| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield Council Preliminarily OKs School BudgetBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:43PM / Thursday, May 22, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council kicked off budget season on Wednesday with a preliminary approval of the Pittsfield Public Schools' $86 million spending plan.
The $86,450,361 budget for fiscal year 2026 includes an $18 million city contribution and more than $68 million of anticipated Chapter 70 funding. It is a $3,765,084 increase from FY25, totaling $86,900,361 with $450,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition funds.
"The Pittsfield Public School system is in a vital place in time," Mayor Peter Marchetti said.
"It is now our time to do the right thing and to fund our schools at the level that we can, and look forward to what the future brings
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The Retired Investor: Pope Leo and the Business of the VaticanBy Bill Schmick,
04:36PM / Thursday, May 22, 2025 | |
As Pope Leo takes control, the church's financial health will be high on his agenda. The Holy See, which is the governing body of the Vatican, is also the business arm of the Catholic Church. The Vatican is audited by the Office of the Auditor General, which was established in 2014 by Pope Francis. In addition, the Council for the Economy supervises financial operations, and the Secretariat for the Economy (headed by a cardinal) is responsible for financial matters. External auditors, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, review the Vatican's financial statements. In the past, the information on the church's economic health has been murky at best. Through the efforts 0 Comments
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Tamarind Heads to Host Cooking Demo and Tasting at Guido's Fresh Marketplace| 03:23PM / Thursday, May 22, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Tamarind Heads will conduct in-store cooking demonstrations and tastings of their BBQ sauces at Guido's Fresh Marketplace on Saturday, May 24. Chef James Giberson will prepare samples featuring the sauces, which are made with tamarind and five other ingredients. Attendees can meet the chef, learn about the sauces, and sample the product. The first demonstration will take place at Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Great Barrington, located at 760 South Main Street, from 10 AM to 1 PM. The second will be at the Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Pittsfield, located at 1020 South Street, from 2 PM to 4 PM. Tamarind Heads BBQ Sauces 0 Comments
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Co-op Bank's William Street Branch Appoint Branch Officer| 11:19AM / Thursday, May 22, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Pittsfield Co-operative Bank announced the appointment of Tyler Dewey as Assistant Vice President, Branch Officer of its William Street location. Dewey brings with him a track record of sales performance, team leadership, and customer relationship management across the banking and retail sectors. As AVP, Branch Officer, he will oversee daily operations, staff development, and community outreach for the branch, ensuring the Bank's continued commitment to personalized, high-quality service. Dewey most recently served as branch manager at NBT Bank in Great Barrington. Under his leadership, branch productivity increased dramatically, with a 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Rotary Club Honors John F. McLaughlin III with Paul Harris Award| 07:20AM / Thursday, May 22, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD — The Pittsfield Rotary Club has announced John F. McLaughlin, III as the recipient of the Paul Harris Award. Established in 1976, the annual award recognizes a club member for notable achievements and contributions. McLaughlin became a member of the Rotary Club in January 1998. He is currently serving his second three-year term on the Board of Directors and held the position of President from 2019 to 2020. Additionally, he is the current Vice President of the Pittsfield Rotary Club Foundation and is scheduled to become President in July 2025. His involvement includes serving as Chair of the Fellowship Committee and volunteering for various community service initiatives
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Nonprofit Leaders Recognized for Service to Berkshire CountyBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:17AM / Thursday, May 22, 2025 | |
Associate Director McCaela Donovan, left, and Nonprofit Center of the Berkshires founder Liana Toscanini open the award ceremony. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Seven nonprofit leaders, described as "the best of who we are," have been recognized for their drive to make the Berkshires a better place.
The Nonprofit Center of The Berkshires held its 8th annual award ceremony on Tuesday at the Country Club of Pittsfield.
"What I love about this room is that it's a lot of nonprofit people and a lot of people who support nonprofits," said Liana Toscanini, founder and executive director of the Berkshire NPC.
"And I think that's something that we try to
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Traffic Detour in Effect on Valentine Road| 03:26PM / Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Due to underground utility work, including the replacement of a water line, Valentine Road, from West Street to Lakeway Drive, will be closed to thru traffic. A detour for thru traffic is in place for the duration of this project which is expected to be completed in the early fall. Drivers who need to utilize Valentine Road will be detoured to Onota Street then to Lakeway Drive to reach the northern half of Valentine Road. Drivers that require access to Taconic High School and Hillcrest Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center will also need to utilize this detour. This detour does not apply to school buses and residents who live on the 0 Comments
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Pittsfield's Pecks Road Bridge OpensBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:18PM / Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | |
The old bridge was demolished last year and the new one completed within six months. The span had been limited to one lane for five years. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — After nearly a year of full closure, the Peck's Road bridge is back online.
On Tuesday, the city announced on social media that the $1,689,000 project was complete. The bridge was reduced to one lane of traffic for five years and completely closed last summer after an inspection from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation found six areas of deterioration.
This means that drivers will no longer need to detour from Peck's Road to Onota Street, Vin Herbert Boulevard, and to Valentine Road. There
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Fire Officials Warn Against Dangerous Laptop Fire Social Media 'Challenge'| 11:23AM / Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | |
STOW, Mass. — State Fire Marshal Jon Davine and Massachusetts fire chiefs are cautioning against a social media "challenge" that encourages inserting conductive objects into laptop computer ports. This action can lead to short circuits, increased temperatures, smoke, sparks, or fire, potentially causing injury. According to State Fire Marshal Davine, over a dozen incidents or attempted incidents related to this trend have been reported by Massachusetts fire departments within the past week. He indicated that the trend appears to have originated on TikTok and involves inserting items such as paper clips or pencil lead into a laptop's charging or other 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Mulling Ways to Rein In Offensive Public CommentBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — While the fate of public comment seems secure, city officials are considering how to avoid "concerning language" in residents' allotted three minutes.
At last week's City Council meeting, President Peter White read an email into the record to avoid an Open Meeting Law violation. He had replied "all" to a message from Berkshire Pride President Michael Taylor explaining, "I understand and empathize with the concerns you write to me about."
The conversation seemed to be around language used during public comment. The prior day, a resident called one of the councilors a derogatory name directed at people who are lesbian.
White
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Dalton Chief: Budget Cuts Would Affect Staffing, Response TimesBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:14AM / Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — Police Chief Deanna Strout warned Monday night that significant cuts to her budget would mean losing officers, K-9s and community policing programs. The chief defended her department at Monday's Select Board meeting after town meeting rejected the Police Department budget two weeks ago. Voters will reconvene on June 9 for a special town meeting at Wahconah Regional High School to decide on four articles, including the Police Department budget. During the annual town meeting, which garnered 277 registered voters, it was decided to separate the police budget from the rest of the operating budget with an eye to making more 0 Comments
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Letter: Hope, Integrity, and the Challenge of Speaking Up in Dalton| 06:00PM / Tuesday, May 20, 2025 | |
 To the Editor:
Over the last three months, I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Collins as he made a sincere and determined effort to address several of Dalton's long standing needs. One of the greatest gifts he offered our town was hope — hope nurtured by his refreshing, genuine willingness to listen, help and serve with integrity. His weekly office hours — a simple, transparent act of public service not seen in years — became a quiet but powerful symbol of accessibility and good governance.
Robert believes in taking the high road. He consistently avoided misinformation, personal attacks, or political theatrics, and encouraged others to do the
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