Monday, October 19, 2026

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JOHN BREASTED: The Great Barrington Selectboard’s credibility gap

Transparency does not require officials to reveal legal strategy. It does require them to tell voters when the town has been sued.

We don’t get a Corey Walker every generation

Corey Walker has the proven record of fighting for our neighbors’ rights.

BRIGHT SPOTS: Week of October 22, 2025

Standing up for healthcare, for reopening the government, for the law, for federal employees, for the CDC, and for congressionally funded energy and transportation projects that have been denied funding!

Vote ‘Yes’ for a new Monument Mountain Regional High School building

Across the country, and right here in our county, communities are investing in their schools and their students. I believe we should do the same by voting "YES" on November 4.

Great Barrington’s No Kings protest

If the “Big Beautiful Bill” is passed and more than 20 million people lose their health insurance due to lack of affordability, no matter how red their state or district has been in the past, Republicans should not feel electorally safe.

How can Great Barrington vote on a Proposition 2 1/2 override without knowing the amount we are voting on?

It is like agreeing to pay back a loan without knowing the amount you are borrowing.

No Kings protest rally: Maintaining the balance of power

On the surface, the rallies were a resounding success; yet, when you look beyond the slogans and defiant rhetoric, it is difficult to discern where progress has been made.

How we vote on the new Monument Mountain Regional High School building will define whether we move forward or fall behind as a community

If we want the next generation of healthcare providers, first responders, teachers, tradespeople, and entrepreneurs to stay, we must give them a reason to.

A new Monument Mountain Regional High School is the smartest investment we can make

When Monument opened in 1968, it was a bold investment in the future. Now, more than 50 years later, it is our turn. The choice is not whether we spend the money. The choice is whether we waste it on yesterday’s problems or put it toward tomorrow’s possibilities.

I WITNESS: Left-wing, radical lunatics, unite!

Donald Trump has declared war not on the chimerical Antifa, since it doesn’t really exist except on your home-made Post-It; he has declared war on United States citizens who are opposed to dictators, dictatorships, inequality and racism.

The gilded Oval Office: A monument to vanity, not leadership

In a house maintained by taxpayers, even “private” spending sends a public message about taste, judgment, and values.

We all have skin in the game in investing in our schools

Making an investment in the high school project means we are affording students the best contemporary resources and opportunities to develop skills, experience, and knowledge that can help support our community in the near term.

Woman’s search for meaning

"My Underground Mother" comes to Crandell Theatre in Chatham, N.Y., on October 19.

Climate change, disease management, and the Trump administration: Pathways to a health and economic crisis

The Trump administration's strategy for climate regulation and public health infrastructure has increased U.S. vulnerability to health emergencies with serious economic and social impacts.

Monument Mountain’s future depends on facts, not wishful thinking

“I wish we could” and “what if” are natural sentiments. But they do not reflect the legal, financial, or educational reality we face.

Do we really need a PILOT Commission?

For western and central Massachusetts communities hosting large swaths of state-owned land, the state’s payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) provide critical funding for roads, firefighting, and other services. Yet these payments for largely unoccupied land are tied to local real estate values, leading to vast funding disparities.

Vote ‘Yes’ on the Monument Mountain Regional High School Building Project

When we tolerate an aging, deteriorating building, we contradict the central promise that our students are our top priority.