| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Berkshire County Head Start Fundraiser Emphasizes Impact of Child CareBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:26PM / Thursday, October 23, 2025 | |
Head Start Executive Director Brett Random says the organization is facing challenging funding times and thanks the guests at the fundraiser for their advocacy. See more photos here. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire County Head Start held its inaugural fundraiser on Oct. 11 to mark the organization's 60th anniversary. The national Head Start program has been supporting children and families throughout the country for 60 years; Berkshire County Head Start has been making this impact in the county for nearly 50 years. The room at Rare 297 Steakhouse, located in Hotel on North, sparkled with diamonds, symbolizing the program's 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Americans Are Getting StingierBy Bill Schmick,
04:18PM / Thursday, October 23, 2025 | |
Nonprofit giving has declined by $65 billion since 2021. However, institutions are not the only ones pulling back. Consumers are also less enthusiastic about gift-giving. Are we becoming a nation of Scrooges? Americans gave a record $592.5 billion to charity in 2024. That sounds like a lot, but surveys find that over the last 20 years, the number of Americans donating to charity dropped from about two-thirds to under half in recent years. As a result, wealthy individuals, corporations, and foundations are making up the difference; however, even they are slowing down in their gift-giving. The reasons are many. The tax laws changed back in 2017, and the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act 0 Comments
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State House Passed Child Welfare Legislation| 03:36PM / Thursday, October 23, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The state House of Representatives on Wednesday passed legislation to strengthen oversight, transparency, and accountability within the commonwealth's child welfare system. An Act Enhancing Child Welfare Protections modernizes the Department of Children and Families' (DCF) statutory reporting, clarifies the independence of the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA), improves educational stability for children in care, and updates the state's child fatality review process. "Every child in every corner of the state deserves to be safe and happy. Children in the state's care are incredibly vulnerable and it is our impetus as lawmakers to do 0 Comments
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Nonprofits Invited to Combined Resource Fair | 10:37AM / Thursday, October 23, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires (NPC) is hosting a Nonprofit Resource Fair at the Berkshire Innovation Center on Monday, Oct. 27 from noon to 4pm. Sponsored by Berkshire Funding Focus, CORE 401(k) Program, and Lamar Advertising, this free networking event features a broad range of vendors and two "Meet the Donors" panels. Over thirty vendors will table on the ground floor of the BIC including: 1Berkshire Berkshire Leadership Program, Acrisure, Adirondack Payroll Services , Berkshire Funding Focus, Cartlann Digital, Community Television of the Southern Berkshires, Convivo LLC, CORE 401K, Impact Hacker, Jillian J Events, Little 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Ward 6, At-Large Candidates Weigh in on HomelessnessBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:23PM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | |
Dina Lampiasi, running for re-election in Ward 6, answers questions in this screenshot. Her challenger, Walter Powell, was unable to attend. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Candidates for Ward 6 and councilors-at-large weighed in during last week's debates on the city's struggle with homelessness and how to move forward with effective solutions.
Dina Lampiasi, incumbent candidate for Ward 6, feels that the median and camping ordinances are not a proper way forward and that they fail to address the actual problem. She said it is a matter of starting with "compassionate, practical things" such as downtown sanitation and social work.
"The behaviors that are
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Pittsfield's Ward 7 Councilor Steps DownBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
03:39PM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Ward 7 Councilor Rhonda Serre will step down from her post a couple of months early to work in education.
"Tonight will be officially my last City Council meeting," she reported at the conclusion of Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting.
"I'm stepping down a few meetings earlier than originally planned because I've accepted an opportunity to join the public schools. I'm returning back to my roots. This has been a long-term plan all along, but it wasn't expected to happen until next September, so it's a little premature." She said constituents in Ward 7 who need assistance are encouraged to
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Trick-or-Treat, Halloween Events 2025| 02:40PM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | |
 Halloween falls on a Friday this year. Some communities may hold their trick-or-treating hours during the weekend, or hold events ahead of the holiday. Check back as the holiday approaches for what your town is doing. If you are going door-to-door, remember to dress appropriately, carry a flashlight and only visit homes with lights on in your neighborhood. Below is a list of towns holding trick-or-treat hours on Halloween, unless otherwise noted. Those towns that are crossed out are dates from last year that have not been updated. The towns with the asterisks are the same times every year. If you don't see your town listed and you know the hours, let us know
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Letter: Elect Buerger for School CommitteeLetter to the Editor,
12:31PM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | |
 To the Editor: It is with great joy that I write this letter surrounding the upcoming election, particularly the School Committee election. I sit here as an 18-year-old recent graduate of Pittsfield Public Schools, preparing to vote and I look at this candidate pool and say wow! There are so many great and amazing options, but one comes to mind that definitely has my vote, Dr. Geoffrey Buerger. For those of you who don’t know Dr. Buerger, he will introduce himself to you as a fossil who is older than the state of Alaska, exactly how he introduced himself to me when he became my long-term substitute in chemistry my sophomore year of high school. From this point, he 11 Comments
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Letter: Walker Prioritizes Building Better LivesLetter to the Editor,
12:30PM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | |
 To the editor:
We don't get a Corey Walker every generation.
This Pittsfield native shows that she springs back up when she gets knocked down and hits the ground running! Opportunity was scarce for her before affordable Berkshire Community College: she continues to tirelessly make and share lemonade with it. She makes the Dean's list every single semester. She juggles college, two jobs, and activism so that those after her won't have to.
She has the proven record of fighting for our neighbors' rights. Having worked at the city's Water Department has already taught her how to work with people to get things done.
She brings something to the council that we need! A
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These Mysterious Hills Presents 'City of the Dead' Cemetery Walking Tours| 11:26AM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Beginning at dusk, this 90 minute lamplight tour explores the dark and mysterious side of the 175-year-old Pittsfield Cemetery. Tens of thousands are buried in Pittsfield Cemetery, and half a dozen actually died on the premises. "City of the Dead" will explore fascinating and tragic stories from some of the more obscure lives of inhabitants. It will also lay bare the darker history of the place itself: the vandalism, assaults, exhumations, reinterments, and tragic deaths that have taken place within the cemetery itself. Tours cost $10 and will be held at 6 p.m. on Oct. 25, 28, 29, 30. Enter from Onota Street and park on the 11 Comments
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BRPC Honors Retiring Local Leaders with Kusik AwardBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:33AM / Wednesday, October 22, 2025 | |
Judge Frederick Rutberg, who recently stepped back as publisher of The Berkshire Eagle, was the keynote speaker. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two outgoing leaders were recognized with Kusik Awards at the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's annual meeting.
Ellen Kennedy, Berkshire Community College's retiring president, and Jane Winn, retired executive director of the Berkshire Environmental Action Team, were recognized for outstanding contributions to Berkshire County.
Meg Bandarra of Unpaved Trails for All and Rene Wood, of Sheffield, also received the award to applause at The Proprietor's Lodge last week. It is named in honor of the
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Berkshire County Historical Society Lecture on Late 19th Century Textiles| 03:25PM / Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society will host historian Lorraine German for the lecture Grandmother's Wedding Dress on Oct. 22 at 5:30 pm. German uses the swatches and clothing information found in a small late-nineteenth century scrapbook filled with fabric swatches to reveal a story of fabrics and fashion in nineteenth-century Vermont, as told by three generations of an ordinary family. The lecture takes place at Arrowhead; tickets are $15 for BCHS members, $20 for non-members and can be purchased by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org. Lorraine German and her late husband Steve established Mad River Antiques, LLC 11 Comments
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