A busy weekend of youth baseball is on tap for two historic county venues.
The action gets underway at 10 a.m. on Friday morning when Westfield takes on Vermont State Champion Essex Junction in the first game of the 13-year-old Babe Ruth New England Championship at Wahconah Park.
It will be the first of 17 games over five days to determine who will represent New England in the World Series that gets underway in Jamestown, N.Y., on Aug. 14.
Host Pittsfield will play in the final game on Friday, a planned 7 p.m. first pitch against Connecticut State Champion Stamford.
Pittsfield will then play its next two pool play games at 7 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The top three teams in each of two four-team pools advance to bracket play, which gets underway on Monday morning and concludes with the title game on Tuesday afternoon.
No regional championship stakes but plenty of pride will be on the line and plenty of fun will be had on Saturday and Sunday in North Adams, when the 34th annual La Fest Baseball Exchange gets started at Joe Wolfe Field.
Youth teams from North Adams and Boston’s North End have been playing mid-summer classic for more than three decades.
This year’s edition gets going at 6 p.m. on Saturday and continues Sunday morning at 10 a.m.
Win or lose – and the teams have done both in pretty much equal measure over the years – the two teams will meet up again Aug. 9 and 10 for games on the home field of the North End Dodgers.
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NAHA Board Accepts Director's Resignation, Unlocks Tenants Association Office
By Jack GuerinoiBerkshires Staff
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office.
The board held a special meeting Thursday to vote to accept Hohn's resignation and determined that there are currently no plans to replace her.
"We didn't make any final determinations in terms of the executive session so we will schedule another meeting at another time," Chairwoman Leigh Uqdah said after returning from more than an hour session. "Day-to-day operations will continue to be managed as normal by staff."
Per their bylaws, board member Marie Harpin will continue to handle finances, and Uqdah will manage contracts.
Hohn stepped down on Oct. 8 after 24 years leading the agency. Her resignation followed rising tension between her and the NAHA Tenants Association, culminating in the scheduling of a formal grievance hearing between both parties.
The boiling point was the locking of the association's office this summer. Tenants alleged the lockout was retaliation for posting a video on social media depicting improperly functioning door alarms. Hohn claimed the office was locked for tenant safety and to stop the spread of misinformation.
Tenants Association President Corey Fortin asked if Hohn's security access had been removed. Uqdah confirmed her credentials were revoked the day she resigned, meaning she can no longer monitor security cameras remotely.
Jennifer Barbeau, a former city councilor who was liaison to the Housing Authority, asked when the board met to discuss Hohn's severance package. Uqdah stated that Hohn did not have one.
The board also accepted the resignation of Commissioner Richard Lavigne, though they will vote officially on the matter at their next meeting.
The open portion of the meeting was brief, with nearly an hour and a half spent in executive session. Before entering executive session, the board opened the floor to tenants.
"The tenants requested an opportunity to talk to the board," said Uqdah. "It has been quite a while, but we have decided to honor that."
Fortin, who posted the original video to social media, was the first to speak. He was clear in his request: unlock the office door.
"Let's cut straight to the chase tonight. The former resigned Director Jennifer Hohn ordered the office locked," he alleged. "She is gone. The lockout is a direct violation, and the board has a duty to end that tonight."
He cited federal and state laws that mandate the tenants association be provided with office space, including computer and network access.
"We are here with a direct administrative demand. We demand that the board vote tonight to unlock the doors," he said. "Do not let a resigned director's illegal action remain the board's ongoing liability. Open our door tonight, and let us get back to work."
The North Adams Housing Authority Board of Commissioners officially accepted the resignation of Executive Director Jennifer Hohn and restored access to the Tenants Association office. click for more
That was the list of grievances that current and former tenants of the North Adams Housing Authority's high rise laid before the City Council on Tuesday.
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