Saturday, March 21, 2026

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

Terry Cowgill

Terry Cowgill is a journalist in the Berkshires and northwest Connecticut. He is the retired managing editor of The Edge, serving from 2017 to 2022. Terry is also a longtime political columnist for CTNewsJunkie, an award-winning media outlet that covers the Connecticut state government. A resident of Lakeville, Connecticut, Terry is a graduate of Bishop's University (Canada) and earned a master's degree in humanities from Wesleyan University. Follow Terry on Twitter @terrycowgill or email him at thenews@hotmail.com.

written articles

NEWS ANALYSIS: The quest for a new Monument Mountain High School — what went right?

In multiple Berkshire Edge interviews, school district officials and advocates for the project tell the story of recovering from defeat and winning against the odds.

Lee DPW super Zerbato retires, welcomes new leader

"Alan, more commonly known as “Zippy,” has served as superintendent for the past three years. Prior to this, Zerbato was the chief operator of the town’s wastewater facility.  During that time, Zerbato and his team were recognized and awarded for having one of the top facilities in the state."

NEWS ANALYSIS: Regional school merger panel has done remarkable work, but trouble could lie ahead

The Eight Town Regional School District Planning Board's talented consulting team recommended that the two local school districts form a single district that keeps the towns' elementary schools intact, with grades 9-12 housed in a new high school in Great Barrington. The result would be the first merger of two regional school districts in state history.

WSBS-AM knocked off the air by parts failure; signal still available via streaming and 94.1 FM

Four separate parts failures have caused WSBS, Great Barrington's sole radio station, to be knocked off the air. The station remains available at 94.1 FM and via streaming on the station's website.

Investigation begins into fire at abandoned Searles School on Bridge Street

Great Barrington Fire Chief Charlie Burger says his department, the state Fire Marshal's Office, and the Great Barrington Police Department will be conducting a joint investigation into the cause of a fire that broke out on Sunday at the former Searles School on Bridge Street.

Early College ‘visioning event’ set for tonight at Mount Everett Regional

The Southern Berkshire Regional School District is partnering with Bard College at Simon’s Rock to offer college-level courses to public high school students in southern Berkshire County. The District will be holding a public forum tonight asking the entire community to help shape what the Early College student experiennce will be for Mount Everett Students.

Housatonic Water Works refuses to compensate aggrieved customers for poor water

Roughly 1,200 people signed a petition to Gov. Charlie Baker asking for state help in transferring the private ownership of HWW to the town of Great Barrington.

What a relief: Division Street bridge to reopen ‘later this summer’

The Division Street bridge, which has been closed to vehicular traffic since 2019 after the state deemed it "structurally deficient," will be dismantled and replaced by a temporary modular truss within the next couple months.

‘Enough is enough’: Du Bois Middle School students protest gun violence

"I just wanted to say how disgusted I am in our government and how we are handling these issues."

Tensions surface among members of panel exploring school district merger

"I think this board has to make the decision: are we going to move forward, or are we going to discuss semantics?" Steve Bannon asked rhetorically.

After months of fierce debate, Great Barrington passes regulations on short-term rentals

The selectboard's bylaw passed by a vote of 207–111. A less stringent competing proposal placed on the warrant via citizen petition failed.

Parking lot governance: A guide to the 2022 Great Barrington annual town meeting

There is a 24-page warrant listing the 33 items citizens and taxpayers will weigh in on during the meeting which, for the third year in a row, will be held in the Monument Mountain Regional High School parking lot.

BERK12 and Berkshire County Schools secure $300K grant for post-secondary ‘readiness’

The grant funding will help develop services such as work-readiness training, mentoring and coaching, implementing work-based learning plans, job shadowing, and matching students with paid internship opportunities.

After months of wrangling, selectboard sends short-term rental law to town meeting

The board heard nearly 90 minutes of comment from dozens of citizens pro and con before moving the proposal by board member Leigh Davis to town meeting, where voters will debate it and decide its fate on June 6.

Event to celebrate the life of David Grover set for July 2; gazebo area to be named in his memory

The gazebo in the park behind Town Hall, and the area around it closest to the Mahaiwe Center for the Performing Arts, will be renamed "Grover's Corner."

Bailey wins back selectboard seat in Lee, citizens ask selectmen to rescind PCB dump agreement

Question 2, asking voters whether they wanted to return to an open-town meeting format, passed 623–418.
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