Sunday, November 8, 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.

CONNECTIONS: We kept the republic 237 years and 49 days

Nancy Astor, the Viscountess Lady Astor, served in Parliament from 1919 to 1945. When asked about her political success, she said that she took into public life the lessons she learned from her mother.

PETER MOST: Debatable

Carole, thank you for this opportunity to consider these issues together.

DOGE, revisited

In case you weren't glued to your set, you might have missed this week when Elon Musk backtracked on his promise to find $2 trillion, saying now that he thinks there is still a good shot at getting half that amount. Maybe.

On the road to accessible, affordable, and safe water in Great Barrington

A roadblock to taking on the civic responsibility to ensure safe water in Great Barrington has been fear, and confusion, about how this challenging task can be accomplished.

I WITNESS: Welcome to Camp Geritol

I was born and raised in Wisconsin, and to Wisconsin I have returned, courtesy of the most loving and generous partner who ever lived.

MITCH GURFIELD: The root cause of Trump’s fascist victory

It is no exaggeration at all to say that Trump’s victory was anchored in the failings of American capitalism. We have only to look at a handful of statistics to see how true this is.

PETER MOST: Statutory YIMBYism

The Affordable Homes Act is consistent with various state statutes that do exactly what you would expect a parent to do when the children consistently misbehave.

Thank you to the Berkshire community for returning Marcy to her family

We are forever thankful. This letter is not enough to thank everyone who cared. We shook hands with volunteers in the woods whose names we never got or remember. Thank you now; you are not forgotten.

David Edwards’ review of ‘A Complete Unknown’ breezed past a key figure

Edward's focus on the musicality is understandable and, granted, fundamental to a Dylan story, but his critique (if I understand the title of the article) is a "Film Review" not a "Musical Film Review."

CONNECTIONS: A banner year for sight and sound

So, there it was: a banner year for sight and sound. I understood that one was significant but not the other.

Hydraulic dredging will not solve all the issues with the Housatonic Rest of River remediation project

Hydraulic dredging has many issues worthy of discussion when being considered for sediment removal from a river system.

Simon’s Rock President Leon Botstein did little to nothing to help ‘The Rock’

I would like to be part of any initiative to save the property from undesirable potential buyers.

I WITNESS: The ubiquitous butternut squash (worst vegetable ever)

To be clear, one outstanding preparation has not erased my lifelong dislike of butternut squash, but I thought I might include the chef’s recipe to readers of this column.

Other Berkshire County towns should follow in Stockbridge’s footsteps to protect their historic buildings

Preserving our county’s historic buildings is vital to maintaining the Berkshires' distinctive New England charm and enhancing its quality of life.

EDWARD LANE: Analysis and recommendations regarding the Department of Government Efficiency

President-elect Trump has named Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead a new so-called “Department" of Government Efficiency to, in Musk’s words, identify “at least $2 trillion in cuts” of federal spending.

PATRICK WHITE: Solving the housing crisis (Part Two) — Rentals

Our best shot at solving our housing crisis is to avail ourselves of every opportunity. We have been given a toolkit. Let's use it to reimagine housing in the Berkshires.