The Berkshire Edge On-Air Wednesday November 2, 2022

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.

Here are a few stories from the Edge this week:

1. It’s the Housatonic Water Works — again. The town of Great Barrington — Housatonic is a village within the town — is considering its next steps to acquire the privately owned — and troubled — water system tht serves the village of Housatonic and environs:

2. What’s Halloween without visual mischief…. in this case, area students set about to decorate Great Barrington storefront windows with ghoulish art… and the merchants are all for it… and to go along with this bit of mischief, we have our historian Gary Levieille recall Halloweens past in Great Barrington:

3. We continue with another chapter in Bill Shein’s examination of the development projects under way and envisioned by entrepreneur Ian Rasch. This installment  (Part 6) examines Rasch’s plans for Prospect Lake in Egremont:

4. Our political and cultural observer Mickey Friedman has been writing a series of essays analyzing the immediate and long-term effects of what he calls “Trumphobia” on the vitality of American democracy:

5. One of our writers, Sheela Clary, has been writing a fascinating series of interviews with various South Berkshire County residents to "ask local people how they are doing, what troubles them, and what gives them hope.” In this installment she talks with the Rev. Jill Graham of First Congregational Church of Sheffield: https://theberkshireedge.com/where-we-are-south-county-voices-from-late-october-2022/

6. And finally,  Sarah Wright, in her Woman on the Verge feature, has an essay on how voting is a sign of civic health — Vot-ER’s Civic Health Fellowship — imagine, she asks, health care providers asking their patients if they’re prepared to vote: