Woodcraft Showcase to Highlight Regional Woodcrafters

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ADAMS, Mass. — Lever, the North Adams-based economic development group, announced the Woodcraft Showcase, a one-day market featuring the work of regional woodcrafters. 
 
The event will take place on Sunday, Oct. 12, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Greylock Glen Outdoor Center.
 
The Woodcraft Showcase will bring together artisans from across the region to display and sell handcrafted products ranging from furniture and musical instruments to smaller goods such as wooden spoons, bowls, and cutting boards. The event will coincide with Adams' annual Ramblefest.
 
Admission to the Showcase is free and open to the public. In addition to artisan displays, the event will feature live demonstrations, stories of regional collaboration, and opportunities to learn more about sustainable wood use in Northwestern Massachusetts. Cruckfather, a local builder, will be on hand to demonstrate timber frame building techniques.
 
The Woodcraft Showcase is part of Lever's Woodcraft Collaborative of Northwest Massachusetts project, aimed at strengthening the regional economy by advancing the sustainable utilization of locally harvested, processed, and crafted wood products. This project is supported by Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EOEEA), the US Forestry Service, and the Woodlands Partnership of Northwest Massachusetts (WPNM).
 
 
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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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