The Berkshire Edge On-Air - Wednesday June 17, 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. Given the pandemic and the social turmoil, there are still issues of preserving the character of our communities. And so we have  a story of a resident of Great Barrington who is flouting the guidelines for environmental protection by bulldozing a wetland in Great Barrington:https://theberkshireedge.com/repeat-offender-fined-for-wetlands-violations-ordered-by-concomm-to-restore-property/

2. Food security starts here — the next generation of Berkshire farmers. We profile two young farmers:https://theberkshireedge.com/food-security-starts-here-the-next-generation-of-berkshire-dairy-farmers/

3.   Boston Symphony, the premier summer attraction in the Berkshires, has announced an online 2020 festival:https://theberkshireedge.com/hobbled-by-pandemic-bso-announces-tanglewood-2020-online-festival/

4.  There was an impressive celebration of the Black Lives Matter movement in Great Barrington, with thousands gathered in front of Town Hall, but it also devolved into a feud between the local head of the NAACP, Dennis Powell, and the Jewish community, over his remarks assigning blame to Israeli military techniques for the death of George Floyd:https://theberkshireedge.com/black-lives-matter-rally-denounces-the-rise-of-racism/

5. Of course, our schools have been closed during the pandemic and one of our writers, Sheela Clary, a mother and a teacher, wrote an amusing piece about the life of a parent at home with kids. She calls it the Suck at Home Handbook:https://theberkshireedge.com/stuck-at-home-handbook/

6.  And finally, realizing how seriously the pandemic and the resulting crash in the economy has affected Berkshire families, local schools are going to provide access to food for students during the summer months:https://theberkshireedge.com/local-schools-answer-question-of-food-access-during-summer/