Letter: Vote for Right Team for North Adams

Letter to the Editor03:00PM / Thursday, November 02, 2023Print Story | Email Story

To the Editor:

Hi there! How many North Adams folks know that Election Day is on Tuesday, Nov. 7? How many residents realize that the current mayor is up for re-election? Luckily for us, the signs on the lawn of City Hall remind us of our civic duty.

Me, I voted early right there in City Hall, for nine members for City Council (phew!) plus the city mayor. I'm eager to earn bragging rights for electing the right team. Because, coming soon, North Adams will be reviewing the 10-year update to our Vision 2030 Comprehensive Plan.

We have made progress, despite the COVID-19 setback, and now we are looking ahead to a prosperous future. Vote, and get the right team on board in City Hall. Thank you.

Alice Bojanowski
North Adams, Mass.

Tags: election 2023,

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North Adams Man Sentenced to Prison for Rape

Staff Reports09:22AM / Wednesday, November 11, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Monday, Nov. 9, Joseph Pini, 49 years old, formerly of North Adams, was sentenced to nine to 12 years in state prison after being found guilty of two counts of rape and one count of furnishing alcohol to a minor.

On Friday, Nov. 6, a jury found Pini guilty of all three charges after deliberating for four hours.

Judge Michael Callan sentenced Pini to nine to 12 years in prison for the two counts of rape and six months in the House of Corrections for furnishing alcohol to a minor, to be served concurrently.

The commonwealth requested a sentence of 12 to 15 years in prison for the combined rape charges with a year in the House of Corrections, a maximum sentence on the alcohol charge, to be served concurrently. Defense requested a "very lengthy" probationary period.

According to the District Attorney's Office, Pini brought a then-16-year-old girl to his home on Fairgrounds Avenue in November 2022. He proceeded to provide the teen with alcohol and then raped her twice.

District Attorney Timothy Shugrue thanked the jury for their services.

"I commend the North Adams Police Department and the Child Abuse Unit in my office for their thorough and dedicated work in bringing this case to a successful conclusion," he said. "My thoughts remain with the survivor, whose life has been forever impacted by this horrific assault. While no verdict can undo the harm she endured, I hope that the guilty verdict and sentencing bring a measure of closure and allow her the opportunity to move forward."

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