Letter: International Women's Day

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To the Editor:

This letter was ignored by the Berkshire Eagle

Friday, March 8, was International Women's Day. Here in the Berkshires, it was celebrated by the Zonta club, an International Women's Leadership organization, by honoring six dynamic women from our community at a special dinner that attracted over 200 attendees.

This diverse group of women has made monumental contributions from coaching young professionals to build careers here to providing over two million diapers to those in need. These women aren't CEOs of big corporations and they didn't develop the latest app. They excelled by giving their time, skills and in most cases their own money for the benefit and betterment of the Berkshires. Their stories are inspirational, serving as powerful testaments of selfless service to guide young girls and women.

On Saturday morning, I sat down with my digital copy of the Berkshire Eagle–our Hometown Newspaper– expecting to read about this event and the special women leaders who are uplifting our community but there was no story or photo. Making headlines was the lead story with photos about “Drag Time Story Hour for our Children.”


I seriously question the Eagle's editorial decision and judgment. How do you ignore this opportunity to illustrate International Women's Day through local coverage of Zonta's six remarkable honorees, from diverse backgrounds and roles, who are leading the Berkshires to build a more equitable, desirable and respectful place to live?

I've met the editor and publisher of the Eagle. He's a smart guy. This wasn't a mistake. I believe this was an intentional effort by our hometown newspaper to advance a political agenda while ignoring real community heroes. Eagle editors have demonstrated irresponsible behavior and a lack of leadership and judgment by propagating a targeted narrative.

Get the focus where it belongs.

Respectfully,

Roger Gibboni
Lanesborough, Mass. 

 

 

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

SJC Dismisses Cell Tower Suit

Staff reportsiBerkshires
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Supreme Judicial Court has affirmed a lower court's order to dismiss a lawsuit over the cell tower on South Street. 
 
The court's opinion, released Thursday, found that the city had no authority to pre-empt federal legislation, specifically the Federal Telecommunications Act of 1996.
 
The finding comes four years after the Board of Health issued — and then rescinded — an order for Verizon to cease the tower's operations. 
 
Six residents in the Shacktown neighborhood have been fighting Verizon over the construction of the tower and the purported health issues they've suffered from the radio frequencies emanating from it. They first sought a ruling against the Zoning Board of Appeals over the notification process, which was dismissed. 
 
They sought relief through the Board of Health, which discussed the problem for nearly a year before issuing a cease and desist to Verizon in 2022 if it did not respond to a show-cause hearing about the effects of RF radiation within seven days. Verizon, operating as Pittsfield Cellular Telephone, asked for a declaratory judgment from the U.S. District Court in Springfield against the city. 
 
The Health Board, citing fears of litigation, withdrew the order and the residents, in turn, sued the city for failing to protect them. 
 
The case was first heard in Superior Court on July 28, 2022, which dismissed the suit based on pre-emption of federal laws. The plaintiffs appealed and the Supreme Judicial Court, on its own initiative, transferred the case from the Appeals Court.
 
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