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The Berkshires online guide to events, news and Berkshire County community information.           
Saturday November 21, 2009
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What's Playing


The Drury Drama Team presents "Dracula" on Thursday-Saturday, Nov. 19-21.

If you don't know who these guys are, just stay home.


'Pirate Radio': Good Movie Ahoy, Mateys
Movie schedules and times

Bazaars

Nov. 21

St. Stanislaus School benefit, 9 to 4 in Kolbe Hall, Adams. Bake sale, snack bar, games, Chinese auctions, money raffle, crafts, and pierogi.

Blackinton Union Church, 1373 Massachusetts Ave., North Adams; 10 to 2. Crafts table, bake sale, Chinese auction, the Christmas table, and kid's grab bag. Lunch $4, $2 kids.

First Congregational Church, North Adams, 9-2.

Nov. 28

Becket Federated Church
, Route 8, holiday bazaar from 9-3. Lunch, crafts, baked goods, holiday and other items. Information: Mary Peltier, Parish House, 413-623-5217.


Dec. 5

Holiday Fair at First Congregational Church, 25 Park Place, Lee, from 10 to 3; handcrafted items, raffles, children's shop, bake sale, cut Christmas trees and lunch from 11 to 1. Includes angel-themed goods from SERRV. Information, 413-243-1033 or www.ucc-lee.org.


Dec. 12-13

North Adams Country Club, crafts 9-4; food from That's a Wrap from 11-2. Information: Sheryl Morehouse at 413-822-3329.

Planning a bazaar this season? Submit information to info@iberkshires.com to have it listed here.

Sales Fliers

 
 

Daily Digest

Hooray for Vermont's Sanders and his battle against credit card companies.
How Much is Heating Oil this Week?
It's breaking $2.50 but still cheaper than gas.
Clarksburg Crime Watch Signs



We're trying out blogs to offer shorter, easy-to-find news. Let us know what you think.
Send press releases and announcements to info@iberkshires.com. Need to contact someone at iBerkshires? Here's how.
Mammography Dispute
The government's issued controversial new guidelines stating that women shouldn't get annual mammograms until age 50, rather than age 40.

iBerkshires will be meeting with local medical experts Monday. Have a question you'd like answered on this issue? Send it info@iberkshires.com with "mammogram" in the subject line.

Obituaries

Paul Sandler, 64
Robert J. Heideman, 73
Carol V. Vallieres, 75
More obituaries

Sports

Williams College Men's Basketball Season Outlook
2009 MIAA Girls Soccer - State Division 2

Final: Wahconah vs Cardinal Spellman
Date / Time: 11/21/2009; 3:30pm
Location: Foley Stadium, Worcester
MCLA Picked Last in Men's Preseason Coaches Poll

Media Partners

Berkshire News Network (WNAW;WUPE)
WJJW Charlie in the Morning

Election


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Berkshire Mall Road Getting $10M in Stimulus Funding

Staff reports
iBerkshires
06:03PM / Monday, October 26, 2009

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The long-delayed Berkshire Mall road is among 33 priority projects targeted for a second round of stimulus funding totaling more than $165.6 million.

The list released by the Patrick administration on Monday includes $10,128,284 for the two-mile roadway. It is a public road operated by the Baker Hill Road District with the Berkshire Mall its only taxpayer.

The main connector between Routes 7 and 8 has been waiting for state funding for more than decade but heavy traffic has severely deteriorated the road over its 20-year existence. The surface has gotten so bad, some ambulance services have refused to use it.

Built primarily as an access road to the mall, reconstruction plans signify its importance as a connector between North and Central Berkshire's main north/south highways.

The project includes widening sections of the winding road and eliminating the need to enter into the traffic ring around the mall. Instead, the road will run straight to Route 8 with right- and lefthand turns into the mall drive. It will include full reconstruction, resurfacing, guardrails, granite curbs, traffic signals, retaining walls signage and drainage improvements, along with work on the bridge.

Construction is expected to begin in 2010, if an agreement can be hammered out with two other stakeholders bordering the byway, Pittsfield and Petricca.

Also in the funding is $2.8 million for resurfacing First Street, Barker Road, Holmes Road and Valentime Road in Pittsfield.

"These projects put stimulus money and Massachusetts people to work," said Gov. Deval Patrick. "This administration is all about investing in our future, and these funds help."

The complete list can be found here.
Your Comments
Post Comment
I love your website and I think you do a very fine job reporting.
from: Sandy Totteron: 10-30-2009

Listen Editor - Keep your hands off the keys relative to the comments submitted. It is not likely that an opinion is needed in anything with which you do not agree. Let the comments stand alone.

Editor: First, I'm providing facts not opinion. Second, my Web site, my rules.
from: northy_adamson: 10-28-2009

Sorry to drag this out... I should have been more clear and said we would be incrementally worse off. Here's the math, again using the figures from the map that the iBerkshires editor linked a couple of comments ago. If we generously assume that the stimulus money has created 100,000 jobs, well, that's great for those 100,000. That still leaves 15,000,000 people unemployed. That means there are still 150 people looking for work, for every job created. When I say I question the effectiveness, I am wondering if there was some better way to spend the money.
from: Is this it?on: 10-27-2009

I find your last comment contradictory. How can you question the effectiveness of the stimulus package, and still believe we would be worse off without it?
I, too, would like to see all the unemployed back at work,but by putting paychecks in the hands of only thousands, we strengthen the cycle of production to respond to need and demand. A better trickle down theory, than waiting for the rich to have compassion on those less fortunate than them.
from: amyon: 10-27-2009

Amy - It's not an issue of sour grapes. Paving roads seems like a very short-lived benefit, however. We pave a few roads, a few people (look at the chart that is linked below) have jobs for a while. Is any of this money being spent on things that will have long-term impact? If so, the people who are communicating that news are doing a poor job, because all I ever hear about is road paving. If you look at that map (again, linked below), the total number of jobs created/saved is in the tens of thousands. That's great. But MILLIONS are unemployed -- that's thousands of thousands. I'm sure that without the stimulus we would be in worse shape. I just question the effectiveness of it.
from: This is it?on: 10-27-2009

What a big crop of sour grapes are growing here in the Berkshires. Reconstructing roads will bring jobs (help keep bread on the table of workers) as well as making travel safer.
Why not just be grateful something beneficial is being done with the stimulus money?
from: amyon: 10-27-2009

Really, as a nation, this is all we can think of to do with $800 billion in stimulus money? Pave a bunch of roads? The asphalt producers of the world must be laughing all the way to the bank.

Editor: Roads, yeah. Bunch of other stuff, too.
from: This is it?on: 10-27-2009

Baker Hill Road District...you just got bailed out!
from: Mall freakon: 10-27-2009

Jeez I think it is sad that 10 million is going to roads, but 2 middle schools have closed, teachers getting laid off. Let's see what is more important, going to the mall or a child's education. If people still have values on education our students would be first. The state talks about low test scores and ways to raise them. Try taking the 10 million an invest in our future-educating children.

Editor: The state's received millions in education stimulus funds. These funds are directly related to highway and bridge construction. The two middle schools would cost far more than $10M to fix.
from: anywhereon: 10-26-2009

Talk about a bridge to nowhere! Too bad we couldn't stimulate education or food banks...
from: Somewhereon: 10-26-2009

Hurrah!
from: amyon: 10-26-2009



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