YMCA's Hoosac Tunnel Soccer League to Start Sept. 5

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Northern Berkshire YMCA has opened registrations for its YMCA/Hoosac Tunnel Soccer League for all boys and girls ages 4 years through eighth grade. Session dates are Sept. 5-Oct. 24, 2015. Register by Aug. 15.

The league has four divisions: Pre K/K (for children ages 4 years old by Sept. 1 through kindergarten); first and second grades; third- through fifth-grades; and sixth- through eighth-grades. All divisions will practice one night a week, either Tuesday or Wednesday, and play a game on Saturday mornings. All sessions will be held at Alcombright Field.

This eight-week program is designed to be instructional in nature. For the pre-k through fifth grade divisions, the score is not kept, encouraging a non-competitive environment for learning. Children will learn fundamental soccer skills, the rules of the games and sportsmanship values by knowledgeable volunteer coaches. Children will be given a T-shirt with their team name and number on it, as well as an end-of-the-year award. This is not a travel league.

The cost of the league is $35 for Y members and $50 for non-members. An annual youth membership is $36/year. Financial assistance is available to those who qualify. Greylock Youth Club members may also use the Greylock Youth Club Coupon to participate for free. Greylock Youth Club Coupons can be picked up from any Greylock Federal Credit Union branch. Register for the program at the Y, 22 Brickyard Court in North Adams.

For more information, contact Jeremy Levesque at 413-663-6529 or jlevesque@ymcanb.com.

Cost, Access to NBCTC High Among Concerns North Berkshire Residents

By Tammy DanielsiBerkshires Staff
06:15PM / Thursday, April 25, 2024

Adams Select Chair Christine Hoyt, NBCTC Executive Director David Fabiano and William Solomon, the attorney representing the four communities, talk after the session. 

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Public access channels should be supported and made more available to the public — and not be subject to a charge.

 

More than three dozen community members in-person and online attended the public hearing  Wednesday on public access and service from Spectrum/Charter Communications. The session at City Hall was held for residents in Adams, Cheshire, Clarksburg and North Adams to express their concerns to Spectrum ahead of another 10-year contract that starts in October.

 

Listening via Zoom but not speaking was Jennifer Young, director state government affairs at Charter.

 

One speaker after another conveyed how critical local access television is to the community and emphasized the need for affordable and reliable services, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly. 

 

"I don't know if everybody else feels the same way but they have a monopoly," said Clarksburg resident David Emery. "They control everything we do because there's nobody else to go to. You're stuck with with them."

 

Public access television, like the 30-year-old Northern Berkshire Community Television, is funded by cable television companies through franchise fees, member fees, grants and contributions.

 

Spectrum is the only cable provider in the region and while residents can shift to satellite providers or streaming, Northern Berkshire Community Television is not available on those alternatives and they may not be easy for some to navigate. For instance, the Spectrum app is available on smart televisions but it doesn't include PEG, the public, educational and governmental channels provided by NBCTC.