Berkshire Benchmarks Releases State of the County Update

Print Story | Email Story
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. 

Tags: BRPC,   

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Pittsfield Firefighters Douse Blaze in Wealthy Avenue Home

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Firefighters quickly doused blaze in a single-family home on Wealthy Avenue late Tuesday afternoon. 
 
Scanner reports said it was called in as a lightning strike but the cause is still under investigation. The fire occurred during a line of severe thunderstorms rolling over the region.
 
Capt. Robert Stevens said the fire was called in at 4:24 p.m. and that there was heavy smoke coming from the second floor when they arrived on scene. 
 
"We did make it a double alarm fire," he said. "Engine 2 crew took a line in, made an interior attack, we were able to get the fire under control relatively quickly." 
 
He estimated it took about 20 minutes to bring it under control. Five engines, the ladder company and the chief and deputy chief responded, as well as police, Action Ambulance.
 
A second story window was knocked out of Cape Cod home and soot could be seen around it. 
 
All five occupants of the house were outside when the call came in, and Stevens said that was confirmed when they go to the scene. Non one was injured and no pets were affected. 
 
View Full Story

More Pittsfield Stories