Windsor Man Facing Murder Charge

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WINDSOR, Mass. — A Windsor man has been charged with murder in the death of his sister on Thursday. 
 
Paul Menard, 65, was arraigned Friday in Central Berkshire District Court on one count of murder in the first degree. He was held without the right to bail, without prejudice.
 
Menard walked into the State Police Barracks in Cheshire at about 1:45 p.m. on Thursday and told police he shot and killed his sister at his Crane Road home, according to a statement from the Berkshire District Attorney's Office. Responding troopers found the the body of Monique Menard, 62, of Hinsdale, laying face-down between the defendant's home and detached garage with gunshot injuries to her back and stomach.
 
Her body was taken to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for an autopsy.
 
Based on evidence collected at the scene, corroborated with the defendant's testimony, the Menard shot the victim three times: once in her front, once in her back, and once in the back of her head, According to the DA's office. He reported using two black powder firearms. He waited 20 minutes prior to driving to the Cheshire Barracks to report the alleged murder and did not call 911.  
 
Menard has been cooperative with police. He does not have an firearm's identification card. 
 
The Menards had been reportedly arguing about the care of their ill father when Paul Menard shot is sister. Their mother died in 2022; they have two other brothers.
 

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Pittsfield City Council Weighs in on 'Crisis' in Public Schools

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff

A half-dozen people addressed the City Council from the floor of Monday's meeting, including Valerie Anderson, right.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After expressing anger and outrage and making numerous calls for accountability and transparency, the 11 members of the City Council on Monday voted to support the School Committee in seeking an independent investigation into allegations of misconduct by staff members at Pittsfield High School that have come to light in recent weeks.
 
At the close of a month that has seen three PHS administrators put on administrative leave, including one who was arrested on drug trafficking charges, the revelation that the district is facing a civil lawsuit over inappropriate conduct by a former teacher and that a staff member who left earlier in the year is also under investigation at his current workplace, the majority of the council felt compelled to speak up about the situation.
 
"While the City Council does not have jurisdiction over the schools … we have a duty to raise our voices and amplify your concerns and ensure this crisis is met with the urgency it demands," Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey said.
 
About two dozen community members attended the special meeting of the council, which had a single agenda item.
 
Four of the councilors precipitated the meeting with a motion that the council join the School Committee in its search for an investigation and that the council, "be included in the delivery of any disclosures, interim reports or findings submitted to the city."
 
Last week, the School Committee decided to launch that investigation. On Monday, City Council President Peter White said the School Committee has a meeting scheduled for Dec. 30 to authorize its chair to enter negotiations with the Springfield law firm of Bulkley, Richardson and Gelinas to conduct that probe.
 
Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre, the principal author of the motion of support, was one of several members who noted that the investigation process will take time, and she, like Kavey, acknowledged that the council has no power over the public schools beyond its approval of the annual district budget.
 
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