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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield 'Dunks' for Childhood Cancer By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
07:31AM / Sunday, September 11, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Signs of survivors, fighters, and fallen angels from childhood cancer lined the parking lot of Walmart as community members gathered to "dunk" their peers in an effort to raise funds to fight the illness. Two local moms, Christen Simmons and Stephanie Maschino, whose lives were greatly affected by childhood cancer collaborated with local organizations to gather funds for their cause. Saturday's event included a informational booths, music, food, children's activities and a chance to drop various civic leaders into a dunk tank for a good cause. All donations are going to the pediatric oncology departments at the 0 Comments
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'I Am Water' Billboard Exhibit Speaks to Environmental IssueBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:22PM / Saturday, September 10, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — H20-themed billboards across the city — and one in North Adams — aim to start a conversation about water issues. As a part of the "I Am Water" exhibition by ecoartspace and Our Humanity Matters, five billboards featuring artwork that speaks to the power of water will be featured in Berkshire County and one over the state border in New Lebanon, N.Y.
The works address water conservation, quality, flooding, and scarcity.
It is an appropriate time for the narrative, as the state and county has been in a drought this summer and, last month, the city of Pittsfield implemented mandatory water restrictions.
"'I Am Water' is the
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Pontoosuc Lake Algae Bloom a Health Hazard| 01:21PM / Saturday, September 10, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Board of Health is advising people and their pets not to swim in Pontoosuc Lake. Recent algae test results have confirmed the presence of a blue-green algae bloom at Pontoosuc Lake that may present harmful health effects for users of the lake. Health Director Andy Cambi said in a statement on Saturday morning that the water poses a risk for people and animals and that warning signs have been posted around the lake. Do not swim. Do not swallow water. Keep animals away. Rinse off after contact with water. Blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, occur naturally in lakes and ponds throughout Massachusetts. These microscopic 0 Comments
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'Rise Together' Walks Raise Funds for Freeman Center| 10:54AM / Saturday, September 10, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Elizabeth Freeman Center's fall fundraiser Rise Together for Safety and Justice will include six small walks across the county between Sept. 14 and Sept. 22. For the third consecutive year, it is taking a different form from the organization's former fundraiser "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes," which featured men walking a mile in perceivably feminine footwear down North Street at the year's last Third Thursday event.
Members of the LGBTQ-plus community collaborated with the EFC to create an event that is representative of all gender identities and sexual orientations.
This year's fundraising goal is $125,000 and the organization has
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ROPE Program Welcomes Home Scholars and AmbassadorsBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:22PM / Friday, September 09, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Scholars, ambassadors, and mentors for Rites of Passage and Empowerment were welcomed home recently after flying across the Atlantic Ocean to Ghana for a memorable journey to experience its culture and honoring their ancestors' history. "We spent some time at the University of Ghana, and we danced, and we danced, and we learned and we learned. We talked about history, but one of the most magnificent things that they did was they welcomed us home," ROPE founder Shirley Edgerton said. "You have to really think about that, African Americans going to West Africa, the heart of where over 12 million Africans was shipped 0 Comments
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New Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine Available| 04:08PM / Friday, September 09, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems will begin providing the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine in September and October. The latest vaccine to combat COVID-19 is designed to provide protection from the BA.4 and BA.5 variants that currently make up the vast majority of novel coronavirus cases in the United States. The bivalent vaccine will be offered at the BHS Testing & Vaccine Centers in Pittsfield and North Adams, and at Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington, as follows: • Pittsfield Testing & Vaccine Center, 505 East St., St. Luke's Square: starting on Tuesday, Sept. 13, and continuing each week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Run Remembers Murdered Tennessee Jogger Eliza FletcherBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires.com Sports
09:43AM / Friday, September 09, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Backlit by the first glow of sunlight over the hills east of the city and sporting a T-shirt with the slogan “Women run the world,” Shiobbean Lemme calls the predawn hours “the best time of the day.” “To get this view, you have to go to bed before Jeopardy is over,” Lemme jokes. “I don’t ever get to see Final Jeopardy. But, you know, the tradeoff is worth it for me.” On Friday, Lemme was joined by more joggers than usual as the Berkshire County running community joined runners throughout the nation in honoring Memphis, Tenn.’s, Eliza Fletcher, who was kidnapped and murdered during her early 0 Comments
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs Unions' Higher PayBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:13AM / Friday, September 09, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee has passed memoranda of agreements for four bargaining units that include "substantial increases."
During a special meeting on Thursday, MOAs for the 2021-2022 school year and the 2022-2025 school years were unanimously approved for bus drivers and attendants, cafeteria workers, paraprofessionals, and educational secretaries.
The unions are represented by the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees, a local affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.
On behalf of the negotiating team and the whole committee, Chair William Cameron expressed that they are "extremely gratified" with the agreements and hope to settle
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Three Families Celebrated on County Reunification DayBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:13PM / Thursday, September 08, 2022 | |
18 Degrees President Sarah Cook says some families need help and guidance on the path to reunification. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Varying circumstances led the Ernest, Hernandez, and Hendrickson families to be separated by the child welfare system but they are now whole again. The three families celebrated Berkshire County Reunification Day at 18 Degrees on Wednesday. They were reunited within the last couple of years after a great deal of hard work and perseverance.
"We know that the families we work with have strengths and talents, capacities and capabilities, and sometimes it's hard to access these when life and circumstances get in the way. Social, health,
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The Retired Investor: Where Have All the Workers Gone?By Bill Schmick,
04:47PM / Thursday, September 08, 2022 | |
 Help wanted posters continue to populate storefront windows in a multitude of service-related businesses across the nation. The U.S. has 3 million more job openings than it did before the pandemic. This labor imbalance is entering its third year. Why has it been so difficult to remedy? First, I would like to dismiss any assumption you may have that American workers are lazy and simply don't want to work. That attitude is neither true, nor particularly helpful, in understanding the major forces that are at play in this nation. Instead, I see four main areas that largely explain America's labor dilemma. Let me start with older workers like myself, who left 1 CommentRead More >> |
Weekend Outlook: Concerts, Fairs, Festivals, and MoreBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
11:50AM / Thursday, September 08, 2022 | |
 Berkshire County is hosting a variety of events this warm, sunny weekend featuring concerts, fairs, festivals, and more. Hawk Henries Zion Lutheran Church, Pittsfield Start your weekend off early this Thursday by listening to original flute music by Hawk Henries, a member of Nipmuc's Chaubunagungamaug band, in Zion Lutheran Church's Common Room starting at 7 p.m. His music has been described as being able to carry listeners across musical and cultural boundaries. His artist statement says he is committed to music "as a traditional art form and as a vehicle for building bridges of communication and mutual respect." Tickets 4 Comments
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Pittsfield COVID Cases Plateau, Cold Weather Spike ExpectedBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
11:43AM / Thursday, September 08, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's health director had good news on Wednesday, telling the Board of Health that COVID-19 cases have been plateauing for the last month after a small increase in July. The average case rate has remained rather consistent for the past couple of months, said Andy Cambi, sitting at 28.3 cases per 100,000 on Monday, but the positivity rate has been less steady.
On Monday, the positivity rate was 11.3 percent, up from 8.3 percent at the end of August.
The city remains in the red incidence rate for COVID-19 transmission, meaning that there is an average of 10 or more cases per 100,000 and a positivity rate above 5 percent.
There are roughly 76 estimated
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