GREAT BARRINGTON — Attarilm Mcclennon woke up on Tuesday morning to see a man standing on the fire escape and talking on the phone outside his apartment building in Barrington House.
When Mcclennon stepped out into the hallway that connects Main Street with the Triplex parking lot, he saw another man lingering there.
Mcclennon, who works at his family’s Momma Lo’s Southern Style BBQ downstairs, said he stepped outside to the unfolding commotion in the parking lot as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested two immigrants who live and work in the building.
But soon Mcclennon realized something — the man on the fire escape and the other one in the building looked a little familiar.
“I realized those two dudes have been walking through this hallway all week,” he said, adding that it was during the daytime.
Mcclennon’s brother, Ahmed Mcclennon, said that he also noticed a similar type of surveillance of the building last summer that he believes may have been ICE or other law enforcement.
Attarilm Mcclennon right, saw the arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Tuesday morning unfold at the Barrington House apartments where he lives and works.HEATHER BELLOW — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE
The May 6 arrests are the latest to rattle the Berkshires as federal authorities pursue President Trump’s aggressive mission to deport or otherwise remove undocumented immigrants. A March crackdown resulted in the capture of at least 10 people in the Berkshires — and 370 statewide.
While the administration has said it would target undocumented people with criminal records, there have been numerous examples of agents detaining people who have never been charged with a crime.
It is unclear why ICE targeted these men. An ICE spokesperson did not respond to requests for information.
Tuesday’s raid took place on a busy morning in the heart of downtown. It shook bystanders and drew people out from Rubi’s Cafe and The Triplex Cinema.
Videos shared with The Eagle show people videotaping the arrests and asking ICE officers questions about warrants and due process. Others taunted the officers, most of whom were masked and heavily armed. Avery Ripley, who works at Rubi’s captured video, including that of a drone overhead.
As officers walked one of the men they arrested down the fire escape from his apartment, one person was heard saying they “love America,” and thanked the officers for “doing their jobs.”
Mcclennon said that one of the men arrested works at Fiesta Bar and Grill, which is across the hall from Momma Lo’s, and asked the Mcclennons to call his boss.
Great Barrington Police Chief Paul Storti said the department received a phone call from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security around 5:30 a.m. to let them know that they were in the area.
Barrington House owner Richard Stanley said he did not know the tenant personally, and expressed dismay at what he called “gestapo” tactics he says are meant to “intimidate.”
Ben Elliott, a Select Board member who works at The Triplex Cinema, was arriving at work when he saw the commotion. He also videotaped one of the arrests.
Elliott said he had heard that ICE also may have also arrested someone off Bridge Street near Quick Print and the Berkshire Food Co-op around 7:30 a.m.
The ICE arrests involved multiple unmarked vehicles, some heavily armed law enforcement officials and a drone.
Seeing that one of the officers had a battering ram to break the apartment door down, the building’s maintenance director Sean O’Brien got his keys ready. But that turned out not to be necessary, he said.
“None of that came to pass,” O’Brien said. “They knocked on the door and he opened the door and surrendered himself.”
Some bystanders confronted O’Brien, thinking he was helping ICE — which he and witnesses and Barrington House tenants said that was far from the truth.
“They turned on me,” O’Brien said. “It just ruffled my feathers up a little bit because they had the completely wrong idea of what happened."
“A woman was screaming into the window, ‘You called them, you called them,’” O’Brien said of the accusation that he had called ICE.
O’Brien did call local police to keep the peace and stop the trespassing.
Hearing this, Mcclennon’s brother Ahmed Mcclennon, said of O’Brien, “He’s the coolest man in the world. He would be the last person to do that.”
And O’Brien said that ICE officers were “very polite and professional to [the tenant],” and “were not abusive or anything like that.”
He also said that one of the men arrested is, “to the best of my knowledge, a very, very nice guy and a hard worker.”
“I would be very surprised,” O’Brien said, “if he were guilty of some extra crime that brought their attention to him.”
Heather Bellow is a reporter for The Berkshire Eagle.
From nursing to neuroscience, local students pursuing careers in healthcare received scholarships from the Salisbury Visiting Nurse Association for the 2026-27 academic year. The scholarship is awarded annually provided that students maintain a 3.0 grade point average.
The scholarship first began in 2023 after the merger between Salisbury Family Services and SVNA. The board said the applicant pool has increased from around three during its first year to 21 applicants in 2026.
The celebration marked the fourth and largest year of the initiative, with nearly $200,000 donated to area-students for the 2026-27 academic year. The scholarship is open to students from the Region One area pursuing degrees in healthcare-related fields ranging from nursing to neuroscience.
Recipients receive $10,000 annually, provided they maintain a 3.0 grade point average and submit proof of their academic performance. Funded through SVNA’s robust endowment, the scholarship allows the organization to reinvest in healthcare by supporting future healthcare professionals
Board members delight in hearing directly from the students who will benefit from $10,000 scholarships to study healthcare during a July 22 reception. Aly Morrissey
The application process includes an in-depth essay describing each applicant’s career goals, personal experiences, and reasons for pursuing a healthcare profession.
“It’s helped a lot with my first-year tuition, and I’m very grateful,” said Madeline Mechare, a 2026-27 recipient. “I’m thinking of becoming a traveling nurse. I find it really exciting.” Mechare said she plans to major in nursing and will begin her freshman year at Eastern Connecticut State University this fall.
Gabriela Titone, who is entering her sophomore year at Marymount University studying psychology, said the scholarship is helping her prepare for a long educational journey.
“I’d like to be a therapist, so I also want to go to graduate school,” Titone said.“It’s nice to be able to have a scholarship that helps me for my undergraduate, because I have a lot of school ahead of me.”
For many students, the scholarship is what allows them to attend the schools of their choice.
Finn Cousins, who is entering his junior year at Fordham University studying psychology, said the financial support allowed him to transfer from the University of Connecticut after realizing it was not the right fit.
Cousins hopes to earn a doctorate in sports psychology and eventually work with a professional sports team. “Thanks to this community and their support, I’ve been able to transfer somewhere I really love, and I just feel like I’m in love with school again,” Cousins said.
His mother, Sara Cousins, said the scholarship made the transition possible.
“The scholarship gave him the financial freedom to transfer to a school where he’s much happier,” she said. “He feels like he’s more on track to do the kinds of things he wants to do.”
Many students said the awards enhance their college experiences.
“The scholarship is making it possible for me to live on campus this year,” said nursing student Kara Franks, who is entering her junior year at Western Connecticut State University. “If not for this scholarship, I would have to commute to school, so this is helping me focus on my studies.”
The award is aimed to invest in healthcare workers of the future, and board members hope some recipients will eventually be interested in returning to the Northwest Corner after graduating to fulfill the need for healthcare workers in the community.
“Hopefully some of you will come back and work in this area,” Knight said. “That would be wonderful.”
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Organizers load up the clams during the annual fundraiser.
Signs traverse the “Walk of Remembrance” path on the way into the clambake. Phoebe Tobin
Created after the death of Lakeville and Salisbury native Jane Lloyd in 2005, The Jane Lloyd Fund helps local residents facing financial hardship after a cancer diagnosis with day-to-day expenses. In nearly two decades, the fund, supported by the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation, has assisted hundreds of families.
This year, attendance throughout the day appeared to reach the 400 to 500 range organizers have come to expect across the years. The event begins before anyone starts eating. From the parking lot, visitors walk down a “Walk of Remembrance” path lined with signs bearing names, words of encouragement, and phrases like, “What would you say to Jane?” or “Jam to the spirit of Jane.”
Volunteers prepare the clambake pit by arranging heated rocks that will be covered with corn husks and seaweed to steam clams, lobsters and corn. Phoebe Tobin
By 3 p.m., volunteers began assembling the signature fire pit, layering heated rocks with seaweed, corn husks, clams, lobsters and corn before covering the pile with a tarp to trap the heat and steam the food underneath.
Apart from the fire, the rest of the crowd spread out under two long tents and umbrella-topped high-tops scattered across the grounds. Burgers, hot dogs, a beer truck and ice cream were donated by Grassland Farm, all for those who the Fund calls “more land dwelling lovers.”
Photos by Phoebe TobinElliot Osborne and a rotating cast of musicians jam under the tent to provide an upbeat ambiance at the clambake July 25.Phoebe Tobin
Joanne Tuncy, a fifth-year volunteer at the ice cream tent, first connected with the Fund through Donna Stoetzner, Co-Chair of the Fund and sister of Jane Lloyd. Tuncy and Stoetzner worked together at Indian Mountain School for years. But the cause became personal to Tuncy when her daughter was diagnosed with cancer and became a recipient of the Fund’s support.
“It’s important for me to be able to give back to the community what they’ve given to you,” she said, adding that people and the ice cream keep her coming back each year.
The SWSA ski jumps towered over the annual Jane Lloyd Foundation clambake. Phoebe Tobin
Suzanne Warner, a volunteer at another food tent, was with a group of friends recruited by her boyfriend, whose mother, Tanya Tedder, Co-Chairs the Fund. Warner, also in her fifth year, said watching the fire go up is the highlight, but the most meaningful part for her is hearing Tedder share stories of families the fund has helped. “It brings people together and helps provide funds for people in need in the area,” she said.
Under the music tent, Elliot Osborne and a rotating cast of friends kept the “loosey goosey” jam session going late into the afternoon, one more reminder that the Jane Lloyd Clambake invites anyone and everyone to join.
NOW HIRING - Chef and Kitchen Help. The Millerton Inn is looking for a talented and passionate Chef and line cooks to join our team! If you thrive in a fast-paced kitchen, take pride in creating exceptional food and work well with a team, we’d love to hear from you. Competitive pay. Great team. Growth opportunities. Apply in person at The Millerton Inn or send your resume at themillertoninn@gmail.com
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SHARON Huge Tag Sale on Saturday August 1 from 9 to 4 p.m. and on Sunday August 2 from 11 to 4 p.m. at Sharon Methodist Church, 112 Upper Main Street. Our basement is over-flowing. Too much to list. Something for everyone. Also on Saturday is the annual arts and crafts show On the Green. Customers can enjoy shopping at both events.
PUBLISHER’S NOTICE: Equal Housing Opportunity. All real estate advertised in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1966 revised March 12, 1989 which makes it illegal to advertise any preference, limitation, or discrimination based on race, color religion, sex, handicap or familial status or national origin or intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination. All residential property advertised in the State of Connecticut General Statutes 46a-64c which prohibit the making, printing or publishing or causing to be made, printed or published any notice, statement or advertisement with respect to the sale or:rental of a dwelling that indicates any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex, marital status, age, lawful source of income, familial status, physical or mental disability or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.
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