Berkshire Democrats Host Candidate Forum Friday

06:29PM / Monday, April 06, 2026Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Berkshire County Democratic town committees and political action groups will sponsor a countywide Democratic candidates forum this Friday, April 10.

The forum will be held at 7 p.m. in the Common Room at Zion Lutheran Church located at 74 First St.

The event will feature elected state and federal officials, especially those running for seats in the 2026 election. Challengers for those seats will also address attendees.

Working in coalition with the Berkshire Democratic Brigades, Berkshire Indivisible, Greylock Together, Indivisible Berkshires, and the Rural Freedom Network, the Democratic town committees of Adams, Dalton, Great Barrington, Sheffield, and Stockbridge anticipate that this event will educate voters about candidates' positions on political issues.

In addition, the forum will give voters the opportunity to network and to meet candidates and discuss legislation that will improve Berkshire County's economy, promote environmental justice, and reduce economic disparity in the region.

Candidates committed to attend include District Attorney Timothy Shugrue, 1st Mass congressional candidate Jeromie Whalen, U.S. Senate candidate Alex Rikleen, and 1st Berkshire representative candidate Andrew Fitch.

Also speaking will be representatives from the campaigns for Edward Markey for U.S. Senate and for Maural Healey and Kim Driscoll for governor and lieutenant governor, respectively.

Sherwood Guernsey, former state representative, will be the keynote speaker. Candidates running for local office within Berkshire County will also be welcomed.

Residents interested in attending the forum are encouraged to register on the Mobilize app though registration will also be taken at the door.

For more information, contact Dalton Democratic Committee Chair Michele Marantz at michelemarantz14@gmail.com.

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15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports11:35AM / Sunday, October 11, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive.

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour.

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children. The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation. One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue.

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out.

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release.

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