U.S. Sen. Markey To Headline Rally in Pittsfield

02:06PM / Tuesday, February 25, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — U.S. Senator Ed Markey will headline the "No Kings in America! Rally for Democracy" at 2:30 p.m. on Sun., March 9, at the Colonial Theatre.

The event is sponsored by a Four Freedoms Coalition led by Berkshire Democratic Brigades and the Rural Freedom Network in conjunction with Greylock Together (North County), Left Field (South County), Berkshire Indivisible, Progressive Democrats of America, and the NAACP.

"Americans take our Constitution and the rule of law for granted," said Berkshire Democratic Brigades chair Jim Mahon. "We rarely think about what life would be like if instead of laws, we had to live according to the will of one man, but here we are. All Americans need to pay attention and defend the Constitution before it is too late."

The event is free and open to the public, but there are no more seats available.

Sherwood Guernsey, co-founder of Berkshire Democratic Brigades and President of the Rural Freedom Network added:

"Our country was founded to get rid of a king," said Guernsey. "Millions of Americans have died to protect our democracy. Now, it is our turn to stand up against the man-who-would-be-king: We will not back down."

Shirley Edgerton, a member of the Executive Committee of the Berkshire County Branch of the NAACP, noted that in 1967 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. asked:"Where do we go from here?"

"Today, I repeat Dr. King's question," said Edgerton, "Where DO we go from here, as the leader in the White House attempts to return us to legalized inequities and injustices?" The answer, she said, is simple: "We unite, organize, educate, and demand those representing the people unleash their voices, stand for right, and use all means necessary to save our democracy."

Tags: Colonial Theatre, rally,

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Free Vaccinations Available Throughout Berkshire County

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
10:30AM / Saturday, October 10, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fall season is also the flu season, which means vaccine clinics are now available.

The Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative will provide public vaccination clinics in Berkshire communities this fall, including the influenza and COVID-19 vaccines. There are about 49 clinics.

The collaborative began during COVID-19 to help vaccinate people across Berkshire County. Berkshire Health Systems started the Get Vaccinated Berkshires website and still manages it. The group works with the Pittsfield Public Health Department, Community Health Programs, and the Southern Berkshire Public Health Collaborative.

"The majority of people will always get the flu [vaccine] because, as I said, if you've ever gotten the flu, you will always get a flu vaccine because it's so bad. And just so you know, the flu is already in Berkshire County. It's an early season this year," said Leslie Drager, who is the senior public health nurse at Berkshire Regional Planning Commission.

Drager said last year they issued 2,705 vaccines, with more than 1,100 of them being for COVID-19 and more than 1,500 being flu. In total, they were able to vaccinate 1,669 people in Central and North County, in addition to Pittsfield.

Drager also said she will be carrying three types of COVID vaccines this year, which is in high demand.

"We have a high demand of COVID vaccine, which is awesome," she said. "So we're doing a lot of COVID vaccines. Also, I provide Pfizer, and this year I have Moderna and the Novavax, which I think is real important to get out there because the Novavax, a lot of people want, people with long COVID. So I'm carrying all three vaccines this year, which I normally only carry the Pfizer."

Public health departments also can help people access other vaccines such as for measles or meningitis when they cannot get them through a pediatrician, she added.

Using the website, people are able to get vaccines even if they are homebound by filling out a form.

All public Berkshire Vaccine Collaborative clinics are free of charge, but registrants are asked to provide insurance information, when available, in order to defray costs. The clinics are open to anyone 6 months of age or older, the age group recommended to receive an annual flu vaccine and the latest COVID-19 vaccine.

"I always encourage everybody to wear a short sleeve shirt because it makes it a heck of a lot easier to get at," Drager said. "And children, we do carry the nasal flu, the live virus of nasal flu for kids that are afraid to get needles."

Registration is highly recommended for the clinics. Walk-ins may be accepted depending on the number of vaccine doses available at each clinic, with preference given to those who are registered.

"It's really important. I'm really encouraging vaccinations for the schools, because not only you know if the kids are vaccinated and the teachers are vaccinated, the schools won't have the flu go wild right through it," Drager said. "And of course, the best way to prevent infections: washing your hands. So don't touch your face, and wash your hands."

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