| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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BCC to Hold Talk on State Fire Marshall History | 11:32AM / Monday, May 05, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass — Berkshire Community College (BCC)'s Fire Science Program welcomes guest speaker Joshua Stanley to present "The History of the Massachusetts State Fire Marshal's Office: Transforming Tragedy into Progress" on Tuesday, May 6 at 6 p.m. Local firefighters, BCC students and the public are invited to attend. The free talk will be held in Melville Hall, Room 317, located on BCC's main campus at 1350 West Street, Pittsfield. It will also be available online. To register for the Zoom session, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/fire-history. Shanley's presentation demonstrates how historic fires, explosions and building 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Announces Phase Three of Spring Hydrant Flushing Schedule| 07:23AM / Monday, May 05, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The City of Pittsfield's water system will begin phase three of its spring flushing schedule on Monday, May 5. Water mains will be flushed Monday through Friday each week, excluding holidays, between 7:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. This phase is anticipated to last from May 5 to May 9. On Monday only, early morning flushing will also occur from 1:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. The affected area includes South Street from the intersection of South Street and East Housatonic Street to Park Square; North Street from Park Square to Wahconah Street; and Wahconah Street from North Street to Charles Street. Flushing is expected to affect the following areas: Various locations along 0 Comments
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BRTA Studying Microtransit for CountyBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
05:24AM / Monday, May 05, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority is looking over a new project to bring microtransit to the county. The study was done by the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and FoursquareITP (Integrated Transportation Planning) and presented recently to the BRTA board by project manager Jessica Klion . She stated that the county is facing challenges to provide comprehensive and effective transit service for all of its residents and visitors as public transportation mainly focused on more developed areas. Microtransit would include more coverage than a fixed-route service and would have a similar interface as the Uber and Lyft apps. This 0 Comments
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MassWildlife: Fawn Phases| 04:03PM / Sunday, May 04, 2025 | |
Adult female deer, called does, typically give birth to 1–3 baby fawns each year. Most are born in May and June; however, fawns can be born in Massachusetts any time between April and September. Healthy fawns weigh about 4-9 pounds at birth and can walk within an hour. During their first couple of months, fawns spend most of their time away from their mothers. This separation protects the fawns, who are not yet strong enough to flee from predators that may be attracted to the mother. Let's take a closer look at the normal phases of fawn and doe behavior: Bed Phase (May – June) The bed phase lasts for the first 5–8 days of a fawn's life (see photo above). Newborn
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Pittsfield School Committee Adopts $86M BudgetBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
02:48PM / Sunday, May 04, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Public School's budget for the upcoming fiscal year includes added communication supports and a special project manager.
The School Committee on Wednesday adopted a $86,450,361 budget for fiscal year 2026 that includes an $18 million city contribution and more than $68 million of anticipated Chapter 70 funding.
It is a $3,765,084 increase from this year. With $450,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition funds, it totals $86,900,361.
While the bottom line stayed the same, this iteration of the budget accommodates the School Committee's two requests, reallocating $20,000 for contracted communications services and $80,000 for a special project
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Commissioner of Higher Ed Speaking at BCC Commencement| 12:40PM / Sunday, May 04, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — State Commissioner of Higher Education Noe Ortega will be the keynote speaker for Berkshire Community College's 65th commencement at Tanglewood in Lenox on Friday, May 30, at 4:30 p.m. Ortega was sworn in as commissioner in 2022. He has led the Department of Higher Education through a time of historic investment by the state Legislature and Healey-Driscoll administration in affordability and access for all learners in the commonwealth. "We are truly excited to have Commissioner Ortega speak to our graduates this year," said BCC President Ellen Kennedy. "We know he has spent a lot of his career focused on access, especially for 0 Comments
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Market 32, Price Chopper Customers Donate Food Bags to Local Pantries| 11:54AM / Sunday, May 04, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Customers of Market 32 and Price Chopper purchased 18,590 pre-packed $10 food bags between March 30 and April 20, 2025, for donation to local food banks and pantries. The bags contained PICS brand items such as elbow macaroni, peanut butter, chicken noodle soup, canned tuna, kidney beans, and chunk chicken. Each of the 129 Market 32 and Price Chopper stores selected a local organization focused on addressing nutrition security to receive the donations. In total, 111,540 items will be distributed to individuals and families in need. Pam Cerrone, Market 32 and Price Chopper director of community relations, stated that the in-store food drive provides customers with
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Pittsfield Joins PowerSchool Data Breach LawsuitBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
11:53AM / Sunday, May 04, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The school district could receive compensation for a PowerSchool breach in December that accessed students and teachers' personal information.
On Wednesday, the School Committee unanimously voted to join a mass action litigation against PowerSchool for the cybersecurity incident that affected thousands of school districts across the United States, including the Pittsfield Public Schools. Mount Greylock Regional School District and Northern Berkshire School Union also reported that some data was accessed. The software company notified Pittsfield of the Dec. 19 breach in the first week of January and notified the district of remedial efforts, which
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Eversource Urges Customers to Prepare for Summer Energy Usage| 08:39AM / Sunday, May 04, 2025 | |
BOSTON — Following a winter increase in natural gas bills attributed to cold weather and high energy consumption, Eversource is advising customers to take measures to manage energy use before the summer. The company notes that increased use of cooling appliances during summer typically leads to higher electricity bills, even if the Basic Service rate decreases on August 1. Eversource offers several energy efficiency solutions and financial assistance programs to help customers manage their payments and reduce energy consumption. Recommended actions for customers to manage summer energy use include: Conducting a Home Energy Assessment and weatherizing their homes. Setting air 0 Comments
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Letter: Dalton,Vote for Fiscal Responsibility & Board Accountability Letter to the Editor,
05:00PM / Saturday, May 03, 2025 | |
 To the Editor:
During the March 26 Finance Committee meeting, I was appalled by Chief Deanna Strout's snide remarks directed at the Committee after the Police Budget failed to pass. The Finance Committee, comprised of elected officials who volunteer their time and oversee "all municipal financial issues," should not be subjected to unprofessional behavior from a department head. I commend the committee for scrutinizing the police budget, which has risen by 59 percent, or $600,000, since Chief Strout's appointment ($1.049M FY21 vs $1.665M 2026 projection). Salaries are the primary factor behind the increases. The town manager, in a deplorably poor effort, recently
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Budget, Election Recall, High School Site on Dalton Meeting WarrantBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
03:31PM / Saturday, May 03, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — Voters at the annual town meeting on Monday, May 5, will decide on 31 articles, a few of which have sparked debate within the town. The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. at Wahconah Regional High School. Town meeting documents can be found here. Voters will decide on several articles that make up the town's anticipated total budget of $23,731,317 for fiscal year 2026. Of that, the town is requesting $11,048,759 for its operating budget, an increase of 9.18 percent or $934,436. The increases stem from increases in costs for health insurance and vocational schools. Additionally, it includes pay rises for town employees based on 0 Comments
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Cyclist Struck by Car in Pittsfield in Serious Condition| 02:50PM / Saturday, May 03, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A bicyclist was seriously injured Friday night after being struck by a car in the northbound lane of Cheshire Road. Sgt. Davis Hallas said the cyclist, age 33, was traveling north when he was hit from behind by a 2008 Subaru Impreza driving by an 18-year-old. The collision occurred in front of Berkshire Gas Co. The cyclist was taken to Berkshire Medical Center for "potentially life-threatening injuries to his head" and was admitted, according to Hallas. Cheshire Road was closed for four hours between Wiliamsburg Terrace and Greenwich Street. Traffic was detoured over those roads until the Cheshire Road was reopened 0 Comments
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