CRA Announces Gib Kittredge Auction and Awards Ceremony

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DALTON, Mass.— The Community Recreation Association (CRA) will hold its 31st annual Gib Kittredge Auction and Awards Ceremony on Friday, May 23, at The Stationery Factory, located at 63 Flansburg Ave.
 
An online auction will precede the live event, running from May 19 to May 29. Individuals can participate via a link on daltoncra.org. Proceeds from both auction formats will benefit the CRA, a nonprofit organization founded in 1923 that provides programs and services to the Central Berkshire community.
 
The live event will begin at 5 p.m., with doors opening to the public. Attendees can enjoy light appetizers, a cash bar, and a preview of live and silent auction items, accompanied by live music from Mark Franklin. The awards presentation is scheduled to start at 6 p.m., followed by the live auction at 7 p.m.
 
Auction items include a statehouse tour and lunch for four with State Senator Paul Mark, a mountain top zipline tour for four at Berkshire East Mountain Resort, theater tickets for Barrington Stage Company, Berkshire Theatre Group, and Shakespeare & Co., cords of wood from Always Growing Landscaping, dinner certificates at local restaurants, and CRA memberships, among other offerings.
 
The awards ceremony will recognize Gary Campbell Jr. with the Gib Kittredge Volunteer Award; C. Jeffrey Cook with the John Kittredge Community Support Award; Kay Klem with the W. Murray Crane Community Service Award; and Ben Barry and Madeline DeFazio with the Norman "Pop" Smith Youth of the Year Awards. State Senator Mark will present citations to each award recipient.
 
Admission to the event is free, with a suggested donation of $10 at the door. Additional information can be found at daltoncra.org or by calling the CRA at (413) 684-0260.
 
 
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Hinsdale Residents Air Policing Concerns During Information Session

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
HINSDALE, Mass. — Broken trust, cavalier officials, no faith in the town, and the need for accountability and change were sentiments that bellowed in the town hall on Tuesday during the community information session on the police department organizational analysis. 
 
Eric Daigle, Daigle Law Group principal attorney, stood before more than 30 community members who vociferously criticized the Hinsdale Police Department and public officials' reaction to past incidents. The meeting lasted more than an hour and 40 minutes. 
 
The meeting commenced with Daigle emphasizing that the firm was retained to conduct an organizational analysis, not to investigate the fatal police shooting of 27-year-old Biagio Kauvil during a mental health crisis in January. 
 
Early on in community comments, residents made it clear that the January incident and others are deeply intertwined with the analysis.
 
"This is an organizational study on how the department is operating, where it is, and where it should be, and how they get to those areas. The incident was the catalyst for the town in retaining the consultant," Daigle said. 
 
Although the aim of hiring a consultant was not to investigate the incident, it still needs to be taken into consideration when developing solutions to improve the department, attendees said. 
 
Some attendees emphasized that people do not feel safe calling 911 if they are experiencing a mental health crisis. More often than not, incidents that police are responding to involve people in desperate need of mental health services. 
 
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