The Berkshire Edge On-Air – Wednesday October 6, 2021

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. What do you know…. Boston acknowledges the western county of Massachusetts. Great Barrington is to receive $2.1 million in COVID relief funds, and state auditor acknowledges the state’s “East/West divide”:

2. And to that point, State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli, D-Lenox, has called for “equity” in the distribution of funds for infrastructure revitalization:

3. Speaking of infrastructure, the Great Barrington Selectboard is taking up the complicated issue of the Housatonic Water Works, that village’s privately owned water system that is plagued with issues, from broken mains to rusty water — a relic of the days when utilities like the water system were privately rather than publicly owned:

4. We also had a report of the rally in Salisbury, Connecticut, in support of women’s right to an abortion, one of 600 demonstrations nationwide:

5.  The Community Development Corporation of South Berkshire (CDCSB) is conducting a (virtual, of course) fundraiser for its affordable housing projects, and it’s showing the film “Citizen Jane,” about Jane Jacobs 

6.  And finally, in the spirit of independence, Berkshire County will be celebrating “Indigenous People’s Day” on Oct. 11.