Lanesborough Opts Out of Early Voting By Mail

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Voters will not be able to cast ballots early by mail but can they can still request an absentee ballot for the town election.

Last week, Clerk Ruth Knysh asked the Select Board to opt out of early voting by mail for municipal elections. Her request came after the state expanded access last year.

"An act passed to allow early voting by mail for local elections. It used to be just state and federal," she said. "So my thought on that is it's not in my budget, it's a lot of extra work added on me. I'm only one person in there."

Knysh explained that all of the mail-in ballots would have to be opened and processed by herself before being checked against signatures in the state computer.

"It's a process and the local elections are not well participated in," she said. "I'm just worried that if that is an option to vote by mail, we're going to get hundreds of people that don't typically vote wanting to vote by mail because they can."

The Select Board accepted the request, understanding the nature of Knysh's concern. The board also approved her request to have a police officer at the polling location for every election to "preserve order and protect the election officers." This also is now required by the state.

So far, incumbent Michael Murphy is being challenged by Barbara Davis-Hassan and Deborah Maynard for a three-year seat on the Select Board. 

Berkshire Museum's New Aquarium Taking Shape

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
08:07AM / Sunday, December 07, 2025

An illustration released during presentations on the renovations showing the museum as the 'heart' of the building. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Museum's $12.1 million renovation project is on track for reopening the museum next summer. 

 

The major renovation of the 1903 structure will include a new lobby, gift shop, family activity center, lecture hall, conference room, and reimagined first-floor galleries showcasing art, natural history, and historical objects. 

 

One of the biggest attractions will be the aquarium, which will be double the size and replace the old theater.

 

"We're going to have a whole group of new exhibits and exhibitions. Our aquarium, which is in the basement currently, is being moved up to where the old theater is. So it's going to be our marquee addition to the museum," said Shane Frasier, director of marketing and communications. "It's going to be great. It's going to be a really nice draw for people of all ages in the Berkshires and beyond."

 

The new aquarium will have room for new species and a lighted walkway through the space. 

 

"We had the person who designed that come a couple months ago, we got to see what a couple of the tiles would look like," Frasier said. "So there's a blue light underneath it, but that light can change color, so it's going to be this, really immersive vibrant experience when people go in there."

 

Recently the museum posted a timelapse of the Senso flooring — a sustainable, seamless bio-resin flooring — being poured.