| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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The Retired Investor: Rising Coffee Prices Bitter Brew for ConsumersBy Bill Schmick,
04:35PM / Thursday, October 02, 2025 | |
Sept. 19 was National Coffee Day. Starbucks, Dunkin', Dutch Bros., and other coffee chains offered discounts on coffee. That did little to relieve the sticker shock most consumers are feeling now. The 20 percent price hike year over year for their morning brew has been hard to swallow. In the futures market, Arabica coffee has traded as high as $4.18 per pound in September, the highest price in almost a year. In grocery aisles, ground roast coffee prices recently reached $8.41 per pound before falling back over the last two weeks. Overall, the cost of coffee imports to the United States has increased by more than 300 percent since the lows of 2020. Five years ago, a bag of coffee 0 Comments
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Man Convicted of Second-Degree Murder in 2022 Pittsfield Shooting| 03:34PM / Thursday, October 02, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Berkshire Superior Court jury found Michael Rose guilty of Murder in the Second Degree and possession of a firearm without an FID card on Wednesday, Oct. 1, in connection with the 2022 shooting death of Jeric Black. Rose was subsequently sentenced to 20 years to life in State Prison for the murder charge. He also received a concurrent sentence of two and a half to five years for possession of a firearm without an FID card. "Justice was delivered today for Jeric Black, who was ruthlessly gunned down, leaving behind his loving family and friends," District Attorney Shugrue said. "This verdict was made possible by the work of the 0 Comments
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BMC Earns U.S. News and World Report Best Hospitals Awards| 02:00PM / Thursday, October 02, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Medical Center has been named among U.S. News & World Report's 2025-2026 Best Hospitals edition as a High Performing hospital for Pneumonia and Kidney Disease care. These are the highest distinctions a hospital can earn as part of U.S. News' Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings. Earlier this year, BMC was also recognized as a US News & World Report Best Hospital for Maternity Care. U.S. News' annual Procedures & Conditions ratings are designed to assist patients and their health care providers in making informed decisions about where to receive care for challenging health conditions
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Pittsfield's Homeless Advisory Committee hosting Housing Resource Fair| 07:35AM / Thursday, October 02, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield's Homeless Advisory Committee is sponsoring a Housing Resource Fair. The fair will be held at Berkshire Dream Center, 475 Tyler Street on Thursday, Oct. 9, between 10:00 a.m. to noon. The fair will offer a variety of resources and assistance to those in the community who are seeking help with accessing stable and secure housing. The event is free and open to the public. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from local housing organizations and agencies, learn about affordable housing options, and receive information on resources for rental assistance. Participating agencies include 0 Comments
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Methuselah Ordered to Close Earlier for 'Late-Night Problems'By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:51AM / Thursday, October 02, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Methuselah Bar and Lounge will be ordered to close an hour early for 30 days to curb "late-night problems."
The bar has been a frequent flier at the Licensing Board over the years, incurring a 30-day liquor license suspension in 2021, as well as two and five-day suspensions leading up to it. After Monday's hearing, which had been continued three times, board members voted for Methuselah to close at 11 p.m. for one month.
Owner Yuki Cohen indicated that she would be appealing the board's determination of over-serving alcohol, and the board afforded her that option before the penalty kicks in.
Board members voiced support
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Working, but Still Struggling: The Hidden Reality in the BerkshiresBy Deborah Leonczyk, Guest Column
02:03PM / Wednesday, October 01, 2025 | |
In Berkshire County, thousands of people go to work every day and still struggle to make ends meet. They care for our elderly, prepare our food, stock our shelves, and clean our schools. Their work is essential to our economy and community, but too often, their efforts are met not with stability, but with constant stress. These are not people sitting idle. They are working, sometimes more than one job, and doing everything they can to provide for themselves and their families. And yet, even with a full-time paycheck, many still face impossible choices, between rent and groceries, between heating their homes and fixing a car, between working extra shifts and caring for their 0 Comments
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Berkshire Restaurants Awarded MassDevelopment Grants| 10:24AM / Wednesday, October 01, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield restaurants Marie's North Street Eatery, BB's Hot Spot and Mazzeos were awarded grants along side North Adams restaurant Bigg Daddy's. MassDevelopment announced $900,000 in grants from the Food Insecurity Grant Program for Independent Restaurants, a program in which independent restaurants in Massachusetts receive funding to prepare and supply meals and other food products for nonprofit meal distributors with the goal of helping address food insecurity in the state. Marie's North Street Eatery was awarded $13,000 BB's Hot Spot was awarded $11,420 Mazzeos was awarded $10,000 Bigg Daddy's was 0 Comments
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Dalton Offers Town Manager Post to Connecticut AdministratorBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
07:48PM / Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board voted to hire Eric Anderson as its new town manager during its Tuesday meeting. Of the 22 applications received, the Town Manager Screening Committee put forward three finalists: Anderson, Lisa Blackmer, and Jonathan Elwell. The night before, the board interviewed the three candidates during a meeting that lasted nearly 3 1/2 hours. The decision to offer the post to Anderson was unanimous among the four board members present, after a brief discussion. Although the town's lawyers said it was Ok for board member Marc Strout to be part of the decision, he decided to recuse himself because of his 0 Comments
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Co-Op Bank Cash Cube and Spin Wheel Events | 03:36PM / Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Cooperative Bank (Co-Op Bank) launched its newest community engagement initiative. This interactive program will feature a Cash Cube and a Spin to Win Wheel, giving participants the chance to win a variety of rewards while connecting with their community and local bank. The Cash Cube and Spin Wheel will be featured at five upcoming Co-Op events at each of our branches: Oct.1 – 431 Main Street, Dalton MA from 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Oct.15 – 70 South Street, Pittsfield, MA from 4:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. Oct. 22 – 110 Dalton Ave., Pittsfield, MA from 4:30 p.m. - 6 0 Comments
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Mass Loses $7M in Homeland Security Grants| 03:22PM / Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The Trump administration has cut $6.9 million in public safety funding for Massachusetts communities. Gov. Maura Healey said the U.S. Department of Homeland Security notified the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security on Saturday that its previous award allocation of $22.2 million from the federal Homeland Security Grant Program is being reduced to just $15.3 million. This abrupt loss of nearly $7 million jeopardizes Massachusetts' ability to equip local emergency services and safeguard critical infrastructure against terrorist threats and other emergencies, she said. "President Trump and [Homeland Security] Secretary Kristi 0 Comments
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BRTA Advisory Board Discusses New Administrator ContractBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
05:32AM / Tuesday, September 30, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Advisory (BRTA) Board met Thursday to discuss the acceptance of the new administrator and their contract. The board recently offered the position to Kathleen Lambert, former American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) project manager for Haverhill. Lambert has accepted pending contract negotiations. The board met to discuss her three-year contract. Lambert is expected to start in December, and work with Malnati until mid-March. The board discussed a salary range of $145,000 with room to negotiate. The table also discussed if Lambert would have her own vehicle, which many thought wasn't needed. They also discussed reimbursing
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Letter: Dalton Public Safety FacilityLetter to the Editor,
07:00PM / Monday, September 29, 2025 | |
 To the Editor:
To the Dalton Select Board, I would like to present a practical suggestion for the new Dalton Police Facility as follows: Purchase the bank building located on the corner of Main Street and South Carson Avenue. Extend the building toward Main Street. Then buildout the interior to accommodate the town offices. The offices would then be accessible to the handicapped. Stage the moving of the town offices to facilitate the renovation of the Town Hall for the new police facility. To minimize disruption and inconvenience. I know that Hill Engineering put together a cost estimate to fix the problems in the basement of the town hall. I recall it was very reasonable. Add an 0 Comments
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