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. First, the marijuana beat: Great Barrington is becoming the pot capital of the Berkshires with 5 outlets in the offing:
https://theberkshireedge.com/proliferation-of-pot-shops-in-great-barrington-prompts-questions-about-social-justice/
2. Tina Packer, one of the founders of Shakespeare & Company in Lenox, has been honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award … and she deserves it:
https://theberkshireedge.com/shakespeare-companys-tina-packer-honored-with-lifetime-achievement-award/
3. For those looking forward to Tanglewood this summer, the former Beach Boys singer Brian Wilson will be back with Pet Sounds, an album that Rolling Stone described as the No. 2 album of all time:
https://theberkshireedge.com/preview-brian-wilson-to-return-to-tanglewood-for-pet-sounds-performance/
4. We had a story about what farmers do when they’re not growing greens. — so we interviewed a few about how they shift away from growing crops to tending to their animals… and the story provoked a lot of controversy when some readers realized that animals are kept outside in the winter:
https://theberkshireedge.com/animal-agriculture-in-winter-what-farmers-do-when-theyre-not-growing-greens/
5. Stockbridge Road — Route 7 north of Great Barrington — is a mixed-use commercial/residential zone…but it’s been suffering as businesses fail. The Planning Board is rezoning the district to make it more viable:
https://theberkshireedge.com/gb-planners-eye-changes-for-stockbridge-road-high-vacancy-rate-seen-as-a-product-of-disruption/
6. One business that is thriving is the sweets business, as the Wall Street Journal noted when it did a story about Robin Helfand and her Robin’s Candy Shop in Great Barrington, where she employs student interns, teaching them what it takes to be an entrepreneur:
https://theberkshireedge.com/u-r-famous-wsj-is-wink-wink-nuts-4-local-confectioner-and-her-stash-of-sweethearts/
7. On an Edgier note, columnist Carole Owens summoned tales of corporate corruption in the 1920s — remember the Teapot Dome scandal? — a civic environment that witnessed scandal and scandal, with certain government figures colluding with crooks. It sounds eerily familiar, doesn’t it?
https://theberkshireedge.com/connections-25/
The Berkshire Edge LLC is a locally owned, regional publication. Our goal is to provide – regularly and in depth – content that truly...
The Berkshire Edge LLC is a locally owned, regional publication. Our goal is to provide – regularly and in depth – content that truly...
The Berkshire Edge LLC is a locally owned, regional publication. Our goal is to provide – regularly and in depth – content that truly...