GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Saturday morning, while many of us are still plastered to the bed (or plastered, period), a hardy troupe of South County folks will be up with the sun to brave the elements.

 Their mission: counting birds.

These dedicated bird watchers and citizen scientists are doing their part for the National Audobon Society’s 111th annual Christmas Bird Count, which began on Dec. 14, 2010,  and will continue through Jan. 5, 2011. The purpose of the count is to help researchers and conservation biologists study the status of bird populations in North America and in

0 Comments
Read More >>

SHEFFIELD, Mass. — If you are a parent of schoolage children right now, you are not only weathering the colossal blizzard of 2010, but you are also weathering the Christmas school vacation.

Don't worry, no need to hold back; we all have mixed feelings about this week of frozen entrapment, postholiday financial ruin and a few moments of actual relaxation. While this is far from the first school vacation that I've weathered, I am still scrambling to put together a fun week for my kids, while also keeping in mind that I do have to work (because who can really take a week off in this economy?) and my sanity is as crucial as the kids learning to relax into life a little bit.

0 Comments
Read More >>

LENOX, Mass. — The town released results last week of a 2010 municipal services survey that found nearly half the respondents would support cuts to departments. It's the first time residents have been surveyed about town matters in years.

The purpose of the survey was to determine which services are of highest priority among residents as, according to the introduction of the questionnaire, the town faces "the prospect of either needing to reduce services to keep in line with the financial resources available" or seek "voter approval for a Proposition 2 1/2 override in order to increase our property tax revenues to pay for the services you want."

"The town

0 Comments
Read More >>

In case it wasn’t obvious, I am a caffeine addict (since I’ve given up on everything else). And lately, I’ve also become a salt junkie. Not just any kind of salt, however, but pink Himalayan salt. Sounds fancy, right? Well, it is. And we’re not talking little, boring white grains of supposed sea salt. Think giant 70-pound gleaming rocks of 250 million-year-old salt that has made its way through a historical and cultural web to my back stoop; Great Barrington.

Salt cups are perfect for serving margaritas and sorbet (with green peppercorns).

HimalaSalt, founded by dynamo and

0 Comments
Read More >>

Generally I’m not one to go for the “heard it through the grapevine” approach to stories, but since it’s a small community and jobs may be on the line, I was hard pressed (actually, begged) not to use any names for this one. Actually, people have lost their jobs already, or been demoted or absorbed as a result of this latest news from Kolburne School.

The Caldwell House, which is a satellite residential home for students at the school, will be closing tomorrow. Employees at the house, which is located in Sheffield (set away from the road a stone ’s throw away from the covered bridge), found out roughly two weeks ago that it would be closing. While the school

0 Comments
Read More >>