Tom’s Top 3 for 2/14: Spectrum Transitioning To All-Digital Signal

Starting next week, Spectrum customers in the North Adams and Williamstown area will no longer be able to watch TV without a digital conversion box. The Berkshire Eagle reports while the company says the transition to an all-digital signal will provide customers with better service, state and local officials are questioning the moves legality. State Rep. John Barrett III called it a travesty. The former North Adams Mayor and the city’s current mayor, Thomas Bernard, met with Spectrum representatives on Monday, but Barrett said central issues were left unresolved. Barrett further plans to meet with representatives from the State Department of Telecommunications and Cable next week, and then he plans on taking the fight to the Attorney General's Office. He's also plans to contact the Federal Communications Commission. According to Spectrum officials, most customers will be eligible to receive at least one free box for a limited period of time, depending on their cable package. Beyond that, customers will be charged $6.99 per month per box, or $11.75 per month if they remain on a legacy Time Warner Cable package. Customers are also able to get the boxes through Spectrum's website or at any of its stores in Pittsfield, Lee or North Adams. Residents could also purchase a Spectrum-enabled streaming device like a Roku or Xbox One.

Revised Bail For Suspect In Asiyanna Jones Shooting

After four months of being held without the right to bail, a Pittsfield man, implicated in connection with the October shooting death last year of 22-year-old Asiyanna Jones, has had a revised bail amount of $5,000 set following a court hearing Tuesday. The Berkshire Eagle reports that 19-year-old Josaiah Bynum faces charges of armed assault to murder, discharging a firearm within 500 feet of a building and carrying a firearm without a license. Bynum has not been charged with firing the shot that killed Jones, but he has been accused of firing a gun toward her alleged killer, Gary Linen, who remains at large. Bynum has been in custody since his arrest on October 15th.

Elderly Dalton Man Hospitalized After Being Struck By Car 

A 70-year-old pedestrian was in critical condition on Tuesday night after he was hit by a car on Main Street in Dalton earlier in the day. The Berkshire Eagle reports that town resident John Rudin was crossing the street near the Dalton Citgo at about 8:30 a.m. when he was hit by a white Hyundai Sonata driven by 33-year-old town resident Amanda Rivers. Rudin suffered serious injuries and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield before being flown to Baystate Medical Center in Springfield. The cause of the accident is still under investigation. Anyone with information related to the accident is asked to contact the Dalton Police Department at 413-684-0300.