'Reading the Tea' with Pulitzer Prize Winner at Arrowhead

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire County Historical Society welcomes Pulitzer Prize winning author Debby Applegate to Herman Melville's historic home on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 2 pm for a special afternoon benefitting BCHS restoration, education, and preservation programs. 
 
The afternoon begins in Melville's study—where he wrote Moby-Dick inspired by his view of Mount Greylock—where Applegate will read selections from her writing. Following the reading, guests can interact with the author while enjoying tea, hot toddies and an array of sweets. 
 
Tickets are $75 and can be purchased by using the BOOK NOW button at berkshirehistory.org and selecting the events tab. Tickets for a live, on-line presentation of the readings are available for $35.
 
Debby Applegate is an American historian and biographer. Her first book, "The Most Famous Man in America: The Biography of Henry Ward Beecher," an account of the famous 19th-century preacher, abolitionist and Berkshire resident, won the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. Her second book, "Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age," was a New York Times Editors' Choice for Best Books of 2021, and won an Earphones Award for best audiobooks of 2021. 
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Lee: 3 Miles of Route 20 Being Repaved Next Year

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

LEE, Mass. — Beginning next year, the state will repave three miles of Route 20 and reinforce two bridges, one over the Massachusetts Turnpike. 

Last week, the state Department of Transportation held a virtual design public hearing for the project. In addition to milling and resurfacing of the route, bridge structures L-05-024 (over Greenwater Brook) and L-05-052 (over I-90) will see maintenance repairs. 

"We just wanted to thank MassDOT for doing this project. We're very supportive of having the road redone and appreciate the work on it," Town Administrator Christopher Brittain said. 

"The town of Lee is looking forward to having the road repaved." 

Construction will begin in the spring of 2027.  

Traffic will be maintained with short-term flagging operations, and steel plates will conceal deck patching over Greenwater Brook. There will be staged construction on the bridge over the highway, with a single alternating travel lane controlled by a temporary signal. 

The project is estimated to cost $6.8 million, 90 percent from the federal government and 10 percent from the state; it is in the FY26 Statewide Transportation Improvement Program. 

The hearing included public information on activities and rights-of-way needs for tree trimming, new utility poles, grading, drainage swales, and a driveway apron along the project corridor, items identified during the late design phases. 

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