EDGE-JA-MA-CAY-SHUN in PITTFELD PUBLIK SKOOLS PAST THE POINT OF NO RETURN
BY DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY
[ED. NOTE: THE PLANET encourages any and all members of the PSD administration, any and all members of the Pittsfield school committee, and and all public schools staff, any and all students, any and all parents plus — of course — any and all readers to comment. This two-part series is the culmination of an investigation we’ve been working on since the summer. If anyone cares to correct or confirm any part of this record, THE PLANET encourages you to do so. We want this account to be as factual as possible. We say this because of the apparent tendency of the school administration — Mercer and the school committee — to downplay the disarray amounting to shambles taking place in the city’s classrooms. If they dispute any of these findings, please let us know.]
First of Two Parts
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, MONDAY NOV. 8, 2021) — What is the Pittsfield School Department administration hiding? Same goes for school committee?
They’re either hiding it or they don’t know the extent to which it’s occurring.
Inexcusable, right Jumpin’ Joe Curtis?
The question comes to mind after the incident in Dorchester, at — get this — Henderson Inclusion School, a K-12 public school, whereby a 16-year-old student beat the principal unconscious. The lass wanted inclusion, so she shared her violent ways with the head cheese.
Hope we didn’t offend the girl. Maybe she identifies not as a “she” but as an “it” or “they.” You know pronoun use is the issue of most concern in public schools.
Inclusion.
In our question to Mr. Curtis, THE PLANET speaks of the growing incidence of violence plaguing our schools. At every report that makes the news, Curtis says “it isn’t reresentative of what’s going on” in the system.” Perhaps not, but try telling that to disgruntled teachers who might be filing for combat pay.
With this year’s exodus of disgruntled teachers fleeing an imploding system, you would think the administration and the committee would commission some an in-depth study, public airing, or blue-ribbon panel. Instead, as we’ve just seen from the incumbents who just “won” re-election (with 80% of voters Not turning out, “nobahdy won nothin’, dig?”), the administrative failures of a money-rich, performance poor system keep pretending that things in the schools are going great.
———- ooo ———-
Over the past few weeks, THE PLANET has been gathering information and incidents that have occurred in the public schools since summer session this year. Our investigation includes hearing from several teachers who have left the system, retiring or quitting within the last year, a current teacher, and from students. Everyone spoke on condition of anonymity.
The story is grim, almost beyond belief.
Here’s a digest of our findings:
- A substitute teacher who bounces all over calls conditions in the schools “chaotic” and unsafe.”
- A high school language teacher was spit upon and called a “fucking whore.” Nothing was done.
- Students have destroyed band instruments, vandalized bathrooms, smashed computers, and wrecked staffers’ cars (keyed, slashed tires, broken windshields, bent windshield wipers).
- There is a huge increase in bullying (online and physical), sexual harassment, hazing, racist taunts crossing skin-color lines.
- The overall classroom atmosphere is generally “impossible for teaching and learning.”
- Violence and serious misbehavior is rotting downward to the lower grades. A math teacher: “[Reid and Herberg] feel like prisons, with the inmates ready to pounce on unsuspecting guards. Yeah, we’re the guards. We don’t teach anymore. We try keep the inmates under control but it’s useless. We get no backing [from principals or superintendents]. It’s so frustrating.” Even the grade schools are feeling it, or is the story of the fourth grade boy who threatened classmates and teacher with a knife just the result of swamp gas? What about the third grader who was caught with loaded gun?
- Social media and smart phones constitute a major part of the problem. The policy for phones in classrooms is “completely ignored. Teachers are afraid to enforce it.”
- TikTok, a social media app, has resulted in more young people “challenging adult authority,” not in the relatively harmless manner of the past but with viciousness and violence. Current TikTok challenges include slapping a teacher in the face and damaging school property, with the favorite being bathrooms. Both have happened numerous times without a thing being done about it.
- Behavioral concerns are “all over the board.”
- Ruleless classroom environments that make learning impossible. With growing frequency, class time consists of a teacher just trying to make it through 50 minutes without some serious incident.
- Rampant drug problems, both use and sale. Two hot spots at lunchtime and after school: The ramp park across the street from PHS at Appleton and East streets, the area behind Dunkin Donuts on First Street, and at Taconic, behind the school. Drugs, smoking, and vaping are done out in the open, with kids knowing nothing will be done about it.
If any of these didn’t happen, THE PLANET would like to hear.
———- ooo ———-
It leads THE PLANET to this inescapable conclusion: Almost the entire energy of the Administration is being devoted to keeping knowledge of the shocking depths of the problem out of the public eye. Given the six-figure salaries and bennies, it seems Curtis & Co. want to tell you the ship isn’t sinking to keep a great deal going.
From the ignorance (feigned or real) of the sitting school committee, notably the incumbents who were reelected (Cameron, McGee, Elias, Brazeau), it’s apparent that either the committee members are so out of touch that they don’t know what’s happening, or they are complacent with the Curtis Gang in keeping the lid on the situation. You will recall that not one of them made an issue of the chaos that is preventing teaching and learning from happening.
On Wednesday, THE PLANET present Part 2.
——————————————————————–
“Quote here” — Sir Donald Turpentine, Knight of the Bath.
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
(c) 2021 By PLANET VALENTI & EUROPOLIS MANAGEMENT. All right reserved. The views and opinions expressed in the comment section or in the text other than those of PLANET VALENTI are not necessarily endorsed by the operators of this website. PLANET VALENTI assumes no responsibility for such views and opinions, and it reserves the right to remove or edit any comment, including but not limited to those that violate the website’s Rules of Conduct and its editorial policies. PLANET VALENTI shall not be held responsible for the consequences that may result from any posted comment or outside opinion or commentary as provided in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act and this website’s terms of service. All users of this website — including readers, commentators, contributors, or anyone else making use of its information — hereby agree to these conditions by virtue of this notice. When PLANET VALENTI ends with the words “The Usual Disclaimer,” that phrase shall be understood to refer to the full text of this disclaimer.
My eyes have seen the glory of the burning of the school.
We have have tortured every teacher we have broken every rule.
Then we massacred the Principal on Friday afternoon.
The school is burning down.
Glory glory hallelujah, teacher hit me with a ruler.
Glory glory hallelujah, teacher hit me with a ruler.
I hit hit her on the bean with a rotten tangerine…………….
I believe your analysis is spot on.
And amazingly, Curtis needs a “consultant” to determine if resource officers are needed in the schools. I’d say it’s time the parents demand that officers be employed. It’s also way past time for the administrators to actually enforce the discipline policies.
These issues have been ongoing for at least 7-8 years.
LEN
Right you are. Time to start enforcing policy and instituting actual consequences. GREAT first place to start: School uniforms. They work.
If true that super doesn’t know we need a cop if both high schools and Junior highs and is actually hiring a consultant, then we need a new superintendent. And let the school department reimburse the police for the cost of all 4 cops. Hopefully Kalinowski, who was a no nonsense school cop, will they’ll it like it is to Out To Lunch Linda.
Dan this may be the most important subject you have ever dealt with here. Every child in the city is affected by this and if the city and school leaders do not care about this the city is even farther lost than I thought. The evidence is there and there is a lot more than you have said so far. I hope you and others come down hard on this subject and keep coming down hard. And anyone connected to the welfare of the school and students should be speaking out about it. Or just remove yourself from the equation altogether.
But keep in mind the buck stops with the mayor. She has been out to lunch for years but she needs to be dragged kicking and screaming into the middle of this school situation. She should not be allowed to blame others for this. And throwing another five million at the schools will do NOTHING. Money is NOT the answer. Discipline is the answer. Stop trying to force education on those who do not want to learn and get them the hell away from those that do. Change the laws and let them all drop out. They are draggng the whole system down to is knees.
Now you know why kids opt out.
Let’s Lunch Linda!
Thanks, GAS.
And is it true that Linda Tyer wants to raise real estate taxes 5%? It better not be true.
Of course it is true. It is what she does best.
It is true, property owners will see a roughly $197 tax increase .
When is the state going to come in? This schools have been listed as level 5 for years but things keep staying the same. The politicians and educators keep coming to the poor taxpayers trough and this is what we get? C’mon man!!
The Pittsfield school need to be transparent about everything including to what extent Critical Race Theory is being taught in our schools. Parents need to see the textbooks the kids are using and the course content. Just like people over 60 need to start retiring to show that this socialist nirvana doesn’t stand a chance. With signs on our cars saying “I’m spending big government money and having fun.” The globalists know that everybody freeloading off big government will tank our economy and then they can swoop in with a global government and a global currency. Unfortunately nobody can wake up this country to what is happening so we have no choice but to join the freeloaders.
I hope this subject can be addressed seriously and not dragged sideways into politics where it will be diluted and not given the local focus it needs. While discipline in schools is probably a national issue let us deal with Pittsfield and the people in charge. If there is nothing they feel they can do they need to go public with that excuse so we can find people who can. Too much money is thrown at Pittsfield schools and the value returned is no where near where it should be.
Teachers please speak up. Students please enter the discussion. Union leaders would have done something by now if they cared to. This is the time. Now. Let us hear from you.
I disagree. This is politics whether we like it or not. The control over the schools and shutting parents out…it’s all politics and that’s the problem. The schools shouldn’t be political, but the far left has made them political by what they teach and what they don’t teach and the lack of discipline can be directly linked to their belief that schools shouldn’t have authoritarian figures that scare kids, especially non-white kids apparently, but this is what happen when there are no authority figures in the schools…chaos.
You read off the Republican talking point…..CRT good luck finding that course
Yeah, just make sure the curriculum includes the murder of 4 little girls in Birmingham by the Klan in 1963.
You need to wake up to the racist history of the United States. Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and raped Sally Hemings.
Good god every you say in inaccurate
Where is the proof he raked her. There is none. You are the reason this country will be taken back thief
Slaves, because they were slaves, had no legal right to refuse unwanted sex with their masters. When the raping began, Hemings was 16 and Jefferson was in his 40s. There was no consent. It was rape. Deal with it.
Taken back from whom? Trumpers are no better than the KKK.
Look McDonough you felon there was no proven rape. Fact the age of consent was well below 16. Take back from you woke fools of course
Ask Colonal Ashley’s descendant the attorney for Egremont, Jeremiah Pollard. Monterey and Egremont have been trying to cover-up sex trafficking by an official for years, since years ago when Reena Bucknell got fired. These Fretzels are making me thirsty. Slavery is rich, The Noe, always Knows.
The KKK was founded by democRATS bleaky.
Biden, the Clintons, ……..all friends of Sen-D-Robert Byrd, he was like a Grand Wizard in the Klan.
That should be part of recent USA history classes.
How quickly McDonough the felon forgets. Nathan Bedford Forest. Founder of kkk, democrat and confederate general
Mic drop
Great band!
Good gob everything you wrote is inaccurate as usual
Where is the proof he raped her. There is none
You are the reason the good people are taking this country back thief
The Dorchester student assailant is a lass. Charges have been brought. What about our local delinquents, any charges, or are we waiting for them to grow their brains?
LovePittsfield.com is duplicating the efforts of Downtown Pittsfield Inc. (who already grifts 40k/ year from our city budget). It will soon be forgotten like the mayor’s fitness website (built by a city employee’s husband without going to bid) and BusinessPittsfield.com that has not been updated since launch in 2019.
But it’s ok we can trust the city and funnel money to Roger Matus who’s only claim to fame is a grainy photo from a ABC news appearance in the 90’s.
This whole thing stinks.
Pittsfield citizens keep electing and appointing performative dilettantes into office such as the current Mayor, DA, Council,School Committee and other city positions ,as well as people in the bag for public-employee unions, rather than serious people interested in actual governance.
From the get go Andrea Harrington has perpetuated the theory that the criminal justice system in Berkshire County is racist. Is there racial profiling by our police? Higher rates of arrests for the same crimes? Use of force against POC? Harrington had no proof four years ago when she started making the claim and she has no proof now. To me, these unfounded claims and assault on the repulation of our police is the most sinister act of all. I’d like to see the DA held accountable.
I believe if she had the data to support her claims of our local justice system being racist, she would gleefully release the data to show it. I have a feeling the data she always talks about is in the same file with Hand Guns report of the run In she had with law enforcement.
Release the data to whom?
3,000 people turned out to vote in Pittsfield. That is pretty damn bleak.
Very bleak!
Lol true.
Absolutely shocking. Great piece Dan. This is the problem progressives want to make go away, but it’s continuing to get worse. The large majority of these problems are being caused by children of color. They watch their momma’s, older brother/sister, cousin, aunts/uncles, deal drugs, steal from stores, basically flaunt authority, without repercussions.
Instead of addressing the issues with penalties and zero tolerance, progressives like Linda, Wrong Way, and Farley Country-Buffet (D), condone and make excuses for their actions.
And then, you have complete idiots like Helen “Handgun” Moon, who believes police in the school frighten children of color. Of course they do Handgun, if that child is up to criminal or disruptive behavior. They have reason to fear an officer. The sad part, Jumping Joe, went along with that nonsense.
Joe’s only conducting an outside study, in hopes time will make people forget. He knows those schools are a zoo. Does anybody really believe an outside group is needed? Dan, you unmasked the wizard in only one part of the story. Jumping Joe should send some money your way.
A teacher was spit on/towards (don’t know exact, but it’s nasty none the less) and called a “fucking whore.” Any criminal charges brought against the spitter? It is assault. A/B if it landed on the teacher. Doesn’t Wrong Way profess her endless work for victims? I’ll guarantee damn-tee, if I spit on Wrong Way, I would be bunking with Lonnie Durfee. But, I’m a white male. I’m the cause of all of societal issues. At least that’s what Helen thinks. Right Handgun?
MARK
These are the incidents that occur on a daily basis in public schools, most of which never get reported. We should all ask: Now why is that? We should also ask where the Teachers’ Unions stand on this.
Unless Curtis comes out publicly and state the schools will back the teachers they are not backing teachers.Teachers are quiting and it’s not just Pittsfield. Every public high school is searching.Teachers are abused by the public,then the administration and some students.Public education has been at war with conservative for 40 years.Trump wants it private for profit.
Markus, good points. What do we expect? These adults are horrible examples to children. Harrington skips out on taxes and credit card bills, lies about her license renewal, hires unqualified friends to run a campaign in the office, tries to boot a judge and vastly inflates her resume to get elected. That is our top law endorcement official. She even has a youth advisory board. I wouldn’t let my kid be on it, what about you?
Everything Harrington touches turns to crap. The youth advisory was a source of community pride and a model for other DA offices to follow.
The Youth Advisory Board WAS something to be proud of, now it’s something Harrington can get in a picture of, like everything else. She has no idea what she is doing, whoever follows her as DA is going to have a lot of work on their plate. And then there is 1st Assistant DA Karen Bell – almost 3 years working there and NEVER tried a case!!!
But it is O.K. to insult Jon Melle, who served our country Honorably and is a service connected disabled Veteran. It is O.K. for Mr. Fritz to call Jon Melle a Marxist over and over again. I wrote blogger Dan Valenti an open letter in response to your insult about me collecting my Veterans benefits that I earned and our country being grateful to serve me. Nonetheless, I thank you for your military service and tour in combat on behalf of our country. Note to Dan Valenti: I am a respected Veteran, but I receive daily insults from blog posters on your blog. These same blog posters who insult me are upset with Pittsfield’s inner city Level 5 public schools and the progressive leadership of the Mayor, Gated Community Linda Tyer, state Representative, Trippy Country Buffet, and Berkshire County District Attorney Wrong Way Andrea Harrington. Kind of a double standard, don’t you think? Pittsfield politics needs to start investing in its underclass to solve its Level 5 public schools. Poverty and broken homes are a big factor in children’s behavioral issues, including in Pittsfield’s failing public schools.
Well,you yourself disrespected Rep Bouvier insinuating she makes trips to the buffet table because of her weight? You are a hippocrit of the highest order. On the other side we had a former disabled vet try to nullify needless spending at the water plants which are now out of control with contingency spending and non transparent funding from the taxpayer.
So fritz was against him all the way and now our water rates will skyrocket. So expect that from fritz Jon.
You are a Marxist. Do I have to pull up your previous statements on this blog about supporting Antifa and Karl Marx?
You make everything about you. Stop yer whining!
Jon, I didn’t insult you one time. I just stated a fact. And don’t for a minute tell me you couldn’t sit at a desk crunching numbers, answering phones, or sitting at a cash register, checking people out? You type fairly articulate postings, so I know you have the cognitive ability.
I guess what I’m saying is, you could work, but you choose not to. Not sure how that is an insult? Am I wrong JM?
I tried to work many times in my 46 years plus of life on Earth. I did work for many years of my life. Thank you again for your service and work.
Nipples and her squad of incompetent ADA’s screw up again and get schooled by a judge.
“ A prosecutor offered probation to a Berkshires man with more than 80 convictions. A judge wasn’t buying it”
I actually don’t blame the ADAs for some it’s their first job and they don’t know much, but unfortunately for them their boss knows a lot less.
At least the judge gets it.
“What’s the penalty here?” the judge asked.
Instead of accepting probation alone, Vrabel told Samuels that he wanted probation for Crisp, until November 2023, backed up by a two-year suspended sentence at the House of Correction.
“If he violates [probation], he’ll do every day of that suspended sentence,” the judge said.
In the office as part of her campaign platform she’s pushing for plea deals to get rapid and high case closure rates. In order to do that without going to full trial, she’s giving away the store. They are terrified they are going to lose this most recent attempted murder case and have offered some pretty light sentences (2-5 years down from 20) but no one is taking it. I wonder if nipples Andrea Harrington will show up in court, if she knows which one to go to?
Maybe she can distract the jury.
It’s time for the peasants to show up at school committee meetings with their metaphorical pitchforks.
You mean terrorist, parents that advocate at school meetings are domestic terrorists.
#terrorists #pta
A topic that is far overdue to be properly addressed.
I’d like to add that the raw material enrolled in Pittsfield’s school system has steadily declined. Many children are not raised with a family; a mother and father. And the fact that many young children are not taught: honesty, integrity, morals, values and responsibility by their parents. That is, some are little feral beasts before they get to school.
But it does seem, the whole of the school systems administration, is an abject failure that is enabled by Pittsfield elected officials. Overpaid for not doing their jobs, one and all.
The whole of Pittsfield has been on the skids for many years, and it won’t get better.
Now as he is quickly and rapidly aging Biden approval rating at his lowest. Bring back Trump.
Trump is the worst President this country has ever had. He is incompetent and stupid.
Why on earth would you want him back? Because he makes you feel good? Get a clue.
“Trump is the worst President this country has ever had. He is incompetent and stupid.”
Look at the jellyfish spined, turnip brain, You voted for!!!
“Why on earth would you want him back? Because he makes you feel good? Get a clue.”
One word, BIDEN!!!
Biden beat Trump, Trapper. Your guy is such a loser that he couldn’t even beat a “jellyfish spined, turnip brain.”
And, don’t trot out this voter fraud garbage. That didn’t happen. Trump lost because he’s a loser.
Except he didn’t McDonough and voter fraud conclusively occurred
Even though you’re a dink you are correct b h
Someday Dr. Fauci may have a cure for your TDS.
Prison would have done him good
Nov 3 2020 was the day our Republic died. Much of our government and the MSM were complicit in the selection.
I don’t think we will ever see a clean and fair national election again.
Spoken like the convicted felon you are. Trump spoke for the people. Spoke what most of us think. Thieving libs like you don’t get it while you live in mommy’s basement lining for the life you tossed away.
Exactly, Trapper.
The city and schools started rapidly declining when the new prison opened for business. Family members of the incarcerated moved into the area, from primarily Springfield, to be near their loved ones, i.e. single parent households with unsupervised teens in low-income housing. As I understand it, 65% of Pittsfield families are on public assistance.
Factor in refugees, illegal immigrants etc etc. all relying on public assistance. Maintaining law & order in the schools has to be a challenge, when there are few intact family units.
Now I’m hearing that Tyer wants to build a brand new shelter for homeless. What is she thinking? It is more responsible to detox the local homeless crowd and attempt to rehabilitate them, employing them to weed, paint, maintain city properties in exchange for housing/food vouchers.But no, she wants to roll out the red carpet at taxpayer expense. The unlimited handouts, needle exchange programs etc only encourages more layabouts to flock to your city. Don’t build anymore low-income housing!
It will take a taxpayer revolt to overturn the downward spiral.
Aaron Rodgers’ health issues are no one else’s business! State Farm got it right.
https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2021/11/08/we-respect-his-right-state-farm-defies-the-wokes-stands-by-aaron-rodgers/
Unless he may infect his teammates, who will not be able to play, and maybe lose games, and fans and the playoffs?? Contagious diseases are not personal health issues. Look it up its true.
Vaccinated people catch, carry and pass on diseases as well, look it up it’s true
The vaccine protects no one except maybe the person that received the vaccine.
The vaccines does not stop you from getting Covid.
The vaccine does not stop you from spreading Covid.
The vaccine MIGHT make getting Covid a little less deadly for those with comorbidities but doesn’t do much for someone who is healthy.
It’s like getting the flu shot, it sort of helps if it’s the exact strain, but doesn’t change your infection rate save that you may have it fewer days and therefor shed less virus.
Does Rodgers have a degree in epidemiology? Do any of these antivax morons? No.
Taking ivermectin is stupid. Not listening to medical professionals and then pretending you know better when you have absolutely no medical background is not only stupid, it’s arrogant and narcissistic.
This isn’t a “woke” issue. It’s a public health issue.
Clearly it is a woke issue. He isn’t even sick. Stop acting entitled McDonough
Dr. Zelenko
@ZZ611
2h·
“Breaking News
Pfizer and Moderna have brilliantly figured out that the Zelenko Protocol is and has always been the correct approach to treat Covid-19.
Pfizer and Moderna are touting unverified results from their trials of oral repurposed hiv drugs, Paxlovid and molnupiravir, claiming decrease in hospitalization rates of 89% and 50%, respectively.
This is consistent with Dr. Zelenko’s observations since 3/2020, that early prehospital treatment with antiviral medications reduces hospitalization and death by 84%.
Dozens of peer reviewed papers have corroborated Dr. Zelenko’s observations with an average decrease in hospitalization of 85%.
Pfizer and Moderna have still not discovered the clinical benefit of patient risk stratification and use of zinc, which are essential components of the Zelenko Protocol.
Pfizer and Moderna have not commented on the significant side effects of these repurposed hiv drugs.
Another major difference of Pfizer / Moderna drugs versus the Zelenko Protocol is cost. Big pharma drugs will cost $700 a person vs $30 for the Zelenko Protocol.
Perhaps, Pfizer and Moderna are hoping that touting their expensive and unproven drugs will mitigate the horrendous side effects of the covid-19 vaccines.” – V. Zelenko
Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2020 Dec; 56(6): 106214.
Published online 2020 Oct 26. doi: 10.1016/j.ijantimicag.2020.106214
Obama the hypocrite!
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/barack-obama-travels-glasgow-lecture-world-climate-change-purchasing-waterfront-estate-marthas-vineyard-video/
And has prices soaring. Thank Joe?
Traitor Joseph Stolen plans on rewarding Criminal Aliens with $450,000 of US Citizen’s taxpayer money, for flaunting our laws and coming here illegally.
With a chunk of loot like that maybe Tyer and Clairmont will have Criminal Aliens as new neighbors in their gated community, they’ll be able to afford a home there!
And Biden’s importing thousands more!
Meanwhile in Poland, they are enforcing the sovereignty of their borders and repelling the invading hordes of criminal aliens.
“When they reached the border, the migrants were immediately met by hundreds of Polish Soldiers who refused to allow a single one of them to enter.”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2021/11/shocking-shots-fired-poland-thousands-muslim-migrants-rush-border-crossing-military-deployed-warsaw-warns-major-shooting-incident-possible-video/
But what do expect from Joe? He has the spine of a jellyfish and brain of a turnip
Why would Jon want to work a job when he gets 3 g plus a month with med and dental. Common Man?
I earned my Veterans benefits
No,you Qualified.
Not to mention, after the democRATS got their a$$e$ handed to them by Glenn Youngkin, they need votes. What better way to guarantee a vote?
Brandon Xiden is going to give $450k to people who have little to no education and are going to get dumped in the low income areas. What could possibly go wrong?
I’m sure the gang bangers in the Westside are just waiting with baited breathe (and loaded guns) for this “windfall.” Armed robberies and home invasions will go up ten fold.
Looking at the student teacher ratio 1:10 it really needs to be looked at as to why the teachers can’t control the classroom and why the other professionals in the building aren’t helping. Maybe put cameras in the classroom that can be shown on pctv. Then the whole city/community can see and possibly help out. They would probably complain about you can’t video kids in the classroom but the MIAA states sports are an extension of the classroom and they are shown on tv
Another violent crime case mucked by the DA’s office. This is what zero experience looks like. DA fails to disclose evidence. Harrington has to go. https://www.berkshireeagle.com/crime/october-mountain-shooting-trial-witness-concerns/article_ddb09792-40af-11ec-86be-cb2b97137553.html
This should prove interesting we are fortunate to have elected Sara Hathaway to the school committee and Karen Kalinowsky to the city council both with extensive time in the school system. Ignoring the problem or pretending that it doesn’t exist doesn’t seem to work.
We just elected a new school committee. Maybe they should be brought into this discussion and we can hear their ideas on how they propose to make our schools safer and a place of learning. They are our supposed leaders on the subject.
Be sure to thank your selected officials in Basstun!!!
“The gunmaker founded in 1852 is currently centered in Springfield, Massachusetts, a state where company officials say legislative proposals would prohibit them from manufacturing certain weapons.
Mark Smith, President and CEO of Smith & Wesson, is looking forward to the move, but said it wasn’t an easy decision, given it had to be right for today and for generations to come. “We’ve got 170 years of history in Springfield, Massachusetts … so, for us it was especially difficult,” he said.”
https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/smith-wesson-already-breaks-ground-in-tennessee-weeks-after-announcing-move-from-massachusetts
This was the company planning on moving to Pittsfield. Joking aside what’s the status of that mystery company that needs a tunnel.
https://www.berkshireeagle.com/crime/probation-charles-crisp-larceny-north-adams/article_3c080104-40d3-11ec-9ea8-3f366d0259a7.html
https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/berkshire/name/diana-civello-crisp-obituary?id=6938918
So sad Crisp’s wife has already died, they have children. Obviously the problem is within the treatment method here in Berkshire County. Judge already knows he will do his time & eat it too.
Our judges are representing justice for the people. NOT the DA. Harrington has to go.
A prosecutor offered probation to a Berkshires man with more than 80 convictions. A judge wasn’t buying itNORTH ADAMS — Charles E. Crisp Jr. tried to make off with a 55-inch TV, a prosecutor says, after breaking a window in late June 2020 to climb into a North Adams home. The month before, beset by a long drug habit, Crisp was found shirtless beside a road and slumped beside $635.70 worth of merchandise stolen from a CVS.
As Crisp’s trial neared for those alleged larcenies, a prosecutor reported that he has been doing well in recovery at Keenan House North, run by The Brien Center.
“What the commonwealth wants to see is [for] these people to get better,” Assistant District Attorney Kelly K. Samuels said Friday, as Crisp watched on a video connection from the treatment center. “The commonwealth doesn’t see the value of pulling Mr. Crisp out of Keenan House. … No period of sobriety has done anything for him until now. We’re seeing a profound change. It is a very different man from two years ago.”
Up on the bench in Northern Berkshire District Court, Judge Paul M. Vrabel was looking beyond the facts of the new cases. Crisp, he noted, has been convicted more than 80 times. A fellow defendant in the break-in, Eli Luttenberger, had accepted a plea at his trial and agreed to pay restitution.
“What’s the penalty here?” the judge asked.
Instead of accepting probation alone, Vrabel told Samuels that he wanted probation for Crisp, until November 2023, backed up by a two-year suspended sentence at the House of Correction.
“If he violates [probation], he’ll do every day of that suspended sentence,” the judge said.
“In my judgment, this is a free pass,” Vrabel said of the sentencing proposal he received from the prosecutor and defense counsel, Joanna Arkema.
“If he wants probation, he’s going to have a big sentence hanging over his head. … He’s had 80 chances, give or take, to turn things around. Why do we believe that now, he will succeed on probation?” Vrabel asked.
Computerized records show Crisp, 39, first was charged with a crime in the region Feb. 10, 2000.
While Vrabel expressed hope that Crisp is able to overcome substance abuse disorder, he questioned why prosecutors were willing to give him probation alone, in light of his long criminal history.
“I hope he makes it,” Vrabel said. “I don’t think he deserves it. He’s been victimizing the people of Northern Berkshire County.
“He’s getting a free pass for committing these crimes,” the judge said. “If he had no record, I would have no problem giving him probation. But, he has stolen from a member of the community. These are not victimless crimes.”
Samuels, the assistant district attorney, said the state’s approach is to address the cause of the criminality when it can.
“Mr. Crisp is alive now and healthy and living at Keenan House and participating in the community,” she said. “That’s what we really want for him, that he’s stopped committing crimes because he’s not buying drugs.”
The probation requires him to remain at Keenan House until discharged.
On the night of the June 29, 2020, break-in to a home on Murray Avenue in North Adams, Crisp admitted to Police Officer Brett C. Pierce that he had been inside the apartment, but claimed that he was helping to move the TV, which had been pulled from a wall mount. Police also found other electronics taken from the home in a rolling suitcase, including an Xbox and a Keurig coffee maker.
In a search of Crisp, they found a baggie labeled “Corona Virus” and a pipe believed to contain residue of crack cocaine. He was charged with larceny under $1,200, breaking and entering and destruction of property.
In the other case resolved Friday, Crisp was determined to have stolen merchandise from CVS on May 23, 2020.
An investigation by Officer Taylor A. Kline said police received a report of a man who had been pushed out of a car and appeared to be unconscious by a roadside. Kline wrote in a report that Crisp was surrounded by unopened CVS merchandise; Crisp told Kline he purchased the items from a friend named Mike, whose last name he could not recall.
Surveillance video from the store determined that Crisp had been inside and was seen leaving without paying. Two drug possession charges from the May 2020 arrest were dismissed by prosecutors, court papers say.
GE regaining its footing….
https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/ge-soars-after-announcing-plan-split-3-separate-companies
Told you a year ago go ge.
Split into 3 Chi-Com based companies………..Tom Edison is rolling in his grave.
Westinghouse
Back to the issue at hand;
What would be most interesting is how many certified teachers are actually teaching in their field of study? Are all the administrators carrying the proper credentials as well?
We already know the district hires on the basis of skin color, but are the teachers carrying the proper licenses?
The Berkshire Eagle could do a deep dive on the Pittsfield school system if they could only get permission from the mayor. But when she got up the other morning and saw Dans story about her failed school system she hit the panic button. In order to change the topic of conversation she decided to drop a tax increase bomb hoping everyone would hop over to that. The VERY LAST THING she wants buzzing around the state is how badly she messed up her school system after injecting over a quarter billion dollars of tax money in her first term alone. But it is real…it is happening before your eyes. What can we do for these poor children who do not deserve this?
Nothing like saying, “you will feel the LOVE in Pittsfield more than ever because we have a failing education system along with a property tax increase.”
Take out the faking o and insert E A. Dumkoffs.
Realistically, if you love your kid, and cannot leave the city yourself, at least find a way to school your kid out of the Pittsfield system. Give them a chance. They deserve it. The system itself either does not care or is unable to provide that chance.
Hello Dirty Bird (Berkshire Eagle) Editors,
While I agree with your editorial about Mayor Linda Tyer possibly breaking state open meeting and ethics laws by shutting out the public from her spending of over $40 million in Biden Bucks over the next 5 years, and while I also agree with your past editorials about the Berkshire legislative delegation to Boston being wrong for voting against Sunshine Law legislative rules reform measures, especially one Lenox State Representative Smitty Pignatelli (aka Shitty) who has voted against these transparency for nearly 2 decades now, I must ask you, Dirty Bird Editors, why you supported the closed door and secretive agreement by Pittsfield leaders, and other Berkshire County towns, between the corrupt EPA and the heavily indebted GE, which just announced it is being split up into three companies, that has made no financial commitment to an estimated one billion dollar cleanup of the polluted Housatonic River that will last an estimated 15 years and puts a third Berkshire County GE toxic waste dump inside of the watershed in the town of Lee that a majority of the local residents of Lee and Lenoxdale does not want in and near their town(s)? Why is it O.K. for Pittsfield leaders to agree to the corrupt EPA and heavily indebted 3 split up GE companies’ secret agreement, but it is not O.K. for Pittsfield leaders to secretly spend over $40 million in Biden Bucks over the next 5 years? Would it be O.K. for me to steal merchandise from Wal Mart, but not O.K for me to steal merchandise from Target?
Please publish my letter, despite your China or Russia-like media blackout of my letters to your newspaper; thank you.
Jonathan A. Melle
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Our Opinion: “Pittsfield’s ARPA advisory council should be more transparent”
The Berkshire Eagle, Editorial, November 9, 2021
Pittsfield has some important choices ahead for how to spend more than $40 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds. City leaders have sought to prime the pump for critical discussion on these important decisions with community forums, surveys, preliminary pitches from the mayor’s office and the formation of an American Rescue Plan Act Advisory Council.
In the recent city elections, oversight of ARPA spending was a frequent topic. At least one City Council candidate — Karen Kalinowsky, who won an at-large seat — questioned why the ARPA Advisory Council’s meetings are not open to the public, arguing that the public is shut out from observing and questioning city leaders who will ostensibly have an outsized influence on how these millions of dollars are spent.
We agree with this critique. Earlier this year, we praised Mayor Linda Tyer’s pronouncements about prioritizing open and robust community engagement on ARPA spending, including her plans for an advisory council. While we still think the advisory council is a great idea to give critical community voices a space to flag potential uses for these public funds, its openness and robustness of community engagement is certainly limited by retreating behind closed doors to do so.
As it stands now, there are not even notices on the city’s calendar so that these community stakeholders’ neighbors might be able to bend their ears before or after one of these opaque meetings.
The mayor has defended holding the advisory council meetings out of the public eye by saying this “allows them to be honest and forthright with us about what they’re seeing, without being worried that they’re being watched and questioned,” adding “It’s really important to me that space is honored in a way that builds trust.”
The people of Pittsfield, though, deserve this to be handled in a way that builds trust with them as well. The intent of this panel is to inform official decisions on how to spend the public’s money — a big chunk of it, in this case. An outcome that the mayor and other leaders should be keen on avoiding is the inevitable hard feelings and division a month or a year or three years after the money is spent if residents continue to wonder why the necessary debate and discussion was not more transparent. Further, even if this ad-hoc committee meeting privately to discuss public spending decisions does not violate the letter of state open meeting laws, it certainly chafes against their spirit.
How Pittsfield spends ARPA money will not be decided by referendum, nor should it be. But the leaders who have the responsibility of shaping and making those decisions should do so while welcoming public oversight, not shunning it.
In the spirit of civic advocacy and official accountability, we always believe that being as transparent as reasonably possible is always the best policy.
That remains true for Pittsfield’s ARPA Advisory Council, which should be meeting publicly.
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Good little piece there Jon. I have heard the people say apply a p r funds to the water rates and the mayor will,but not for sewer. Here’s a question? Because the sewer has already gone forward why can’t the contingency fees be included with apr funds? I have heard they are now in the millions. Council Members,anyone? Does anyone care beside that Wiz guy?
Im making this prediction right now. The DA Andrea Harrington and her team of legal know nothings are going to screw up the Nick Carnevale shooting case.
DA Andrea Harrington and Rich Dahoney purposefully told staff to withhold evidence from the defense. They had a number of conferences about the case strategy and Harrington and Dahoney buried evidence that their witness lied. They also withheld some forensic evidence.
Both Harrington and Dahoney are absolutely guilty of trying to subvert justice by withholding exculpatory evidence from the defense.
She’s REALLY screwed up this time, there’s a recording of one of the meetings and you can bet the ADAs are going to roll on their boss.
Here’s hoping both Harrington and Dahoney get disbarred and end up in jail.
How’s he baby death case doing? Heard the parent is back working for pct
Foster parent.
When you have an incompetent district attorney that says no consequences to a thief with 80 convictions and a crook that stole $30k from a museum…It explains a lot about the current state of things in Berkshire County. Crime with no punishment equals chaos in school and every where else.
No adults are expected to follow rules of respect for public good so not sure where the children would learn it. The children are just a mirror of society.. ‘ I don’t wanna and who cares the consequences ‘ crosses the political spectrum. Although the Jacobins, maoists and Soviets were really way more successful at imparting education then us.
I like that Councilor to be Kronick is at the Council Meeting tonight.
Says a lot. Good for him.
Paula King is explaining about the levy limit and is on the wrong page. That’s ou finance personal at work.
Why why why doesn’t want the free cash touched?
“Lord, Mr. Ford, what have you done?”