OLLI Presents 'Un-Separation of Church and State'

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PITTSFIELD, Mass — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College will present "The Un-Separation of Church and State," a conversation with the Rev. Dr. Brian Kaylor and Doug Mishkin on Kaylor's book "Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism."
 
The talk will be held via Zoom on Thursday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.
 
This event is free and open to the public. To register, visit https://berkshireolli.org/event-6354850.  
 
Kaylor, a Baptist minister with a doctorate in political communication and an award-winning author, is president and editor-in-chief of Word & Way, an online religion news site. He is the author or coauthor of seven books, including "Baptizing America: How Mainline Protestants Helped Build Christian Nationalism" (co-authored with Beau Underwood), described as "an urgent examination and an enlightening critique exposing the dangerous undercurrents of Christian Nationalism." His writings have been published by CNN, Houston Chronicle, Religion News Service, Sojourners, Washington Post, and other outlets. He writes regularly about religion and politics at A Public Witness. 
 
Mishkin is a singer-songwriter, speaker and interviewer, frequently teaching OLLI courses. He is best known for "Woody's Children," his song celebrating the legacy of Woody Guthrie. This past spring, Mishkin interviewed professor Edward J. Larson for the Berkshire OLLI chapter on Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning book about the Scopes Monkey Trial. He has worked with Americans United for Separation of Church and State. 

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Dalton Police Facility Report Complete; Station Future Still Uncertain

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — The Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee's final report is complete but the future of the station remains uncertain. 
 
Several members of the committee attended the Select Board meeting last week, as co-Chair Craig Wilbur presented four options delineated in the presentation — build on town-owned land, build on private land, renovate or repurpose the existing buildings, and do nothing. The full report can be found here
 
According to the report, addressing the station's needs coincides with the town facing significant financial challenges, with rising fixed costs and declining state aid straining its budget. 
 
These financial pressures restrict the town's ability to fund major capital projects and a new police station has to compete with a backlog of deferred infrastructure needs like water, sewer, roads, and Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
 
In June 2024, Police Chief Deanna Strout informed the board of the station's dire condition — including issues with plumbing, mold, ventilation, mice, water damage, heating, and damaged cells — prompting the board to take action on two fronts. 
 
The board set aside American Rescue Plan Act funds to address the immediately dire issues, including the ventilation, and established the Public Safety Facility Advisory Committee to navigate long-term options
 
Very early on it was determined that the current facility is not adequate enough to meet the needs of a 21st-century Police Facility. This determination was backed up following a space needs assessment by Jacunski Humes Architects LLC
 
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