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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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BCC Integrates Learning Communities into Curriculum | 12:21PM / Saturday, November 05, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Learning communities are now part of the curriculum, and at BCC, a learning community is a small group of students, enrolled together in two joined courses who work in collaboration toward shared academic goals. Based on a national model, learning communities at BCC enroll a maximum of 22 students and are taught by two faculty members, creating the opportunity for students and faculty to form connections in a supportive academic environment of curiosity and growth. During the current fall 2022 semester, BCC is offering two inaugural learning communities based on the theme of "Stay Local, Go Global." The first learning community, 0 Comments
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Pittsfield School's Curriculum Panel OKs 2 Pilot Courses By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
10:23AM / Saturday, November 05, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Pittsfield Public Schools' curriculum subcommittee voted to approve two pilot courses during its meeting on Tuesday night. The "History of Math" course has been in the works for over a year. It would be a half-year elective to ensure it is accessible to students who have an interest in the topic since all half-year electives are currently either English or history based. Pittsfield High School math teachers Mary Morrison and Jennifer Gaudette developed this course as a way to answer one of the most common questions they are confronted with -- "when will we ever need to know this." "So the 0 Comments
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New Waste Disposal Ban Regulations Take Effect | 08:00AM / Saturday, November 05, 2022 | |
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito Administration announced that new waste ban regulations that promote recycling and re-use, reduce trash disposal, and foster recycling business growth take effect November 1, 2022. The new regulations will ban the disposal of mattresses and textiles in the trash, as well as decrease food waste from businesses and institutions. Massachusetts currently has a food waste ban on businesses disposing one ton or more per week, and these regulations lower that threshold to a half-ton per week. The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) established a ban on disposal of food waste from businesses and institutions disposing of 14 Comments
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MassDEP Clears Petroleum Product from Housatonic River in PittsfieldBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:53AM / Saturday, November 05, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state Department of Environmental Protection recently cleared a "substantial" amount of petroleum product from the east branch of the Housatonic River. The Conservation Commission on Thursday ratified an emergency permit for the abatement and clean-up of a petroleum product release in the body of water behind 103 Elm St. last month.
Work consisted of abatement, cleanup, and mitigation measures from surface waters and surrounding areas. This included the deployment of containment booms in the swale before the east branch, removal of contaminated soils and organic debris, and the placement of clean fill to match former grads if necessary.
"This
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Pittsfield Saw Two Mini-COVID Surges This FallBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:58PM / Friday, November 04, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has seen ups and downs with COVID-19 cases this fall and is currently on the lower end of case counts.
Health officials now say sewage testing is the truest indicator of the virus's impact on the community because it accounts for at-home tests.
"We did experience in the past two months a couple of mini surges throughout the city," Director of Public Health Andy Cambi said to the Board of Health on Wednesday.
"It's hard to gauge it from the active tests we have received because a lot of it, as I mentioned before, is done through at-home test kits."
On Tuesday, Biobot sewage testing showed 1.3 million copies per liter.
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@theMarket: No Pause, No Pivot, Says FedBy Bill Schmick,
03:38PM / Friday, November 04, 2022 | |
It should have come as no surprise, but it did. Investors were poised for a slightly less hawkish Jerome Powell but were once again disappointed by the Federal Reserve Bank chairman. Chairman Powell and his Federal Open Market Committee's decision to maintain a course of rising interest rates for longer punctured this most recent bear market rally. The three major indexes dropped more than 2 percent and continued to fall for the remainder of the week. There was nothing new in the FOMC statement, nor in Powell's remarks afterward in the Q&A session. To some observers, he seemed even more hawkish than usual. Sure, he conceded that at some point, the Fed might pause 0 Comments
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Kohl's Cuts Ribbon on Lenox LocationBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:15PM / Friday, November 04, 2022 | |
Store manager Christine Bujanow prepares the sales floor before Kohl's grand opening LENOX, Mass. — Store employees cut the ribbon on the Berkshire's newest retail store on Friday. Centrally located on Pittsfield Road, Kohl's hopes to meet the local demand for shopping options while providing personable customer service. The small format department store had a soft opening on Sunday before its official debut at the end of the week. This is the first Kohl's to open in Berkshire County. The closest stores are in Springfield and in Colonie, N.Y.
Manager Christine Bujanow said the store was brought to the region to offer more diversity in products and give
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Pittsfield Homelessness Committee Has Hopes for Community Health WorkerBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Friday, November 04, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Homelessness Advisory Committee got an inside look at the city's new community health worker position on Wednesday. Gabrielle DiMassimo has been in the role for about three months and works within the Health Department. The committee hopes it can be a resource to DiMassimo and a support network.
She explained that community health workers are often trusted members of the community and serve as a cultural bridge between providers and community members.
"Our goal is to help clients move from case management to self-management by providing them with health, education, empowerment, and appropriate resources to help them improve their quality of
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Pittsfield Board of Health OKs Updated Tobacco Ordinance DraftBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:31AM / Friday, November 04, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With the Board of Health's support on several proposed tobacco ordinance updates, the city now wants to hear from the public.
On Wednesday, the panel approved a slate of changes that extend the document from 16 pages to 18 pages. These include a clarified definition for blunt wraps, a raised minimum price requirement for cigars, and violations that incorporate state law.
This has been an almost six-month effort after Tri-Town Health Department Director James Wilusz came to the board in May to give an update on tobacco control.
Pittsfield's tobacco ordinance was last updated in 2019 before Gov. Charlie Baker signed an Act Modernizing Tobacco Control,
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The Retired Investor: Economics of Daylight Savings TimeBy Bill Schmick,
05:20PM / Thursday, November 03, 2022 | |
 On Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, Americans turn their clocks back to Standard Time. Earlier in the year, the U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill that would have made Daylight Savings Time (DST) permanent as of Nov. 20, 2023. What happened? The U.S. House of Representatives has failed to act on the measure. In order to become law, the measure would need to pass the House and be signed into law by the president. Fundamental disagreements over the language of the Senate bill, called the Sunshine Protection Act, ultimately focused on which was the proper time to make permanent -- Daylight Savings or Standard Time. Recent public opinion polls say most Americans would like to see DST 0 Comments
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Conservative Candidates Promote Campaigns in Park SquareBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:01PM / Thursday, November 03, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — With less than a week until election day, Republican congressional candidate Dean Martilli stood out in Park Square with a small group of supporters on Wednesday. "The main thing that I've heard since we've started the campaign is that people want change," he said.
"They want change in their government and they want leadership. They want someone or people that are going to stand up for the people that voted them into office. I'm hearing it still today."
Martilli is challenging the incumbent in the 1st Massachusetts District, Democrat Richard Neal, who has served in Congress for more than 30 years and is the chair of the powerful
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Pittsfield Board OKs Assisted Living Expansion, Rejects Parcel RezoningBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
03:43PM / Thursday, November 03, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Development Board on Tuesday rejected a reclassification request and approved a special permit for the expansion of an assisted living facility. The owners of Side by Side assisted living facility on Onota Street plan to expand its campus by converting four multifamily homes into 19 assisted living units. The project also includes an application to reduce the number of required off-street parking spaces.
The additional properties are located on Gilbert Street and West Union Street.
"The tenants themselves do not generally own vehicles, its very low vehicle ownership," City Planner CJ Hoss said.
"So there's not a
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