| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield Public Camping Ban Sparks Outrage at Council MeetingBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:12AM / Monday, May 19, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A proposal to ban public camping ran into pushback from residents and councilors last week. The City Council sent a proposed ordinance that bans encampments on any street, sidewalk, park, open space, waterway, or banks of a waterway to the Ordinances and Rules Subcommittee, the Homelessness Advisory Committee, and the Mental Health and Substance Abuse Task Force. Several community members at the meeting asked city officials, "Where do unhoused people go if they are banned from camping on public property?"
"In a place like America, we fetishize the idea of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps, but what if those people have no boots?"
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Teacher of the Month: Melinda GowdeyBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:08PM / Sunday, May 18, 2025 | |
Her students say Melinda Gowdey makes them feel like they're in a 'warm, fuzzy blanket.' HINSDALE, Mass. — Kittredge Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Melinda Gowdey has been selected as the May Teacher of the Month. The Teacher of the Month series, in collaboration with Berkshire Community College, will feature distinguished teachers nominated by community members. You can nominate a teacher here. For the last 21 years, Gowdey has been inspiring students and making them excited to learn by creating a calm, peaceful, inclusive, and safe classroom environment. In addition to being a fourth-grade teacher, she was an adjunct 0 Comments
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MassWildLife: View Peregrine Falcon Cameras| 11:52AM / Sunday, May 18, 2025 | |
Peregrine falcons are the fastest birds on Earth. They live throughout the world, including right here in Massachusetts! Several web cameras allow the public to witness falcons during breeding season. Peregrine falcons are unique and beautiful raptors that are specially adapted to hunt birds in flight. They hunt while soaring high in the sky and waiting for a bird to fly past below. To capture their prey, they fly straight down in a controlled dive called a stoop, where they can reach speeds over 240 miles per hour. Peregrine populations declined during the late 1940s, due to widespread use of the pesticide DDT which caused the birds to lay thin-shelled eggs that could not
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With Taxes Paid, Berkshire Mall Owners Plan for Senior HousingBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
08:21AM / Sunday, May 18, 2025 | |
The majority of the mall will have to be demolished as the 40-year-old big box stores are not suitable because of space and condition. LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Berkshire Mall owners have paid their town taxes and plan to transform the property into more than 400 units of housing.
JMJ Holdings is entering into the design process for a nine-figure overhaul of the shuttered mall property into 420 to 450 units of senior housing. Town Administrator Gina Dario confirmed that the full fiscal year 2025 tax balance, totaling $293,380, has been paid.
"It's basically an apartment building that's catered towards older populations, people generally in their mid-60s, and
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Market 32, Price Chopper Launch Fill a Glass with Hope Campaign| 08:03AM / Sunday, May 18, 2025 | |
SCHENECTADY, N.Y.— Market 32 and Price Chopper have partnered with the American Dairy Association North East, Garelick Farms, and local food banks to launch their annual Fill a Glass with Hope/Fill a Plate with Promise campaign. The initiative will run from May 1 to June 30. Customers are invited to round up their change at checkout to support local food banks in purchasing fresh milk and other nutritious food for families experiencing food insecurity. The 2025 campaign marks a decade of this partnership, during which over one million servings of milk have been donated to local families in need. Pam Cerrone, director of community relations for Market 32 and Price Chopper, stated that
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Final Summary of PHS Investigation ReleasedBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
01:28PM / Saturday, May 17, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A School Committee-initiated investigation into allegations of misconduct by Pittsfield High School staff members was unable to conclude that an administrator shared a nude image with students on social media.
On Thursday, the final executive summary was released. It is focused on administrator 2, who is alleged to have shared a photograph of female genitalia on her Snapchat account.
"During this investigation, we sought to determine the validity of allegations about PHS Administrator #2 sharing a photograph of female genitalia with PHS students on her Snapchat account," the 11-page report reads.
"Notwithstanding the information we obtained from
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Market 32, Price Chopper Recall Select Chicken Wraps | 06:15PM / Friday, May 16, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Market 32 and Price Chopper have announced a voluntary recall of specific Market 32 by Price Chopper brand pre-made Chicken Wraps due to potential Listeria monocytogenes contamination. The recall affects Chicken Caesar, Buffalo Chicken, and Chicken Bacon Ranch varieties sold in the deli/food fare section, with the following UPC codes: 4173500762 (Caesar), 4173500763 (Buffalo), and 4173505513 (Bacon Ranch). The wraps were produced by Rachael's Food Corporation. The company states that the affected products have past their sell-by dates and are no longer available for purchase in stores. However, the recall is being issued as a precautionary measure to ensure
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Pittsfield Announces Street Improvement Project Schedule for May 19-23| 03:30PM / Friday, May 16, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield has announced a schedule of street improvements to take place from May 19 through May 23. From May 19 to May 22, crews are scheduled to apply loam and seed to Orlando Avenue, Backman Avenue, Daniels Avenue, and Jason Street. During the same period, structures on the initial section of Newell Street, between East Street and Lyman Street, will be raised. On Friday, May 23, the first course of paving is planned for Newell Street, specifically the section between Elm Street and Lyman Street, as well as for Meadow Lane. The city has prohibited on-street parking on the aforementioned streets between the hours of 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. while this work
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@theMarket: Investors Regain Confidence as Tariff Fears AbateBy Bill Schmick,
01:38PM / Friday, May 16, 2025 | |
The 90-day reprieve on tariffs has given markets a boost. This week, equity indexes briefly turned positive for the year. Are there more gains ahead? Further upside in stocks is dependent on the next moves out of Washington. For now, tariff fears are on the back burner. Fewer tariffs imply less of a hit on the economy. That has convinced many brokers and money managers to backpedal on their recession predictions. Investor attention has now swerved to Congress and the passage of Trump's "Big Beautiful Bill." The president's spending bill is beginning to take shape, although the time to passage continues to slip. The original idea was to extend the tax cuts of 0 Comments
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Weekend Outlook: Warblers, Farmers Markets & Hot RodsBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
12:49PM / Friday, May 16, 2025 | |
Check out the events in the Berkshires this weekend, including a school musical, a car show, plant and nature events, and more. Editor's Pick Ventfort Hall Community Day 104 Walker Street, Lenox Saturday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission into Ventfort Hall is free, giving community members the chance to see inside the mansion and walk its grounds. At noon, visitors will see the newly unveiled green and white striped awnings. There will also be hourly presentations on the history of Ventfort Hall in the mansion's library from 10 to 3. More information here. Multiple 0 Comments
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Downtown Pittsfield Announces 'Hey Neighbor!' Summer Marketing Grants| 10:33AM / Friday, May 16, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) is offering the 2025 "Hey Neighbor!" Summer Marketing Grant for downtown storefront businesses. Funded by MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI), the grant aims to support businesses through coordinated cinema and radio marketing campaigns. Ten businesses in downtown Pittsfield will be awarded marketing grants. Recipients will receive custom video advertisements to be shown before films at the Beacon Cinema and radio advertisements to air on WUPE/WBEC FM from June through August 2025. The initiative seeks to increase foot traffic, raise community awareness, and highlight the 0 Comments
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UNICO of Pittsfield to Hold Mother's Day Community Drive| 08:00AM / Friday, May 16, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— UNICO of Pittsfield will conduct a Mother's Day Community Drive for Families in Need on Saturday, May 17. The drive will collect new pillows, new twin sheet sets, diapers (size 6 and Pull-Ups), diaper wipes or hand wipes, and personal care items such as body wash, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant. They will also be collecting blank calendar planners, adult coloring books, and color pencils. All collected items will be donated to the Elizabeth Freeman Center's families. Donations will be accepted from 9 a.m. to noon at the Elizabeth Freeman Center, located at 66 Allen Street, Pittsfield, and from noon until 6 p.m. at Balderdash Cellars, 0 Comments
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