GREAT BARRINGTON — Local business owner Steve Carlotto said the town has long been known for its thriving business district. But sometime in the 1980s, the character of Great Barrington’s downtown began to change. The barber shops, shoe shops and furniture stores began to be replaced by gift shops and galleries during that time, said […]
GREAT BARRINGTON — The former director of finance of the Austen Riggs Center is accused of charging nearly $25,000 of personal expenses to her corporate credit card over the course of a year. Elizabeth Hakes, a Lanesborough resident, will appear before the Berkshire County Superior Court in Pittsfield for a pretrial on Sept. 19. She […]
STOCKBRIDGE — Since the Austen Riggs Center was founded 100 years ago, there’s one thing that’s always set it apart from other psychiatric hospitals: its presence downtown. “We’re right on Main Street,” said psychologist Jane Tillman, director of the Erikson Institute at the Austen Riggs Center. “It’s so helpful to our patients. There are no […]
SHEFFIELD — A special town meeting that was to be held on May 30, Thursday, will give voters the chance to decide on a local excise tax, a senior workoff program, funding for the transfer station and establish a contract with a recycling facility in Springfield. The 6- percent room occupancy excise tax that appears […]
GREAT BARRINGTON — A former Oak N’ Spruce Resort custodian accused of secret sexual surveillance at the Lee hotel was arraigned last Monday at the Southern Berkshire District Court. Shawn Demary has yet to enter a plea and will appear on court for a pretrial on June 24. Demary, 22, of Pittsfield, was issued a […]
GREAT BARRINGTON — Cramped classrooms. Narrow hallways. Little to no natural lighting. Lockers that are too small to fit more than a coat. Those were the descriptions used to illustrate the current learning environment at Monument Mountain Regional High School by some of its students, at least. They led tours of the 51-year-old building as […]
SHEFFIELD — A 70-year-old Connecticut man was killed Wednesday afternoon when his motorcycle was struck by a truck going the opposite direction. Kristopher Laine, 39, of Southfield, was travelling eastbound near 199 Canaan Road around 3 p.m. when his pick-up truck departed his lane and struck the motorcycle operated by John Howard of Bethleham, Connecticut, […]
MILL RIVER — Four appointed town employees are still waiting to find out what their salaries will be starting July 1, following an annual town meeting vote that has left many residents scratching their heads. Administrative secretary Sharon Fleck, whose salary is one of the four in question, said the events since the vote have […]
GREAT BARRINGTON — Unlike Sir Isaac Newton, who is said to have found inspiration for his theory of gravity with the fall of a single apple, Jay Weintraub and Mark Lefenfeld were inspired by the fall of many apples. More specifically, the mess made by the fall of many apples. “I started picking apples off […]
EGREMONT — Now that legal recreational marijuana is here to stay in the Commonwealth, Ari Zorn said he doesn’t see any reason why his town should miss out on the benefits. “This is about the revitalization of South Egremont,” he said. Ari and his wife, Heidi, will present plans for their retail cannabis shop, proposed […]