BOSTON — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will be sending more than $64 million to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to reimburse it for the cost of contracting to provide testing services in public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The $64,144,440 Public Assistance grant will reimburse the Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services for the cost of contracting to provide testing at schools and in public buildings in surrounding communities between February 2021 and June 2022.
The contractor provided services which included operations and logistics of pooled testing, training, software, and technical assistance to school personnel.
The contractor also provided transportation for a total of 907,829 COVID-19 test specimens from approximately 2,400 public schools across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to the laboratory for analysis.
"FEMA is pleased to be able to assist Massachusetts with these costs," said FEMA Region 1 Regional Administrator Lori Ehrlich. "Reimbursing state, county, and municipal governments – as well as eligible non-profits and tribal entities – for the costs incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic is an important part of our nation's ongoing recovery."
FEMA's Public Assistance program is an essential source of funding for states and communities recovering from a federally declared disaster or emergency.
So far, FEMA has provided more than $2.7 billion in Public Assistance grants to Massachusetts to reimburse the commonwealth for pandemic-related expenses.
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Texas-Style Barbecue Opens for Lunch, Takeout in Downtown Pittsfield
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — FireKing BBQ is making it easier to find its smoked ribs — they're in the Clocktower Building in downtown Pittsfield.
Owner Ethan Sumner has been operating as a catering service for more than a decade, with a mobile smoker for his award-winning barbecue.
"We specialize in low and slow cooking as well as grilling over charcoal and hardwoods," he said. "We love using cherry wood, apple wood, and a little kiss of hickory wood in all of our cooking. Most of our cooking, I should say. And we don't use any propane. I'm a purist in that sense. I love cooking over open flame and hot coals."
He works alongside Robear Robespierre, who helps with Sumner's sales and distribution.
Sumner said he spends hours cooking his meat, like his baby back ribs that won him first place in the 2019 Grillsdale competition in New York State. It takes him about six hours, two of them smoking at 250 degrees, to cook the ribs.
He said he wanted a space to be able to keep up with demand. Business dropped off every winter because people think of barbecue as outdoor food, and while he will cook outside even in negative temperatures, an indoor space lets him serve year-round, including football season and the Super Bowl.
He is now located at 75 South Church St. and he is no stranger to the building. Sumner had run the publication Berkshire's Best: Buys, Business, and Beyond out of the building so he knew its possibilities.
"It's funny how I've come full circle here back into the building. So I've always kind of seen this space. But I was never into culinary then. I was into publishing. So this is 13 years in the making, and I had my paper for 13 years, which again, is coincidental," he said. "So I just really like this space. It's modern. It's nice. It's clean, and that's how my food is. It's clean. It's fresh, and it's local, just like me."
Sumner is originally from New York City and made his way to Great Barrington with his family. One of the inspirations behind his business was his father, who loved to grill outside.
"Even when we lived in New York City, he would go on the terrace of our 36-story apartment building on the third floor there was a terrace, and he would always cook on a Weber charcoal grill with charcoal, and I always was fascinated by that. And he always loved cooking outside, and he loved cooking over charcoal. And he would always make this mustard and tea leaf steak," he said. "That was a standout. It was a family favorite of ours and I could always taste the difference between something that was cooked [with charcoal]. Even when I was 7 years old I could, I always craved that certain taste that you could only get from charcoal."
He wants customers to know he cares about his food and its quality, making sure he gets the best ingredients for his dishes.
"I want them to know that. I'm a barbecue guy, but I also offer so much more. I consider myself somebody who loves cooking over open flame, smoking meats, but I also love using fresh ingredients to create deli sandwiches and fresh salads," Sumner said. "So I want people to associate FireKing with quality. I also want to point out that I get a lot of my meat from Mazzeo's meat market. So I don't sacrifice quality, which I think is half the battle in doing what I do is getting quality meats and produce."
He hopes customer will find the eatery a comfortable atmosphere to enjoy their lunch and hangout, or grab a sandwich and go.
"They could grab a pulled pork sandwich in about a minute and a half flat and be out of here if they want to. So there's no pressure," he said. "I love the community. I love talking to people here. Everyone in this community has been super kind and gracious, and I appreciate them. And I want to give back what they've given me."
He also plans to have DoorDash and barbecue pickup packages for families, and to have vacuum-sealed, pre-cooked smoked ribs with reheating instructions, also available for local pickup.
