|
| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
|
Second PHS Staff Member Put on Administrative LeaveBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
07:45PM / Monday, December 16, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A Pittsfield High School staff member has been put on administrative leave because of an investigation being conducted by the state Department of Children and Families. This is the second PHS staff member put on leave in the last week. On Monday, Superintendent Joseph Curtis contacted the Pittsfield Public Schools community reporting that on Friday, Dec. 13, the district was formally notified of an investigation being conducted by DCF. The individual was immediately placed on administrative leave and district officials say they are conducting an internal investigation on the "serious allegations" made. The release did not detail the
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Allocates All ARPA FundsBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:30PM / Monday, December 16, 2024 | |
Gina Armstrong, special project manager for the city's ARPA funds, updates the City Council on final distribution of the monies. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — All of the city's American Rescue Plan Act monies have been allocated to meet the state's end-of-year deadline.
Pittsfield received $40.6 million from a $1.86 trillion pandemic relief bill signed by President Joseph Biden in 2021. The historic allocation of funds went toward public health, negative economic impacts, infrastructure, revenue replacement, and administration.
More than half of the allocated funds address negative economic impacts, totaling more than $25 million. Infrastructure accounted for $6.4
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Superior Court Briefs: Motor Vehicle Homicide, Armed Robbery, Assault| 03:09PM / Monday, December 16, 2024 | |
 Driver in 2023 Fatal Crash Guilty of Vehicular Homicide Gilberto Franciapena, 31, pleaded guilty on Dec. 12 to negligent motor vehicle homicide in a fatal incident in 2023. The defendant was sentenced to two years' probation, a loss of license for 15 years, and 100 hours of community service. The commonwealth requested a two-year suspended sentence and loss of license for 15 years. Franciapena was eastbound on the Massachusetts Turnpike at about 8 a.m. on April 20, 2023, when the red 2011 Chevrolet Tahoe he was driving flipped at about the 1.8-mile marker in West Stockbridge. There were five occupants in the vehicle. Four of the occupants, including 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Pittsfield Man Charged in Harvard Street Stabbing| 01:22PM / Monday, December 16, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Pittsfield man has been charged with stabbing two people on Harvard Street last week. Jacob Frusciente, 32, of Daniels Avenue was arraigned Thursday in Central Berkshire District Court on single counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury. Frusciente was ordered to be held on $50,000 cash bail pending a mental health evaluation. According to police, officers responded to the report of a stabbing at a Harvard Street home about midnight on Wednesday, Dec. 11. Two people were found to have non-life-threatening stab wounds. "The two 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Mass DOR: November Revenue Collections Total $2.438 Billion| 04:01PM / Sunday, December 15, 2024 | |
BOSTON — Massachusetts Department of Revenue (DOR) Commissioner Geoffrey Snyder announced that preliminary revenue collections for November totaled $2.438 billion, $190 million or 8.4 percent more than actual collections in November 2023, and $56 million or 2.4 percent above benchmark. FY2025 year-to-date collections totaled approximately $14.898 billion, which is $805 million or 5.7 percent more than actual collections in the same period of FY2024, but $124 million or 0.8 percent below the year-to-date benchmark. "November revenue included increases relative to November 2023 collections in withholding, non-withheld income tax, and 'all other tax'," 0 Comments
Read More >> |
J Smegal Donates $10K to BFit ChallengeBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
09:02AM / Sunday, December 15, 2024 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A local business has boosted the Pittsfield Fire Department's BFit Challenge fundraiser by $10,000, doubling last year's total.
When Jason Smegal, owner of J Smegal Roofing and Gutters, became aware of firefighters' increased risk for occupational cancer and the fundraiser for early detection, he knew he wanted to help out.
"I thought it was a great cause," he said. "And I also thought it was great that all the money stayed local and stayed in Mass, so we are directly able to help all the people that help us."
Every February, members of the department travel to Boston to climb the stairs of the TD Garden in support of the New
0 Comments
Read More >> |
MassDOT Grant to Optimize the Use of Drone Technology for Infrastructure Projects| 08:00AM / Sunday, December 15, 2024 | |
BOSTON — The Aeronautics Division of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has received $1 million in funding from the Federal Highway Administration's Accelerated Innovation Deployment (AID) Demonstration Program, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and authorized to accelerate innovation in highway transportation. This grant funding goes toward the second stage of a three-phase project, using Unmanned Aircraft Systems ("UAS," also known as drones) to create a "digital software systems infrastructure." Phase one of the project was funded with an AID grant received in 2021 and with additional match funding of $250,000. Implementing
0 Comments
Read More >> |
Teacher of the Month: Yamila BaduiBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:12PM / Saturday, December 14, 2024 | |
Her students say her classes are welcoming and engaging and feel like they learn better. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Taconic High School Spanish and world language teacher Yamila Badui has been selected as the December Teacher of the Month. The Teacher of the Month series, in collaboration with Berkshire Community College, will run for the next five months and will feature distinguished teachers nominated by community members. You can nominate a teacher here. Badui has been a teacher for about 20 years, starting as an elementary school teacher while living in Puerto Rico. When she moved to the United States, she not only adapted to life 0 Comments
Read More >> |
Governor Announces Resurgence of Regional Transit| 12:31PM / Saturday, December 14, 2024 | |
BOSTON — The Healey-Driscoll Administration announced regional transit across the 15 Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) in Massachusetts surpassed 26.5 million rides in Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24), steadily progressing toward pre-Covid levels. The total rides for FY23 were just over 22.5 million. This figure includes both fixed route and on-demand rides across the 15 RTAs. The increase in total rides is in part attributed to fare free service on fixed routes. For FY25, the Administration secured $30 million to continue funding fare free service, building off of two years of successful pilot, fare free programs. In addition to fare free funding, the RTAs received 0 Comments
Read More >> |
MassWildLife: 'Tis the season to see snowy owls| 11:40AM / Saturday, December 14, 2024 | |
Why snowy owls are in Massachusetts in the winter Snowy owls spend most of the year in the cold Arctic tundra, but some snowy owls will spread out to other areas during the winter months. Many snowy owls travel south throughout Canada and into the northern states of the US. You can look for snowy owls in Massachusetts between November and early April. Snowy owl fluctuations Seeing a snowy owl can be tricky. Their numbers in Massachusetts can greatly fluctuate from year to year because these owls are an "irruptive" species. This means that if conditions change in their typical range, a large number of them wander and become nomadic. It is during these "irruptions" that
0 Comments
Read More >> |
@theMarket: Stocks Shrug Off Rising InflationBy Bill Schmick,
11:40AM / Saturday, December 14, 2024 | |
New highs continue as equities ignore the inflation data and focus instead on the prospects of the next administration. Wall Street consensus is that the upside in stocks should continue at least until the new year. As a contrarian investor, I often disagree with the consensus view but not this time. Last week I explained how global money flows usually support the markets and create the Santa Claus rally. This period of good cheer and higher prices should extend into mid-January. This week, the most recent data on inflation confirmed my fears that we have not seen a bottom in inflation. Back in September, I predicted that inflation would begin to rise again, and it has. The 0 Comments
Read More >> |
1Berkshire Recognizes Butler's Decade of Leadership, Announces MoveBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
06:57AM / Saturday, December 14, 2024 | |
President and CEO Jonathan Butler says 1Berkshire will be moving to new quarters on North Street. PITTSFIELD, Mass.— Jonathan Butler was recognized for a decade of leadership at 1Berkshire's annual meeting on Thursday.
Smiles were all around as Board Chair Lori Gazzillo Kiely and Director of Member Services Christine Hoyt surprised Butler with a plaque in front of a large crowd at the Barrington Stage Company's Boyd-Quinson Theatre.
"For all of our members and our board of directors, it's a privilege for me to serve all of you and work with your organizations," he said.
"I look forward to continuing that and putting just as much energy and
0 Comments
Read More >> |
|
|
MEMBER SIGN IN
