Thursday, March 5, 2026

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

Shaw Israel Izikson

Shaw Israel Izikson is Managing Editor for The Berkshire Edge. Izikson is an award-winning journalist, editor, and photographer from Baltimore, Maryland. He was the winner of the 2015 New England Better Newspaper competition in editorial writing. Izikson is the former editor of The Winsted Journal newspaper from 2014 to 2017. He was also the editor of The Winsted Phoenix from 2019 to 2021, and most recently The Country Journal in late 2021. He has been in the journalism field for over 20 years, starting as a reporter for The Irregular newspaper in Kingfield, Maine. He worked at The Lakeville Journal company for 11 years, working as a reporter at all three newspapers owned by the company before serving as the editor for The Winsted Journal from 2014 to 2017. Izikson is an award-winning journalist, editor, and photographer from Baltimore, Maryland. He was the winner of the 2015 New England Better Newspaper competition in editorial writing. Izikson is the former editor of The Winsted Journal newspaper from 2014 to 2017. He was also the editor of The Winsted Phoenix from 2019 to 2021, and most recently The Country Journal in late 2021. He has been in the journalism field for over 20 years, starting as a reporter for The Irregular newspaper in Kingfield, Maine. He worked at The Lakeville Journal company for 11 years, working as a reporter at all three newspapers owned by the company before serving as the editor for The Winsted Journal from 2014 to 2017. Photo by Jamie Tilley.

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Berkshire Bounty continues crusade against hunger

As food insecurity in Berkshire County becomes even more dire than at the height of the pandemic, Berkshire Bounty says donations are needed more than ever.

Dream Away Lodge to reopen with new owners, ambience preserved

The iconic and history-rich Dream Away Lodge in Becket will reopen under new ownership in April.

Eight Town Planning Board reviews draft school district merger agreement

The Eight Town Regional School District Planning Board briefly reviewed a draft regional agreement, which covers various aspects of what a potential merger of Berkshire Hills and Southern Berkshire Regional School Districts would look like, at its regular meeting one Wednesday, Sept. 28.

Planning Board discusses economic impacts of HWW crisis on town

In a Thursday, September 22 meeting, Great Barrington's Planning Board discussed a letter to the Select Board concerning the ongoing crisis facing Housatonic Water Works and its impact on the economic development of the town. The board, however, decided not to send the letter in its current form.

Public and press may be excluded from Eight Town Board meeting

Eight Town Regional School District Planning Board unanimously voted to hold a meeting with a facilitator to "help [ease] the incredible tension [the board] has experienced."

JUST IN: District Attorney obtains guilty verdict in domestic violence case

A jury in the Central Berkshire District Court found 37-year-old Pittsfield resident Korey Laviscount guilty of several counts in domestic violence on Monday, September 26.

Center for Equity, Inclusion, and Community opens at Simon’s Rock

Orchestrated by Dean of Equity and Inclusion for Simon’s Rock Sarah Porter-Liddell, Bard College at Simon's Rock has opened its new Center for Equity, Inclusion, and Community as a new space on where everyone can feel welcome. 

Sheffield group looking for artists to ‘Draw the Hall’

Dewey Memorial Hall has announced its "Draw the Hall" contest in search of a depiction of the building with bold lines blocks of white against black that will be able to be be easily reproduced on letterheads, merchandise, or on the organization's website. The winner of the contest will receive a $200 gift card from JWS Art Supplies.

Eight Town School District Planning Board frustrated with lack of feedback

Discussions and studies continue to move forward regarding the potential merger of Berkshire Hills and Sourthern Berkshire regional school districts. Meanwhile members of the Eight Town Regional District Planning Board have expressed frustration with a lack of input from both the public and staff members of both school districts.

School district committee members threaten to quit Eight Town Planning Board

A letter co-signed by 10 members of the Southern Berkshire Regional School District Committee, was shared with The Berkshire Edge on Wednesday, September 27 threatening to leave the Eight Town Regional School District Planning Board, stating, "this process is being rushed and that until we address the difficult dynamic between the two districts and the ongoing feeling of imbalance, there simply is no path forward."

Festival Latino celebrates Hispanic heritage

“We are here to celebrate, connect, and create a deeper bond between the different diverse communities of the Berkshires,” Festival Latino public relations coordinator Erika Wainwright Velez said. “I think an event like this is important because the Latin American community here has been growing in the Berkshires."

Work on Du Bois Freedom Center moves forward

According to Eugenie Sills, interim executive director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Freedom Center, the organization hopes to open the doors to the center within three to five years. “However, much depends on fundraising and the availability of material and labor," she told The Edge over email.

HWW Treasurer Mercer: Alternative plans needed to address water quality problems

On the top of his list of solutions is interconnecting the HWW water supply with the Great Barrington Fire District.

Pullin’ for the Pantry raises funds and spirits

The People's Pantry held its fundraising event Pullin' for the Pantry, which consisted of performances by several musicians and groups, including the BTU’s, Tyler Fairbank, Wanda Houston, and Rees Shad, at the Egremont Barn on Thursday, September 22.

Renovation project at Hancock Shaker Village going forward

"[T]his is a realization of a dream,” former Hancock Shaker Village Director Jennifer Trainer Thompson said of the planned renovation to the site's visitor center. “This renovation will help to create a proper storage area for our collection for the next 100 years. It will also make the visitor experience more welcoming and more adaptive to our times.”

JUST IN: Two guilty verdicts in murder case

The Berkshire District Attorney's Office announced on Thursday, September 22 that a jury had found Pittsfield residents Chiry Omar Pascual-Polanco, 26, and Carlos Pascual-Polanco, 22, guilty of murder in the first degree of 18-year-old Jaden Salois.
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