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Arthur Alpert, left, Michael Case and Bonny DiTomasso were thanked by Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis and Chair Richard Peters for their service on the Central Berkshire Regional School Committee. The three are not running for re-election.

Write-Ins Needed for CBRSD Committee Vacancies

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
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DALTON, Mass. — Last Thursday's Central Berkshire School Committee meeting marked the end of term for three members, who have decided not to run for their seats again. 
 
The committee said goodbye to Vice Chair Bonny DiTomasso and members Art Alpert and Michael Case. 
 
These members have given their time and passion to improve the district, committee Chair Richard Peters said. 
 
"Their support has been invaluable to the families and students at Central Berkshire [by] making sure we have the right resources and their input around their knowledge about teaching and learning and social, social and emotional learning," Superintendent Leslie Blake-Davis said.  
 
Voters will have many decisions to make during the Nov. 5 elections, including a new president, five ballot questions, and a new state representative for the Third Berkshire District.
 
They will also decide how to fill eight School Committee seats, six of which will require write-in votes. 
 
Dalton has three open committee seats, while Becket, Hinsdale, and Washington each have one. Since no candidates are running for these positions, they will need to be filled through write-in votes. 
 
The Peru and Windsor seats also have vacancies. Peru's Planning Board member Kimberly Wetherell is running for the Peru School Committee seat, and School Committee member Elizabeth Lounsbury is running for re-election in Windsor. 
 
DiTomasso, Alpert, and Case were presented each with a floral arrangement.
 
DiTomasso has been on the committee for 8 1/2 years, Alpert for six years, and Case for almost 13 years. 
 
Case said he learned a lot about small-town politics, how to work with others, and gained an appreciation of community during his tenure.
 
A highlight of DiTomasso's time on the committee was getting Wahconah Regional High School built $2 million under budget during a pandemic. 
 
Alpert said school boards often get a bad reputation, but this school committee has worked together for the betterment of the school community, the children, and the staff. 

Tags: CBRSD,   election 2024,   

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WWII Veteran Reflects on D-Day at VFW Post Induction

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

The members in the picture are Bret Miller, Coast Guard, Desert Storm; Hank Morris, Army, Vietnam; Brad Havill, Navy, Global War on Terror; VFW Post 448 Vice Cmdr. Mark Pompi, Army, Global War on Terrorism, Afghanistan; Post Cmdr. Arnold Perras, Korea; Joe Difillipo, Army, Vietnam; Teri Billington, Navy, Desert Storm; and Carmen Ostrander, Air Force, Afghanistan.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Anthony Salatino Jr. says his memory is getting a little foggy about his time in the Army. 

But he remembers how terrible D-Day was, and feeling lucky he wasn't among those in the initial invasion force 82 years ago. 
 
"One of the most horrible things was in Normandy. We went shortly after D-Day. I got lucky, very lucky on D-Day. We went to a staging area the night before … and at the very end, somebody called, I was in headquarters, they called all the headquarters personnel at the center," the 103-year-old said. "We did not go. There's about 30 of us. The rest of the battalion was gone, and the reason for that was because there was another battalion coming from the States, and they had no headquarters. 
 
"We stayed back, but we did go to Normandy shortly after that, and when we went to Normandy, it was all over."
 
Salatino was attending an induction ceremony on Thursday at the Lt. John N. Truden VFW Post 448. Joseph Texidor, who served in the Army for 17 years with tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was sworn in as the post's newest member. 
 
Salatino served in the Medical Corps and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his father, a World War I veteran wounded at Verdun. Salatino was in the Army for about three years.
 
"The whole memory is what I just told you, very, very alive to me," he said. "That is, I can never forget, never forget that."
 
D-Day on June 6, 1944, was the start of Operation Overlord, and the largest invading force to cross the English Channel since 1066. Their goal: to liberate Europe from Nazi Germany. 
 
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