Tom’s Top 3 for 12/21: North Adams Man Arrested After High Speed Chase

A North Adams man will be arraigned on multiple charges after two high-speed car chases through the Northern Berkshires and a report of hitting the storefront of Olympia Sports in the Steeple City Plaza on Tuesday night. The Berkshire Eagle reports that 34 year old Christopher Beaumont allegedly fled after he drove through a stop sign at the intersection of Old State Street and Curran Memorial Highway around 10:30pm. According to North Adams Police an officer dropped his pursuit of the vehicle, which he estimated exceeded 100 miles per hour as it traveled south into Adams. The pursuit was eventually picked up by Massachusetts State Police and Adams Police, who followed Beaumont through Savoy and Florida into Savoy State Forest, where he was eventually taken into custody.

Proposed Service Zone For Recreational Pot Shops In Clarksburg

Clarksburg Town officials were willing to see a recreational marijuana operation move into town, but there was one problem. The Berkshire Eagle reports there was no zone on the books for such a business. That being the case, the town has proposed an industrial service zone, which will be taken up by voters at a special town meeting December 28th. It would allow, within certain parameters, recreational marijuana business in the town. Clarksburg, although it rests along the Vermont border, is in as prime a spot for recreational marijuana as any other Berkshire County town. Slightly more than 53 percent of the town's voters approved of recreational marijuana in the 2016 general election.

Great Barrington Trucking Company Neighbors Complain of Noise and Fumes

People who live near a garbage trucking operation in Great Barrington say they've had it with early morning noise and diesel fumes from a business they say is violating local laws. The Berkshire Eagle reports that residents say their tired of waiting for the town to enforce one of several cease and desist orders issued over the years by town Building Inspector Edwin May. Irish Trucking is owned by Gary O'Brien, and he rents space to Roger Trucking. In response to The Eagle's questions about his operation, O'Brien sent an email from his attorney, Edward McCormick, who said the company believes it is not violating the town's bylaw, but instead is working with the town to resolve any legal issues that may exist.