Berkshire County Historical Society Celebrates Plant a Tree Day

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Join the Berkshire County Historical Society on Thursday, Sept. 28, at 5:30 pm as they celebrate Plant a Tree Day with a ceremonial planting of a young American elm "Jefferson" on Park Square. 
 
The tree will be planted to honor the Berkshires' first known environmentalist Lucretia Williams. Williams threw herself before the woodsman's axe to save a towering elm known as the Pittsfield Elm on Park Square in 1789. 
 
"BCHS is very grateful to the Pittsfield Parks Department and George and Alice Wislocki for helping make this possible, said Executive Director Lesley Herzberg. "It is a fitting and lasting tribute to Lucretia Williams whose story resonates with us today over one hundred years after her efforts to save the Pittsfield Elm."
 
This free event is open to the public.
 
"BCHS is very grateful to the Pittsfield Parks Department and George and Alice Wislocki for helping make this possible, said Executive Director Lesley Herzberg. "It is a fitting and lasting tribute to Lucretia Williams whose story resonates with us today over one hundred years after her efforts to save the Pittsfield Elm."
 

Tags: park square,   trees,   

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Pittsfield Council Again Requests Redacted PHS Report

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council has again asked the School Committee for a redacted version of the 2025 Pittsfield High School investigative report. 

This time, it is sent to an almost-all-new panel that largely expressed a need for increased transparency around the report during last year's election.  

On Tuesday, Ward 6 Councilor Dina Lampiasi and Ward 7 Councilor Katherine Moody's petition urging the School Committee release the report with needed redactions was approved. School Committee member Ciara Batory has submitted the same request for Wednesday's meeting. 

Five past and present PHS staff members were investigated for alleged misconduct, and allegations were found to be "unsupported," according to executive summaries released by the former committee. 

Moody said the handling of this report has caused "such massive damage" to public trust. 

"I would argue that the damage done to our community by handling this so poorly far outweighs the possibility of lawsuits on a very carefully and well-redacted report that needs to be released to the public," she added. 

"I've been shouting this from the rooftop for far too long, and now I finally have a podium to shout from. So there you go, release the report." 

The district launched a more than $150,000 investigation at the end of 2024 after a Pittsfield High dean of students, Lavante Wiggins, was arrested and charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office for allegedly conspiring to traffic large quantities of cocaine in Western Massachusetts.

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