The Berkshire Edge On-Air - February 6, 2019

The Berkshire Edge LLC is a locally owned, regional publication. Our goal is to provide – regularly and in depth – content that truly reflects the life, interests and aspirations of this unusually rich and vibrant community.

Guided by respected journalistic standards, the principle of fairness, the quest for truth, a commitment to social, economic and environmental justice, and an abiding admiration for the independent spirit of the Berkshires, The Berkshire Edge offers in-depth local news reports and features, perspectives on the arts, wide-ranging commentary, and a comprehensive calendar of events – all written, illustrated, and, in some cases performed, with wit, intelligence, insight and humor.

This week we talk about:

1. Thanks to a petition, voters in Great Barrington will vote at Town Meeting in May on whether to rename the Monument Valley Regional Middle School after W.E.B. Du Bois, thus reprising a bitter debate over honoring the renowned civil rights leader, founder of the NAACP, and author who very late in life, discouraged by the persistent racism in America, joined the communist party.
https://theberkshireedge.com/petition-to-rename-regional-middle-school-after-du-bois-to-be-on-town-meeting-warrant/

2.  Greenagers, a nonprofit that promotes programs for teens to get involved in sustainable environment projects, such as agriculture and even, providing Great Barrington residents with raised bed garden plots, is in the process of acquiring the Kellogg Conservation Center in Egremont:
https://theberkshireedge.com/greenagers-launches-close-the-gap-campaign-to-support-expansion-acquisition-of-kellogg-conservation-center-more-than-1-1-million-raised-so-far/
3. Construct Inc., that provides shelter for the homeless and acquires residences for those struggling to find a home, is hosting a benefit concert — Keeping It Warm -- to raise funds for fuel assistance:https://theberkshireedge.com/keeping-it-warm-construct-inc-hosts-benefit-concert-for-fuel-assistance/
4.  Railroad Street Youth Project is sponsoring a program for parents in how to cope with substance abuse among teens:
https://theberkshireedge.com/coping-with-teen-substance-abuse-a-training-session-for-parents/

5.  In light of last night’s State of the Union address, we should mention one of our political commentator’s take on Mr. Trump: The Emperor's New Wall, which exposes, if that’s the right word, the fallacies in the president’s demand for a southern border wall:
https://theberkshireedge.com/the-emperors-new-wall/

6. Finally, another note about W.E.B. Du Bois: In honor of his life and work, the Mason Library in Great Barrington has an extensive exhibit devoted to the life and work of Du Bois, who was born in Great Barrington, went to school there at Searles High School, and then went on to Harvard:
https://theberkshireedge.com/new-w-e-b-du-bois-exhibit-highlights-a-berkshires-grown-global-citizen/