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Two Pittsfield Firefighters Resign After Residency Challenged

Two newly hired firefighters resigned after it was found they had falsely claimed residency to get a boost in the Civil Service exam. The Civil Service Commission called for an investigation into the matter after a bypass appeal was filed late last fall. Justin Brady had taken the exam but did not get the job. He filed a grievance with the Civil Service Commission claiming three candidates - Lucas Perry, Jonathan LaCasse, and Nicholas Amuso - above him did not qualify for the residency prefer

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Adams-Cheshire Starts Two-Pronged Search for Superintendent, Interim

The Adams-Cheshire Regional School Committee on Monday voted to hire an interim superintendent and simultaneously conduct a permanent superintendent search.

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Farley-Bouvier, Hinds Chat Environmental Issues At Pittsfield Forum

The state hopes to see more renewable energy from solar and thus incentives solar development. However, the way the programs are currently established, the solar often comes at the expense of cutting trees. "We have perverse incentives for solar. It is cheaper for a developer to come in and cut down a whole bunch of trees to do something for the environment," state Rep. Farley-Bouvier said.

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Third Man Charged In January Murder In Pittsfield

A third man has been charged in the killing of 18-year-old Jaden Salois in January. Dasean Smith, 21, is now charged with murder, carrying a firearm without a license, and possession of a firearm while committing a felony. Judge Mark Mason ordered him to be held without bail.

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Adams Man Facing Charges Related to 2 Break-ins

Police arrested have arrested an Adams man thought to be connected to two break-ins earlier this month.

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Herberg Set to Take on Ambitious Improvement Plan Thanks to State Grant

Thanks to a $900,000 state grant, Herberg Middle School is poised to vastly improve the academics in the building. Herberg has had low scores on state assessments leading it into "turnaround status" and Principal Martin McEvoy and Assistant Principal for Teaching and Learning Lisa Lesser crafted an ambitious plan to change those results. Earlier this month, the state not only approved the plan but also awarded $900,000 over the next three years to implement it.

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Clarksburg Still Hoping for State Funds Toward School Repairs

School and town officials have reached out the state in hopes of getting some funding to do more for the building but those efforts have so far been unsuccessful.

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Berkshires Beat: BNRC Upgrades Popular Trails for 2019 Summer Season

Similar upgrades have also been completed at 16 other BNRC trail sites across Berkshire County. All 54 BNRC reserves are open to the public year-round from dawn to dusk, free of charge.

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Coalition Celebrates Another Year of Building Community

Parts of that hole, however, could be filled by the inspiring and uplifting words of the speakers who came to the podium on Friday to share what the idea of "building community" — the theme of the meeting, complete with a Lego brick motif and cake — meant to them.

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Solid Waste District Considers Accepting North Adams

Williamstown representative Tim Kaiser told the commission Thursday that he and program director Linda Cernik have met with city officials about re-entering the district.

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Mount Greylock School Committee Completes Superintendent Evaluation

And the "needs improvement" classification itself was not to be unexpected for someone who was hired as a full-time superintendent after a spring 2018 vote of the committee.

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Berkshires' Summer Jazz Camp Enrollment Open

In mid-August, high school and middle school students throughout the county will get a chance to sit in with a group of master jazz musicians at Hoosac Valley High School.

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Lenox Woman Struck Crossing Route 7 on Friday

An 85-year-old Lenox woman was struck by a car on South Street, Route 7, on Friday night.

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North Adams Schools to Tout Opportunities at Drury High

Declining enrollment and school choice options are lending some competitive overtones to local school districts and Drury High School to make sure parents understand what it has to offer.

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Signage, Public Awareness Means Less Dog Waste in Adams

Board of Health member Bruce Shepley said with new signage on the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail and public awareness there seems to be fewer dog feces on the trail.

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North Adams Planners Want Permitting for Church 'NOMADS'

The Planning Board has told New Hope United Methodist Church on State Street that it must apply for a special permit to allow RVs to park on its property.

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@theMarket: Markets Expect Fed to Cut Rates

Investors can credit the Fed once again for the market's revival thus far in June. The buying is fueled by expectations of three rate cuts by no later than December. Is that wishful thinking?

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CATA Breaks Ground for New Art Center & Headquarters

Community Access for the Arts broke ground on Wednesday morning for a new art center at 420 Stockbridge Road.

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Adult Learning Center Grads Get New Lease on Life

When Brittany Sullivan lost her sister, her life spiraled out of control. "When I was 14 years old, my sister died suddenly in a car accident. This sent me into a downward spiral that led me to drinking, smoking, and dipping into opioids, which eventually got me kicked out of my home at 17. Shortly after, I dropped out of high school," Sullivan said.

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Pittsfield Council OKs $175M Operating Budget, $11M Capital Plan

The City Council approved both the operating budget and the capital budget on Tuesday, June 11,but not before one more match of pickleball.

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Cultural Pittsfield This Week: June 14-19

June's 3rd Thursday celebrates health and fitness with the running of the 10th annual Green Mile Road Race to benefit the Pittsfield Parade Fund at 5:30 p.m

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State Launches Public Awareness Campaign to Teens on Healthy Interactions

Sometimes a teenager will take to social media to rank about another. It causes riffs between the two individuals. The original poster's friends ask what it was all about and they respond they were just venting. That's when the friends should step in and tell the poster to go talk to the individual about it. That is a better way to solve problems.

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The Independent Investor: The Suburban Dilemma

It was an age when Americans abandoned the inner city. By the hundreds of thousands per year, they embraced the tract home, the white picket fence, and quarter-acre of lawn or back yard far from the busting crowds of the city.

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Ericson Looks to Reel in Taxes If Re-elected to Lanesborough Selectboard

A small town like Lanesborough shouldn't have the highest tax rate in the county, according to Robert Ericson. Ericson is seeking his third term on the Board of Selectmen and has grown into taking a more fiscally conservative view on the town's finances - a viewpoint he said he didn't he'd ultimately take. But as he's spoken with many residents in town, he's realized the demographics are aging and there are a significant number of retirees on the verge of being "forced out of their houses."

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Hubbard Seeks to Bring 'Wealth of Experience' to Lanesborough Selectboard

Gordon Hubbard is hoping to bring a wide range of experience to the Board of Selectmen. Hubbard is the owner of Mount Greylock Campsite Park but prior to that boasts of a career in teaching, school administration, volunteer firefighting and as an emergency medical technician.

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