In the Berkshires, the negative impacts on our arts and cultural organizations and the tourism they bring will have ripple effects throughout our local economy.
Tag: Massachusetts House of Representatives
Great Barrington declares state of emergency, will likely postpone town meeting, elections
Selectboard Chair Steve Bannon tried to reassure everyone that town government was functioning and that elected officials were active and town employees were still reporting to work.
Sticker shock: Options for upgraded East-West passenger rail link between Berkshires and Boston range from $2 billion to $25 billion
A penny on each dollar collected by the state’s 6.26 percent sales tax (excluding meals) goes to fund the MBTA. That means Berkshire County residents fund the MBTA with every purchase, even though the MBTA’s services do not extend beyond Worcester County.
VIEWPOINT: Residents organizing written, oral testimony to support home rule on horseracing
Senate Bill 101 provides that horse racing licenses in locations that previously were granted commercial racing licenses would need no further approval from the municipality. In Great Barrington, that would mean neither the selectboard nor the citizens would ever have a vote.
A public education funding update from Sen. Adam Hinds
As part of an investment in rural communities, Hinds and his colleagues recently pushed through a $1 million supplement to a $1.5 billion school aid package. “Rural” is a category that’s slowly being replaced by the more inclusive “Low and Declining Enrollment.”
News Briefs: Pittsfield mayoral debate; Pignatelli amendment accepted increasing funding for MCLA
The money authorized by the House will go toward safety provisions such as a new campus police cruiser, cameras, emergency software and surveillance equipment.
News Brief: Mass. Senate unanimously passes Student Opportunity Act
School districts across the Commonwealth will benefit from updates to the existing Chapter 70 funding formula, along with increased state investment in other vital education aid programs such as transportation, school construction and renovation and special education.
Horse racing could have severe environmental impact
In a letter to the editor, Bob Meyers writes, “According to the EPA, the types of animal waste pollutants discharged by Sterling Suffolk Racecourse threaten human health and the environment.”
Animal cruelty, local control doomed Hinds’ sponsorship of horse racing bill
“Over the past few weeks I have met, spoken with, and received testimony from many in my District who are concerned with this proposal: either because they do not support horse racing as an industry, or because they are concerned with the legislation as it is currently drafted.” –Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield
News Brief: PFAS legislation advanced
Often referred to as “forever chemicals,” they remain in bodies and the environment, and many will not naturally degrade over time.
Bits & Bytes: Berkshire Short Film Festival; Berkshire Children’s Chorus concert; ‘Hi, I’m Norman’; ‘Caring for the Caregiver’; area writers honored
Sarah Miller MSW, LCSW will address the topic of caregiver burnout and share tips on how to avoid it and promote positive relationships with those being cared for.
Legislation could remove rights of communities against horse racing
In a letter to the editor, Scott Plantier writes, “Sterling Suffolk Racecourse successfully lobbied our legislature for loophole-laden legislation (S.101 and H.13) specifically aimed at sleepy, small-town Massachusetts.”
Lawmakers assure Great Barrington officials: Local permits required to reintroduce horse racing at Fairgrounds
Town officials have said Sterling Suffolk Racecourse would need at least two special permits: One for commercial amusement and another for floodplain protection, and possibly a third for work in the town’s water quality protection overlay district.
Concerns aired about Suffolk Downs’ plans for horse racing at fairgrounds
Suffolk needs a change in state law to permit it to hold races in Great Barrington while at the same time allowing it to maintain its simulcasting and betting operations back in East Boston. Racing at the fairgrounds would also require permits from the town.
Business Briefs: Berkshire Nonprofit Awards; WCMA Summer Space; STEM grant for BCC, MCLA; Lee Bank promotes Brown; BMM community events
Berkshire Community College and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts have announced that the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has awarded the institutions $24,980 to establish the STEM Transfer Summer Bridge Program.
News Briefs: Local infrastructure funding; more funding for Rural School Aid
Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, announced that Wednesday that the Massachusetts Senate adopted his budget amendment to increase funding for the Rural School Aid grant program by $1 million, raising the total appropriation for this account to $2.5 million in the fiscal year 2020 Senate budget.
News Briefs: GB construction update; GB candidates’ forum; Conservation Land Tax Credit bill approved
A public forum for all Great Barrington candidates will be held Wednesday, May 1, at 6:30 p.m. at the Claire Teague Senior Center, 917 South Main St.
News Brief: Mass. Senate passes FY ’19 supplemental budget
Furthering the Senate’s continued commitment to support working families and those in need, the budget bill eliminates the so-called “Cap on Kids” and includes $30 million for the Low Income Heating Energy Assistance Program, among other considerations.
New Briefs: Jury finds two guilty of aggravated rape; Mass. Senate passes comprehensive rules proposals
The Massachusetts Senate passed two comprehensive reports updating the Senate and Joint rules related to harassment, diversity and transparency.
News Briefs: Lee police chief wins Unsung Hero Award; Senate takes action to extend unemployment insurance for locked-out National Grid workers
This legislation is designed to address the concerns of the approximately 1,250 workers scheduled to stop receiving unemployment benefits Jan 14, 2019, due to the ongoing National Grid lockout.
News Briefs: Pignatelli appointed to rail study advisory committee; Hinds’ holiday open house; expansion grant for CHP; priority designation for Mount Washington
Through a partnership with the Nature Conservancy, the Schenob Brook restoration/Becker Pond Dam removal project will benefit wild Eastern brook trout and other species threatened by the effects of climate change.
News Briefs: GB Town Hall reconfiguration; Pignatelli honored by Mass. Rivers Alliance
Pignatelli and Gobi were responsible for the passage of a $2.4 billion environmental bond bill, signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in August, which allocated $55 million in funds for river and wetland restoration programs across the Commonwealth.
News Briefs: Pignatelli spearheads monument protection; Workforce Training Fund program grantees; audit improves reporting of elder abuse
Excelsior Integrated Inc. and Porchlight VNA/Homecare are each the recipient of a two-year training grant from the Workforce Training Fund Program.
News Briefs: GB voter registration deadline; Knob Hill construction; Hinds named commission chair
Sen. Adam G. Hinds, D-Pittsfield, has announced that he has been appointed to co-chair the Special Commission on Improving Efficiencies in Student Transportation by Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Ashland.
At school committees forum lawmakers, school officials agree: Critical need to reform school funding, Chapter 70 aid
Massachusetts Association of School Committees executive director Glenn Koocher explained that the ability of a school district’s population to fund local education determines how much state aid the district gets from the state.
At Pittsfield’s urging, Berkshire Hills challenges state school funding formula in strong terms
Officials say the foundation budget is adjusted and increased each year but mostly along the lines of inflation. But several expenses school districts are confronted with increase at a pace that greatly exceeds inflation: health insurance for current employees and retirees; special education, especially out-of-district placements; English language instruction for non-native speakers; preschool; data collection, including how students are counted; and transportation.
Legislators compromise on clean energy legislation; net metering cap for solar left unchanged
“I definitely share in the disappointment about the lack of net metering increases. I understand there are a lot of folks in the Berkshires and in my district who are vocal proponents of lifting and even eliminating the cap on metering credits.”
— State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli
News Brief: Otis liquor license petition lands on Baker’s desk
H.4622 authorizes the town to grant a full liquor license to Papa’s Healthy Food and Fuel on Route 23 in East Otis.
EYES TO THE SKY: Mars peaks this week: Seek out Mars, now brighter than Jupiter
View Mars from nightfall to first light. It is particularly lovely as it sinks into the hills to the southwest.
News Brief: Senate passes CARE Act
The CARE Act is the result of extensive work researching evidence-based best practices and collaborating with healthcare researchers and clinicians, hospitals, behavioral health providers, law enforcement officials, patient advocates, and individuals with lived experience to develop policies to address the opioid epidemic.
News Briefs: Mass Pike bridge deck repairs; Municipal police training fund legislation heads to governor
This is the third time the Massachusetts Senate has attempted to create a dedicated funding stream for this critical public safety need during the 2017-2018 legislative session.
News Briefs: Amatul-Wadud in Sheffield; FY19 conference budget report approved; Mass. solar, wind power increase
Among the issues Amatul-Wadud is raising in her run for Congress are climate change; universal public education; and affordable, high-speed internet access for every resident of the 1st Congressional District.