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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Mold Found in Wahconah High AuditoriumBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:30AM / Monday, August 26, 2024 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District is investigating what has caused penicillium, a type of mold, to grow on the walls of Wahconah Regional High School's auditorium. The district filed a claim with its insurance company and anticipated the mold would be completely remediated by the weekend. However, the auditorium will remain closed until the investigation into why the mold grew is complete, Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said. The mold was discovered by a staff member the week before and reported by the school's Principal Aaron Robb. The mold was "in different places" in the auditorium, but anyone would have 0 Comments
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18 Degrees Recognizes Connection Program SuccessesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:28PM / Sunday, August 25, 2024 | |
Stephanie Steed, CEO and president of 18 Degrees, says the program affords support for youth and young adults to navigate life's complexities. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ten young people were recognized for overcoming adversity and achieving goals with the help of programs through 18 Degrees.
Beaming with pride after securing jobs, housing, and a better sense of self, they were given star-shaped plaques at the Berkshire Athenaeum on Friday. This was the family services agency's second annual recognition event. Participants of the Pittsfield Community Connection and West Main Connection in North Adams, programs within 18 Degrees, were nominated after reaching various
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BHS Hospitals Recognized With Awards| 12:50PM / Sunday, August 25, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center and Fairview Hospital have received nine American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines achievement awards for demonstrating Commitment to following up-to-date, research-based guidelines for the treatment of heart disease and stroke, ultimately leading to more lives saved, shorter recovery times and fewer readmissions to the hospital. Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke or heart attack, and heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. Studies show patients can recover better when providers consistently follow treatment guidelines. Get With 0 Comments
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Dalton Police Station and Hall Maintenance UpdateBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
11:17AM / Sunday, August 25, 2024 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — The asbestos in the police station bathroom next to dispatch has been abated. Building and Grounds Superintendent Jeff Burch updated the board during the Select Board meeting on Monday on the work being done to improve the conditions of the Town Hall basement where the police station is located. As part of the asbestos abatement, Catamount removed the floor tiles and the subfloor that had mastic on it and discovered contaminated wood underneath. Burch said they are in the process of removing it and rebuilding it section by section. Initially, the insurance company did not want to cover the cost of repairing the bathroom, but 0 Comments
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Greylock Welcomed Families For Youth Week 2024| 04:10PM / Saturday, August 24, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Federal Credit Union celebrated Youth Week 2024 with a kick-off event at its Community Empowerment Center (CEC) and week-long festivities throughout all of its branches Aug. 5 through 10. "For us at Greylock, we recognize and understand that financial wellness isn't a one-and-done concept, but rather, a way of life that involves individuals of all ages. That's why we were especially thrilled to welcome more than 170 young people and their families to our Youth Week 2024 event on Aug. 5," said Roberta McCulloch-Dews, vice-president of Marketing. "It was great to see our guests having a good time as they made their way 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Officer Helps Occupants Flee Early A.M. FireStaff Reports,
01:35PM / Saturday, August 24, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Fire Department is crediting a patrol officer in saving the occupants of a Third Street home from a fire. The blaze was reported at 1 a.m. on Saturday when a police officer on patrol noted smoke coming out of 11-13 Third St. The officer woke up the tenants and was evacuating them as firefighters were being dispatched. "His quick actions likely saved lives tonight," Deputy Fire Chief Neil Meyers wrote in his report. Crews on Engines 1 and 3, Car 2 and Truck 2 could see the large column of smoke as they traveled down Fenn Street. Engine 6 was then requested en route. There was heavy fire on the 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Goes Back to School With Tighter Cell Phone PolicyBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
01:13PM / Saturday, August 24, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee has tightened the district's cell phone regulations but some recognize that it may not be enough.
On Wednesday, a revised policy was passed that holds students' phones in the main office on a second infraction. By the fourth, the student is assigned Restorative In-School Education (RISE) and a caregiver must pick up the device.
A tiered cell phone policy was accepted last summer and after more than 6,300 infractions occurred in the subsequent school year, administrators went back to the drawing board.
Over the past month, teachers, families, and committee members helped inform a refined policy that interim Assistant
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Massachusetts Unemployment and Job Estimates for July 2024| 12:39PM / Saturday, August 24, 2024 | |
BOSTON, Mass. — The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development announced the state's July total unemployment rate was 3.5 percent, a 0.3 percentage point increase from the revised June estimate of 3.2 percent. The Massachusetts unemployment rate was 0.8 percentage points lower than the national rate of 4.3 percent reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Over-the-year, the state's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was up by 0.3 percentage points. The labor force increased by an estimated 22,000 from the revised estimate of 3,806,600 in June, with 12,100 residents more employed and 9,900 more residents unemployed over-the-month. The state's labor
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Wahconah Park Restoration Advancing With Support From Parks CommissionBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:20PM / Friday, August 23, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — While there are some unknowns, the restoration of Wahconah Park is advancing.
On Tuesday, the Parks Commission supported a move toward the project's development and design phase. Mayor Peter Marchetti has received a final report from the Wahconah Park Restoration Committee recommending a $28.4 million rebuild of the grandstand and parking lot.
"Although there are still some unknowns on how we're going to close the gap of funding, I think it's imperative that we take the next step and move on and get ourselves into the development and design phase," he told the commissioners.
"We all know that the longer we wait, the more
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Berkshire Athenaeum Short Story Contest Winners| 08:17AM / Friday, August 23, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's Public Library, and the Friends of the Berkshire Athenaeum announced the winners of the 46th Annual Short Story Writing Contest for Children and the 27th Annual Short Story Writing Contest for Young Adults. Entries were combined into five age categories with a total of 28 submissions. A committee of judges read through the submissions and rated the entries on originality, appeal, writing style, and artwork, if applicable. All short story submissions are on display in the Children's Library now through September 21, 2024. The winning submissions are also displayed on the library's website. When asked 0 Comments
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Dalton Advisory Panels Nixes Fire Station AddBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:15AM / Friday, August 23, 2024 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee eliminated the possibility of including a fire station in a public safety building. Committee members highlighted several reasons, including the Fire District's separation from the town, its disinterest in purchasing a station, and its "house [being in] disorder." The Board of Water Commissioners oversees the Fire District and the Fire Department. The district had reconsidered the prospect of purchasing a former automotive garage, located at 385 Main St., to turn it into a fire station. The advisory committee members alluded to how this prospect has stalled 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Taxing Social Security Benefits Hurts SeniorsBy Bill Schmick,
05:02PM / Thursday, August 22, 2024 | |
In this election season of competing promises, one idea stands out as a good way of redistributing income from the haves to the have-nots. More than 70 million needy Americans would benefit directly by cutting federal taxes on Social Security. Let's face it, retirees have been getting the short end of the stick for a long time. For years, with interest rates at practically zero, retired savers, unwilling to bet on the stock market, have received scanty returns on their savings. Fast forward to the pandemic and its aftermath. Elderly Americans, if they were lucky enough to dodge serious sickness or death as the highest-risk segment of the population, they were faced with 0 Comments
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