Pittsfield Woman Victim of Colorado Homicide

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Jordan Labarre
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former city woman was the victim of a homicide in Colorado last week. 
 
Jordan Elizabeth Labarre, 32, of Breckenridge, Colo., was found deceased on Monday, July 7, at a residence in Blue River, Colo. 
 
Labarre, a graduate of the former St. Joseph's High School, was the daughter and stepdaughter of Joann Shugrue and Berkshire District Attorney Timothy Shugrue. 
 
According to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, police were called to the Blue River residence at 6:20 p.m. over reports of gunshots, and more were heard when they arrived at the scene. 
 
CBI said the home's occupant, Daniel Joseph DeVito, 46, came out when ordered and was taken into custody without incident.
 
DeVito was charged with first degree murder and is being held on $2.5 million bail. He also is facing charges for allegedly assaulting and threatening another woman three days earlier. 
 
The articles did not indicate what the relationship was between Labarre and DeVito but her brother, Joshua Labarre, wrote "her life was tragically taken in an act of domestic violence" on a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs in bringing her home. 
 
Labarre grew up in Chicopee until moving to the Berkshires with her mother and brother and attending St. Joe. She graduated from  Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts in 2015 and moved to Breckenridge not long afterward. She worked at a cleaning service. Her family said she loved the outdoors, the family she'd created in Breckenridge, and her dog, Lincoln. 
 
Besides her mother, stepfather and brother, she leaves a stepsister, Caitlin Shugrue. Her father, Kenneth E. LaBarre, died in 2010.
 
Calling hours will be Thursday, July 17, from 4 to 7 p.m. at St. Mark's Church, with Liturgy of Christian Burial on Friday at 11. Dwyer Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. More information can be found here

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Berkshire Health System Blood Program Helps Shield County From National Shortage

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The American Red Cross declared its second national blood supply crisis in its history on Monday, but community members can breathe easy thanks to Berkshire Health System's blood donor program. 
 
Berkshire Medical System has always had a stationary donor center for autologous donations, which is no longer common practice, and had some O-negative blood on hand that it purchased from the Red Cross prior to having its own blood donor program, said Christine Amuso, blood donor coordinator.
 
Today, Berkshire Health System's blood donor program collects about 2,300 to 2,400 units of blood annually, all of which stays within Berkshire County to help keep local blood supplies stocked. 
 
In some years, the program has reached record collections of about 3,000 units.
 
"That [record has] only happened a couple of times since I've been employed with the program. So, we really have done wonders with the program," Amuso said. 
 
Donating blood through Berkshire Health System's program is accessible, with a donor center at the main campus and a mobile blood unit that travels throughout Berkshire County, including select Saturdays.
 
While appointments for blood donations are strongly encouraged, staff also intentionally leave scheduling gaps to accommodate additional donors who walk in without an appointment. 
 
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