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. The Southern Berkshire Regional School District is having a major meltdown. Not only is its student population shrinking dramatically, but the school officials and school committee are in a muddle. Last week,
the high school endured a bomb scare, the school committee conducted an illegal vote, and a school committee walked out of a meeting in a huff:
2. And to provide context for above issue, we published an essay about the inevitability of merging the school districts in southern Berkshire County.
3. The Environmental Protection Agency conducted an information session Monday to collect public input on the cleanup of PCBs from the ‘Rest of the River,’ the river south of Pittsfield and into Connecticut.
EPA officials heard loud and clear that local residents did not want toxic PCB landfills from materials dredged from the river bed and bank but wanted research into neutralizing the carcinogenic chlorinated organic compound.
4. Sustainable energy is great; just don’t put it in my backyard. Neighbors of the Egremont Country Club are up in arms over a proposal to put a commercial solar array at the Egremont Country Club.
5. Our music reviewer David Edwards takes a look at the upcoming Tanglewood season, and finds it to be extraordinary:
6. We also have a profile of an extraordinary athlete, Aubrey Blanchard, a student at Monument Mountain Regional High School, who was honored at Harvard for her achievements:
