| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
|
DA's Office Seeks Extradition of Child Abuse SuspectStaff Reports,
03:17PM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former The Bible Speaks pastor was arrested in the state of Florida for two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 from 1980. Eric Anderson, 80, who had been an administrator in the church's Bible college and school, was taken into custody by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office. An extradition warrant issued had been issued by the Berkshire District Attorney's Office after Anderson's indictment by a grand jury in April. The warrant had initially been for the commonwealth of Virginia until State Police with the DA's office found a second address in Bradenton, Fla. He was apprehended on 0 Comments
Read More >> |
@theMarket: September Usually Risky Month for MarketsBy Bill Schmick,
02:58PM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
September into mid-October has historically been a dicey period for equities overall. Of course, history doesn't mean much when the financial system is wrestling with so many "firsts." Rather than red, it appears markets are waving a yellow flag of caution. Wherever investors look, gut-wrenching changes are occurring in the economy, including trade and even the independence of our monetary system. However, at the same time, there are plenty of positive developments among these changes. Depending on your perspective, the cup is either half full or half empty. The economy continues to grow, with the second-quarter GDP revised higher to 3.3 percent from 3 percent, 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield ZBA OKs Sign For Ollie's Discount StoreBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
01:14PM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city is closer to having another bargain store to shop at.
On Wednesday, the Zoning Board of Appeals granted a sign exemption for 457 Dalton Ave., the former Big Lots. The store will now be an Ollie's Bargain Basement, a company based in Harrisburg, Pa.
The store requested an exemption from sign ordinance requirements for a 114.2 square foot wall sign on a painted yellow wall in the front of the store. It is located on the top level of the Dalton Avenue Plaza.
Up to 100 square feet of signage is allowed in the business commercial zoning district and the ZBA can grant up to 150 square feet. "We appreciate that," Jeff Rives,
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Last Chance to see 'Baseball in the Berkshires' 2025 Exhibit in LeeCommunity submission,
12:47PM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
 LEE, Mass. – One weekend remains to see “The Fascinating Story of Baseball in the Berkshires” at the Lee Premium Outlets. The summer 2025 home of the Baseball in the Berkshires museum project has welcomed 3,000 visitors over the past couple of months, including people from more than 23 countries and 30 states. Guides John Belland, John Connolly, Marc Simon, Krysten St. John, Stan Tracy and Larry Moore gave the visitors a “lay of the land” and let them cover the bases which spanned almost 8,000 square feet of a former furniture store. The local stories of more than 40 Major League players were remembered along with two who have been inducted 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Bullet Misses Sleeping Lanesborough ResidentBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:18PM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Residents near the Pontoosuc lakeside are being asked to review their security cameras after a bullet went through a home near Baglee Avenue.
On Wednesday, around 9:17 p.m., police responded to reports of gunshots in the area of Baglee Avenue, off Bull Hill Road. A sleeping person escaped serious injury after a bullet reportedly went into their room and missed them.
"The caller also stated one of the bullets was located inside their residence. The caller reported the bullet went through a wall into the bedroom of the residence, where one of the residents was sleeping," police wrote in a press release on Thursday.
"No injuries
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Native Identified as Beating VictimStaff Reports , iBerkshires
11:16AM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A former Berkshire County man died Aug. 16, five days after being viciously beaten by juveniles in a park in Burlington, Vt. Scott W. Kastner, 42, was not identified as the victim of the assault until Tuesday this week by Burlington Police, after his obituary was posted by Dwyer Funeral Home. Kastner was born in Pittsfield and lived for a time in Adams; he moved to Burlington in 2007. The police log states officers were on foot patrol around Church Street in Burlington on the afternoon of Aug. 11 when they came across the assault in progress. The juveniles fled on foot and bicycle and one of the suspects had a gun they had displayed during the 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Holiday Hours: Labor Day| 11:00AM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
Boston-born Labor Secretary Frances Perkins was the first woman to hold a Cabinet position and the architect of Social Security. Labor Day is being celebrated Monday, Sept.1. Labor Day was established as a federal holiday in 1971 by Congress and is held on the first Monday of September. Read a history of Labor Day here. The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The union encouraged the development of a workingman's holiday and a number of states began setting a day aside. Parades and picnics or similar events were not uncommon in its early days; it is now seen as part of the last
0 Comments
Read More >> |
BMC to Host Suicide Prevention Conference In Early October| 08:09AM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The 2025 annual Berkshire County Suicide Prevention Conference has been scheduled for Tuesday, Oct 7, hosted by Berkshire Medical Center, the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention, Massachusetts Department of Public Health Suicide Prevention Program, The Brien Center, Austen Riggs Center and National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) of Berkshire County. The event will be held from 8 am to 4:30 pm at Tanglewood's Linde Center for Music and Learning in Lenox, and continuing education unit (CEU) applications will be submitted for social workers, licensed mental health counselors, nurses, licensed alcohol and drug counselors and psychologists. Up to 6.5 CEUs
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Elizabeth Freeman Center RISE Together 2025| 07:40AM / Friday, August 29, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Join Elizabeth Freeman Center in September for RISE Together 2025 - six community walks to end domestic and sexual violence in Berkshire County and beyond. Rise Together brings friends, families, neighbors, and community leaders together to honor survivors, remember those we have lost, and take a stand for a safer, more just future for all. Walks are scheduled for Pittsfield: Thursday Sept. at 5:30 pm; Great Barrington: Wednesday Sept. 17 at 4:30 pm; Lenox: Thursday Sept. 18 at 5:30 pm; Lee: Wednesday Sept. 24 at 5:30 pm; Williamstown: Thursday Sept. 25 at 5:30 pm; and North Adams: Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 5:30 pm. At each walk, after a 0 Comments
Read More >> |
The Retired Investor: Investing in Tax-Deferred AccountsBy Bill Schmick,
04:25PM / Thursday, August 28, 2025 | |
An executive order instructing the U.S. Labor Department to consider the pros and cons of adding several new investment choices to your tax-deferred investment accounts is underway. A decision on the president's order won't happen overnight. Last week, I covered the benefits of adding private equity, real estate, and digital assets to the existing mix of stocks and bonds in retirement accounts. Backers of this initiative cheer the president's executive order and say it will expand the investment opportunities for retirees. It also offers much more diversification than simply stocks or bonds. Why, they say, should investors lose out on the spectacular returns 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Open Meeting Law BriefsStaff Reports,
01:25PM / Thursday, August 28, 2025 | |
The state Attorney General's Office issued the following opinions on three Open Meeting Law complaints against Berkshire County boards. The opinions can be found here. Dalton Board Fails to Release Executive Session Minutes DALTON, Mass.— The state attorney general's office has determined the Fire District Board of Water Commissioners violated Open Meeting Law by failing to announce and record the results of any periodic review of its executive session minutes. Evaluations of 17 sets of open session minutes from July 30, 2024, to May 13, 2025, showed no announcements regarding executive-session minute reviews, Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth 0 Comments
Read More >> |
State Agricultural Officials Provide Update About Spotted Lanternfly | 10:27AM / Thursday, August 28, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is informing the public that the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), an invasive insect, has now been confirmed in more than 50 cities and towns across nine different counties in the state. MDAR is advising businesses and residents in affected areas to review SLF guidance strategies to manage this pest and prevent its further spread. Spotted Lanternflies are not a threat to people or pets, as they do not sting or bite. They primarily feed on the sap of over 100 different types of plants. This time of year, spotted lanternflies are entering their adult stage, characterized by their gray wings with 0 Comments
Read More >> |
|
|
