BCC to Host Women's Volleyball Letter of Intent Signing Press Conference

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire Community College (BCC) will officially launch its new athletics program with its first Women's Volleyball Letter of Intent signing ceremony and press conference on Thursday, April 24, at 3:45 p.m. at the Paterson Field House gymnasium.

High school athletes Hannah Burrows from Wahconah Regional High School, Maya Creamer from Miss Hall's School, Jazmine Gregory from Hoosac Valley High School, and Jasmin Aslan from Taconic High School will sign their letters of intent to join BCC's inaugural Women's Volleyball team for the fall 2025 semester. The college will also launch its first Men's Baseball team in spring 2026. Both sports will compete in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) against other Massachusetts community colleges and schools across the Northeast.

New volleyball head coach Evaguel Rhysing will discuss her vision for the BCC Falcons volleyball team this fall. Michael Muscato, the new baseball head coach, will also be present to discuss recruitment for the spring 2026 baseball team.

"We're reaching out to any athletes who want to continue playing volleyball or baseball and take advantage of the benefits of free community college," said Daryl Shreve, director of recreational services at the college. "Now that we're in the NJCAA league, our students can seamlessly transfer to their school of choice without missing a beat. It's a win-win."

Rhysing has already hired former Mount Greylock volleyball player Chelsea Garrison as an assistant coach for the Falcons volleyball program. The team's first game will be a home game on Sept. 11 against Massasoit Community College.

BCC is experiencing record enrollment thanks to free community college for Massachusetts residents without a bachelor's degree. Students who qualify can attend BCC for a more affordable education and continue playing competitive sports. Fall classes begin on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025.

For more information about the college's athletics program, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/athletics.


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Pittsfield Council Passes $232.7M Budget

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City Council unanimously approved a $232.7 million budget for the upcoming fiscal year. 

It is a modest, almost 2.9 percent increase from FY26. 

"I do want to give the community kind of a heads up as we move forward on budgets. What we see coming out of the federal government that's trickling down to the states, it's going to be harder and harder for us as a community to meet our needs under the Proposition 2 1/2," Councilor at Large Alisa Costa said. 

"We're going to have challenges, as we've seen communities across the state trying to override the Proposition 2 1/2, because we have dwindling amounts of money coming from the state and federal government." 

She pointed out that, at the same time, utility bills are going up for both residents and the city, as are the costs of pavement and other items. 

The amended budget of $232,777,720, down from the $232,782,090 originally proposed, includes cuts to the Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the restoration of funds for councilors to attend the annual Massachusetts Municipal Association conference. 

The Pittsfield Public Schools' $86,855,061 budget includes $68,886,061 in state Chapter 70 funding and $18 million from the city. With $345,000 in school choice and Richmond tuition revenues, it totals $87,200,061 and is an approximately $300,000 increase from the Pittsfield Public Schools' FY26 budget of $86.9 million. 

The district's budget will fund 13 schools, as Morningside Community School will retire in the fall, and includes the middle school restructuring. 

Councilors also approved the use of $2 million in certified free cash to reduce the tax rate, and appropriated $450,551 for parking-related expenditures. 

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