| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Richmond Consolidated Students Collect Socks, Food for PantryBy Kim McMann, iBerkshires correspondent
07:27AM / Saturday, December 23, 2023 | |
The school collected more than 1,000 items of food for the food pantry in Pittsfield. RICHMOND, Mass. — Students at Richmond Consolidated School recently concluded their annual food drive and sock drive, having collected 578 pairs of socks and more than 1,000 items of food. According to Student Leadership Team coordinator Zachary Houle, a special education teacher, students in Grades 5 through 8 take on the leadership roles of a project that they choose based on the positive impact they believe it will have. "They look for a service project that will impact people right here, around our community," Houle said. For the past 0 Comments
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Teacher of the Month: Krista HarringtonBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:52PM / Friday, December 22, 2023 | |
Krista Harrington has been working at Stearns for eight years. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Stearns Elementary School fourth-grade teacher Krista Harrington has been selected as the December Teacher of the Month. The Teacher of the Month series runs for the next five months in partnership with Berkshire Community College. Harrington has been working in the education field for 10 years, starting out as a reading paraprofessional before turning to teaching two years later. "Krista has a very vast knowledge of literacy. Prior to her teaching career she was a reading paraprofessional so her depth of knowledge in terms of reading skills and how to 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Santa's Stocking Full of Year-End Gains| 02:48PM / Friday, December 22, 2023 | |
It has been a heck of a year for equities. Most investors should see double-digit gains when they open their January reports. Is the best yet to come? Officially, the Santa Claus rally comprises the last five trading days in December, plus the first two trading days in January. If that tradition holds, we should see further gains from here. However, many worry that Santa came early and all we face into the new year is a downside. They have reason to worry. We are already quite extended. Bullish sentiment is over the top. Bond yields have dropped so low in such a short period that many traders are looking for a rebound in yields. In addition, there seems to be an attempt by Fed 0 Comments
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Hillcrest Commons Resident Marks 104 Years This MonthCommunity Submission,
01:42PM / Friday, December 22, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Arline Newton celebrated her 104th birthday on Dec. 14 at Hillcrest Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation. Staff and residents joined together to wish her a very happy birthday. Newton was born in 1919, the year that the Boston Red Sox sold Babe Ruth's contract to the New York Yankees. She has been a resident of Hillcrest Commons for the last five years. Newton is still very active and can be seen in the photos helping to decorate one of Hillcrest Commons' Christmas trees. 0 Comments
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BHS Partners to Launch Support Group for Expecting Women of Color| 10:28AM / Friday, December 22, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Health Systems, in partnership with Springfield Family Doulas, is providing a new support group for birthing parents in the perinatal period, the months before and after the birth of their child, that is specifically focused on the needs and experiences of families of color. Embrace Diversity Birth Circle: Supporting Women of Color will be held on the second Thursday of each month at Berkshire Medical Center. This free support group will be held in the Bishop Clapp Building Conference Room from 5 to 6 pm and will be co-facilitated by Laconia Fennell and Tanita Council, the co-founders of Springfield Family Doulas. Funded through 0 Comments
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Downtown Pittsfield Extends Business Improvement Grant Applications| 08:02AM / Friday, December 22, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. (DPI) and the Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation (PERC) are co-facilitating a second round of The Pittsfield Glow Up! Business Improvement Grant Program made possible by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The program's purpose is to provide grants of up to $10,000 to eligible businesses affected by COVID-19 within ARPA's disproportionately impacted district of Pittsfield. The grant funds are to be used for physical improvements that will enhance the experience of foot traffic and create a visual vibrancy in the district. To apply, you must be a for-profit business in operation since January 0 Comments
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SaVida Health Relocates to North Street By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:53AM / Friday, December 22, 2023 | |
SaVida Health holds a ribbon cutting on Monday to celebrate its new offices. PITTSFIELD,Mass. — Local medication-assisted treatment provider SaVida Health celebrated its relocation with a ribbon cutting on Monday morning. The opioid addiction treatment center has moved from its previous location on Summer Street to 184 North St., across from the Joseph Scelsi Intermodal Transportation Center. The larger, centrally located space improves the center's accessibility for its patients due to its close proximity to the bus station and public parking, SaVida implementation manager Zoe Lewis said. The revamped space is also more comfortable with 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: End-of-Year Homework for Tax-Deferred InvestingBy Bill Schmick,
04:01PM / Thursday, December 21, 2023 | |
It is the season to be jolly, but don't let your busy schedule interfere with some "must-do" planning for this year and next. At the top of your financial list should be reviewing your tax-deferred accounts. First things first. If you are required to take a minimum required distribution from your IRA or 401(k) by the end of the year, you are running out of time. The new rules state that if you are 73 years of age in 2023 you are required to take a mandatory MRD before January 2024. This requirement includes both pretax and Roth 401(k) accounts, and most IRAs. If you skip your yearly RMD or don't withdraw enough, there is a 25 percent penalty on the amount you 0 Comments
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Boys & Girls Club Receives Grant Funding for Triple Play Dinner ProgramBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
01:18PM / Thursday, December 21, 2023 | |
Children were excited to see the pizza slice at the Boys and Girls Club. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires was awarded $10,000 in grant funding from the Papa Johns Foundation. The money will go toward the nonprofit's Triple Play dinner program that provides free meals to members from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Lighthouse Cafe. These days a lot of families don't have money and this program helps, the club's Program Director Cameron Stockton said, adding that the only thing the Boys and Girls Club asks is for the kids to be a member, be safe, and enjoy themselves. The program serves 0 Comments
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Making the Loop | We had some free time this week to walk the 2-mile loop through the downtown. Here's a few of things that caught our eye. (In between taking photos, we were heel-toeing and arm-pumping as prescribed.)
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Let's Go Paperless | This is from Ward 6 Councilor John Krol's eblast today. His switch to digital immediately caught our attention. With the associated costs - nearly $4,000 a year for paper alone! - zipping councilors "the packet" (as we in the know like to call it) over the ether makes loads of sense.
Digital also means the average citizen gets far better access to these public documents than ever before. The city clerk's office has been diligent about posting meeting agendas and, where possible, relevant documents. So in terms of saving money and time and getting information out efficiently, digital is the way to go.
I would like to thank City Clerk Linda Tyer for agreeing to print out one less city council packet, as I have officially gone paperless for council meetings - which I hope will be a trend that can be extended throughout city government.
 The bulky (and often, very bulky) city council packet that councilors use for a reference costs an average of $170 per meeting for paper alone. Add the additional costs of ink/toner, wear and tear on city hall copiers, and the time and energy of staff who put it all together - and a simple transition away from paper benefits everyone.
With the packet now fully digital in pdf form, all councilors, and everyone with an internet
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Berkshire Music School Kicks Off 2012 Classes With Open House | The open house featured a sample class, access to musical instruments, information for parents, refreshments ...and more than a few delighted squeals.
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January 29, 2011
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Dozens of youths, many of them under the age of 5, attended an open house at the Berkshire Music School Saturday, as the educational nonprofit enters its 70th year at its 30 Wendell Avenue home.
The open house featured a sample class, access to musical instruments, information for parents, refreshments... and more than a few delighted squeals, proving once again the inherent interest in making a joyful noise is not generational, and will never go out of style.
 The open house featured a Music for Preschoolers class, designed to "children’s awareness of rhythm, ability to sing and move creatively to music," which |
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