News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pontoosuc Lake Algae Bloom a Health Hazard01:21PM / 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 Read More >> |
'Rise Together' Walks Raise Funds for Freeman Center10:54AM / 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 Read More >> |
New Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine Available04:08PM / 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 Read More >> |
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 Read More >> |
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 Read More >> |
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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Lanesborough Library, Town Hall Upgrades ComingBy Brian Rhodes, iBerkshires Staff 05:10AM / Thursday, September 08, 2022 | |
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Planned upgrades to the library and Town Hall are still in progress despite supply-chain related delays. The town voted at a special town meeting in January to approve $100,000 of free cash to renovate several aspects of town hall and the library. Proposed improvements include new carpet, new windows, washing and painting of both the interior and exterior of the building. Library Director Sheila Parks said she has spoken to the contractors, who recently took measurements for the building. There have been delays in the process, she said, because of supply-chain issues. "Things take longer," she said at Tuesday's library board of
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BOO! Pittsfield Halloween Parade is BackBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff 05:51PM / Wednesday, September 07, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Tyler Street will be a haunted ground of ghosts and ghouls once more this year. The city's annual Halloween parade returns on Friday, Oct. 28, at 7 p.m. after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The last parade was in 2019. Recreation and Special Events Coordinator Becky Manship said it is a longstanding tradition that the community loves and the city is excited to bring it back. Schools, community, and civic groups are invited to participate in the all-ages event. "We look forward to seeing all the ghouls, goblins, superheroes, floats, marchers, and more in this year's parade," Manship said in a press release. This will be
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