Letter: Get Information About Dangers of Youth Vaping

To the Editor:

The start of the school year and new routines brings new worries about teen vaping. These concerns are important, especially now, because smoking and vaping may put people at higher risk of complications from COVID-19.

One in three Massachusetts teens vape and talking with young people about the dangers of vaping can make a difference. Learn more and watch videos at GetOutraged.org, part of a public information campaign from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Get Outraged! aims to spread the word that vaping products contain nicotine, can damage a teen's developing brain, and are addictive. The campaign also shares tips on talking with kids about vaping and resources to help them quit.

Get Outraged! complements "Facts. No Filters." a campaign with videos and information about vaping for youth at mass.gov/vaping by the Department of Public Health in collaboration with the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation.

In addition, handouts about vaping and quit resource cards for youth are available free of charge at the Massachusetts Health Promotion Clearinghouse.

For more information and to help you educate young people about vaping, contact Joyce Brewer at the Berkshire Tobacco-Free Community Partnership, jbrewer@berkshireahec.org
 

Joyce Brewer
Dalton, Mass.

Joyce Brewer is the program manager for the Berkshire Tobacco Free Community Partnership of Berkshire AHEC.

New Greylock School Project Underway

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
04:39PM / Wednesday, March 11, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Greylock neighborhood has been alerted to the beginning of demolition at the old Greylock School. 

 

Construction equipment is already at the site and the trees that lined Phelps Avenue in front of the school have been removed. 

 

A superintendent at the site confirmed that some abatement was occurring in preparation for demolition of the 1951 elementary school to make way for a new building. 

 

The $51 million project was awarded to Fontaine Bros. Inc. of Springfield last month. The entire project is estimated at $65 million though it is currently running $2 million under budget. 

 

Mayor Jennifer Macksey, chair of the School Committee, wrote to residents in the area to inform them of the possibility of disruption from noise and construction equipment. 

 

City Councilor Marie McCarron read the letter into the council's minutes on Tuesday night. The mayor was not present.

 

In the missive, the mayor noted the city has entered into the agreement with Fontaine as general contractor and that Collier's International, as the owner's project manager, will continue to guide the project.