Letter: Dalton Must Be Allowed to Vote

To the Editor:

On Jan. 18, a Friday evening, the Select Board was advised of a date error on the instructions only for the mail-in ballots for the Feb. 3 election.

On Saturday, Jan. 19 (after being advised by the town manager on Friday evening), Dalton Town Clerk Heather Hunt with the assistance of Patti Mele-Nichols — and at their own expense, including personally supplying USPS stamps — spent the day notifying in writing the 28 eligible Dalton residents (of which I am one) who had received the incorrect instruction sheet.

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, she will follow up with phone calls to fulfill any commonwealth voting requirements.

Our Dalton town clerk is to be commended for her swift and corrective action to ensure that the Feb. 3 election is appropriately and legally held.

The ongoing attempts to stall or stop this election must not prevail, and the people of Dalton must be allowed to vote on Feb. 3.

Rachel I. Branch
Dalton, Mass.

Berkshire Community College Graduates Physical Therapist Assistants

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
10:29AM / Saturday, May 24, 2025

President Ellen Kennedy, program instructors and speakers pose with the graduates. See more photos here.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College graduated six physical therapist assistants during an intimate ceremony on Thursday. 

 

"This is a meaningful and, I hope, memorable evening for you, your families, our healthcare partners, this college, your very proud faculty, and most importantly, your future patients," BCC President Ellen Kennedy said. 

 

"In the years ahead, you will implement plans of care for people who are overjoyed to regain movement, for those coping with diminished capacity, and for others who are angry and grieving the loss of function they once took for granted."

 

During their careers, the graduates will witness a range of people experience complex emotions, including gratitude, frustration, hope, and despair, she said. 

 

"Some will thank you profusely. Others may express their pain in ways that make your work and your life more difficult," Kennedy said. 

 

"Through it all, you will rely on the knowledge, skills, and compassion you've developed in this program, which you will continue to refine in practice and professional growth. You will represent the very best of what Berkshire Community College has to offer."

 

The celebration marks their transition from students to practitioners into the "incredibly rewarding field," said Nicole Tucker, PTA program coordinator.