| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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BRPC Talks Rural Issues With Healey's WMass DirectorBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:29AM / Monday, November 20, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission on Thursday spoke with a representative from the Healey Driscoll administration about advocacy in the upcoming term. "We've been really committed to affordability, equity, competitiveness, and the climate," Western Massachusetts Director of the Office of Governor Healey Kristen Elechko said. She pointed out that the administration chose to create a director of rural affairs and hired Anne Gobi, who spoke at the Berkshire County Selectman's Association last month, and keeping her office open to support and serve Western Mass. "I can certainly say that because one of my primary 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Affordable Housing Trust Launches SurveyBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:17PM / Sunday, November 19, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Affordable Housing Trust has launched a survey to get a better understanding of community needs.
"The survey is on the (city) website. We have a designated wave web page, we have a QR code for people to fill out and complete the survey," Director of Community Development Justine Dodds said on Wednesday.
"We decided to do a postcard and the web page and the QR code so that we wouldn"t have to try to figure out how to get paper surveys back."
It is aimed at local property owners and will provide needed information for the disbursement of trust funds. Respondents will answer questions on the length of their ownership, the number
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Financial Aid Expansion for State Public College and University Students | 10:48AM / Sunday, November 19, 2023 | |
BOSTON — Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll announced a financial aid expansion that will benefit approximately 25,000 students attending the state's public community colleges, state universities, and the University of Massachusetts. With close to $62 million in new program funding, the MASSGrant Plus Expansion program will cover tuition, fees, books, and supply costs for Pell Grant-eligible students and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for middle-income students by up to half. Governor Healey announced the program this morning at Salem State University's campus, along with Secretary of Education Patrick Tutwiler, 0 Comments
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Market 32 Fill A Plate With Hope Campaign | 08:00AM / Sunday, November 19, 2023 | |
SCHENECTADY, N.Y. — Price Chopper and Market 32 stores are offering its customers a new way to support members of the community who might need a little help putting together a holiday meal. Through the "Fill A Plate with Hope This Holiday Season" program, for $10 shoppers can purchase a bag of food items to be donated to local organizations chosen by each individual store. The organizations will then provide the food to those who need food assistance during the holiday season. The bags include 6 oz. PICS traditional crispy onions, 4.7 oz. PICS au gratin potatoes, two 15.25 oz PICS whole kernel corn, 14.5 oz. PICS cut green beans, and 6 oz. PICS turkey 0 Comments
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MassDOT Posts Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment Online| 04:28PM / Saturday, November 18, 2023 | |
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is highlighting several initiatives as the annual World Day of Remembrance approaches, a day set aside every year on the third Sunday of November, to remember individuals killed and injured in crashes, acknowledge the important work of First Responders, and advocate for actions to improve road safety. "World Day of Remembrance is a time to pause and remember the victims of roadway crashes and to recommit ourselves to keeping each other safe," said Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. On Wednesday, November 15, MassDOT published online a Vulnerable Road User (VRU) 0 Comments
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Plant Connector Pop-up Opens in Pittsfield By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
11:15AM / Saturday, November 18, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — North County business owners Emilee Yawn and Bonnie Marks brought their community-loving plant shop, Plant Connector, to Central County. The pop-up shop, located at 64 North St., will be open until Dec. 31. The pop-up shop will replicate the much-loved North County store with an assortment of plants, home decor, and events. Yawn said the Plant Connector, which opened on Eagle Street in North Adams in 2020, is all about connecting people with plants and each other. "So, the Plant Connector is just about connecting people to each other and to the world around them," she said. In 2022 the shop outgrew 0 Comments
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Governor Appoints Secretary of Transportation | 10:52AM / Saturday, November 18, 2023 | |
BOSTON — Governor Maura T. Healey announced that she is appointing Monica Tibbits-Nutt as Secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT). Tibbits-Nutt has been serving as Acting Secretary since mid-September and was previously Undersecretary for Transportation. "Monica Tibbits-Nutt is a proven leader who has done important work at MassDOT over the past year as we've worked to make Massachusetts' transportation system more reliable, safe and accessible," said Governor Healey. "As Acting Secretary, she hit the ground running by working with the MBTA to prepare a first-of-its kind plan to fix the tracks by the 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Animal Commission Deems Nuisance DogsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
09:34AM / Saturday, November 18, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Animal Control Commission deemed two dogs as nuisances on Wednesday and placed sanctions on them.
Adam Street resident Debra Laframboise brought her neighbor Jarvis Chadwell's two bully mixes to the commission for being off-leash and reportedly defecating on her property and growling at her.
Montanna, a 3-year-old pitbull mix, and Opie, a 2-year-old American bulldog, must be humanely restrained when off their property, be licensed, and their owners are ordered to find a solution to a damaged fence on their property.
"We're not looking to have the dogs taken away. We're not looking for any of that," Laframboise said. "Keep
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FEMA Awards Funds to State for COVID Overtime Costs| 08:00AM / Saturday, November 18, 2023 | |
BOSTON – The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $5.6 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of overtime paid to state health employees engaged in critical functions during the COVID-19 pandemic. The $5,651,435 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the cost of having a total of 974 staff work overtime to manage the response to the pandemic between March and September 2020. That included providing a chief medical officer at the state's emergency operation center to manage the disaster, as well as staff to provide dissemination of information to the public to 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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