| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Online Souvenir Store Combines Love of Berkshires and DogsBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:45AM / Monday, September 18, 2023 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — Local business owners Reuben and Amber Lara combined their love for the Berkshires and dogs to create the lifestyle brand "Barkshires Dog Trading Co." This online shop celebrates dogs and the Berkshires using a vintage aesthetic. The brand sells sustainable clothing and prints including T-shirts, hats, dog bandanas, and stickers. The couple moved to the Berkshires in 2015. Amber hails from Sunderland and Reuban is from Burbank, Calif., and they have a rescue dog, Millie. Following a friend's visit to the Berkshires in November, the couple realized that there are not many souvenir stores and thus "Barkshires" 0 Comments
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Pittsfield 'Shines' With 8 New Murals Through MassDevelopment PartnershipBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:41PM / Sunday, September 17, 2023 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has been painted with an assortment of murals that are meant to bring joy and inspiration and provoke thought.
A block party was held last weekend in Palace Park to celebrate the eight new works placed throughout the downtown and West Side as part of the "Let It Shine!" public art partnership.
"The partnership itself is with local artists, Downtown Pittsfield Inc, MassDevelopment and the (Transformative Development Initiative) program that is in our downtown," DPI’s Managing Director Rebecca Brien said.
"We applied for what is called a Creative Catalyst Grant and they actually provided the funding through
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Mass Unemployment and Job Estimates for August| 04:37PM / Sunday, September 17, 2023 | |
BOSTON — The state's August total unemployment rate was 2.6 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from the revised July estimate of 2.5 percent, reports the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) preliminary job estimates indicate Massachusetts gained 15,400 jobs in August. This follows July's revised gain of 4,600 jobs. The largest over-the-month private sector job gains were in Education and Health Services, Leisure and Hospitality, and Other Services. Employment now stands at 3,788,700. From August 2022 to August 2023, BLS estimates Massachusetts gained 90,500 jobs. The largest over-the-year gains occurred in 0 Comments
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2nd Street Presents Original Theatrical Performances| 02:01PM / Sunday, September 17, 2023 | |
Performance times have been changed to Monday Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. and Tuesday Sept. 26, at 2 and 7 p.m. _______________________________________________________________________________________________ PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Second Street, Second Chances (2nd Street) presents three performances of "RELEASE," original theater inspired by the stories of formerly incarcerated women from Berkshire County, on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7 pm, Saturday, Sept. 23 at 7 pm and Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 2 pm. All performances will be held at the Robert Boland Theatre, located on BCC's campus at 1350 West Street in Pittsfield. Admission is free, and no reservations are 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Holds First POW/MIA CeremonyBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
11:40AM / Sunday, September 17, 2023 | |
A table setting to symbolize the missing in action. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local veterans held the city's first Prisoner of War (POW) or Missing in Action (MIA) remembrance service on Friday at the South Street Memorial Park.
The inaugural ceremony was held by the Charles Persip American Legion Post 68 on National POW/MIA Recognition Day to honor soldiers who are unaccounted for and as a pledge not to cease efforts to bring them home.
Army veteran Henry "Hank" Morris attended a fellow Vietnam veteran's funeral in Albuquerque, N.M., last year and was inspired to start the tradition.
"I am embarrassed to say that I did not know that the third Friday in
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Governor Makes Appointments to the POST Commission | 08:00AM / Sunday, September 17, 2023 | |
BOSTON — Governor Maura T. Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell appointed Reverend Clyde Talley and Deborah Hall to serve on the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission. Reverend Talley is a joint appointee by the Governor and Attorney General. Hall is a joint appointee who was nominated by the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination. The POST Commission was established in 2020 to help improve policing and enhance public confidence in law enforcement. "The members of the POST Commission have a critical role to play in building public trust in law enforcement," said Governor Healey. "Over the last 0 Comments
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Biodiversity Research Institute Attempts to Revitalize Loon PopulationBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
07:37AM / Sunday, September 17, 2023 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — The Biodiversity Research Institute is attempting to revitalize the loon population in Massachusetts. Earlier this season, the institute deployed rearing pens at Windsor Reservoir with the goal to translocate a total of nine to 15 male chicks this season. The institute, based in Portland, Maine, works internationally to assess threats to wildlife and ecosystems and conducts research to inform policy decisions. It collaborates with a range of public agencies and nonprofit organizations. Its loon research program began in 2013 with the goal of strengthening and restoring the birds' population and developing protocols that can be 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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