Step It Up Rally

08:00PM / Monday, April 02, 2007Print Story | Email Story

Williamstown - A rally for action on climate change will be held on Sat., April 14 from noon to 2 p.m., on the front steps of First Congregational Church in Williamstown. This event is part of a Step It Up national day of action, organized by climate change scholar and activist Bill McKibben. Local events will be held in iconic places such as levees in New Orleans, melting glaciers on Mt. Rainier, underwater on Key West's endangered coral reefs, and in town on the steps of a New England church. Over 1,100 events like these will send the message â€œStep it up Congress, cut carbon 80% by 2050". At least six of these events are scheduled to be held in Berkshire County. According to event orgainizers, climate change is a moral issue as the world is faced with human-initiated changes that will harm millions, especially the worldâ€™s poorest and most vulnerable. Rev. Carrie Bail, Rabbi Jeff Goldwasser, and Chaplain Rick Spalding will speak during the Williamstown event. Additional speakers include state Sen. Ben Downing D-Pittsfield, Jiminy Peak CEO Brian Fairbank, town Selectwoman Jane Allen, Mount Greylock Regional High School senior Rachel Payne, Tufts University Professor Bill Moomaw, and Chuck MacNeil from the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority. The church faÃ§ade will be used to host a graph illustration of the dramatic spike in carbon emissions in the last hundred yearsâ€” with the final point extending 60 feet to the churchâ€™s steeple. The event will feature music by student performers from Williams College and Mount Greylock Regional High School, and opportunities for people to take action to reduce climate change. Actions include the purchase of compact fluorescent light bulbs, signing up for green energy, an opportunity to pledge to reduce carbon emissions, and signing up to participate with climate change study groups sponsored by the Northwest Earth Institute. The meetings will begin during the final week of this month and will cover a four-week span. The Water Street Books retail store will host a book table to sell books about climate change and other relevent topics. Food will be sold by a Spring Street business, Ephorium. People are encouraged to bike, carpool, or take the bus to the event. The BRTA has agreed to provide round-trip free bus service will be available from North Adams to and from the rally. You may contact First Congregational Church in North Adams at 663-9940 to arrange for passes for yourself or your organization. Rally parking will be permitted at the lower Stetson lot at Williams College or at the Williamstown Elementary School lot. Those who park in those locations are encouraged to walk the remaining distnce to the rally. In case of rain, the event will take place inside the church.

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Unofficial Mount Greylock School Committee Votes Released

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
01:20PM / Wednesday, November 04, 2026Updated 02:32PM

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- As expected, watchers of the Mount Greylock Regional School Committee election will need a little patience fo find out who won.

Williamstown posted on its website Wednesday that it will be at least Friday before the larger of the two towns in the regional school district announces any vote totals from Tuesday's election.

"The School Committee race was decided by write-in votes and tallying them takes time," the town posted. "Election workers review each write-in ballot by hand and record every vote individually. Accuracy is our priority.

"Mail-in ballots [postmarked by Election Day] have until Friday, November 6, to arrive, and those ballots will also be counted. A final count will not be available before then."

Two seats for Lanesborough residents and two seats for Williamstown residents are up for grabs on the seven-person committee this year. Residents in both towns elect all seven members, meaning residents in Lanesborough vote for both the Lanesborough and Williamstown seats and vice versa.

It took much longer than usual to get results of the local races on election night due to the fact that all six qualified candidates' names were left off the printed ballot, requiring voters to do write-ins for all four seats.

At about 1 a.m. Wednesday, Williamstown Town Clerk Nicole Beverly told iBerkshires.com that she would not have results she felt comfortable releasing until after she got some sleep and could review the data with fresh eyes.

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