image description — Alexandra Wright pins her husband, Matthew, after he was sworn in as the new police chief in Cheshire on Wednesday morning.

Cheshire Swears-In New Police Chief Matthew Wright

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
12:55PM / Wednesday, September 09, 2026Print Story | Email Story

Town Clerk Whitney Flynn applauds after swearing in new Police Chief Matthew Wright during a brief ceremony in the Selectmen's meeting room.

CHESHIRE, Mass. — Community members gathered Wednesday to welcome Matthew Wright as their new police chief, marking what is said to be a new chapter for the department.

"I am honored and humbled for this opportunity, and I look forward to growing the department and serving this community, and just very excited to see what's going to come over the next several years here," Wright said following his swearing-in.

Wright, formerly a sergeant in the Adams Police Department, officially took his post on Tuesday, Sept. 8, and said he is excited to hit the ground running. Among his first priorities is filling the department's two vacant patrol officer positions.

The department is currently operating with Wright and just one patrol officer. Once the vacant positions are filled, Wright said the department will be back to full staffing with four patrol officers in addition to himself.

Wright credited Town Administrator Jennifer Morse and the Board of Selectmen with making significant progress in bringing the Police Department up to public safety standards which, he says, is going to help with the recruiting process.

"The demands of policing have changed, and the Cheshire Police Department has been evolving alongside those changes," said Selectmen Chairwoman Michelle Francesconi.

"I think that this is the next step toward a new future, and it's going to be very good all around."

During his interview, Wright said one of his main missions for the department is to restore the public's trust by being transparent, engaged with the community, and expanding training so officers feel prepared and invested in the department.

Moving forward, he wants to expand training opportunities within the department, envisioning officers that are trained in specialized disciplines.

He also hopes to keep more training in-house, giving officers an opportunity to learn and grow together while building a stronger sense of belonging within the department.

Wright has deep roots in Cheshire, where he was born and raised, and is a Hoosac Valley High School graduate. He earned an associate degree in criminal justice from Berkshire Community College and later a bachelor's from Westfield State University.

Now, he is raising his own family in town, following in his father's footsteps by giving back to the community by being a volunteer coach and participating in local festivities.

The community is excited to have a "home-grown" chief that is dedicated and proud of his position, community, and family, Francesconi said.

Community members have highlighted his experience, professionalism, and commitment to the area and are very excited about this new hire.

"It's a new chapter for the police department and for the town, and it's exciting," Francesconi said.

Tags: police chief, swearing in,

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Notre Dame Church Closed Indefinitely as Diocese Assesses Structural Damage

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:43AM / Wednesday, September 30, 2026

ADAMS, Mass. — What began as concerns over peeling paint inside Notre Dame Church turned out to be a much larger issue, as the church is now closed indefinitely after inspections revealed structural damage, particularly in the steeple.

Notre Dame des Sept Douleurs Catholic Church, located at 21 Maple St., has been taped off and closed since last week as the Diocese of Springfield assesses water damage affecting several areas of the building.

"There are multiple issues ... but the long and short of it is that there's been a water breach in a number of locations at the church, [compromising] some of the structures. The steeple clearly has been negatively impacted by this water breach, and so they're looking at the steeple as one potential major issue," said Mark Dupont, Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield's director of communications.

"A lot of the other ones are not to that level, but taken as a whole, they might be problematic in the long run. This church is well over 100 years old and has served that community with great distinction over the years, but unfortunately, sometimes our past history with these churches is that they quickly become very costly when they start having issues."

The church was built around 1882 to serve the area's French-speaking residents and is one of the two churches part of the St. John Paul II Parish and St. Stanislaus in Adams, Dupont said. The Catholic Parishes of Adams and Cheshire includes St. Mary of the Assumption in Cheshire

Parish staff were concerned about possible water intrusion and hired a structural mason to inspect the steeple and possibly do some repairs. The hired mason found broken beams.

However, the inspection revealed more extensive damage to the steeple than initially anticipated, prompting parish staff to immediately contact the Diocese of Springfield and close the church, Dupont said.

A more comprehensive inspection is now underway to determine the full extent of the damage and what it could mean for the future of the church, he said.

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