| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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FEMA Awards Nearly $8.3 M to Mass for COVID Vaccination Costs| 12:17PM / Saturday, December 09, 2023 | |
BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending almost $8.3 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of providing vaccinations and preventative treatment to the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The $8,251,189 in Public Assistance grants will reimburse the Massachusetts Department of Public Health for the costs of contracting to both operate a statewide network of mobile vaccination sites and to provide in-home vaccinations and treatments to homebound patients between July 2022 and May 2023. One grant of $3,553,090 will cover the cost of contracting with CDR Health Care to provide 24 Registered Nurses for 6,659 hours, 0 Comments
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Long winter's nap: Which animals hibernate?| 12:00PM / Saturday, December 09, 2023 | |
As temperatures start to drop, you may start to grow envious of the animals that rest, or hibernate, through New England's snowy season. Hibernation is a behavioral adaptation that allows animals to survive low temperatures and periods of time without food. When an animal hibernates, they decrease their body temperature, metabolic rate, heart rate, and respiratory rate. This energy reduction allows the animal to survive without eating or drinking when food becomes scarce during the winter. A few animals, like woodchucks, are "true hibernators." Other species can reduce their body temperature and metabolic rate during the winter, but are not true hibernators since they 0 Comments
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Pittsfield High School Honor Roll| 04:00PM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield High School has announced its honor roll for the first quarter of the 2023-2024 school year. Of the 723 students enrolled, 342 students, or 47 percent, achieved high honors, and 58 students, or 8 percent, earned honors. High Honors requires a grade point average of 92 percent and above. Honors require a grade point average of between 88 percent and 91.9 percent. High Honors Grade 12 Mia S. Adair Bibiana A. Addai Natalie M. Arnhold Brandon A. Balcazar Chacon Juan E. Bedard Torres Braden J. Bienvenue Ashton P. Bock Riley J. Bordeau Emma L. Boynton Ethan T. Breitmaier Patrick J. Brennan Nicholas R. 0 Comments
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ServiceNet Announces Two New Senior Leadership Positions | 03:21PM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
 NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — ServiceNet, a nonprofit mental health and human services agency based in Northampton, is announced the promotion of two leaders in its Developmental and Brain Injury Services (DBIS) division. Shawn Robinson, formerly Director of Vocational Services and of Prospect Meadow Farm in Hatfield, has been appointed Vice President of Vocational Services & Day Programs. Robinson, who has worked with ServiceNet since 2011, was recognized in 2023 as the Daily Hampshire Gazette's Person of the Year and he also received a Black Excellence on the Hill Award from the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. Mike Lalak, a former Senior 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Markets Consolidate GainsBy Bill Schmick,
03:11PM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
In the coming week, there are three hurdles that investors need to confront. Inflation data, a bond auction, and an FOMC meeting. Investors are now convinced that job growth is finally slowing, inflation is a thing of the past and that the Fed will begin cutting interest rates as early as the second quarter of 2024. As such, they expect next week's Consumer Price Index will show further declines in headline inflation. Despite the almost one percent decline in the U.S. Ten-year bond, the U.S. Treasury's 10- and 20-year bond auctions will go off without a hitch. And finally, since inflation is dead and jobs are falling in an election year, the Fed will have no choice but to cut 0 Comments
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BCC Foundation Lends Financial Assistance to Paraprofessional Program | 11:07AM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In January 2022, Berkshire Community College (BCC) partnered with Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA) to form the Associates to Bachelors Pathway to Licensure for Paraprofessionals, known as the P2T Cohort. The goal: to provide an efficient pathway to teacher licensure. Now, the P2T Cohort is getting additional support from the Berkshire Community College Foundation, which has pledged $16,000 in support of professional mentorship expenses related to the program. "The Massachusetts Early Education and Care (EEC) Career Pathways Grant has been using a mentor model for several years and has had great success 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Seeks Applications for Housing Rehabilitation Work| 08:06AM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City's Community Development Office reminds residents of the opportunity to apply for grant and loan assistance for housing improvements as part of the Housing Rehabilitation Program. Eligible improvements include repairs of roofs, chimneys, decks and porches; replacement of sewer lines, windows, doors and water-heaters; knob and tube abatements for Pittsfield properties up to 4 units. Applicants must meet the income guidelines. Applications are available on the City's website or can be obtained by email request to Heni Harvender at hharvender@cityofpittsfield.org. Applications are to be submitted to the Department of Community 0 Comments
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Pittsfield CPA Committee Deems 16 Applications EligibleBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Community Preservation Committee has seen a healthy amount of funding applications compared to last year. The panel this week deemed 16 applications as eligible to submit a fiscal 2024 funding application — one of which is conditionally eligible. The total ask is about $1.7 million and the city has around $966,000 to disperse.
In FY23, the city saw nine eligibility applications totaling about $860,000.
"That was tough meeting today. We usually don't have it so tough for eligibility," Chair Danielle Steinmann joked at the end of the nearly 2 1/2-hour meeting Monday.
This year there are six applications for open space and recreation,
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Dalton Green Committee Creates Compost Program SubcommitteeBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:15AM / Friday, December 08, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Green Committee established a Compost Program subcommittee during its meeting on Wednesday night. The subcommittee is made up of three Green Committee members, Antonio Pagliarulo, Thomas Irwin and Todd Logan. They will also be staying in communication with Highway Superintendent Edward "Bud" Hall who runs the transfer station. The subcommittee will be responsible for spearheading the initiation of a compost program. Although members of the Green Committee agree a composting program is needed, they are split on the best type of program to establish. The program in Williamstown has residents 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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