North Adams Man Facing Drug Charges Is Charged Again

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — A city man has been charged with drug violations after a search warrant turned up drugs and trafficking materials Friday at a Houghton Street apartment.
 
Ronald Schneider, 49, of North Adams, was arraigned Monday in Northern Berkshire District Court with trafficking fentanyl, possession with intent to distribute Class B substance (subsequent offense), and conspiracy to violate drug laws. 
 
According to police, members of the Berkshire County Drug Task Force and local police executed the search warrant at 255 Houghton St. in connection with an ongoing narcotics investigation.
 
As a result of the operation, investigators seized approximately 134.1 grams of fentanyl (when packaged for sale would have yielded approximately 6,705 bags) with a street value of between $26,820 and $33,525. They also found 12.3 grams of cocaine/crack cocaine worth $738 to $1,230, $945 in cash and digital scales and other material for drug packaging. 
 
Schneider was currently out on bail for an open case out of Berkshire Superior Court from an August 2024 arrest in North Adams in which he was charged with trafficking cocaine (18-36 grams) and conspiracy to violate drug laws.
 
Schneider's bail for his Superior Court case was revoked Monday and a cash bail of $75,000 was set for his new case.

Tags: drug crimes,   drug trafficking,   

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Clarksburg Students Write in Support of Rural School Aid

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff

Mason Langenback calculated that Clarksburg would get almost $1 million if the $60 million was allocated equally.
CLARKSBURG, Mass. — Eighth-graders at Clarksburg School took a lesson in civic advocacy this week, researching school funding and writing letters to Beacon Hill that call for fully funding rural school aid. 
 
The students focused on the hardships for small rural schools and their importance to the community — that they struggle with limited funding and teacher shortages, but offer safe and supportive spaces for learning and are a hub for community connections.
 
"They all address the main issue, the funding for rural schools, and how there's a gap, and there's the $4 million gap this year, and then it's about the $40 million next year, and that rural schools need that equitable funding," said social studies teacher Mark Karhan.
 
A rural schools report in 2022 found smaller school districts cost from nearly 17 percent to 23 percent more to operate, and recommended "at least" $60 million be appropriated annually for rural school aid. 
 
Gov. Maura Healey has filed for more Chapter 70 school aid, but that often is little help to small rural schools with declining or static enrollment. For fiscal 2027, she's budgeted $20 million for rural schools, up from around $13 million this year but still far below the hoped for $60 million. 
 
Karhan said the class was broken into four groups and the students were provided a submission letter from Rural Schools Advocacy. The students used the first paragraph, which laid out the funding facts, and then did research and wrote their own letters. 
 
They will submit those with a school picture to the governor. 
 
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