Eviction Sealing Information Session at the Pittsfield Athenaeum

11:00AM / Tuesday, December 02, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Community Legal Aid will be holding an information session on Eviction Sealing to help eligible residents of Berkshire County learn how to seal their eviction records.

Community Legal Aid is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services annually to over 700 low- income and elderly residents of Berkshire County.

The information session will be led by Community Legal Aid Housing Law Attorney Angelina Morisi and is open to the public. It will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at the Berkshire Athenaeum, located at 1 Wendell Ave., in the Athenaeum Room.

As rental prices soar in Massachusetts, tenants with eviction cases on their records are finding it more difficult to secure affordable housing. A new Massachusetts law, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 239 s. 16, that took effect on May 5, 2025, allows certain eligible tenants to petition the Court to seal their eviction record.

Tenants may submit a petition to seal their evictions online, in person at the courthouse, or by mail. Not all cases are sealable. Examples of some of the types of cases that may be eligible to be sealed are: when a tenant has won their eviction case (judgment in favor of the tenant); when a tenant was not at fault for the eviction (no-fault eviction); non- payment of rent cases where the tenant has paid the amount owed; and non-payment of rent cases that are at least four years old where the tenant did not pay the amount owed because of a financial hardship. The information session will cover these topics and answer questions about the new law. Tenants can also find out more about eviction sealing at SealMyEviction.org.

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Berkshire Health System Blood Program Helps Shield County From National Shortage

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
04:38AM / Wednesday, August 05, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The American Red Cross declared its second national blood supply crisis in its history on Monday, but community members can breathe easy thanks to Berkshire Health System's blood donor program.

Berkshire Medical System has always had a stationary donor center for autologous donations, which is no longer common practice, and had some O-negative blood on hand that it purchased from the Red Cross prior to having its own blood donor program, said Christine Amuso, blood donor coordinator.

Today, Berkshire Health System's blood donor program collects about 2,300 to 2,400 units of blood annually, all of which stays within Berkshire County to help keep local blood supplies stocked.

In some years, the program has reached record collections of about 3,000 units.

"That [record has] only happened a couple of times since I've been employed with the program. So, we really have done wonders with the program," Amuso said.

Donating blood through Berkshire Health System's program is accessible, with a donor center at the main campus and a mobile blood unit that travels throughout Berkshire County, including select Saturdays.

While appointments for blood donations are strongly encouraged, staff also intentionally leave scheduling gaps to accommodate additional donors who walk in without an appointment.

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