopers are looking for two vehicles that were discovered on video footage in the area around the time of the crash. VSP is looking for the public's assistance in identifying the vehicles and the operators, who might have information relevant to the ongoing investigation.
 
The vehicles are believed to be a Chevrolet Silverado and a Volkswagen sedan, either a Passat or a Jetta. Both are white with unknown license plates. They were southbound on U.S. Route 7 and are known to have crossed into Massachusetts, last seen on North Hoosac Road heading toward North Adams.
 
The Vermont State Police is working with the Massachusetts State Police and other law-enforcement agencies on this investigation.
 
Anyone with information regarding these vehicles should call the Shaftsbury Barracks at 802-442-5421 or leave an anonymous tip online at here.
 

Tags: hit & run,   pedestrians,   

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Theaters Respond to Changing Customer Tastes, Studio Requirements

By John TownesSpecial to iBerkshires
This is the last of three articles in a series on the evolution and current status of movie theaters in Berkshire County. Read Part I here; and Part 2 here.
 
Operating a movie theater of any size is a complex mix of art and business. It is not as simple as booking a film, opening the doors and selling tickets. It involves complex strategies.
 
Local theaters also have to adapt to constantly-changing conditions and trends in the film and theater industry. This requires balancing the often-convoluted requirements of movie studios and distributors with the preferences and tastes of local audiences.
 
Berkshire County is unusual in an era that is dominated by immense theater chains.
 
Following the closing of the Regal multiplex in the Berkshire Mall in Lanesborough in 2022 and the closing of the North Adams Movieplex, in 2023, there are now three remaining theaters.
 
Two of those — Images Cinema in Williamstown and the Triplex Cinema in Great Barrington — are operated by community-based non-profit organizations.
 
While the Beacon Cinema in Pittsfield is a for-profit multiplex owned by the Phoenix Theaters, chain, it is a relatively small company compared to major chains. Under its founder and President Cory Jacobson, Phoenix operates as a midsized independent business. It has 10 theaters in the Midwest, Tennessee and Massachusetts. By comparison, AMC Entertainment owns 855 theaters worldwide, and Cinemark operates 500 theaters.
 
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