Berkshires Dips Below Measles Herd Immunity

Staff Reports 02:00PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Three of the Western Massachusetts counties, including the Berkshires, have fallen below the 95 percent vaccination level for measles, mumps, and rubella to ensure herd immunity.

The Washington Post's Vaccination Report Card for the nation found Massachusetts as a whole was at 97 percent; the Berkshires has dipped to 91.8 percent in the years following the pandemic.

Hampden County is at 93.8 percent and Franklin at 91.5 percent; Southern Vermont is even lower with Bennington County at 90 percent and Windham at 91. The two other low counties were Suffolk at 94.1 and Nantucket at 91 percent.

The MMR vaccinations are given at about a year old and again around age 5. The percentages are based on reported vaccination levels by elementary schools, a majority of which did not have that information available.

Brayton Elementary in North Adams and Craneville in Dalton reported the highest levels at 99 percent and 98 percent, respectively. Hoosac Valley Elementary in Adams, Lee Elementary and Muddy Brook Elementary in Great Barrington were all at 97 percent.

Pittsfield schools had the lowest reported data: Morningside Community was 94 percent, Stearns 88, Egremont 84 and Williams 80 percent.

The two closest Vermont elementary schools — Pownal and Stamford — were also below herd immunity levels at 90 percent each.

Massachusetts requires immunization for kindergartners but parents can opt out for personal and religious reasons.

Measles is highly contagious and can cause ear infections, pneumonia and diarrhea, and in some cases can result in deafness, blindness and seizures. Rubella, or German measles, can cause birth defects or miscarriages and mumps tends to be mild but can cause organ damage.

There have been outbreaks across the country as the numbers of vaccinated children has decreased. More than 2,000 cases and three deaths were reported last year across the country, but not in Massachusetts, compared to less than 300 cases in 2024.

Data and information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

Tags: measles, vaccinations,

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North Adams Planners OK New Event Space for Tourists Resort

By Tammy Daniels iBerkshires Staff
05:34AM / Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Tourists' owners say they've been in need of a gathering space for years, based on the number of requests they get.

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Tourists Welcome resort was approved on Monday for construction of a building to serve gatherings and the Airport Rooms.

"This is our first opportunity to like fix the biggest thing we screwed up in building Tourists, which was not making a big room," said representative Eric Kerns. "The first year we opened, we got 1,200 event requests the first year, and we've continued to have almost 1,000 event requests every year."

The 140-seat event building will be constructed adjacent to the Airport Rooms on the east end of the State Road property, which operates at Blackinton Operating LLC. The 91-foot-long structure will include a kitchen to serve both the event space and the Airport Room, which will be connected via an enclosed corridor. Overflow parking will be at the Blackinton Mill, also owned by the partnership, with shuttle service for events.

The new building will be set on piers to minimize excavation and will include a deck that will extend behind the Airport Rooms. The building also will utilize an all-electric mechanical system with high-efficiency heat pumps and energy recovery ventilation.

Kerns noted the resort has been erecting tents on that space for events — this will just make the use of the space permanent. He described the trailer being used as a "kitchen" for the Airport Rooms "a very clever two-year solution that has lasted seven years."

"It's just been a a real struggle to find a building that we can build that makes the math make sense given current, you know, construction costs we have come across," he said. "We've come upon a design that works for us, and it's really a continuation of the business that we've been doing. This site is where you've probably seen us put up a tent before, so we already have events of this size on the site."

Tourists was built as a minimalist resort, with the rooms facing the Hoosac River; the new structure will continue that aesthetic with a blank wall facing the road and large windows looking out on the river.

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