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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield Council Sees 3rd Quarter ARPA SpendingBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:02PM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — About $1.6 million in American Rescue Plan Act expenditures were made from July to September, with 59 percent going toward infrastructure projects. The second largest area of spending, 32 percent, addressed negative economic impacts. Special project co-manager Gina Armstrong reported to the City Council this week hat the use of the city's $41 million ARPA funds had expanded significantly in the third quarter.
"A wide range of city led projects are underway," she said. "As well as capital projects and programs by our community-based organizations that were awarded ARPA funding this past spring and summer."
The total expenditures reported
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National Grid Accepting Applications for Heating Assistance Programs| 04:13PM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
WALTHAM, Mass. — As colder temperatures take hold, National Grid is reminding Massachusetts customers to take advantage of energy programs that can help them pay and manage their energy bills. The Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), commonly referred to as Fuel Assistance, provides eligible households with help in paying a portion of winter heating bills. Enrollment for LIHEAP is free and open through April 30, 2023, and covers energy usage from Nov. 1, 2022, to April 30, 2023. LIHEAP is open to both homeowners and renters, including households whose cost of heat is included in rent, and eligibility is based on household size and the gross annual income 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Council Supports Saw Mill Property AcquisitionBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:25PM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city was given the OK by the City Council to purchase more than 50 acres of conservation land along the southwest branch of the Housatonic River, also known as the Saw Mill property. Ward 4 Councilor James Conant described this as a "once in a lifetime opportunity" that will be well received by residents.
"This is just going to be a place where people can just come and enjoy, take a walk and enjoy nature in its finest hour," he said.
Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey acknowledged that there have been efforts to protect this land even before his tenure and recounted the former proposals that included solar panels and other developments
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No Drought Conditions in Berkshire County | 11:58AM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
BOSTON — The Drought Management Task Force announced that Berkshire County remains at level 0 or normal drought conditions. This is not the case for the rest of the state. "Even though the weather is getting colder and wetter, we can't lose sight of the fact that several regions within Massachusetts continue to be impacted by drought conditions," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Beth Card. "It is important that everyone, especially those living and working in the Northeast, Cape Cod, and Islands Regions, continue to practice water conservation in order to ensure that our water resources fully rebound." While some parts of 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Markets at Odds With the FedBy Bill Schmick,
09:56AM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
 "Don't fight the Fed" is an oft-quoted market saying that has remained sage advice for the past decade or two. Recently, however, it appears investors are thumbing their noses at that advice. This week, Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and his FOMC members released yet another warning that they see a long drawn-out battle with inflation that will last well into next year. Given the decline in bond yields and the rise in equity indexes, the financial markets appear to disagree. Who will turn out to be right has major implications for what happens to financial markets into the New Year. The recent good news on the inflation front — lower monthly Personal 0 Comments
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State Draft Second Amendment to Massachusetts VW Settlement Beneficiary Mitigation Plan| 08:16AM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
BOSTON — The Baker-Polito Administration issued a draft Second Amendment to the "Final Massachusetts Volkswagen Settlement Beneficiary Mitigation Plan (BMP)," making millions of dollars available to electrify the transportation sector. The original BMP and its first Amendment committed $40.7 million of Massachusetts' $75 million share of a national settlement to resolve a vehicle emissions cheating scandal by Volkswagen (VW). The draft Second BMP Amendment proposes to allocate the remaining $34.3 million of Massachusetts VW Settlement funds in three categories: $26.8 million for Regional Transit Authority electric transit buses and chargers; 0 Comments
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Soldier On Receives Boost From Haddad ToyotaBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:49AM / Saturday, December 17, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Christmas came early for Soldier On when they were awarded a sizeable donation from a local car dealership. awarded a sizeable donation from a local car dealership. On Friday, Haddad Toyota presented the organization with a $10,000 matching check that accompanied a Veterans Day fundraiser. For the month of November, a portion of every car sale was donated to Soldier On. President and CEO Bruce Buckley said partnerships like this enable the organization to keep serving veterans. Soldier On has a fleet of more than 100 Toyota vehicles leased from the dealership that help transport veterans throughout the region to 0 Comments
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Pittsfield School Building Needs Panel Looks to RestructuringBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:00PM / Friday, December 16, 2022 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Superintendent of Schools Joseph Curtis wants to extend the districtwide restructuring study's request for quotes (RFQ) timeline after garnering no response. He reported this at the second reconvened meeting of the School Building Needs Commission last week. There was not a quorum and the panel was unable to vote on a new RFQ but members were given an update on the process.
"We did cancel the last meeting because we had every anticipation of providing an update on the number of proposals that were submitted based on the RFQ that I overviewed in our last meeting," Curtis said.
"Unfortunately, we did not have any proposals submitted so we began
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The Retired Investor: Why the Stock Market Needs to DeclineBy Bill Schmick,
12:48PM / Friday, December 16, 2022 | |
 After a year where the stock averages have declined anywhere from 7 percent to 30 percent, the last thing investors want is to see further downside. The problem is that a surging stock market is the last thing the Fed wants to see in its battle to reduce inflation. It is common knowledge that the Fed does not want to see a robust equity market. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell and his merry men have never said so explicitly, but they are monitoring the ups and downs of the market closely. When they perceive that price action is getting out of hand, one or more FOMC members step up and try to talk the markets down. Several times this year when the animal spirits of traders and 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Refining Designation for Snow Removal on Private WaysBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
04:42AM / Friday, December 16, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After the City Council approved a number of private ways for plowing, councilors are looking into a formal process for the designation. The Public Works and Utilities subcommittee earlier this week mapped out a timeline for creating an ordinance to designate streets for snow removal. Though the matter was tabled at this meeting, it expects to have it completed and ordained by March in advance of the 2023 winter season. Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales made this recommendation after finding that some of these ways are not accessible to the public and, therefore, not eligible under the state statute.
He suggested that road design, the
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3 Found Guilty in Asiyanna Jones Murder| 05:50PM / Thursday, December 15, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three people have been convicted on charges related to the 2017 murder of Asiyanna Jones. After a week and a half trial in Berkshire Superior Court, the jury returned guilty verdicts against Gary Linen, Carey Pilot, and Elizabeth Perez for the Oct. 2, 2017, shooting on Dewey Avenue. The jury found Linen guilty of murder, Pilot of manslaughter, and Perez for misleading police in the homicide investigation. Judge John Agostini scheduled sentencing for Wednesday. "I send my condolences to Ms. Jones' family and friends for their tragic loss and hope these convictions give them some satisfaction. I thank the jurors for their careful 0 Comments
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BCHS Presents Holiday Lights At Arrowhead| 04:34PM / Thursday, December 15, 2022 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society will offer a free virtual tour of Herman Melville's historic Arrowhead on Dec. 21 at 5:30 pm. Herman Melville celebrated Christmas at Arrowhead in the late nineteenth century, a time that gave rise to new Victorian holiday traditions such as tree decorating, gift giving, Santa Claus, greeting cards, stockings by the fire, church activities and family-oriented days of feasting and fun. This special tour recreates some of this splendor on with a special virtual evening tour of Arrowhead decorated as it might have been during the Melville family's residence. The evening includes season readings, 0 Comments
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