Wednesday, October 7, 2026

News and Ideas Worth Sharing

Letters

‘Rebel Town’ is a timely reminder that freedom isn’t free — and that resistance is patriotic

The musical explores the courage, conviction, and personal sacrifice of leaders and extraordinary “ordinary” Americans who put everything on the line to attain freedom.

Southern Berkshire Ambulance needs Great Barrington’s support

I would like to explain why we are making two motions at Great Barrington’s Annual Town Meeting this year and asking for your continued support.

Why I’m participating in the May Day Rally

We need to be on the streets to demand that our nation put the needs of working families over the profits of big business by protecting union rights, strengthening workplace and consumer safety protections, and addressing climate change.

Supporting local ambulance service

We need the towns' support now more than ever.

Fund Southern Berkshire Ambulance accordingly

Thirty-two dedicated professionals have built their careers around serving our community—nights, weekends, holidays, at personal cost, carrying the psychological weight that comes with this work. These are not line items. They are neighbors and friends.

Trump knows the value of a broker in real estate deals. Why not in diplomacy?

Donald Trump should know better than to send JD Vance, the person one heartbeat from the presidency, to be the lead negotiator with the Iranians.

Is Trump faking it?

Could this pattern of behavior—the grandiosity, the erratic statements, the apparent detachment from reality—be laying groundwork, consciously or not, for a future claim of mental incompetence as a shield against legal accountability?

Who does our congressman represent?

Our congressman gets thousands from the insurance industry as town after town in the county is searching for money and solutions to large insurance increases at annual town meetings.

More than a mascot

This week, as a Lenox resident with a child in the Lenox school district, I received a survey in the mail presenting three options: keep “Millionaires,” change it, or “I don’t care.” On one level, it may seem like a small question. On another, it asks something larger.

Why doesn’t the state step in and fix Housatonic’s water problem?

If I am told, "This is not the way it works," my response is that the system isn’t working.

To the residents and taxpayers of Great Barrington: a note of gratitude

This is a long-overdue note of gratitude to the residents and taxpayers of my beloved Great Barrington.

Potty Mouth

The president's latest assault on good taste is not so likely to go away politically, unless the shooting war he has initiated permits him to change the subject.

This is not a civil rights issue, Mr. Falchuk

Second homeowners will not see their civil rights violated if Great Barrington adopts the residential tax exemption.

In a budget crisis, there is no place for turf wars

Let’s be clear: two library branches is a luxury. Given the town’s mounting fiscal challenges, it is plain that we can no longer afford such luxuries.

Residential tax exemption allows more people to ‘thrive,’ addresses issues of equitability in Great Barrington

The residential tax exemption addresses the different statuses of people in our community and spreads the burden in a way that makes it possible for more people to live here and thrive.

Maintaining public trust

Both affordable housing and our libraries are vital to the strength of our community. Each deserves to be considered on its merits through a transparent and impartial process.

Singing the praises of the ambulance siren

I cannot say enough about the Fairview Emergency Room staff, the ambulance team, and Dr. Andrew Lederman and his team at BMC.