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Sports
High School Football
11-07-09 - Hoosac Valley beats Drury.
More photo's on Monday |
 | Thursday, Nov. 06
Boys' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
McCann Tech 3, Keefe Tech 2
Girls' Soccer: State Vocational Championship Game
Blackstone Valley 8, McCann Tech 0 |
Election
Trying to remember who won what and why? All the information is right here. |
Daily Digest
This is Jake
He's been lost in Pittsfield for weeks but frequently sited. He was last seen heading toward the fire station on Peck's Road. He's tired, dirty and needs seizure medication. He's chipped. If you see him, call Julie at 413-537-5616, the vet 24/7 at 413-499-2820 or animal control at 413-448-9700. |
What's Playing
The popular anime character "Astro Boy" searches for acceptance on the big screen.
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ObituariesSales FliersBazaarsNov. 7:
VNA & Hospice, Community Room, North Adams
North Adams Elks
10-4; Nov. 8, 9-2
Crafters, Chinese auction, bake sale
For vendor information, Melanie at 413-743-5562.
Nov. 14
Berkshire Community Church, Richmond
10-4; Crafters, bake sale. Contact Evelyn Goggia at 413-445-5747
Lanesborough Elementary School annual Fall Craft Fair from 10 to 4. Free admission, huge variety of arts and crafts, raffles, food and more. Proceeds go to sixth-grade trip to Cape Cod.
Vendors can contact Deb at 413-738-5349 or debhutton@aol.com or Lori at 413-499-0065 or lorittod@yahoo.com to secure a spot.
Dec. 12-13
North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Contact Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.
Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here. |
Related Stories |
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Few Dial In for Public Hearing on Verizon ComplaintsBy Tammy Daniels
iBerkshires Staff
02:10AM / Wednesday, July 01, 2009
Assistant Director Benedict Dobbs, left, and Telecommunications Commissioner Geoffrey G. Why at Tuesday's public hearing. Top: Charles Flynn of Egremont gives testimony to the panel of Deputy General Counsel Kajal Chattopadhyay, left,Dobbs, Why and hearing officer Kalun Lee.
Flynn, left, speaks with Why after his testimony. |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The state was here to hear, but not many of those with telephone troubles made the trek to Berkshire Community College on Tuesday night to speak their piece.
About a half-dozen or so people testified at the Department of Telecommunications and Cable hearing, offering a litany of noisy lines and missing dial tones, said newly appointed Commissioner Geoffrey G. Why. Among them were Hancock Selectmen Chairman Sherman Derby and Christopher J. Bouchard, highway superintendent and Fire Department captain in Otis.
"They articulated a concern for emergency services in their towns," said Why. "Many of their population are elderly and don't drive."
Residents of Hancock, New Ashford and South Williamstown have frequently complained about land line issues and expressed concerns over the quality of Emergency-911 calls. Town officials have blamed the problems on older copper-wire lines that become unreliable when it rains and the wiring gets wet. Cellular coverage in many hilltowns is incomplete, leaving residents dependent on land lines in an emergency.
A number of Western Massachusetts towns, including Hancock and Williamstown, submitted letters of support for a regional investigation of Verizon's quality of service earlier this year. Why, who was the department's general counsel for several years until being appointed commmissioner on June 17, said 56 petitions from towns, organizations, individuals, coalitions, the area's two broadband connect groups and the state attorney general's office supporting an investigation into Verizon were received. A 57th submission, from Verizon, said it was not necessary.
The department moved forward with the query, scheduling four public hearings to take testimony from residents affected by communications lapses. The fourth and final hearing is set tonight, July 1, at Westfield College's Scanlon Hall from 6 to 9 p.m.
Phone service in South Egremont is "relatively unreliable," Charles Flynn, chairman of the South Berkshire Technology Committee. Service in his own home has caused emotional pain, describing how his two sons in the military, one in currently in Iraq, had difficulty connecting with their mother, who has trouble hearing.
Commissioner Geoffrey Why
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"Many times when they have attempted to call us after hours of waiting in line, she couldn't hear them because of buzzing on the line," he told the panel. While Verizon has fixed some problems, others still linger, particularly in South Egremont and Washington. Flynn speculated that 50-year-old copper wires running through that area were to blame; upgrades to support DSL in North Egremont seemed to alleviate issues there.
During a break in the testimony, Verizon spokesman Philip Santoro stressed that Western Mass. was an important region to Verizon, noting the hundreds of millions spent over the past few years in expanding and upgrading broadband availability to 24 towns, some of which had had no broadband capability.
"We don't think this is indicative of a servicewide problem," said Santoro, since the complaints received so far by the state add up to just 2/100th of a percent of the telecommunications giant's customers here.
Verizon MA was not aware of many of individual problems, he said, "but when they bring it to our attention we can do something about it."
Though the turnout was low, Why said the information gleaned here will be added to the written comments and testimony at the other three hearings. The Department of Telecommunications and Cable will accept written comments until July 10. After that, the state will review the testimony and determine what the next step will be, the commissioner said.
"We encourage anyone having a problem with their telephone to tell us about it," he said. "We're hear to listen and find out what's going on."
Submit written comments to Catrice C. Williams, Secretary of DTC, Two South Station, 4th Floor, Boston, MA 02110 by July 10, 2009. |
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