The Berkshire Edge On-Air - Wednesday April 17, 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. We have a delicious story about two former Apache helicopter pilots, Trent and Steven Kinney, who have purchased Catherine’s Choclates in Great Barrington, now that Kathy Sinico has retired. The two helicopter pilots have traded in their wings — or blades — for becoming chocolatiers:
https://theberkshireedge.com/american-in-paris-notre-dame-is-burning/
2. And we have two responses to the catastrophic fire that devastated Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. The first is an account by a recent Monument Mountain Regional High School graduate, Mercedes Girona, now studying in Paris who was a witness to the conflagration, and wrote us a very moving account — and some stunning photographs as well:https://theberkshireedge.com/american-in-paris-notre-dame-is-burning/
And our second piece on this tragedy is a poem from Egremont resident Susan Bachelder, who lived in Paris for years:https://theberkshireedge.com/poem-the-homeless-of-paris/

3.  On the brighter side, two local nonprofits have joined forces to combat hunger in the Berkshires… It may surprise you to know — it did me — that 25 percent of the Berkshire population — one in four — are going hungry: Berkshire Bounty aims to relieve their deprivation:
https://theberkshireedge.com/berkshire-bounty-local-nonprofits-join-forces-to-combat-hunger/

4  Our writer Hannah Van Sickle has put together a fascinating article about a young jazz guitarist, Nico Wohl, who graduated last year from Monument Mountain Regional High School and is making quite a name for himself:
https://theberkshireedge.com/berkshire-bounty-local-nonprofits-join-forces-to-combat-hunger/

5. Great Barrington’s ban on single-use plastic water bottles continues to draw the ire of one resident, Steve Farina (and I believe the animus behind his campaign against the ban has nothing to do with a love of microplstics but rather his humiliation at last year’s town meeting when he interrupted another speaker was reprimanded by the town moderator) … in any case, Farino has now concocted a repeal measure that will be up for a vote at Town Meeting this coming May: And by the way, the Berkshire Action women’s Group has been busily installing water stations in locations about town for people to fill their reusable water bottles:
https://theberkshireedge.com/single-use-water-bottle-ban-should-be-repealed/

6. And finally, a Berkshire Hills School Committee community task force “Next Steps” has so far not bee able to achieve consensus on what to do aobut the aging high school: Build new, or repair existing structure — or do nothing.
https://theberkshireedge.com/next-steps-for-monument-unclear-after-panel-fails-to-reach-a-consensus/