More than 600 Participate in Steel Rail Races

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- Matthew Ferraro was the first runner across the finish line at the MountainOne Steel Rail Marathon.
 
Ferraro clocked a time of 2 hours, 41 minutes flat on the Ashuwilticook Rail Trail course.
 
He finished a little more than five minutes ahead of runner-up Nick Reid (2:46:15).
 
Simone Veale won the race's women's division in a time of 3:18:42. She beat out Jill Hussain, who covered the course in 3:27:23.
 
The fastest marathoner on Sunday was Stephen Gulley, a hand cyclist, who clocked a time of 2:15:03.
 
The 26.2-mile circuit was covered by 150 finishers ranging in age from 18 (William Hanley in 14th place) to 72 (Ric Nudell, who finished in 6:04:47).
 
The day also featured a half-marathon and an 8-kilometer race.
 
Mark Rabasco won the half-marathon in 1:18:41, edging Vincent Gauthier (1:22:38).
 
Kat Morrissey placed third overall in 1:23:43 and first among women in the half-marathon, which had 213 finishers.
 
Abigail Chaloux was the fastest woman in the 8K, crossing the finish line in 35:52, six seconds ahead of Caroline Kessler; the two women were ninth and 10th, respectively, overall in a field of 171 finishers.
 
Peter Hale had the fastest 8K time, 27:42. Erik Kessler was second in 30:32.
 
More than 600 people registered for Sunday's races, a record for the Berkshire Running Foundation event. Runners from 24 different states signed up to run.
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Pittsfield School Committee OKs Contracts, New Time-Out Regulations

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The School Committee held a special meeting last week to settle contracts for the new, institutionally different school year. 

During a virtual meeting, members approved a contract with the Pittsfield Federation of School Employees for fiscal years 2026 to 2028, and a memorandum of agreement with the United Educators of Pittsfield for the new bell schedule. 

The Pittsfield Federation of School Employees represents bus drivers and monitors, cafeteria and custodial staff, paraprofessionals, and secretaries. 

For Pittsfield Public Schools, staff returns on Aug. 26 and students' first day is Aug. 31; pre-kindergarten and kindergarten begin school on Sept. 2. The district will have one less elementary school, as the committee voted to retire Morningside Community School earlier this year and reassigned students to Allendale, Capeless, Egremont, and Williams elementary schools, and a different middle grade model. 

PPS now has an upper elementary and junior high school, with Grades 5 and 6 attending Herberg Middle School and Grades 7 and 8 attending Reid Middle School. This concept is also new to the 2026-2027 school year and has altered bell times, staffing, and transportation

An MOA with the Pittsfield Educational Administrators Association for school assignment changes after the contractual timeline was tabled.  It will be taken up at the next meeting with an executive session. 

The School Committee also updated the district's policies and procedures for physical restraint, time-out, and seclusion to align with revised state regulations.  It was adopted on the first reading. 

"We're not proposing any changes that haven't been suggested per the law," Superintendent Latifah Phillips reported. 

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