| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Berkshire Officials Back Bills to Protect Minors From Sexual AbuseBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:15PM / Monday, March 10, 2025 | |
Berkshire DA Timothy Shugrue says current consent laws constrained his ability to bring charges in the recent Miss Hall's School case. Left, state Rep. Leigh Davis has signed on to bills that would close that loophole. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Local officials urge the passage of "long overdue" legislation to protect minors from sexual abuse by adults who are teachers, mentors, or other positions of trust.
"When I began my career as a prosecutor, I specialized in the prosecution of child sexual abuse cases. In the mid-1980s, this was a taboo topic. Something rarely discussed, much less prosecuted. During those early years, I worked to normalize the
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Berkshire Green Drinks to Feature Presentation on Rare Butterfly Species| 11:35AM / Monday, March 10, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Jessica Duffy will present "A Tale of Two Butterflies: Two Rare Pierid Butterflies of the Berkshires and Combined Threats" at the March Berkshire Green Drinks event on Wednesday, March 12. The event will be held online via Zoom and in person at Hot Plate Brewing Co. in Pittsfield, MA. The in-person gathering begins at 5:15 PM, with the presentation starting at 6:00 PM. Duffy will discuss the Veined White and West Virginia White butterflies, their natural history, and the threats they face from parasitoid wasps and invasive garlic mustard. Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT) will conduct butterfly surveys and garlic mustard 0 Comments
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Berkshire County in 'Significant Drought'| 10:56AM / Monday, March 10, 2025 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Following an extended period of below-normal precipitation, the Western region of Massachusetts, encompassing Berkshire County, has been elevated to a Level 2 – Significant Drought status by Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper. This designation underscores the persistent dry conditions affecting the area and necessitates heightened awareness and water conservation efforts. "The recent rain and snowfall are a welcome reprieve from the drought we have been experiencing," said EEA Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "However, it has not been enough to replenish our groundwater. As the growing season 0 Comments
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County's 'Super Six' Head to Final FourBy Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires.com Sports
05:26AM / Monday, March 10, 2025 | |
 Out of 10 No. 1 seeds in the MIAA basketball tournaments this winter – five boys, five girls – nine are still playing. Those nine did not have to play the Lee High girls basketball team. The ninth-seeded Wildcats pulled off arguably the season’s biggest upset on Saturday when they upended No. 1 Hopedale to reach this week’s state semi-final round. On Sunday afternoon, the Lee girls got together to celebrate their Final Four berth in style, cutting down one of the nets in their gymnasium and boarding a flatbed for a parade down Main Street. Senior captain Mia Puleri said that Lee, which trailed by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter on 0 Comments
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Senator Markey Headlines Pittsfield Democratic RallyBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
08:52PM / Sunday, March 09, 2025 | |
The Progressive Democrats of American were among the groups represented at the rally. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Democratic leaders rallied against the Republican administration on Sunday and urged residents to take action — but offered little on what their strategy is to oppose President Trump's agenda. "Trump doesn't want to make America great again," U.S. Sen. Ed Markey told hundreds at the Colonial Theatre. "He wants to make America hate again." Markey headlined the "No Kings in America" rally for Democracy on Sunday brought forward by the local Four Freedoms Coalition. (President Trump had described himself as 0 Comments
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Letter: A Prescription for Survival: Solving Western Mass Physician CrisisLetter to the Editor,
07:00PM / Sunday, March 09, 2025 | |
 To the Editor:
In the shadow of the Berkshires' rolling hills, a quiet calamity unfolds. Rural western Massachusetts — Berkshire, Franklin, and parts of Hampden and Hampshire Counties — teeters on the edge of a health-care abyss. Primary care physicians (PCPs), the bedrock of community wellness, are vanishing. With wait times stretching six to 12 months and ratios dipping to 60-70 doctors per 100,000 residents — half the state's average — this is no mere inconvenience. It's a crisis of equity, economics, and survival, demanding bold, bipartisan action now.
The numbers are stark. Berkshire County, home to 125,000 souls, has lost a third of its PCPs
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Gov, AG Issue Guidance on Equal Access to Education| 03:45PM / Sunday, March 09, 2025 | |
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell issued updated joint guidance to support Massachusetts' higher education and K-12 institutions in their work to further equal access and representation in education in response to recent Executive Orders by President Trump and a U.S. Department of Education "Dear Colleague" letter dated Feb. 14, 2025. Under the joint guidance, Massachusetts educational institutions should continue their work to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility among their student bodies. Longstanding legal precedent has established that educational institutions may take steps to build student 0 Comments
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MassWildlife: Discover animal tracks| 12:31PM / Sunday, March 09, 2025 | |
Wild animals are experts at staying out of sight. Yet the winter snow and mud can reveal a detailed account of the comings and goings of even the most secretive animals. Whether you're wandering secluded forests and fields or taking a walk in your suburban neighborhood, watch for tracks to learn about wildlife in the area. As with birdwatching, tree identification, or any other area of nature study, learning to identify tracks takes some practice. Start by getting familiar with common animal tracks. Use MassWildlife's animal track card as a guide to tracks you may encounter here in Massachusetts. Identifying animal tracks is much easier if the conditions are right. Tracks
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Lt. Gov. Touts Rural Grant Awards in CummingtonBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
08:14AM / Sunday, March 09, 2025 | |
Cummington welcomes Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Economic Development Secretary Yvonne Hao for an announcement on state grants for rural communities. CUMMINGTON, Mass. — A state grant has boosted the Berkshire Trail Building revitalization by $400,000, a project that has been in the works for over six years.
"Make sure to get a look at it on your way out," Selectman Brian Gilman told a crowd at the Community House. "The next time you pass this way, you might not recognize it because of all the new life that is breathed into it."
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll traveled to Cummington on Friday to celebrate $10 million in Community One Stop for Growth funding for rural
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Dalton Hires Executive Assistant to the Town ManagerBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:52PM / Saturday, March 08, 2025 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board has appointed Lori Venezia as the new executive assistant to the town manager. She started her role on Monday. Venezia grew up in Dalton and still has family in the area. She said she has a strong childhood connection to the community and is interested in making sure it remains a safe and caring community. "I think it'll help me be in their shoes and put myself in their position and share their feelings and share their concerns," she said. In this role, Venezia expressed her commitment to supporting the town manager by assisting them to ensure they are successful and meeting deadlines. She said she 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Short on Snow PlowersBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:18PM / Friday, March 07, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has half the number of snow plowing contractors it had in 2020.
Commissioner of Public Services and Utilities Ricardo Morales talked snow removal during Monday's public works subcommittee meeting. This year, the city only has 23 contractors compared to five years ago when there were more than 50.
"I think we have good contractors," he said. "We just don't have enough and especially, we don't have enough of the good contractors out there."
Contractor pay went up 2.44 percent in 2025, now between $85 per hour for a three-quarter-ton pickup truck with a push plow and $203 per hour for a 10-wheel truck with a wing and
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@theMarket: Tariff Talk Trashes Stocks as Stagflation Fears RiseBy Bill Schmick,
04:20PM / Friday, March 07, 2025 | |
The latest worry to plague Wall Street is lower growth and rising inflation. What is worse, the tariff war that President Trump insists will lead to a "golden age" for America is proving to be a nightmare for financial markets. "There will be a little disturbance, but we are OK with that," the president admitted Tuesday evening in his address to Congress. His mission that night was to sell America on his vision of a new economy of high tariffs, low immigration, low taxes, and low regulation. Main Street is buying that message, with approval ratings of almost 70 percent of those who watched the address. Unfortunately, global financial markets are not so 0 Comments
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