Claudia Perles cuts the ribbon held by BCC President Ellen Kennedy and NEPR General Manager Martin Miller at NEPR's new bureau on Tuesday.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — New England Public Radio opened its first Berkshire County bureau on Tuesday.
The radio station opened offices in the Central Station Business Center, the same building that houses 1Berkshire, in a partnership with Berkshire Community College.
On Tuesday, station and BCC officials were joined with employees from the Berkshire Chamber of Commerce to cut the ribbon on the new office space.
"We are really proud and pleased to be doing this," said NEPR General Manager Martin Miller before cutting a bright red ribbon to signify the opening.
The non-profit covers Western and Central Massachusetts and operates nine stations that reach Berkshire County but has never had a reporting presence here. Through a gift from the Perles Family Foundation, NEPR hired a full-time reporter, Adam Frenier, to staff the Berkshire bureau.
"The hiring of Adam Frenier as our Berkshire reporter represents a significant expansion of New England Public Radio's news department and a major commitment to expand the station's news coverage of Berkshire County," wrote NEPR's Program Director John Voci in a statement.
Frenier's voice may be recognizable to many in Berkshire County as he's been a freelancer reporter with NEPR for five years. He boasts a total of 15 years in the radio business. Additionally, he has experience in teaching others about the business, which Miller says will help with the partnership with BCC.
The college, through this funding, will be able to send three paid interns to work with Frenier.
"This really ties so beautifully with what's happening with 1Berkshire," college President Ellen Kennedy said of the job training benefits that come with the internship program.
Kennedy said NEPR is "high-powered, high-quality" media company that will help give the students the real work experience and insight to help them secure jobs in their fields and in the Berkshires.
NEPR plays a mix of news coverage and classical and jazz music programming. The organization combines programming from National Public Radio with New England specific programs, which now includes Berkshire County.
"We love BCC and we love New England Public Radio," said Claudia Perles, who gifted the money to open the bureau.
Additional information: NEPR can be found at FM stations 96.3 and 101.1 in North County; 106.1 FM in Pittsfield; 98.3 FM in Lee and 96.7 FM in Great Barrington. Its main stations in the Springfield area are news and music at 88.5 FM and all news at WNNZ AM 640.
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Show-Cause Hearing for Pittsfield Bar Continued Again
By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Bei Tempi will have a show-cause hearing for its liquor license in May after police brought forward pictures that appear to show underage patrons drinking.
On Monday, the Licensing Board continued a hearing for Zuke's Soups and Variety LLC, doing business as Bei Tempi, to May 18. This is the second month it was continued. In the last year, the bar has been accused of underage service by two different parents.
Earlier this year, Police Capt. Matthew Hill received a call from an upset parent about her 19-year-old daughter patronizing Iztac Mexican Restaurant at night and being served.
Those photos resulted in a two-week liquor license suspension for Iztac, and the same mother submitted an almost identical complaint about Bei Tempi with photos, one of them with the owner "clearly visible" in the background, Hill said.
The owners, Richard and Elizabeth Zucco, did not show up in March, and the hearing was continued again this month.
"This show-cause hearing was scheduled for March 23 of 2026 and the licensee did not appear at that hearing, although I understand that notice went out by way of email," Chair Thomas Campoli reported after the bar's second no-show, adding that the Zuccos' lawyer communicated they had a "planned prepaid trip" that conflicted with the meeting.
Last year, a different mother approached the Licensing Board asking for accountability after her underage child was allegedly served at Bei Tempi. After drinking at a graduation party, she said her 18-year-old son became further intoxicated at the establishment before returning home late and becoming combative, resulting in an arrest by police.
In March, the pictures of alleged underage drinking at Iztac were printed and presented to the Licensing Board with faces blurred; the reporting party wished to remain anonymous along with her daughter and friend, and she was unable to attend the hearing.
Hill ran the patrons' names through police records to confirm they were not 21. This is the same underage daughter who is said to have drunk at Bei Tempi, and her mother has provided photos.
The Health Department ordered Iztac to close on March 13 after finding "pests" in the establishment. On Monday, a notice stating that it was closed to the public to protect public health and safety was no longer on the door but the Health Department confirmed that the closure was still in effect.
The town election is less than a month away and, unlike recent ones, all open seats are uncontested, with even a vacancy remaining on the Planning Board.
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