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| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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BRPC Committee Mulls Input on State Housing PlanBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:52AM / Monday, April 29, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Regional Planning Commission's Regional Issues Committee brainstormed representation for the county in upcoming housing listening sessions.
"The administration is coming up with what they like to tout is their first housing plan that's been done for Massachusetts, and this is one of a number of various initiatives that they've done over the last several months," Executive Director Thomas Matuszko said.
"But it seems like they are intent upon doing something and taking comments from the different regions across the state and then turning that into policy so here is our chance to really speak up on that."
The
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State Destination Development Capital Grant to Support Tourism | 03:52PM / Sunday, April 28, 2024 | |
BOSTON, Mass. — The Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) have announced the Destination Development Capital (DDC) Grant program for fiscal year 2025. Destination Development Grants are included in the economic development plan, "The Mass Leads Act: An Act Relative to Strengthening Massachusetts' Economic Leadership," as a strategy to support critical capital improvements at tourism assets across Massachusetts. The FY25 DDC grant program is anticipated to be funded at up to $5 million through the Capital Budget. The competitive grant program will award funds to 0 Comments
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs $82M Budget, $1.5M CutsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:44PM / Sunday, April 28, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The school budget is less grim than the original proposal but still requires more than $1.5 million in cuts.
On Thursday, the School Committee approved an $82.8 million spending plan for fiscal year 2025, including a city appropriation of $80.4 million and $2.4 million in Chapter 70 funds.
The cuts made to balance the budget include about 50 staff reductions — some due to the sunsetting of federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds.
"The final version does not answer all needs. It will be unacceptable to some or to many but I must say that tonight's final proposal is very different than where we started when we believed
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MassDEP Investing in Air Quality Sensors in Environmental Justice Communities | 08:00AM / Sunday, April 28, 2024 | |
BOSTON — To celebrate Earth Week, the Healey-Driscoll Administration will dedicate $775,000 to install new air quality sensors across the state and put advanced monitoring technology into environmental justice communities to track local air quality and protect public health. The funding was announced by Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) Commissioner Bonnie Heiple during a tour of a MassDEP air monitoring station in Kenmore Square in Boston – one of 24 air monitoring stations currently located across the state.? "The Healey-Driscoll Administration is committed to addressing toxic air emissions impacting residents across 0 Comments
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BCC Student Discovers Rare Osprey NestBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:21PM / Saturday, April 27, 2024 | |
Danielle Lemieux was able to snap a photo of the birds to confirm it was an osprey nest. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Danielle Lemieux was on her routine commute to class at Berkshire Community College when she spied a rare sight. The ornithology student discovered the third osprey nest on record in the county. While it isn't rare for the birds of prey to be seen in the area, they typically settle in coastal regions and finding a nest is "extremely unusual," said Lemieux, whose discovery last week took her environmental science education to a new level.
"It's really exciting that we have this amazing bird nesting right in our back yards," she
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Governor Forms Search Committee for Dept. of Correction Commissioner| 04:00PM / Saturday, April 27, 2024 | |
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced an update on the search process to identify the nextCommissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Correction, following the retirement of Commissioner Carol Mici last month. The Administration has formeda six-member search committee, composed of diverse professionals and community leaders with wide-ranging expertise and lived experience, to guide a robust process to identify the new executive and administrative leader of the Department of Correction. With administrative support from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS), the Committee will guide the search process and provide multiple opportunities for
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March 2024 Unemployment and Job Estimates in Mass| 10:57AM / Saturday, April 27, 2024 | |
BOSTON — Local unemployment rates decreased in twenty-three labor market areas and remained unchanged in one labor market area in the state during the month of March 2024 compared to February 2024, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development reported. Compared to March 2023, the rates were down in seventeen of twenty-four labor market areas. Of the fifteen areas for which employment estimates are published, fourteen NECTA areas gained jobs compared to the previous month. The largest percentage increases occurred in the Lynn-Saugus-Marblehead (+0.9 percent), Barnstable Town (+0.8 percent), and Worcester MA-CT (+0.7 percent) areas. From March 2023 to 0 Comments
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DPI Supports Continued Parallel Parking for North StreetBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:32AM / Saturday, April 27, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Downtown Pittsfield Inc. proposed angled parking on North Street and was pleasantly surprised that the city responded with an in-depth study and new plans — even if they don't include angled parking.
The City Council mulled a study and resulting design on Tuesday that maintains parallel parking while expanding pedestrian zones and adding protected bike lanes. DPI last year requested that angled parking be considered in the corridor after polling showed 60 percent support for a reconfiguration. The study can be found here.
"When we brought the request to the City Council to reconfigure the parking patterns in downtown, we
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Pittsfield Resident Victim of Alleged Murder in GreenfieldBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
09:14PM / Friday, April 26, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A man found dismembered in a barrel in Greenfield on Monday has been identified as Pittsfield resident. The Northwestern District Attorney's Office identified victim as Christopher Hairston, 35, and subsequently arrested a suspect, Taaniel Herberger-Brown, 42, at Albany (N.Y.) International Airport on Tuesday. The Daily Hampshire Gazette reported that Herberger-Brown told investigators he planned on visiting his mother outside the country. Herberger-Brown was detained overnight, and the State Police obtained an arrest warrant on a single count of murder on Tuesday morning, the Greenfield Police Department said in a press 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Celebrates Robert 'Bob' Presutti on Arbor DayBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:33PM / Friday, April 26, 2024 | |
Bob Presutti, right, is presented the Hebert Award in 2017 for his volunteer efforts at Springside Park. He died in 2023 at age 88. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A tree has been planted next to the Berkshire Athenaeum in honor of local "giant" Robert Presutti.
Officials celebrated Arbor Day on Friday by installing a commemorative plaque next to the American elm sapling. This is a tree that James McGrath, the city's park program manager, said Presutti would have been particularly proud of.
"Today is a day where we yes, celebrate trees, but today is also a day where here in the city we intentionally try to acknowledge the good work of folks in our community who
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Dalton Preview Town Meeting Set April 29By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
03:51PM / Friday, April 26, 2024 | |
DALTON, Mass. — Residents will have the opportunity to review the town meeting warrant in advance during a preview meeting at Wahconah Regional High School on Monday, April 29, at 7 p.m. The town started to do "baby" town meetings last year to give voters the chance to ask questions regarding the warrant articles. "We can get into as much detail as people like there. It's a great opportunity for people to become educated about what's on the warrant and why, if they so choose," Town Manager Thomas Hutcheson said at a recent Select Board meeting. "And that is hopefully going to make for better discussion at town meeting 0 Comments
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Tickets On Sale for Berkshire Flyer | 02:10PM / Friday, April 26, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Amtrak, in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) and New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT), announced tickets are now on sale for the Berkshire Flyer. The Berkshire Flyer is a seasonal summer passenger rail service that operates between New York City from Moynihan Train Hall and Pittsfield. The service, which began as a successful pilot in 2022, is scheduled to resume on Friday, June 21 through Monday, Sept. 2 for Labor Day weekend. Trains depart New York City Friday nights and return at the end of the weekend, leaving Pittsfield Sunday afternoon. In addition, for the first time this year, the 0 Comments
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