Lanesborough Opts Out of Early Voting By Mail

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Voters will not be able to cast ballots early by mail but can they can still request an absentee ballot for the town election.

Last week, Clerk Ruth Knysh asked the Select Board to opt out of early voting by mail for municipal elections. Her request came after the state expanded access last year.

"An act passed to allow early voting by mail for local elections. It used to be just state and federal," she said. "So my thought on that is it's not in my budget, it's a lot of extra work added on me. I'm only one person in there."

Knysh explained that all of the mail-in ballots would have to be opened and processed by herself before being checked against signatures in the state computer.

"It's a process and the local elections are not well participated in," she said. "I'm just worried that if that is an option to vote by mail, we're going to get hundreds of people that don't typically vote wanting to vote by mail because they can."

The Select Board accepted the request, understanding the nature of Knysh's concern. The board also approved her request to have a police officer at the polling location for every election to "preserve order and protect the election officers." This also is now required by the state.

So far, incumbent Michael Murphy is being challenged by Barbara Davis-Hassan and Deborah Maynard for a three-year seat on the Select Board. 

Berkshire Community College Graduates Historically Large Class

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:41AM / Saturday, May 30, 2026

Class valedictorian Jeremiah Reagan says he found himself at BCC in in nursing, earning his associate's degree from the program. See more photos here. 

LENOX, Mass. — The largest Berkshire Community College class in more than 10 years crossed Tanglewood's stage on Friday night.

 

It was also President Ellen Kennedy's last BCC commencement in the position, as she will step down at the end of June.

 

"It has been the greatest gift of my professional life to have been on this journey with you, all of you," Kennedy said. 

 

"Though our paths will now diverge, I know that the memories, the relationships, the moments of conflict and pain that led to new possibilities and growth, those will stay with me always." 

 

The 341 graduates in 38 programs of study earned a total of 377 awards: 218 associate degrees, and 159 certificates. This is the highest number of graduates the college has had since 2014, when it conferred awards to 362 students.

 

Graduates ranged in age from 17 to 68, and while a majority live in Massachusetts, others are from Connecticut, Kentucky, New York, Vermont, and West Virginia.

 

Travis Murach, who earned an associates degree in liberal arts, took the mic as he crossed the stage to receive his diploma to say he had been at BCC for a total of 15 years, dropped out three times, and has finally done it.