Adams To Bring On Senior Planner

The selectmen agreed it was urgent to bring on a senior planner to help local businesses establish themselves in town. The Board of Selectmen reviewed some new job descriptions Wednesday and Selectman John Duval noted with the coming departure of three businesses in town, it is critical to bring on this new employee.

Pittsfield Police: Multi-agency Operations Lead To 32 Arrests

Police say the series of operations were done both in response to recent violent crimes in the city and the anticipation of dangerous driving behavior during the holidays.

Berkshires Beat: SVHC Celebrates Putnam Nursing School Alumni

The event marked the 70th anniversary of the first graduating class of the school. Throughout its 50-year tenure, the school graduated more than 800 nurses.

Pittsfield Fire Stops Kitchen Small Blaze On Appleton Avenue

Firefighters snuffed out a small kitchen first in an Appleton Avenue apartment. Deputy Chief Daniel Garner said at about 10:37 a.m. Monday morning firefighters responded to 65 Appleton Avenue for a fire alarm activation. Firefighters found light smoke showing from the rear of a second-floor window.

Mount Greylock School Committee Approves Planning Documents

The latter administrative document, the Superintendent Goals, are part of the standard against which the committee will evaluate Superintendent Kimberley Grady's performance.

Hoosac Valley Athletes Paint Wall of Recognition

The Student-Athlete Leadership Council have honored local veterans with a mural at Hoosac Valley High School.

Adams Board of Health Asks to Be Involved in Bowe Field Camping

The Board of Health asked to be notified about activities held at Bowe Field. The board met with Agricultural Fair organizers Charles Felix and Patricia Wojcik on Wednesday to discuss camping on the grounds and Felix said it would not be an issue to include the Board in their notice to other town departments.

BRPC Raises Concerns With Removal of Tel-Electric Dam

BRPC officials would like the state to consider reusing dams for power more often. The comment comes from the organization's review of the removal of the Tel-Electric Dam on Mill Street. In that long-awaited project, the state did not require an alternative option of restoring the dam to generate power to be explored.

Cheshire Board Hires Architects for School Building Reuse Review

After reading a letter from EDM, the board agreed Tuesday to hire the firm for $2,400 to conduct the study.

Pittsfield Lights Up Christmas Tree

The city welcomed the Christmas season Friday with its annual tree lighting. The 35-foot tall tree in Park Square was lit by the Rapkowicz family, who donated the Colorado blue spruce to the city. Timothy and Susan Rapkowicz had planted it when they first bought their Euclid Street home.

Marino Receives McCann Superintendent's Award

Principal Justin Kratz said the business tech senior from North Adams has a 4.27 grade-point average and is president of the school's Business Professionals of America chapter.

Superior Court Briefs: Dec. 5 - Dec. 6

Pignatelli Honored As 'River Hero'

Pignatelli and Gobi were responsible for the passage of a $2.4 billion Environmental Bond Bill, signed by Gov. Baker in July, which allocated $55 million in funds for river and wetland restoration programs across the commonwealth. In Pignatelli's own Fourth Berkshire District, he allocated $400,000 in funds for the upkeep and expansion of the W.E.B. DuBois river garden park and the Housatonic river walk.

Cultural Pittsfield This Week: Dec. 7-13

Enjoy 16 different art shows featuring work by more than three dozen accomplished regional artists in Pittsfield's bustling Upstreet Cultural District during the First Friday Artswalk, and all month long! In most venues, artists will be present from 5-8 p.m. A free guided tour begins at 5 p.m. at the Intermodal Center @ BRTA, 1 Columbus Ave.

Holiday Events and Tree Lightings 2018

'Tis the season to be merry and bright. Planning a holiday event? Let us know at iberkshires.com. Visit our Holiday Bazaars and Craft Fairs list for holiday craft fairs.

The Independent Investor: Will Our Country's Military Win the Next War?

The Pentagon's National Defense Strategy was issued in January. Like all of their tomes before, it is heavy reading and fairly boring but this time around things were different. The United States Institute of Peace, a federal institution, issued a 98-page report rebutting some of the assumptions made about peacetime competition or wartime conflict.

Harvest Festivals and Craft Fairs 2018

Have an event to add? Email us at info@iberkshires.com.

State Crafting Plan For Unique Issues of Rural Towns

Rural towns have their own challenges. And now the state is taking a closer look at this issues. In 2015, the state Legislature created the Rural Policy Advisory Commission and this year the group has been on a listening tour to dig into those issues. On Thursday, the tour was in Berkshire County to get a better understanding of the issues here.

Cheshire Power Outage Caused by Dump Truck Hitting Wires

Crane said the operator initially raised the truck to dump the material and as he pulled forward to empty the last bit from the truck, he hit the high-tension wire.

South County's Becker Pond Dam Makes Priority Project List

The Baker-Polito administration made the designation on Thursday for Schenob Brook/Becker Pond Dam Removal Project along with 11 other river and wetland restoration projects across the commonwealth.

Two More Properties Added to Pittsfield's Demolition List

Two more homes have been added to the demolition list. The Board of Health issued orders of demolition for 33 Circular Avenue and 217 Robbins Avenue. The two adds to a list of homes the city demolishes because of unsafe conditions.

Home From Afghanistan, Mount Greylock Vice Principal Settling In

Schutz addressed the 120-member class of seventh-graders in a midday meeting in the school's gymnasium, on his third day back after serving a year in the National Guard.

Renovated Olympic Pizza Reopens in Williamstown

Owner Stella Giannaris has reopened the eatery with a new look and expanded menu after being closed for six weeks.

Berkshire Medical Center Shows Off New Technology

Berkshire Medical Center is hoping to get people back to their everyday lives quicker with the help of new technology. The hospital recent upgraded its daVinci Robot to lessen the invasiveness of surgery and purchased a new EksoGT robotic exoskeleton to help patients who had strokes or spinal cord injuries learn to walk again. On Wednesday the hospital showed off the new equipment in its lobby, displaying all of the cool features the equipment has to offer

Student Could Face Charges in Mount Everett Bomb Threat

School officials say a student responsible for Friday's hoax bomb threat that caused the evacuation and closure of the Mount Everett Regional School campus has been removed from school.