| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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BCC to Host Campus Events to Celebrate Black History Month | 08:08AM / Friday, February 02, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will host a series of student events across campus in February in honor of Black History Month. The College's Student Engagement Center will be hosting these events for students, led by the College's Coordinator of Student Diversity Programs and Belonging, Erica Barreto. Black History Month events at BCC include: • Call and Response: National Freedom Day will take place all month long. National Freedom Day is an annual memorial to the signing of the 13th Amendment by President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Students will learn more about this holiday and take a moment to 0 Comments
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Pittsfield School Committee Approves Vocational Admissions Policy, CoursesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:44AM / Friday, February 02, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee approved a pilot tutoring program, courses, and the vocational admissions policy for Taconic High School last week.
The Career Technical Education admissions policy has undergone changes over the last several years to eliminate roadblocks for vocational education. The revised policy, which has remained the same since 2021, eliminates criteria aside from residency for acceptance.
"We have had an admissions policy for a number of years and, in 2020, the Board of Education had voted that much of the selection criteria that was being used across Massachusetts, they provided a guidance that would be removed over concerns of
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BRPC Sees What State Economic Plan Means for Rural CommunitiesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:29AM / Friday, February 02, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Planning Commission got a look at the state's 2023 economic development plan and what it means for rural communities. Steven Ellis, the town administrator of Montague, serves on the state's Economic Development Planning Council as a "rural captain." He presented the plan on Wednesday to the commission's Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy Committee.
The Healey-Driscoll administration released its economic development plan "Team Massachusetts: Leading Future Generations" in December. The state Executive Office of Economic Development develops a plan at the start of each gubernatorial term to
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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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"Holiday Pittsfield": Barrington Stage Opening House | Down on Union Street, Barrington Stage Company was hosting a holiday open house, an opportunity to look around the theatre, enjoy refreshments, and most importantly, speak to the clear headlining star of the weekend, Santa Claus.
In a quiet moment with the Man in Red, he said he was thrilled to be here, and was looking forward to hearing from many more children. Always gracious, Mr. Claus thanked iBerkshires for stopping by. Always pressed for appearances this time of year, Claus was slated to appear later that evening at the Colonial Theatre.
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