Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Benchmarks data team recently released a State of the County Update for 2023. 
 
This brief report builds on the Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County Report published in May 2022 and highlights notable changes in regional indicators over the past year. The berkshirebenchmarks.org website has also been updated to reflect the most current available data. 
 
The purpose of the Benchmarks initiative and report is to highlight the region's successes and challenges.
 
The 2022 Berkshire Benchmarks State of the County report provided a comprehensive overview of our region's performance across eight sectors: Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Housing, Social Environment, and Transportation.  
 
In the future, the Berkshire Benchmarks team will continue to monitor these and other indicators to aid with the regional understanding of changes in these sectors and whether the work happening throughout the region is having the intended impact. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks is a collaborative initiative managed through Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC). Our sources are publicly available data, including the U.S. Census Bureau, the American Community Survey, various Massachusetts data sets, and periodic surveys of Berkshire County residents. 
 
Berkshire Benchmarks aims to work with the community to understand priorities and help inform the region on how we are doing and if we are improving. Berkshire Benchmarks enhances the region's access to quality data and analysis. 

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Third No Kings Rally Adds War in Iran to List of Grievances

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

 

State Sen. Paul Mark was at four rallies on Saturday. He and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, both seen here in Pittsfield, said what they heard today will inspire them on Beacon Hill. . 
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Even the frigid wind couldn't silence the voices of thousands of protestors across the county.  
 
In Pittsfield, more than 1,000 people were at the Common, wearing custom T-shirts, and costumes ranging from the Statue of Liberty to inflatable animals, or just holding signs condemning the President Donald Trump and his administration. 
 
This third "No Kings" rally, following on the protests last June and October, saw hundreds of thousands of Americans and others across the world take to the streets and the parks to oppose a growing list of actions made by the administration. 
 
This time, signs protesting the war against Iran joined others focusing on constitutional rights like voting and free speech, democracy, and protecting marginalized groups.
 
Activists, musicians, and some public officials attended the protest, including state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier in Pittsfield; state Rep. John Barrett III was in North Adams. None of the legislators spoke at the rallies. 
 
Farley-Bouvier said the people of Pittsfield were at the rally in resistance and joy — standing up together to say, "enough is enough."
 
Some days the role of a state representative is hard and days like this inspire and rejuvenate the drive to go back out there and fight another day, she said. 
 
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