Zonta Club to Honor Five Local Leaders for International Women's Day

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Zonta Club of Berkshire County will host its fourth annual International Women's Day celebration on Friday, March 6, at the Berkshire Hills Country Club. 
 
The event aims to recognize local women who have made significant contributions to advancing the status of women and girls.
 
This year's honorees represent a diverse cross-section of leadership in advocacy, education, and international relations:
  • Divya Chaturvedi (Elizabeth Freeman Center)
  • Lorena Dus (Berkshire Immigrant Center)
  • Shela Levante (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts)
  • Brenda Oppermann (U.S. Naval War College)
  • Maria Rundle (Flying Cloud Institute)
 
Since the inception of the annual award in 2023, the Zonta Club has recognized a total of 17 women for their professional and volunteer efforts within the community.
 
The evening's itinerary begins with networking and dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the formal recognition program at 7:15 p.m.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Recent E. Coli Detection in Pontoosuc Lake Confined to Lanesborough

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Only Lanesborough's portion of Pontoosuc Lake had a bacterial exceedance last week. 

During the Lake Management Commission's second meeting on Thursday, members received an update on the situation. 

On July 22, the Lanesborough Board of Health closed the Sunrise Street and Narragansett Avenue beaches due to high E. Coli levels.  They have since cleared. 

"We didn't have any bacterial exceedance in Pittsfield, so there's no concern at all last week for any E. coli concerns in Pittsfield,” Parks, Open Space, and Natural Resources Manager James McGrath reported. 

Regular monitoring for bacterial exceedances at swimming beaches across the Commonwealth is required.  Pittsfield's Board of Health tests Pontoosuc and Onota Lake weekly on Wednesdays throughout the summer. 

Lanesborough also conducts weekly testing through its Board of Health, and an exceedance was reported to the state at Sunrise Beach, at the very north end of Pontoosuc Lake. 

McGrath noted that he did not see Narragansett Beach on the state's dashboard. 

"The City of Pittsfield was made aware of the bacterial exceedance and we, of course, were concerned,” he said. 

"Our weekly testing happened the next day on Wednesday. Our results were returned Thursday morning. We did not have a bacterial exceedance at Pontoosuc Lake Park, where we test off of the wall on the north side of the channel, and also proximate to the boat ramp, at this point in time.” 

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