The Berkshire Edge On-Air - Wednesday January 15, 2020

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.

1. Fulcrum Enterprises has withdrawn its application for a permit to grow cannabis at an industrial site in Housatonic, a village in Great Barrington:
https://theberkshireedge.com/fulcrum-formally-withdraws-pot-growing-proposal-as-selectboard-comes-under-fire/

2. And speaking of marijuana — and the funding stream it now provides to the town and the state — state Sen. Adam Hinds was asked by our reporter Sheela Clary whether some of this revenue would go to education. His answer was — maybe… Massachusetts had a $1 billion surplus last year.  Hinds represents a rural district of 25 towns. https://theberkshireedge.com/a-public-education-funding-update-from-sen-adam-hinds/

3. Meanwhile, a redevelopment of the Eagle Mill complex in Lee, Mass., has received additional state support:
https://theberkshireedge.com/eagle-mill-receives-more-historic-tax-credits-developers-apply-for-millions-more/

4. Back to schools, the findings of the Berkshire Hills Wellness Initiative found that student health needs are not being met — quite a stunning conclusion:
https://theberkshireedge.com/wellness-initiative-presents-recommendations-to-berkshire-hills-regional-school-committee/

5. And many events are planned in the Berkshire region for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday this coming weekend. Among them a tribute to Elijah Cummings, the civil rights advocate and longtime Congressman from Maryland who died this past October:https://theberkshireedge.com/bits-the-making-of-a-protest-artist-martin-luther-king-jr-national-day-of-service-tree-and-wildlife-talk/

6. Finally, the Berkshire Hills Regional School District, frustrated with its efforts to secure stsate aid for a badly needed new high school, is considering whether the district should go it alone to update Monument Mountain Regional High School:
https://theberkshireedge.com/berkshire-hills-mulls-rejecting-state-aid-going-it-alone-in-quest-for-new-monument/