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Coretta Scott King, left, watches President Ronald Reagan sign the bill creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 1983.

Holiday Hours: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day is being celebrated Monday, Jan. 20. It is a federal holiday to commemorate the birthday of the civil rights activist born Jan. 15, 1929. It is observed on the third Monday in January.

King, a Baptist minister, led the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s by espousing nonviolent protest. His best-known address, the "I Have a Dream" speech, was given in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to a crowd of 250,000 who participated in the March on Washington. The 1964 Nobel Prize winner was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

While the reverend was born in Atlanta, he has ties to Massachusetts. He earned his doctorate from Boston University and met and married his wife, Coretta Scott, in Boston. The state's U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke sponsored the first bill to declare a holiday in his honor in the 1970s. MLK Day was first observed as a federal holiday in 1986 but a number of states, particularly in the South and West, did not add it to their list of state holidays until some years later.

While federal and state offices are closed, only about a third of businesses give their employees the time off.

Northern Berkshire Community Coalition will hold its annual Day of Service on Monday and present the annual Peacemaker Award in MCLA's Venable Hall gym. This year's award will be presented to Gina Coleman, director of diversity equity and inclusion for the Brien Center, former educator and administrator in the Pittsfield Public Schools and at Williams College, and longtime musician and community leader; the celebration begins with check-in at MCLA's Church Street Center at 8:30, volunteering at various sites from 9 to 11:30, then lunch and presentations beginning at 12:30 at the center. 

Berkshire Community College will start off its annual Day of Service event with keynote speaker Rachel Melendez Mabee, Greylock Federal Credit Union's vice president of DEI, culture and brand, and breakfast at United Methodist Church at 10 a.m. This event is co-sponsored by the Berkshire Branch of the NAACP. Volunteer activities in Partnership with Berkshire United Way will follow; lunch will be provided by UpStreet Smoke, a Pittsfield-based Black-owned business.

Multicultural BRIDGE hosts a day of service starting with a blessing at 9 a.m. at Macedonia Church on Rosseter Street in Great Barrington, followed by work proejcts at various sites. A circle gathering and a bag lunch from Momma Lo's BBQ (RSVP for lunch) is at 1 p.m. and then a swap shop, cataloging, card delivery and food distribution at the Solidarity House and in Pittsfield from 2 to 5. To participate, complete the MLK Day of Service form.

 

Closed:

Federal, state and local offices; no mail delivery.
Banks
Stock markets
Public colleges and schools, most private schools


Public libraries
Some offices and businesses
BRTA is not running; office is closed

Open:
Most retail outlets, groceries
Restaurants and bars
Convenience stores


Tags: holiday hours,   

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Snow, Sleet & High Winds for Presidents Day Weekend

Another weekend, another storm for the Berkshires. 
 
The National Weather Service in Albany, N.Y., is forecasting 3 to 7 inches of mixed precipitation beginning Saturday afternoon. Ice accumulations may be between one-tenth and three-tenths of an inch.
 
A winter weather advisory is in effect from 1 p.m. on Saturday to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
 
Snow will continue through this evening before transitioning to a wintry mix overnight into Sunday afternoon. Some areas may change over to plain rain before precipitation tapers off.
 
This expected to followed by high winds Sunday night with gusts reaching up to 60 mph. Strong winds combined with any ice on trees could result in additional power outages. A high wind watch is in effect from 7 p.m. Sunday through Monday evening. 
 
Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous from snow, sleet and ice accumulations. Plan on slippery road conditions. Power outages and tree damage are possible due to the ice, snow and winds.
 
North Adams, Pittsfield and other communities have declared snow emergencies which means no parking on the street. In Pittsfield, parking is allowed only on the odd side of the street on Saturday beginning at 7 a.m. and the even side, also beginning at 7 a.m., on Monday. Downtown residents are being encouraged to the McKay Street parking garage free of charge during the emergency. 
 
Travelers should allow for extra travel time and check forecasts for their routes and destinations and, if possible, consider using public transportation in place of a personal vehicle. MassDOT crews have been pretreating roadways in advance of the storm and will be deploying snow removal staff and equipment as necessary across the commonwealth. Download the?Mass511?mobile app or visit?www.mass511.com?to view live cameras, travel times, real-time traffic conditions.
 
National Grid is preparing for icing, snow, hazardous winds and cold temperatures. Wind gusts have the potential to damage trees and knock down power lines, causing power outages in impacted locations. Icing can lead to sagging powerlines and tree limbs. The timing of the changeover to snow and freezing rain will influence snow and ice amounts, with higher snow totals across Western Massachusetts. 
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