Tom’s Top 3 for 1/5: Thursday Night Blaze Destroys Former Car Dealership

Firefighters in the town of Cheshire battled a difficult blaze last night that destroyed a Windsor Road business. The Fire Department received a call shortly before 7:30 pm of a garage fire as a blizzard swept through the region with frigid temperatures and very gusty winds. IBerkshires.com reports that when firefighters arrived, the former Kubota dealership was already heavily engulfed in flames. According to Fire Chief Thomas Francesconi, the cause of the fire was not yet known but appeared to have begun in the garage area based on initial reports. The initial responding officer had called immediately for mutual aid from multiple towns. The firefighters struggled to get enough water to contain the fire to the area. The flames towered high into the air while tankers were transporting water from Hoosac Valley High School. That trip was taking at least 20 minutes. The Tankers, from three neighboring towns, and from Cheshire shuttled water to the scene until the Hoosac Valley hydrants froze over. There are no hydrants in that area of Windsor Road.

Attorney General Makes Opposition To Berkshire Museum Art Sale Clear

In a legal brief filed this week, Attorney General Maura Healy’s office attacked not only the Berkshire Museum's plan to sell artworks, but also a plan in conjunction by trustees to shift the museum's focus to science and nature. The Berkshire Eagle reports that the brief's main purpose was to refute claims advanced by the museum's lawyers made on December 4th. That’s when the museum challenged a Massachusetts Appeals Court justice's decision to halt proceedings in Berkshire Superior Court. The filing started an appellate review.

Petricca Allowed To Collect Rent From Mall Tenants

A judge has ruled that Petricca Construction in Pittsfield will be allowed to recoup some $72,000 from rent that tenants owe to the Berkshire Mall. Petricca is basically garnishing the mall owner's wages to the tune of $248,997 owed to the company for snow removal. IBerkshires.com reports that Petricca had sued and won the case against Berkshire Mall Realty Holdings over work conducted last winter. The owners never paid the Berkshire Superior Court judgement and Petricca started a trustee process in November. The court had recently summonsed 19 stores at the shopping complex to disclose what they owed in rent to the mall. The majority of the stores then agreed to withhold rent until the court made a judgement on the process. The same judge approved on Wednesday a motion to charge the Palace Hair Design, His and Hers Inc, Regal Cinemas, Sears Roebuck and Co., Solomon's Furniture, and Spencer Gifts amounts the companies disclosed owing to the mall owners.