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A group of Berkshire County officials work a state semi-final football game last month. A different crew is headed to Gillette Stadium on Friday to officiate the Division 7 State Final.

Berkshire County Officials to Work Friday Game at Gillette Stadium

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FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A crew of eight Berkshire County high school football officials will take the field on Friday afternoon at Gillette Stadium to officiate the Division 7 State Championship Game.
 
Referee John Wellspeak will lead a crew that includes umpire Michael Lyon, line judge Marc Field, head linesman Mark Pompi, field judge Matt Conant, side judge John Ciliberti and back judge Gary Pemble. Peter Ochs will serve as the game's clock operator.
 
The Berkshire County officials will be in charge when West Boylston, which eliminated Wahconah in the state quarter-finals, takes on St. Bernard's for the D7 crown, one of eight state title games to be contested over the next two days.
 
In the Division 8 final on Saturday morning, KIPP Academy, which upended Lee in the quarter-finals, will face Hull at 10.
 
The only game involving a Western Massachusetts school comes at 12:30 on Saturday, when Springfield Central goes for a fourth straight state title in the Division 1 final against St. John's Prep.
 
All eight games will be streamed live at patriots.com and CBSBoston.com.
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Colombian Artist Celebrates Immigrant Stories in New Pittsfield Mural

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Artist Laura Barrios explains the  inspiration of the mural, of immigrants building new lives in the Berkshires.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The walls along the Intermodal Center's train platform are a little more colorful following the unveiling of Let It Shine's third mural at that location, transforming a space once surrounded by bare concrete into a vibrant display of public art.
 
The unveiling on Thursday, marks the close of Let It Shine's 2026 outdoor public art season and the third year of its emerging artist program, said Mill Town Foundation Program Director Andy Wrba. 
 
Let It Shine's Emerging Artists Mentorship program was established in 2024 to support aspiring artists in the community by providing guidance, hands-on experiences, and opportunities to create large-scale public art.
 
"This mural, along with all the murals, as part of this emerging artist program, and even more broadly, all the murals that you see downtown throughout Pittsfield shows that we care about the cultural scene and we care about the creative people that live and work in our city," Wrba said.
 
The new mural, painted by Colombian artist Laura Barrios, celebrates immigrants who have built lives and found a sense of home in Berkshire County.
 
Barrios has been working on the piece for the last two months alongside mentor artist, Jesse Tobin McCauley. 
 
"It's a homage to the immigrants who work and make a home in the Berkshires … this is a very personal experience too because I am an immigrant," Barrios said in her speech.
 
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