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Great Barrington voters to gather for first town meeting since controversial “Gender Queer” police search, launch of multi-million dollar cannabis lawsuit
Great Barrington, Massachusetts residents will gather at Monument Mountain Regional High School for town meeting tonight at 6. They’ll consider a 28-item warrant, including a $16.4 million general fund for fiscal year 2025, $4.7 million in capital authorizations, two citizen’s petitions, and more. It’s the first town meeting since controversy over a police search of a middle school for a book on gender queer identity overtook the community late last year — and the first since multiple cannabis businesses launched a $6 million lawsuit against the town over community impact fees. Steve Bannon is chair of both Great Barrington’s selectboard and the Berkshire Hills Regional School District School Committee. He previewed tonight’s meeting with WAMC.
Remembering the days before homelessness in Berkshire County
At the turn of the century, I returned to Berkshire County, where I had grown up. I had been gone a score of years, starting just after high school. It is hard to impress how halcyon Pittsfield was in the 1960s through 1980. Crime was virtually unheard of. I remember a big “news story” in The Berkshire Eagle about teenagers drinking beer in the woods by fires. During the ’90s, when Pittsfield was in the very beginning of its economic downturn brought on by General Electric downsizing, there was little crime in Pittsfield. Historians generally agree that the 1990s represented a national high-water mark from crime, but the Berkshires by and large ducked it.
Jalisco Cantina Mexican restaurant opens in former Prado’s Café site on Lee’s Main Street
Lee — Residents are now able to enjoy their mornings with authentic Mexican food just a short stroll down Main Street. Patricia de la Paz opened Jalisco Cantina on May 1 at 85 Main Street, in the space formerly occupied by Prado’s Café. She also operates two other restaurants in New York: Glenville’s Tequila Jalisco and Ballston Spa’s Taqueria Guadalajara, with those customers having told de la Paz “there’s not much Mexican food in Lee.” The patrons’ comments sparked her interest in the town’s Main Street and, after hearing the Prado’s space was available, she put her plans in motion. De la Paz said she liked the area so much she decided to make her home locally about a month ago, moving from New York. “We’re happy to be in Lee,” she told the Berkshire Edge during a phone interview. “It’s a really nice town. Everybody’s welcoming.”
Feeding Hills independent mattress factory opens storefront in Westfield
WESTFIELD — After 16 years in Feeding Hills, mattress manufacturer Sigma Mattress has expanded to Westfield. “We are delighted to see another retail business in town,” said Amanda Waterfield, executive director of the Greater Westfield Chamber of Commerce. “The fact that it’s locally produced is a win for all our residents.”
Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School Prom 2024
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Laura Allen second candidate running for Egremont Select Board in special election
Egremont — Finance Committee Chair Laura Allen (R) will be running against Ari Zorn for a Select Board seat in a special election to be held on Tuesday, June 18. Both Allen and Zorn are running for a seat left vacant by the death of Chair George McGurn, who passed unexpectedly on April 5. Zorn previously announced his candidacy in late April.
Westfield council approves CPA funds for Wyben school, Grandmothers’ Garden
WESTFIELD — With encouragement during public participation from Cindy Gaylord, asking the City Council to approve the Community Preservation Committee’s grant for the West Farms Schoolhouse in Wyben, and from Maureen Kane, asking the councilors to approve the CPC funding plans for future renovations at Grandmothers’ Garden, the council voted unanimously to approve both projects at its meeting on May 2.
Westfield seeks public input on how to spend $2.4M opioid settlement funds
WESTFIELD — The Westfield Health Department will host a listening session Tuesday, May 7, at Westfield State University, to hear from the community their ideas for spending funds from a $26 billion settlement with companies accused of contributing to the opioid crisis. The Westfield News reported in 2022 that...
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