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| News and events in South Berkshire, Mass.
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BHS Reinstitutes Masking and Updates Visitor Guidelines| 05:31PM / Tuesday, January 02, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — In the wake of a significant increase in the incidence of respiratory illness locally, Berkshire Health Systems has resumed mandatory masking for staff, patients and visitors, and has instituted changes in its visitation policy, effective on Wednesday, Jan. 3. The updated masking and visitation guidelines impact Berkshire Medical Center, Fairview Hospital, the North Adams and Hillcrest Campuses of BMC and BMC and Fairview provider practices across the county. "The new year has brought with it a new wave of respiratory illness. As always, BHS has been monitoring the infection levels in our region so that we can act promptly and effectively to keep 0 Comments
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Great Barrington Community Impact Fund Committee Recommends Awards| 10:47AM / Tuesday, January 02, 2024 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The town Community Impact Fund Committee has recommended the distribution of the following funds to area nonprofits: Railroad Street Youth Project, $162,000 for community work to educate and mentor youth in the community. Rural Recovery Resources, $100,000 to support the addition of a bilingual recovery coach. Volunteers in Medicine, $56,000 to support substance abuse counseling work, which also received CIF funding last year. Great Barrington Police Department, $182,000 over two years to help fund a Co-responder Program, which includes a mental health professional to accompany police to calls when needed. Funds are received annually by the town from 0 Comments
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Happy New Year From iBerkshires.comiBerkshires Staff,
07:01AM / Monday, January 01, 2024 | |
 We are hoping all of our readers have had a happy holiday season. Thank you for making iBerkshires your go-to source for local news. We appreciate your support and will continue to provide you with the relevant information you need in your daily lives as we enter 2024. 11 Comments
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Dewey Hall Gets $15K Donation Boost Toward Preservation and Planning | 12:46PM / Sunday, December 31, 2023 | |
 SHEFFIELD, Mass. — Dewey Memorial Hall has received a donation boost toward its preservation and planning goals. Housatonic Heritage has granted a $15,000 Heritage Partnership grant. This will go toward a $35,000 matching grant for feasibility and planning from the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities fund announced in July. "This $15,000 gets us much closer toward raising the match for the MCCF grant. The total cost of the project is unknown, but it is likely to exceed $70,000," said Dewey Hall President Beth Carlson. "This is vital foundational work necessary for the stable future of Dewey Hall." While working to secure the 11 Comments
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Taconic Boys Basketball Was Top Story of '23By Stephen Dravis, iBerkshires.com Sports
06:04AM / Friday, December 29, 2023 | |
 The year started with one high school state championship on the show and ended with another on the hardwood. In between, there were plenty of team titles, tournament runs and individual accomplishments to keep Berkshire County high school and youth sports fans in the seats and on the sidelines. Although not every successful season ended in the ultimate prize, there was plenty to be proud of along the way. And here is a look back at some of the biggest stories we covered in 2023: No. 1 Taconic Boys Basketball Of all the state championships won this year – and there were several – perhaps none was sweeter than that of the Thunder in the Division 5 State 11 Comments
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Great Barrington Price Chopper Rebranding as Market 32| 08:32AM / Sunday, December 24, 2023 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. Following the vote of approval for a wine and malt liquor license for the Great Barrington Price Chopper by the town's Selectboard, Price Chopper/Market 32 will launch plans to modernize and expand its store under the company's Market 32 banner. "We've been committed to the Great Barrington community for nearly three decades and, being on equal footing with other stores in the area will enable us to proceed with our plans to convert our store into a contemporary food and service-focused Market 32," said Price Chopper/Market 32 President Blaine Bringhurst. The construction timeline for the conversion will be finalized when all of 5 Comments
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CHP, Rural Recovery Co-Host: Sober Curious? | 12:57PM / Friday, December 22, 2023 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — For people considering quitting or cutting back their alcohol use in the New Year, Rural Recovery and CHP Berkshires are hosting a Jan. 3 hybrid event, "Sober Curious: A Conversation for the New Year." The talk takes place at 7 p.m., at the South County Recovery Center, 67 State Road, Great Barrington, and and online via Zoom. Prior registration is required here. CHP Berkshires Family Nurse Practitioner TC Clarke and Rural Recovery Program Director Gary Pratt will co-host the talk. Pratt said the event will be informational and nonjudgmental for anyone who'd like to curtail drinking for a while or 5 Comments
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Theory Wellness Becomes an Employee-Owned Company| 12:26PM / Thursday, December 21, 2023 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Massachusetts-based cannabis company Theory Wellness is transitioning its ownership entirely over to its employees, in what is known as an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). By doing so, Theory has become the first employee-owned cannabis company in the Commonwealth and the largest of its kind in the country, stated a press release. Established in 2015 by co-founders Nick Friedman and Brandon Pollock, Theory Wellness has grown to include four dispensaries, production and cultivation facilities, over 200 employees, and has served more than 3 million customers since inception. "Our team is the heart and soul of our 5 Comments
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Great Barrington Applications for Deferred-Payment Home Improvement Loans| 10:39AM / Thursday, December 21, 2023 | |
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — The town has opened applications for income-eligible homeowners seeking a deferred payment home repair loan of up to $50,000. The loan is forgiven if the homeowner remains in the residence for at least 15 years. Information and application materials are on the town Planning Department website page. There is information about the types of home repairs eligible for the loan, a pre-application form, income guidelines, a full application and implementation plan. This Community Development Block Grant program, announced in August by the Healey-Driscoll administration, includes a total of $1.35 million for up to 24 low- and moderate-income 5 Comments
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CHP Mobile Health to Reach More Residents with Vaccines| 02:44PM / Tuesday, December 19, 2023 | |
 GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — As the CDC raises the alert about low vaccination rates and increased hospital emergencies and admissions for Covid, flu and other respiratory illness, CHP Mobile Health is ramping up holiday season vaccine clinics throughout the Berkshires. CHP Berkshires is especially concerned with the reported slow pace of vaccines for children: the CDC notes a recent increase in cases of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C) in children following Covid-19 infection in the United States. CDC reported that as of Dec. 2, 2023, just 7.7 percent of children age 6 months-17 were reported to be up to date with the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine. "While it 5 Comments
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North Adams Regional Opening Moves Forward With State ApprovalBy Tammy Daniels, iBerkshires Staff
05:49AM / Tuesday, December 19, 2023 | |
 NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The state's Public Health Council approved the determination of need for North Adams Regional Hospital, and the hospital is now preparing to move forward with renovations. The request by Berkshire Health Systems for a determination of need license was approved by the council last Wednesday; BHS received the official letter that the determination of need was awarded on Friday. "So in my mind, it was really official on Friday," said BHS President and CEO Darlene Rodowicz. "An hour after we got that approval, we got the letter from the state authorizing us to move forward with completing the inpatient unit 5 Comments
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