Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative Awarded Cultural Facilities Grant

10:45AM / Wednesday, July 17, 2024Print Story | Email Story

Executive Director, Diane Pearlman and Senator Paul Mark

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Film & Media Collaborative (BFMC) has been awarded a $200,000 Cultural Facilities Fund (CFF) Capital Grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) and Mass Development.

BFMC will use this grant to begin build drawings for the new international film education center proposed for the north end of the Elayne Bernstein Theatre complex on the grounds of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox.

BFMC Executive Director, Diane Pearlman, attended the celebration to hear the

announcement of the CFF Capital Grant in Easton.

"We are thrilled with the continued support we have received from MCC/Cultural Facilities Fund for the KSS project – first for the feasibility study, then for architectural drawings and now to finish Phase 2 of the project and to plan and begin the final renderings of the build drawings," said Pearlman. "Their support has been significant in garnering interest and contributions from other individuals and organizations."

Kemble Street Studios is a mixed-use studio, lab, and classroom environment dedicated to education in the art and craft of filmmaking and media development. The center will offer hands-on learning for the young people in the region interested in training in the industry. It will also be a resource for local nonprofits and companies to become "video literate" and incorporate video in their branding, marketing, social media, and training.

To date, BFMC has raised well over $500,000 dollars for this initiative.

Tags: grants,

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Peace Officer Standards Commission Strips Former Pittsfield Cop of Certification

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:52PM / Tuesday, August 25, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A former Pittsfield Police officer was one of five statewide who recently had their licenses revoked by the POST Commission.

Last week, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission voted to strip five former officers of their licenses to work in law enforcement, including former PPD officer William Straub.

The commission had determined that these workers were unfit to carry a badge and gun in Massachusetts; so far, 92 state police officers have been decertified by the commission.

Records indicate that Straub faced charges tied to a 2024 incident, but details are redacted. On Oct. 31, 2024, the POST Commission suspended Straub's law enforcement certification, and he resigned from PPD in April.

"According to Pittsfield District Court records, Straub pleaded guilty in April to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery tied to a 2024 incident," MassLive wrote on Monday.

"Three other charges, including drunk driving and carrying a firearm while intoxicated, were continued without a finding. While that resolution allows the charges to be dismissed after a period of time if Straub abides by certain conditions, the commission treats them as a criminal conviction."

According to records, he was certified as a police officer in July of 2021, and recertified in July 2024.

"The Respondent's appointing agency, the Pittsfield Police Department ("PPD"), submitted a final report to the Commission finding that the Respondent had engaged in criminal conduct and conduct unbecoming [of] an officer," the Aug. 20 final decision to decertify reads.

"The Respondent resigned from PPD on April 9, 2026, prior to the imposition of any discipline."

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