The Berkshire Edge On-Air - Wednesday July 29, 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.  The Great Barrington Selectboard is considering taking over the Housatonic Water Works, the privately owned water system in the village of Housatonic. It’s not yet no whether the owner, Jim Mercer, would accept an offer. But the fact is the little water company can’t keep up with maintenance on its system, nor whether fire hydrants are adequately pressurized:https://theberkshireedge.com/selectboard-mulls-options-on-housatonic-water-works-including-eminent-domain/

2.  Here’s a good news story… Charley Seckler, a college student sequestered at home in Egremont, has developed a system for helping out restaurants, struggling during the COVID19 pandemic. It’s an app to allow people to use their cell phones to do “touchless” ordering at restaurants for pickup… he has plans to expand the concept to the NY city subway system.https://theberkshireedge.com/students-remote-internship-helps-local-restaurants-cope-during-covid-19/

3. The Railroad Street Youth Project is back at it in Great Barrington, creating another mural that expresses the cultural vision of the town. This one celebrates the Black Lives Matter movement.
https://theberkshireedge.com/the-railroad-street-youth-project-and-the-blm-mural-that-tells-a-story/

4. Coming up this Thursday the Tanglewood online gala is celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of violinist Isaac Stern, with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emmanuel Ax. Tanglewood is still making music even though the Shed is dark.https://theberkshireedge.com/tanglewood-online-gala-celebrating-the-100th-anniversary-of-isaac-sterns-birth/

5. On the lighter side, you might say, there has been an increase in the frequency of bear sightings. There was one in our backyard lst week, gobbling sunflower seeds, and our writer David Edwards had one slurping the grape jelly from his Oriole feeder. Whatever the reason, wildlife is reclaiming territory:https://theberkshireedge.com/bear-steals-grape-jelly-from-canaan-mans-oriole-feeder/

6. Finally, we published an EdgeCast with former state Sen.Ben Downing delivering an impassioned address to Sheffield Democrats about what he sees as the challenges for the state and the nation:https://theberkshireedge.com/edgecast-ben-downing-on-why-winning-the-white-house-isnt-enough/

7.  And very quickly, we have an article on where to find local food and farms — in our Berkshire Edge magazine:https://theberkshireedge.com/berkshire-grown-where-to-find-local-food-and-farms/