Great Barrington Police Chief William Walsh reports that that the Great Barrington Police Department is investigating after a woman was assaulted outside a convenience store Sunday night. At approximately 10 pm, Great Barrington Police responded to the Lipton Mart at 246 Stockbridge Road for a report of an assault. Upon arrival, officers learned that a male suspect had been spending time inside or around the store from 7:40 p.m. until about 10 p.m. when he approached a woman and attempted to sexually assault her. The woman was however able to escape the suspect before the situation escalated further. The suspect is described as a slim male in his 40's or 50's, between 5-feet-5-inches and 5-feet-10-inches tall. He was driving a gray or silver Toyota Tacoma pickup truck with a bed cover and New York license plates. Anyone who may have seen the suspect or his vehicle is asked to contact Great Barrington Police at 413-528-0306, ext. 3.

 

North Adams Man Pleads Not Guilty To Murdering Transgender Wife

A North Adams man pleaded not guilty yesterday in Northern Berkshire District Court to murdering his 42-year-old wife, Christa Leigh Steele-Knudslien. IBerkshires.com reports that 47 year old Mark Steele-Knudslien stands accused of beating and stabbing his wife to death on Friday evening at their 107 Veazie Street residence. Steele-Knudslien was ordered held at the Berkshire County House of Correction without the right to bail and he will be back in court for a pre-trial hearing on February 7th. According to police reports, Steele-Knudslien admitted to police that he had hit Christa numerous times in the head with a hammer and stabbed her in the back with a large, stainless-steel kitchen knife. The murder marks the first in North Adams since 2013.

 

BMC Nurses May Strike For A Second Time

Registered nurses at Berkshire Medical Center are considering a second one-day strike, raising the stakes for negotiations that began back in 2016 and continue into a third calendar year now. The Berkshire Eagle reports that according to union members, the results of a strike authorization vote are expected next week, after members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association cast ballots in two separate sessions. The National Labor Relations Board, meanwhile, has dismissed the hospital's allegation that the union has failed to bargain in good faith. The hospital is considering an appeal.

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