🌱 What Pittsfield’s tight new budget could mean for schools and services
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Patch AM: a 5 min readGood morning Pittsfield! Your connection to what's happening around town is here. Take a sip of coffee and read on. ☀️
In today's newsletter:
- What Pittsfield’s tight new budget could mean for schools and services
- How the Housatonic cleanup could reshape traffic and life in Ward 4
- What investigators say happened before the fatal stabbing on Hall Place
Today's riddle: What did the carpenter ant say when he walked into the bar? 🤔 (Answer below!)
- Wednesday: Pleasant with plenty of sun, with a high of 77 and low of 49 degrees.
- Thursday: Mostly sunny and very warm, temps: high: 82, low: 53.
- Friday: Partly sunny, with a high of 81 and low of 59 degrees.
📰 News we're reading
1. White: Pittsfield Budget Faces Tight Finances as City Council Reviews Spending, School Changes (pittsfieldtv.org) — Pittsfield officials are wrestling with a tight city budget as councilors review a proposal that already includes cuts while costs for health care, water, and sewer keep rising. Councilor Peter White explains the financial squeeze, the decision to close Morningside Community School, and upcoming grade reconfigurations, urging residents to stay engaged through public meetings and comment periods. 
2. The cleanup plan for Reach 5A outlines five years of work to remove PCBs from the Housatonic River beginning in Pittsfield (berkshireeagle.com) — A massive five-year PCB cleanup of the Housatonic River is set to start in Pittsfield’s Ward 4, bringing heavy construction, truck traffic, and new rail sidings near local neighborhoods and the wastewater plant. GE’s detailed Reach 5A plan is under EPA review, and residents can weigh in at public meetings this week and through an August 10 comment period.
3. Pittsfield Man Charged With Murder in Fatal Hall Place Stabbing (shorenewsnetwork.com) — Pittsfield police and prosecutors are investigating a fatal stabbing on Hall Place that left a 36-year-old city resident dead and led to a murder charge against a 24-year-old Springfield man. Authorities say the men did not know each other before the confrontation, and the suspect is being held without bail as the case moves through Central Berkshire District Court.
4. Pittsfield City Council Accepts Airport Funds, Honors Late PHS Teacher (iberkshires.com) — Pittsfield’s City Council has accepted a $2.4 million federal grant to rebuild Taxiway A at Pittsfield Municipal Airport, leaving the city to cover just over $63,000 of the total cost. The project will overhaul pavement, lighting, drainage, and markings, continuing rapid improvements at the airport. Councilors also paused to honor longtime educator Colleen Quinn, who recently passed away.
5. 34th Annual Harry Bateman Jimmy Fund Fishing Derby (Pittsfield) (macaronikid.com) — A long-running community fishing derby returns to Onota Lake in Pittsfield this Saturday, June 6, from 6 a.m. to noon, with no license needed during the state’s free fishing weekend. Open to all ages and abilities, the event raises money for the Jimmy Fund, offers trophies, kids’ prizes, food and drinks, and even a special carp shoot in memory of Harry Bateman.
📸 Around Pittsfield
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🗓
Upcoming Events in
Pittsfield
Add your event to our calendar and newsletter!
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Author Talk - Julie Dobrow
Herman Melville's Arrowhead Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
5:30 pm -
Bird Banding - June 4
Herman Melville's Arrowhead Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
7:00 am -
A Community Celebration in Honor of President Kennedy
Berkshire Community College-Campus Events Berkshire Community College, 1350 West St, Pittsfield, MA 01201
4:00 pm -
Building Better Soil: A Three-Part Soil Health Intensive →
Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Inc (BEAT) Mount Wachusett Community College, 444 Green St., Gardner, MA
10:00 am -
Pittsfield Farmers Market
Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Inc (BEAT) Pittsfield Common, 100 1st St., Pittsfield, MA
9:00 am -
19th Annual Free Family Fishing Day
Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Inc (BEAT) Barton Cove, 82 French King Hwy, Gill, MA, 01354
10:00 am -
Forest, Fields, and Waterfalls Hike →
Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Inc (BEAT) Tamarack Hollow Nature & Cultural Center, 1515 & 1516 Savoy Hollow Rd., Windsor, MA
10:00 am -
Melville in Downtown Pittsfield
Herman Melville's Arrowhead Berkshire Athenaeum, 1 Wendell Avenue, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
11:00 am
Wednesday June 3
Thursday June 4
Friday June 5
Saturday June 6
📣 Pittsfield Shout Outs!
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🗓 Events Nearby
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Baby Circle
Lenox Library MA
10:30 am -
Habitat Chat
Berkshire Environmental Action Team, Inc (BEAT) Online
12:00 pm -
Your Ticket to the Best State Fair Crafts with Smithsonian Curator Mary Savig (Virtual)
Lenox Library Virtual Program, Lenox, MA, 01240, United States
2:00 pm -
Author Talk - Julie Dobrow
Herman Melville's Arrowhead Arrowhead, 780 Holmes Road, Pittsfield, MA, 01201, United States
5:30 pm
Wednesday June 3
Have we missed something on our calendar? Add an event yourself! As always, before attending confirm event details to ensure accuracy.
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- (413) 303-6800 | Pittsfield, MA | Taxi Service | Airport Transfer — (413) 303-6800
(413) 303-6800 | Pittsfield, MA | Taxi Service
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💬 Chatter
What your neighbors are talking about on social media
- Pittsfield Public Schools posted a job opening for Assistant Golf Coach (PHS) in Pittsfield. Apply here.
- Wal-Mart posted a job opening for (USA) Overnight Stocking Coach, Non-Complex in Pittsfield. Apply here. You can search for other jobs near Pittsfield here.
Ok Pittsfield! So now you're in the loop about what's happening today. Thanks for reading, and see you in your inbox next time! Oh -- and if you like what you're reading, invite a friend to Patch AM!
-- The Patch AM Team
P.S. The answer to today's riddle: Is the bar tender here? (Thank you W. M. for sending it in!)
Got a good riddle for PatchAM? Submit it here!
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