| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Dalton Finance Anticipates Challenges Budget Season By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
03:45PM / Friday, December 19, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee will soon embark on its budget planning process, which comes with a notable challenge. It was demonstrated during its meeting last Wednesday that this year's budget planning will demand both strategic thinking to ensure financial stability for the town while maintaining critical services. The town does not have a lot of budgetary flexibility because it does not have a lot of room with relation to Proposition 2 1/2, Chair William Drosehn III said. Proposition 2 1/2 limits the ability of town's to raise taxes and sets a levy ceiling. Drosehn said the town's levy limit is $280,000. However, it 0 Comments
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Berkshire United Way Awards Food Assistance Funds to 15 Organizations | 03:37PM / Friday, December 19, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire United Way (BUW) has awarded $51,630 to 15 local organizations to strengthen food distribution efforts in response to rising food insecurity and recent disruptions in federal assistance programs such as SNAP. Following a thorough application and review process, BUW provided funding to: Berkshire Bounty, Berkshire Community College Foundation, Berkshire Dream Center, Berkshire Grown, Community Health Programs (CHP), First United Methodist Church, Friends of the Pittsfield Senior Center, Great Barrington Farmers Market, Pittsfield Community Food Pantry, seeing rainbows, Sonrisas, The Christian Center, The People's Pantry, Village Food Box, 0 Comments
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Weekend Outlook: Holiday HappeningsBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
02:32PM / Friday, December 19, 2025 | |
 Check out the events happening this weekend, including holiday-themed parties and events. Find all the craft fairs and bazaars happening here. Editor's Pick Adams Holiday Light Parade Downtown Adams Sunday at 6 p.m. Santa is visiting Adams before his big night. Join the first responders, police department, and more as they escort Santa around town. The parade will start at Liberty Street and end at Hoosac Street. More information and route here. Friday Family Movie Night 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone' BArT Charter Public School, Adams Time: 6 to 9 p.m. Bring the family to see the first Harry Potter film. 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Markets Enter Last Leg of a Good YearBy Bill Schmick,
02:10PM / Friday, December 19, 2025 | |
Friday was the end of the final full week of trading for the year. The next two holiday-shortened weeks will top off a good year for stocks. Will Santa show up for the finale? The much-vaunted Santa Claus Rally is supposed to begin this coming week and carry us through to the New Year. Does it really matter? For the most part, if you had stayed invested through 2025's ups and downs, you should be pretty happy now. Especially so if you had followed my advice and bought some precious metals and mining stocks. Of course, I won't turn my nose up at an extra percent or two into January if Mr. Claus does visit. Now that the president has made the day before and after 0 Comments
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Capeless Students Raise $5,619 for CharityBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
11:13AM / Friday, December 19, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Students at Capeless Elementary School celebrated the season of giving by giving back to organizations that they feel inspired them. On Monday night, 28 fourth-grade students showed off the projects they did to raise funds for an organization of their choice. They had been given $5 each to start a small business by teachers Jeanna Newton and Lidia White. Newton created the initiative a dozen years ago after her son did one while in fifth grade at Craneville Elementary School, with teacher Teresa Bills. "And since it was so powerful to me, I asked her if I could steal the idea, and she said yes. And so the following year, I began, and I've been able to do
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The Retired Investor: Fed's $40 Billion-per-Month Purchase of Treasuries Is ImportantBy Bill Schmick,
03:55PM / Thursday, December 18, 2025 | |
Last week's half-point interest rate cut by the Federal Open Market Committee, overshadowed what I believe is an even more important development. The Fed has kicked off a series of what they called "reserve management purchases" by committing to buy $40 billion per month in short-term Treasury bills and notes. In essence, the Fed is expanding its balance sheet by buying these securities. They were quick to point out that this was not the beginning of a quantitative easing program, which is aimed at explicitly stimulating economic activity, although it has the same impact on financial markets. In essence, the Fed is providing a steady stream of additional liquidity to 0 Comments
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PEDA Site 9 Preparation, Member RetirementBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
03:40PM / Thursday, December 18, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The redevelopment of Site 9 for mixed-use in the William Stanley Business Park is set to take off. Edward Weagle, principal geologist at Roux Associates, gave an update on the yearlong work to the Pittsfield Economic Development Authority last week. "It's been a real pleasure for me to work on a project like this," he said. "This is kind of like a project of a career of a lifetime for me, and I'm very pleased to see that we're just at the finish line right now. My understanding is that all the documents are in front of the commissioner, waiting for her to sign off." Mill Town Capital is planning to develop a mixed-use
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BCC Welcomes Applicants to Culinary Apprenticeship Program | 03:19PM / Thursday, December 18, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is accepting applications to its culinary apprenticeship program. Successful program graduates are awarded the industry-recognized ServSafe Food Handler Certificate and are job-ready for a wide range of food service employment opportunities, from school cafeterias and hospital kitchens to restaurants and private households. Student apprentices are paid, and students of all ages may qualify for free tuition and fees. To apply to BCC, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/apply. The 15-week culinary arts apprenticeship program blends hands-on, practical training with systematic accompanying education, 0 Comments
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MassHire Berkshire Workforce Board Early Childhood Educator Grant| 11:53AM / Thursday, December 18, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced $1.8 million in Grants for Registered Apprenticeship Opportunities in Workforce (GROW) to eight organizations to train and place more than 300 apprentices in early childhood education careers across the state. "Our administration has been committed to expanding the Registered Apprenticeship model into industries like early childhood education so we can strength the talent pipeline," said Governor Maura Healey. "Through the GROW grants, we're creating real pathways for educators to learn, earn and advance their careers, while helping providers attract and retain the talent they need. These investments are 0 Comments
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BCC Awarded Grant from Commonwealth for Commercial Driver's License Training | 07:42AM / Thursday, December 18, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC) is the recipient of a $132,825 grant from the Healey-Driscoll Administration, part of a total of $1.5 million awarded to community colleges to train more than 500 students across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. BCC's grant is earmarked for commercial driver's license (CDL) training. Trained CDL drivers are in high demand in the Berkshires and beyond. According to an American Trucking Association survey, more than 400,000 new truck drivers are needed in the United States every year. The Training Resources and Internships Network (TRAIN) grants provide essential training opportunities to unemployed and 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Signs Negotiating Rights Agreement With Suns Baseball TeamBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:49AM / Thursday, December 18, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Suns will call Wahconah Park home again.
On Tuesday, the Parks Commission accepted a negotiating rights agreement between the city and longtime summer collegiate baseball team, the Pittsfield Suns. It solidifies that the two will work together when the historic ballpark is renovated.
It remains in effect until the end of 2027, or when a license or lease agreement is signed. Terms will be automatically extended to the end of 2028 if it appears the facility won't be complete by then.
"It certainly looks like it lays out kind of both what the Suns and Pittsfield would like to see over the next year or so during this construction
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ADOPTED! Companion Corner: Cali and Kyzer at Berkshire Humane SocietyBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
02:30PM / Wednesday, December 17, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a bonded dog pair awaiting a new family at the Berkshire Humane Society. Kyzer and Cali are both poodles. Kyzer is the male and is 7 years old, a quite a bit bigger than his sister Cali, who is a miniature of Kyzer and 8 years old. Canine adoption counselor Rhonda Cyr introduced us to the two. "They came from a household that couldn't hold on to them, and it sounds like they may have been abandoned by their previous owner with somebody else, and so they came to us looking for a new home," she said. The two love to be around you and snuggle. But both are very happy dogs. "Kyzer is 7 years old, and his personality is that he kind of
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