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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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No Charges in Fatal Pittsfield Crash| 03:55PM / Friday, August 16, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The driver of a pickup truck involved in a fatal accident on West Housatonic Street last May will not be charged. According to the Berkshire District Attorney's Office, the DA has declined to file criminal charges after an investigation demonstrated that the truck driver's operation of his vehicle did not meet the legal criminal standard of negligence for charges to issue. John Tyska, 34, was driving his dirt bike west shortly before 7 p.m. on May 25 when he collided with the driver's side passenger door of a 2022 Honda Ridgeline operated by Peter Schettini, 53, also of Pittsfield, who was traveling south on Plymouth 0 Comments
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@theMarket: Stocks Battle Back to EvenBy Bill Schmick,
02:09PM / Friday, August 16, 2024 | |
It was a good week in the equity market. The bounce back from the 8 percent sell-off at the beginning of the month is but a distant memory. Does that mean we are in the clear for further gains? Maybe. So far, the financial markets have seen a "V" shaped recovery from the lows of Monday a week past. Technically, that is a rare occurrence after a downdraft of that magnitude. And yet, that is exactly what has happened thus far. The gains have been helped by a spate of good corporate earnings, with 80 percent of S&P 500 companies beating estimates. A few benign macroeconomic readings suggested continued economic growth, a lessening of inflation, and a still strong if 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Sets Road Closures for Events| 01:13PM / Friday, August 16, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Two community events this Saturday will require road closures from noon to 4 within the downtown area. Robbins Avenue will be closed from Columbus Avenue to Southern Avenue for the annual Soap Box Derby hosted by Westside Legends. Rain date for this event is Sunday, Aug. 18. Tyler Street will be closed from Burbank Street to Glenwood Avenue for a backpack giveaway and Back to School Block Party hosted by the Berkshire Dream Center. Motorists are advised to seek alternate routes during this timeframe and follow the designated detours. 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Health Board Considers Green BurialsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:12PM / Friday, August 16, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The use of green burials is rising and the Board of Health wants to be prepared in case they are requested in the city.
On Wednesday, the board discussed creating local guidance for green burials, which return a body to the ground after death with fewer environmental impacts. This generally means no embalming or use of caskets made with metal or hardwood.
Director of Public Health Andy Cambi was recently approached by a resident about this form of being laid to rest.
"Our interest is that the bacteria, diseases can go into the water systems so I gave this resident what the state has for green burials," he said, explaining that there
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Recent Rainfall Improves Drought Conditions in Berkshire County| 08:04AM / Friday, August 16, 2024 | |
BOSTON — Following several weeks of rainfall, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared the Western Region will be downgraded from Level 1-Mild Drought to Level 0-Normal conditions.
However, a localized Level-1 Mild Drought has been declared in the Parker River Basin after a review of July conditions including data showing localized critically low flow conditions. All other areas in the Northeast region remain normal. A Level 1-Mild Drought, as outlined in the Massachusetts Drought Management Plan, requires detailed monitoring of drought conditions, close coordination among state and federal agencies, and technical outreach and assistance to the 0 Comments
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Options for Lanesborough's Public Safety Building Coming SoonBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:19AM / Friday, August 16, 2024 | |
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Options for a new public safety facility are not far from the Select Board's hands.
"The [Public Safety Building Committee] is in the final throws of turning it back over to the Select Board," Chair Mark Siegars said on Monday.
Members have agreed on three alternating designs: one for just a police station that is a redesign of a nearly decade-old proposal, one for a combined police and emergency medical services station, and a standalone EMS facility with room for expansion.
"All these will be laid out on the Skyline property and so that you could have the single building, the combined building, or two separate buildings,"
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PIttsfield School Committee Endorses 'Aggressive' Timeline to Decide on Middle School ConfigurationBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires Staff
05:38PM / Thursday, August 15, 2024 | |
Superintendent of School Joseph Curtis addresses the School Committee on Wednesday night in City Council chambers. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee on Wednesday approved an ambitious timeline that could see the city's middle school reconfiguration implemented as soon as the 2025-26 academic year. On a vote of 6-0 with one member, Diana Belair, absent, the committee accepted the proposal of Superintendent Joseph Curtis that would see a Middle School Restructuring Committee organized later this month. That committee would continue studying possible grade configurations, assess data on student performance and gather feedback from stakeholder groups 0 Comments
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The Retired Investor: Presidents Have a Long History of Fed Bashingby Bill Schmick,
04:49PM / Thursday, August 15, 2024 | |
Many on Wall Street are horrified that a presidential candidate might want to erode the independence of the Fed. Some have even called the idea the biggest threat to the U.S. economy. Any student of central bank history would beg to disagree. We all would like to think that the Federal Reserve Bank's independence is sacrosanct. Once appointed by the president, the chairman of the Fed has the right and the duty to make decisions solely based on what is best for the economy and the labor force. The problem has been that many past presidents thought they knew best and sometimes they did. A president can indeed both appoint and fire the Fed chair as well as most member 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Launches Campaign For New Trash, Collection System| 10:40AM / Thursday, August 15, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Beginning early this fall, residential curbside trash and recycling will be picked up by an automated side-load truck.
Residences with four or less units will be receive one recycling cart (also known as toter) and one trash cart per household/unit. The recycling cart is expected to be delivered starting in mid- September to early October, one collection route at a time. The trash cart will then be delivered in mid-October to early November, one collection route at a time. A schedule with more information can be found on the city's website: Cart Delivery & Pickup (revize.com)
There is no need for residents to be home to receive their carts. As part of 0 Comments
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St. George Greek Fest| 04:00PM / Wednesday, August 14, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The St. George Greek Orthodox Church of the Berkshires will host its annual Greek Fest on Aug. 17 and 18. This year's festival will be held indoors at the Hillcrest Academy, located at 400 Columbus Avenue Extension in Pittsfield. The event will run from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday and from noon to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free, and the festival will feature Greek music, dancers, and a variety of traditional Greek foods including pastitsio, souvlaki, gyros, spanakopita, and Greek pastries. The festival will proceed rain or shine, with all activities taking place indoors. Free parking is available. For more information 0 Comments
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Berkshire United Way to Massachusetts: Early-Learning Educators Need Better WagesBy Katherine von Haefen , Guest Column
02:04PM / Wednesday, August 14, 2024 | |
 As reported in iBerkshires, state education officials met with Western Massachusetts childcare and early education advocates at Berkshire Community College recently. I had the opportunity to share the following testimony on behalf of Berkshire United Way and our community partners. Early childhood education provides tremendous benefits to our region. High-quality child care dramatically influences brain development and the future health and success for children in school and life, as well as provides a safe and secure space for our youngest community members so their parents or caregivers can work and provide for their families. Berkshire United Way has invested in 0 Comments
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Greylock Federal Joining Credit Union CollaborativeBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
06:29PM / Tuesday, August 13, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Greylock Federal Credit Union is moving some of its back-office operations to a collaborative network but says customers shouldn't see any difference. This is expected to affect a percentage of employees over the next two years. "This is a group of credit unions sharing operational resources," said President and CEO John Bissell on Tuesday, adding these include informational technology, areas of lending and quality that are more "business to business" aspects of the credit union's operations. Greylock will join with three other credit unions in what is called a credit union service organization, or 0 Comments
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