Julius Calvi, former N.A. Mayor, Dies at 91

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Julius Calvi
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Former North Adams Mayor Julius M. Calvi, 91, of 75 Chenaille Terrace died Thursday evening, Jan. 22, 2009, at home.

Long active in politics, Mr. Calvi served as mayor from 1956 to 1958. He was a member of the City Council from 1952 to 1956; the Board of Appeals from 1951 to 1954 and was assessor from 1960 to 1966. He was also a member of the North Adams School Committee from 1956 to 1958.

Born in North Adams on May 19, 1917, a son of Joseph and Lena Cantone Calvi, he attended local schools. He completed an associate of arts degree from Suffolk University in 1948 and received his law degree from the New England School of Law in 1951.

An Army Air Forces veteran of World War II, he served from Oct. 4, 1942, until his honorable discharge with the rank of corporal on Feb. 10, 1946.

Mr. Calvi was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1951 and admitted to the U.S. Tax Court in 1970. He maintained a law practice in North Adams for many years and was active in many civic organizations. He was president of the Berkshire Bar Association in 1962 and from 1968 to 1970 he was a member of its Executive Committee and Grievance Committee.

He was a lifelong communicant of the former St. Anthony of Padua Church and was longtime member of Taconic Golf Club.

He leaves his wife, the former Mary Ann Siciliano, whom he married on Dec. 27, 1960, in St. Anthony's Church, and nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

He was predeceased by his brothers Raymond Calvi and Bernard Joseph Calvi, who was killed in the Philippines in World War II.

FUNERAL NOTICE — The funeral for Mr. Calvi will be Monday, Jan. 26, at 10:15 from Flynn & Dagnoli-Montagna Home for Funerals, Central Chapels, 74 Marshall St., North Adams, followed by a Funeral Mass at 11 at St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church, formerly St. Anthony's Church. Burial will follow in Southview Cemetery. 

Calling hours at the funeral home will be Sunday from 2 to 4. Memorial donations may be made to North Adams Ambulance Service, VNA and Hospice of Northern Berkshire or to St. Elizabeth of Hungary Church in care of the funeral home.
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Armed North Adams Man Arrested Following Domestic Standoff

Staff Reports

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Matthew Parker, a 44-year-old North Adams man, is set to face multiple counts of attempted murder and weapons charges in Northern Berkshire District Court on Friday morning following an hours-long, armed standoff at a Houghton Street home.

The defendant is being arraigned for:

  • Domestic Assault and Battery
  • Assault with the Intent to Murder (3 counts)
  • Carrying a Firearm While Under the Influence of Alcohol (3 counts)
  • Possession of a hi-capacity firearm (4 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a hi-capacity firearm (2 counts)
  • Improper Storage of a firearm (6 counts)

According to a report, on June 10, at approximately 8:42 p.m., officers responded to 365 Houghton St. following a report of a domestic assault and battery. The caller said she and her husband had been involved in a physical altercation.

She said her husband was intoxicated, making suicidal statements about shooting himself, and had access to both a shotgun and a pistol.

Upon arrival, officers made contact with both the caller and Parker. During the encounter, Parker threatened to shoot officers before retreating into the home and refusing to exit.

Officers believed that Parker was armed.

To ensure public safety, police established a perimeter around the home and requested assistance from the Berkshire County Special Response Team (SRT) and North Adams Police crisis negotiators. The Brien Center was also contacted and promptly provided an emergency mental health clinician to assist with the incident.

Special Response Team personnel deployed drones to monitor the residence and provide aerial illumination. During the operation, officers saw Parker exit the house carrying a rifle. He pointed it at the drones, stated a report. Parker subsequently pointed the rifle toward several officers positioned behind their cruisers. After officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Parker returned inside the residence.

Trained crisis negotiators maintained communication with Parker for several hours in an effort to peacefully resolve the situation. At approximately 2 a.m., Parker ceased communication with negotiators.

Drone operators later observed Parker unconscious in a recliner on the first floor of the residence, with a rifle and shotgun on the floor nearby.

Members of the Berkshire County SRT then executed a coordinated operation. Diversionary devices were deployed through a window while an entry team simultaneously entered the home, secured the firearms, and took the defendant into custody.

A search warrant was executed after Parker was in custody. North Adams Police seized four shotguns, six rifles, two handguns, and thousands or rounds of ammunition from the home.

During the operation, one SRT member sustained a minor injury related to a less-lethal bean bag deployment. Parker also sustained non-life threatening injuries during the arrest and was transported to Berkshire Medical Center for medical evaluation.

"We thank the community for its patience and cooperation throughout this incident, particularly residents in the affected area who complied with temporary shelter-in-place requests," Police Chief Mark Bailey said.  "The North Adams Police Department extends its sincere appreciation to the agencies that provided mutual aid and assisted by handling calls for service during this incident. We are especially grateful to the Berkshire County Special Response Team for its professional and decisive response, the Brien Center for the rapid deployment of a mental health clinician, and our crisis negotiators whose efforts helped maintain dialogue and contributed significantly to the safe resolution of this incident."

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