Letter From Rep. John Olver: A Fond Farewell

As my time in Congress draws to a close, I want to take a moment to thank the constituents of the 1st Congressional District for your friendship and counsel.

When I arrived in Washington in 1991, I never expected to be in office for 21 years but there were many important issues to fight for and many things to change. The priorities that I fought for over the years were the ones that you brought to me in meetings in my offices, in letters that you sent and in phone calls that you made. Your thoughts and opinions guided my efforts in Washington.

I am proud of my work to protect human rights, expand energy efficiency measures and advance renewable energy technology, conserve our natural resources, expand community health centers, defend and promote affordable housing, increase access to rail and advocate for the effective use of transportation dollars.

There is still much to do and I am happy that Representatives Neal, McGovern and Tsongas will be representing central and Western Massachusetts. Their contact information can be found below.

Many of you have asked what my plans are for retirement. I look forward to spending time with my family, hiking in Western Massachusetts and beyond, tending to my garden, and traveling.

Thank you all for your well wishes and your calls of thanks. But it is you who deserve my thanks for providing me with the opportunity to serve you over the last 21 years.

Be well.

Congressman Richard Neal (MA01)
www.neal.house.gov
300 State Street, Suite 200
Springfield, MA 01005

Monument Mountain Graduates Reminded to Keep Ecological Mindset

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
08:00PM / Sunday, June 07, 2026

Valedictorian Sadie Honig-Briggs tells the class everything they will need in the future is sitting right next to them. Salutatorian Reese Duchesne noted environmental problems in the area and implored classmates to keep ecology in mind as they make their way in the world. See more photos here. 

LENOX, Mass. — The cheers and accolades inside Tanglewood's Shed on Sunday reached their crescendo as Monument Mountain Regional High School class of 2026 yelled "Go Spartans," turned their tassels and toss their caps. 

 

The 105 graduates from Great Barrington were sent off to solve the world's problems, but not before hearing some words of wisdom from their teachers and classmates. 

 

Valedictorian Sadie Honig-Briggs said the idea of giving them some wisdom made her deeply uncomfortable. What could she tell them that they had not already learned together? 

 

"Instead, I am going to state the obvious," she said. "I am going to tell you about some things you might need after today as you go off into the world, and I'm going to tell you about the people who can help you get those things that you need."

 

Honig-Briggs had done some research on her peers' future aspirations and they were delighted and applauded as she called out who to go for medical care, child care, education, computers, automotive repair, therapy, legal and financial, energy and entertainment. 

 

"You might catch the flu or break an arm, and when you get to the doctor's office or the hospital, you can look for nurses like Heidi or Ashley," she said. "You will need firefighters like Griffin Touponce, FBI agents like Dominic ... You might need people to help you with your finances, though. Let's hope you don't need that much help, but accountants Emily and David will be able to keep you on track."

 

And that was just a small fraction of the people in the class, Honig-Briggs said.