Sunday, February 8, 2026

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

THE OTHER SIDE: If they quack like ducks…

Unfortunately, when it comes to public health, there is an excruciating cost to quackery.

Every Dog His Day

Josh Billings said, “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than he loves himself.” Here are two poets who clearly love dogs back.

‘Celebrations of Love,’ a very Berkshire Valentine’s Day round-up

To bring light to a holiday season in dark times, after we’ve done everything that we could do, all we have left is defiant joy and celebrations of love: self love, romantic love, love of friends and family, love of community, and love of the arts and nature.

‘3rd Gen’: Telling a Holocaust story through dance

Created and choreographed by Shany Dagan, "3rd Gen" tells the stories of her own Holocaust survivor grandparents.

Is there a more accurate name for ‘detention centers’?

Terms like “detention center” are not neutral—they are bureaucratic euphemisms that soften harsh realities. Journalists routinely reject government-preferred language when accuracy demands it. This is such a moment.

I WITNESS: Bozo does Davos

I think there are few people who would disagree with the only true thing he said during the entire press conference. No one in this country has ever seen anything like the year we have just endured.

PREVIEW: Close Encounters with Music presents piano trios by Shostakovich and Schubert on Sunday, Feb. 15, at Saint James Place

Two of the most admired piano trios in the repertoire—one intense and biting, the other expansive and lyrical—anchor Sunday’s chamber music program at Saint James Place.

‘The Voice of Hind Rajab’ at The Triplex

Why does it take the suffering of innocent little girls to wake people up to inhumanity?

Great Barrington Selectboard to discuss Trust Policy revisions at upcoming meeting

The Selectboard will discuss potential revisions to the 2017 policy with Multicultural BRIDGE CEO Gwendolyn VanSant and Interim Police Chief Adam Carlotto as state legislators advance the PROTECT Act to regulate immigration enforcement.

AT THE TRIPLEX: Screwball Valentine’s

By smuggling big ideas in between laughs, these movies show how even the silliest stories can reshape how we see the world.

BITS & BYTES: Scott Cohen and Frank Serpico at The Crandell; Sónia Almeida at The Clark; Sven-Erik Rose at Yiddish Book Center; Magic Tree House at The Colonial; Berkshire Art Association Fellowship Show; Berkshire Humane Society at Becket Washington School

Known for his numerous character portrayals in television, theater, and film, award-winning actor Scott Cohen‘s credits include “The Mambo Kings,” “Kissing Jessica Stein,” and his television work on “Gilmore Girls,” “The 10th Kingdom,” “The Americans,” and “The Penguin.”

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Roger Rupert ‘Old Timer’ Stevens Sr., 74, of Ashley Falls

A service for Roger will be held at Finnerty & Stevens Funeral Home at 1 p.m. on February 21, 2026. A celebration of life will be held at the Great Barrington VFW immediately after.

Dorothy M. Conklin, 85, of Great Barrington

A burial will be held in the spring.

Catherine A. Wells, 84, of Sheffield

The family will receive family and friends at Birches-Roy Funeral Home on Saturday, January 31, from 1 to 3 p.m. A funeral service will be held immediately after the calling hours followed by a celebration of life at 4 p.m. at Bogies in Great Barrington.

Theodore C. ‘Ted’ Ptak, 82, of Housatonic

Funeral Mass for Theodore “Ted” Ptak will be held on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m. at Corpus Christi Church Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Housatonic, with Reverend William P. Murphy, Pastor, officiating. Burial will follow in Saint Bridget’s Cemetery in Housatonic.