Letter: Re-Elect Christine Hoyt to the Select Board

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To the Editor:

In her nine years on the Adams Board of Selectmen, Christine Hoyt has made many contributions to improve our Town of Adams. Two areas that are important to me are her experience with Emergency response and advocating for the state to provide more dollars for Adams in Chapter 90 road monies.

When faced with the closure of Adams Ambulance in 2023, Christine worked to ensure that EMS coverage continued for the residents of Adams without an interruption. Her membership on the Northern Berkshire Regional Emergency Planning Committee provided her with a strong relationship with Cheshire that allowed her to work closely with Cheshire officials on press releases, public meetings, and arrangements for EMS coverage.

In addition, Christine has completed Incident Command System and National Incident Management System training in particular for public officials to better understand her role in times of emergencies. She has often been called upon to help disseminate information during an emergency.

Our tough New England winters cause potholes and a lot of damage to our roads. Our town relies heavily on state aid to municipalities through the Chapter 90 bond bill. Christine has advocated at the local, regional and state level for more dollars from the program. She has done this through local conferences, advocacy among our local delegation, advocacy as a member of the Local Government Advisory Commission (LGAC), and testimony provided to the Joint Committee on Transportation.

She also supported the work of the Healey-Driscoll administration's Transportation Funding Task Force and Chapter 90 Program Advisory Group, which led to a 50 percent increase overall to the Chapter 90 program. This included $200 million for the 351 municipalities using the existing funding formula, and an additional $100 million using a formula that removes the population element, which favors rural and small communities like Adams. That meant an additional $130,809 to Adams in fiscal year 2026.

Please join me in voting to re-elect Christine Hoyt on May 4 so that our town can continue to benefit from her experience.

Bernie Pinsonnault
Adams, Mass.

 

 

 

 

 


Tags: election 2026,   town elections,   


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Adams Man Sentenced to State, Federal Prison for Child Rape

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — An Adams man pleaded guilty on Friday in Berkshire Superior Court to multiple counts of aggravated rape of a child and aggravated indecent assault and battery on a child under 14. 
 
Brian Warner, 39, was sentenced by Judge Michael K. Callan to 25 to 28 years in state prison. 
 
The defendant pleaded guilty to the following:
  • Two counts of rape of a child with force
  • One count of aggravated rape of a child
  • Two counts of rape of a child, aggravated, five-year age difference
  • Four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14
  • Fourteen counts of aggravated indecent assault and battery on a child under 14
  • Nine counts of posing a child in the nude
  • Two counts of possession of child sexual abuse material
Callan attributed the lengthy sentencing to the egregious nature of the defendant's crime. In his sentencing memo, the judge wrote, "In fashioning this sentence I have also considered the Sentencing Guidelines, which were established by a Sentencing Commission created by our Legislature and consisting of prosecutors, defense counsel, public safety and correctional officials, and victim-witness advocates. 
 
"While not mandatory, these guidelines were designed, among other goals, to promote consistency in the sentencing process in our judicial system. The guidelines utterly fail in some circumstances and this is one of them."
 
Warner produced child sexual abuse material, otherwise known as child pornography. In doing this, the defendant raped and assaulted a child over a period of two years. Law enforcement uncovered hundreds of images produced by Warner.
 
"Justice was served today, but Warner's crimes are deeply disturbing. When a child in our community is harmed, it naturally causes us to reflect on how we can do more to protect our children. To the survivor and their [singular] family, this outcome cannot undo the trauma you endured; however, I hope it offers some comfort in knowing that your abuser has been held accountable under the law," stated District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. 
 
Chief of the Child Abuse Unit Andrew Giarolo, an assistant district attorney, represented the commonwealth and Ian Benoit the victim witness advocate on behalf of the DA's Office. The Adams Police Department led the investigation with support from the Berkshire State Police Detective Unit's digital evidence lab.  
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