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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Worldwide PowerSchool Breach Reaches Pittsfield SchoolsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:22PM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — District students and teachers had their personal information accessed as part of a worldwide PowerSchool breach.
"This is not unique to the City of Pittsfield," Superintendent Joseph Curtis told the School Committee on Wednesday.
"Every one of the 18,000 PowerSchool customers has experienced a data breach. We were informed yesterday with a very brief notice from PowerSchool and our technology department began to dig into the impact near immediately."
The breach reportedly took place between Dec. 19 and 28, when it was detected by PowerSchool and all accounts were locked down. It is being investigated by the FBI and a third-party
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Berkshire Athenaeum to Host Teen Art Party| 04:09PM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Athenaeum will host a Teen Art Party on Jan. 13, 2025, from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. at the library, located at 1 Wendell Avenue. The event, open to teens aged 12 to 18, will feature a mini canvas contest, painting, drawing, crafts, food, and games. Participants can use the Library's craft materials to create projects and take them home. The mini canvas contest will begin at 3 p.m., and winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Entries must be completed between 3 and 4 p.m., and winners must be present to receive their prizes. The event was organized in collaboration with the Teen Advisory Board and is sponsored by the Friends of the Berkshire 0 Comments
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Weekend Outlook: Dance Parties, Nature Walks & MoreBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
12:20PM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 We are already more than a week into the new year! Unwind with local events this weekend including bingo, nature activities, dance parties, and more. Editor's Pick Officer Michael J. Silver Memorial Game Berkshire School, Sheffield Time: Saturday, Jan. 11, noon Berkshire County law enforcement hockey team will take on Boston Bruins alumni in the fundraiser to benefit the Silver family, a mental health and wellness initiative for local law enforcement and the Warrior For Life Program. Silver was a Pittsfield Police officer who died unexpectedly in October 2024 at the age of 42, leaving a wife and three children. More information and 0 Comments
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2nd Street Elects Board Members| 12:09PM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Second Street Second Chances (2nd Street) announces the election of three members to its board of directors. Gabriela Leon is an outreach coordinator and recovery coach at Berkshire Connections, specializing in supporting pregnant and postpartum women with a history of, or active, substance use disorder. A formerly incarcerated woman in recovery, Leon’s personal journey has fueled her passion for helping others transform their lives. In 2019, after serving as a recovery specialist at the local Clinical Stabilization Services unit, Leon enrolled in Berkshire Community College’s Human Services Transfer Program, continuing on to the advanced 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Launches Free Naloxone Distribution Program| 10:47AM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield's Health Department is pleased to announce that it is now providing free Naloxone kits. The Department has qualified to participate in the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Community Naloxone Program (CNP). Naloxone (Narcan) is a medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose and restore breathing within 2-3 minutes. Naloxone is safe, easy to administer (sprayed in the nose), and has no potential for abuse. To learn more about the naloxone distribution program, please visit the Health Department page on the city's website at 0 Comments
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Dalton Public Safety Panel Talks RegionalizationBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:36AM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — Public Safety Advisory Committee members have constantly emphasized the need to obtain funding toward a new police station to lessen the burden on taxpayers. The Select Board allocated $100,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act funds for a feasibility study and a grant consultant rather than adding it to the special town meeting warrant in an effort to streamline the process. The committee has since ranked four properties to consider. During its meeting in December, it was announced that the town has hired consultant Lisa Frisch as the grant writer for the proposed public safety building. Frisch has a 0 Comments
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PHS Students: Be Kinder About Our School Amid ScandalBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Thursday, January 09, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Pittsfield High School students are keeping their heads up despite the scandal that's embroiled the school.
Their ask? Think twice before making negative comments as an outsider.
"Right now, our school is going through, obviously, a lot but from what I have personally seen, I don't think our community has ever been stronger and I just don't think people are getting that," 10th-grader Benjamin Glockner said, reporting that it has been "negative after negative" when hearing from community members.
There was the usual feedback from residents at Wednesday's School Committee meeting but this time, it was matched by testimony
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'Poor' Pontoosuc Avenue Bridge to Be ReplacedBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:43PM / Wednesday, January 08, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The Pontoosuc Avenue bridge has been in poor condition for a decade and will be replaced next year with improved pedestrian access.
Officials assure the public that it is not in danger of failing before construction begins. A detour will use Briggs Avenue for through traffic between Wahconah Street and Pontoosuc Avenue.
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation held a 25-percent design hearing virtually on Tuesday. Located next to the former Harry's Supermarket, the bridge extends over the West Branch of the Housatonic River and provides access from North Street to Wahconah Street.
"In November 2015, the bridge superstructure was determined to be
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Berkshire Schools Awarded Early College Program Grants| 08:22AM / Wednesday, January 08, 2025 | |
BOSTON — Bard College at Simon's Rock was awarded a $60,000 Early College Capacity Grant and Pittsfield High School and Taconic were both awarded $50,000 Early College Planning Grants with Berkshire Community College. The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced that it is awarding $8 million in designated Early College grants to allow high school students to take college classes and earn college credit at no cost to them or their families. These funds will be used to support schools and higher education institutions as they design new Early College programs, as well as expand existing programs to provide an estimated additional 2,300 seats, increase staffing and 0 Comments
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Elder Service Providers Push for More State Funding in Home CareBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:49AM / Wednesday, January 08, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Elder Services of Berkshire County Inc. fears that state budget deficits for fiscal year 2025 will negatively impact home care.
The agency joins others in the sector asking for additional funding in a supplemental budget to avoid consumers being put on a waitlist, or managed intake, for the state Home Care Program.
"We have been fortunate not to run under managed intake for a long time but it can be really challenging for the staff because that's not why we come to work every day," Client Services Director Maureen Tuggey said.
"Our case management staff, our nursing staff, we want to help people, we want to keep people in the home, and
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Dalton Fire Chief Christian Tobin Terminated By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Wednesday, January 08, 2025 | |
Members of the Fire District attend the meeting at the Stationery Factory, where Christian Tobin was sworn in on Jan. 29, 2024. DALTON, Mass. — The Board of Water Commissioners on Tuesday unanimously voted to terminate Fire Chief Christian Tobin just a year after hiring him. The decision comes after an investigation by Kerry Gilpin of Comprehensive Investigations and Consulting, which began when the board announced Tobin's paid suspension in August over allegations of sexual harassment, grant overspending, and employee concerns. The suspension was originally for a month but was indefinitely extended in September until the investigation into 0 Comments
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Bus Organized to People's March| 06:26PM / Tuesday, January 07, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — State Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Leigh Davis, state Sen. Paul Mark, and the Rural Freedom Network are organizing a motorcoach bus from the Berkshires to Washington, D.C., for the 2025 People's March. Rural Freedom Network is a federally registered political action committee and as a grassroots media organization it supports Democratic candidates and issues such as civil rights. The People's March is a rebranding of the Women's March that first occurred in 2017 and broadened to include such rights to free speech, health care and economics. The bus departs on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 2 a.m. from the parking lot of The 0 Comments
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