Letter: Eleanor Sonsini Shelter Left Out

To the Editor:

So I see the story about the ground breaking for a new building for the [Berkshire] Humane Society and I can't help but wonder, 'Why are funds and news articles always going to/about the Humane Society?'

Why isn't the Sonsini Shelter given the same funds and publicity? Am I missing something? Sonsini needs a new facility, Sonsini needs funds!

Sally LeBarnes
Hinsdale, Mass. 

Berkshire Concrete Appeals Fines; Residents Demand More Aggressive Actions

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
01:17PM / Monday, April 13, 2026

DALTON, Mass. — The snow has melted and the air is warming — a time when residents open their windows and step outside to enjoy the sun. But for those living near Berkshire Concrete's unauthorized dig site, they say the warmer weather means something else: more sand.

 

Less than a month into spring, the town received its first dust complaint after an overnight storm on March 31 blew sand and fine dust onto Raymond Drive, sending air monitoring data off the charts.

 

"The piles and vast open areas are once again exposed after the snow melt, and it is definitely blowing right into our neighborhoods," said Clean Air Coalition member Lisa Pugh. 

 

"We now have concrete data to prove this. The delays are continuing and the neighborhood continues to be negatively affected.

 

During the storm, the air monitors, placed around town showed particulate matter numbers recorded at over 5,000 units, and at times reaching 10,000. 

 

"These high readings continued for hours," she said. 

 

Levels above 155 are considered unhealthy and according to the Environmental Protection Agency these numbers are considered an immediate public health emergency, Pugh said.