North Adams Taxi Could Lose License

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
Print Story | Email Story
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The City Council will hold a public hearing on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. on whether to pull OTT Taxi's operating license.
 
The taxi service was put on probation back in February for violations including unlicensed and underage drivers and unmarked cars being used to pick up fares.
 
Councilors at the time had little sympathy for owner John Lord's claims that he didn't know or understand the city's ordinance regulating taxi services.
 
But they did not wish disrupt the livelihoods of his drivers and the customers who needed the company's services and so issued a "stern warning" and 30 days probation. 
 
Tuesday's public hearing is prompted by what officials say are continued violations.
 
A document supplied by interim Police Chief Mark Bailey refers to 14 violations, four parking citations and seven instances of drivers operating taxies without valid licenses. These violations were between Sept. 30, 2022, and July 22, 2023. 
 
"Although there are reports of further violations occurring, these are the ones that have been documented by the North Adams Police Department, Bailey wrote.
 
In July, police say Lord was again seen driving taxi cabs, for which he does not have a license.
 
OTT has also moved out of its River Street offices this summer but has not changed the address on its license as required by ordinance.
 
Lord was informed by letter that "due to the continued issues, the City Council has determined they will need to reconvene to discuss them and determine its course of action."

Tags: public hearing,   taxi,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Companion Corner: Mimi and Herman at Second Chance

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

ARLINGTON, Vt. — There is a sweet bonded pair of felines looking for a new home together.

iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home.

Mimi and Herman have been at the shelter since May and are 9 years old.

Feline program administrator Santana Snyder introduced us to them, noting this is their second time at Second Chance. 

"They are a bonded pair of nine year old kitties that came to the shelter because their previous owner had to go to a nursing home," she said. "They were adopted from the shelter as kittens, and things just changed. They've been together, like I said, their whole life, brother and sister, so they do need to go together."

The two have a bit of differing personalities as Mimi is more outgoing than Herman, who is quite shy and will hide at first.

"Herman's definitely gonna take time to warm up. He is a little bit of a scaredy cat. He hides a lot. It took a little while for him to come out and sit on the cat tree and be out in the open here. Mimi took pretty quickly to being out and about and interacting with everybody, so they just need somebody that's going to have some patience with them and kind of let them come out of their shell at their own pace," she said.

Mimi likes to play and be around you. Herman has mainly hid since being at the shelter. 

Herman does have one eye but it does not bother him.

"Mimi will get playful every now and then I don't think I've ever seen Herman play. Herman is missing an eye. He was, I guess, found like that as a kitten before he even came to the shelter originally," said Snyder. "Doesn't seem to bother him any. It's completely closed, but he sees perfectly fine out the other one."

But the two are healthy besides being on a diet, as Herman is pushing 20 pounds.

The two would do well in a quiet home without kids. They have not been with other animals previously.

"A quiet home, for sure. We would probably say no kids. They've never been around cats or dogs before, but potentially mellow, feline-friendly cats would be OK. They spend most of their time as senior kitties just lounging, napping, getting attention from the visitors at the shelter," she said. "I definitely think maybe an older couple would be really good for them. Someone who's home a lot, they're kind of used to that in their previous home." 

But the two are ready for their new home where they can give and receive love from a new family.

View Full Story

More North Adams Stories