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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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The Retired Investor: The Bitcoin bounceBy Bill Schmick,
04:55PM / Thursday, April 13, 2023 | |
 This week, Bitcoin broke the $30,000 level. The cryptocurrency has doubled since its low in November 2022. Does this mean the crypto winter has finally passed and it is now safe to jump back in? The short answer depends on how much risk you want to take. Cryptocurrencies, in general, suffered through a difficult 2022. The digital currency world lost much more than the stock market. Late in the year, most digital currencies were in freefall. Company after company in the sector collapsed. In the end, only those who were crypto die-hards remained faithful to the concept and Bitcoin in particular. Bitcoin is the granddaddy of crypto currencies. It accounts for 45 percent of the 0 Comments
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Dalton Officials Recommend CBRSD Hire School Resource OfficerBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
01:29PM / Thursday, April 13, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday voted to recommend that the Central Berkshire Regional School District hire a school resource officer. The Police Chief Deanna Strout advocated for this hire, saying it would make the school safer. Since Sept. 1 of this year, there have been 125 calls for service involving middle and high school students, she told the Select Board. Of those, 35 were for threats on social media, 23 for trespassing or noise disturbances, 16 for vandalism, 11 for theft, and nine school-related issues such as students walking out of school. Other calls involving juveniles included breaking and entering, fights and 0 Comments
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Berkshire Athenaeum Celebrates Earth Day with Computer Recycling Collection| 01:09PM / Thursday, April 13, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In observance of Earth Day on Saturday, April 22, 2023, the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield's Public Library, is collaborating with Goodwill Industries of the Berkshires and Southern Vermont by hosting a computer recycling collection starting Tuesday, April 18, and continuing through Monday, April 24. The event is made possible through a partnership with the Dell-Reconnect residential recycling program. Accepted items include monitors, scanners, computer mice, printers, keyboards, laptop batteries, ink and toner cartridges, computers, hard drives, speakers, cords, and cables. No television sets will be accepted. Data provided by Maryam 0 Comments
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BEAT Upcoming Vernal Pool Workshop| 08:13AM / Thursday, April 13, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) is hosting a hands-on, full-day workshop on vernal pools and the organisms that use them on Saturday, April 15, from 9 AM to 4 PM. It will be led by Professor Tom Tyning, an expert on amphibians and reptiles and an authority on New England's natural history. Vernal pools are unique wetland habitats that fill with water during variable periods throughout the year and become completely dry during other parts of the year, revealing shallow depressions in the earth. This periodic drying prevents fish from becoming established, yet these woodland pools support a staggering array of life and are 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Council OKs Funding for Infrastructure ProjectsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:10AM / Thursday, April 13, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A number of public infrastructure projects were allocated money by the City Council on Tuesday.
Councilors voted to appropriate $7,500,000 from certified free cash for street and sidewalk improvements and borrow up to $400,000 under the Water Enterprise Fund Capital Expenditure to replace the water line on King Street.
Ward 3 Councilor Kevin Sherman successfully motioned to waive Rule 27 for both of the orders to streamline the process.
Six million dollars will be spent on resurfacing 13 miles of roadway on 45 streets and $1.5 million will fund a sidewalk project.
Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales explained that the city will finish
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RSVP Celebrates 50 Years of Volunteer ServiceBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:31PM / Wednesday, April 12, 2023 | |
The celebration was held Wednesday at the Berkshire Athenaeum. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — For a half-century, the Retired Senior Volunteer Program has connected people ages 55 and older with recruitment, training, and placement. For many, RSVP is also a social outlet and provides a sense of purpose in quiet years.
A 50-year anniversary celebration was held at the Berkshire Athenaeum on Wednesday, featuring tables with around 30 organizations that have partnered with the program as well as food and joyful spirits.
Director Lisa Torrey thanked the city for its continued support and commitment.
"They say many hands make light work, RSVP is the epitome of this," she said.
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Dalton Officials Correct Projected Tax Bill FigureBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:14PM / Wednesday, April 12, 2023 | |
DALTON, Mass. — Town officials are trying to set the record straight on an expected bump in tax bills after an alarming figure was quoted at Monday's Select Board meeting. The town is looking at a 10.1 percent increase in its operating budget for fiscal year 2024, or an extra $873,031. The Finance Committee Chair William Drosehn said at the meeting that it would more than $1,000 on the average single-family tax bill. That's wrong, Drosehn and Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said in a statement released on Wednesday. They're estimating the average tax bill increase will be closer to $300 and the overall rise in property taxes will be 6.4 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Senior Tax Work-Off Program Now Accepting Applications| 02:19PM / Wednesday, April 12, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Applications are now available for the city of Pittsfield's Senior Tax Work-Off Program for fiscal year 2024. Eligible candidates must be Pittsfield residential property owners 60 years of age and older at the time of the application. Program applications must be postmarked or received by the Assessors' Office by May 31, 2023. Active municipal employees are not eligible for the Senior Citizen Tax Work-Off Program. There will be a limit of two participants per eligible property; however, the total abatement cannot exceed the maximum exemption of $1,000. Income eligibility shall be determined by using the locally adopted 0 Comments
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Eversource and Big Y Partner on Energy Efficiency Projects | 10:47AM / Wednesday, April 12, 2023 | |
 SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Following energy efficiency upgrades at 21 Big Y grocery stores across Connecticut and Massachusetts, the chain is now reaping the benefits and savings. Big Y partnered with Eversource's energy efficiency experts to take advantage of incentive programs to make several upgrades in multiple stores. The grocery store chain is now saving some 9.3 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, the equivalent of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by removing 840 gasoline powered vehicles from area roads for a year. "We are proud to partner with Big Y in delivering efficiency solutions that support their environmental goals," said 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Historical Commission OKs Home DemosBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
01:32PM / Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Historical Commission on Monday approved the demolition of three residential properties.
One of the applications came from homeowners who purchased the single-family home before the pandemic and originally hoped to restore it. The other two properties were ordered demolition by the city due to code enforcement.
Caitlin Pemble and her husband bought 995 Peck's Road in 2019 as well as the tax lien that was on it.
The 1935 home's pipes had burst twice and there was informal talk about refurbishing it until a professional inspection showed structural issues and elements that appear to not be up to code.
"At this point, we're looking to tear it
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Community Commemoration, Film Screening to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day| 12:11PM / Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — On Sunday, April 16, at 2 p.m., join the Jewish Federation of the Berkshires for a community commemoration of Yom HaShoah-Holocaust Remembrance Day with a screening of "Passage to Sweden" and a family story told by Agi Sardi, daughter of a Holocaust survivor saved by Swedish intervention. Candle lighting and prayers of remembrance led by Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch will follow the film. This free in-person event will take place at the Berkshire Museum's Little Cinema, located at 39 South Street in Pittsfield. Space is limited – register on our calendar of events listing at jewishberkshires.org. About the Film Passage to 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Airport Navigation Easement Acquisitions Almost ClosedBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
11:29AM / Tuesday, April 11, 2023 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gale Associates updated the Airport Commission on the status of various projects during its meeting last week. The Runway 14 navigation easement acquisitions are almost closed. Gale Associates submitted the forms along with all the necessary backup documentation to the state Department of Transportation on March 10. Once the city is reimbursed for the outstanding MassDOT balance, the project will be removed from Gale's update, civil engineer Mark Ottariano said. The permit design for tree clearing went out to bid starting March 29 and will remain open for three weeks, he said. The bids will be opened at 0 Comments
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