Ricardo Reeves started Love's Garden outside his Pittsfield apartment building with a pick axe and no plan. A year later, the community garden has doubled in size, and neighbors say it's brought them closer together. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Historian Bernard A. Drew traces Pittsfield's road troubles back to the 1890s, when the ruts, mud and potholes got so bad the city bought a 20-ton steam roller to fix the streets. www.berkshireeagle.com/history/road...

The Beacon Cinema is adding a seventh screen in the former Marketplace Cafe space on North Street in Pittsfield, with plans to open the 32-seat auditorium by Thanksgiving. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Parts of Dalton have lost more than 90% of their ash trees to the emerald ash borer in a decade. Now researchers are checking whether tiny wasps released in the Berkshires in 2017 are helping fight back. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/b...

Think oysters, caviar, chandeliers and a white grand piano. Pittsfield native Gordy Hebler is opening The Grand, a seafood restaurant and piano lounge, in the historic Shipton Building on North Street this August. www.berkshireeagle.com/business/the...

A hard-drinking fisherman "on the North Adams road" has become a Berkshire mystery. Historian Paul W. Marino is trying to deduce whether Joyce Kilmer's poem "Dave Lilly" was based on a real local person. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/norther...

"Real Housewives of New York" alum Dorinda Medley is suing a Great Barrington neighbor, alleging a shed, driveway and fence encroach on her Blue Stone Manor property. She's asking a judge to order the structures removed and to establish the boundary. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/souther...

For the second summer in a row, there will be no lifeguards at Onota Lake in Pittsfield after the city failed to hire enough certified applicants. Swim-at-your-own-risk signs will be posted at Burbank Park, and officials say no one should swim alone. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Allegrone Cos. has landed $4 million in state funding to convert the historic Berkshire County Savings Bank at 24 North St. in Pittsfield into 24 apartments, retail space and a commercial kitchen. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Shannon LaNier, a sixth-generation descendant of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, spoke at the Norman Rockwell Museum on Tuesday about how America's 250th is both a celebration and a reckoning with the slavery woven into the nation's founding. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/souther...

Blades, the Boston Bruins' mascot, skated into story time at Sheffield's Bushnell-Sage Library on Wednesday, acting out "Hockey in the Wild" for about 15 kids. Fewer than 15 of the 150 Massachusetts libraries that applied were selected for a visit. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/souther...

Camp Happy Place, founded by Pittsfield's Gayle Saks, gives kids who lost a parent or guardian to addiction a joyful place to belong. In its second season, 20 campers aged 9 to 12 spent five days rock climbing, swimming and finding community. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/c...

"I try to show kids, people, just be yourself." Meet Taras Jefferson, the costumed dancer bringing front flips and Superman capes to downtown Pittsfield sidewalks. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

An SUV crashed through a guest room at The Springs Motel in New Ashford on June 26, narrowly missing two guests inside. The couple escaped with minor injuries after the vehicle plowed through the picture window and out the back wall. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/norther...

Williamstown's Misty Blues got the surprise of a lifetime at Buddy Guy's Legends in Chicago when the blues legend himself joined them onstage for about 40 minutes, singing "Hoochie Coochie Man" and cracking jokes with a sellout crowd. www.berkshireeagle.com/arts_and_cul...

Sen. Ed Markey took aim at Rep. Seth Moulton on his age critiques, trans athlete comments and defense investments during a meeting with The Eagle's editorial board, as polls show their Sept. 1 primary race tightening. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/m...

More than 130 groups marched from South Street to Wahconah Park as Pittsfield celebrated the nation's 250th birthday with its annual Fourth of July parade. See the best moments from the day. www.berkshireeagle.com/multimedia/p...

How much will end-of-course exams count toward high school diplomas in Massachusetts? That's still an open question, state education Secretary Stephen Zrike says, with more dialogue needed before the state pushes to enact new graduation requirements. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/g...

The current heat wave in the Berkshires is now tied for the second-longest on record, but relief is coming. The heat dome is set to break Sunday, with scattered thunderstorms possible on the Fourth and highs dropping into the 70s by Monday. www.berkshireeagle.com/weather/heat...

The Lenox Zoning Board of Appeals has laid out its process for reviewing the $110 million Elm Court resort project, with a public hearing and site visit set for July 22. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

After 24 years as clerk magistrate at Northern Berkshire District Court, Timothy Morey is retiring Friday with a simple philosophy: "They're sinners, they're not bad people. I'm a sinner too." www.berkshireeagle.com/news/norther...

Massachusetts lawmakers passed a law making it illegal for teachers, coaches and other trusted adults to have sexual contact with 16- and 17-year-olds. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/m...

Pittsfield's Fourth of July fireworks are back — just a few days late. Thanks to local donors and a last-minute opening from a canceled show elsewhere, the city will hold its fireworks display July 8 at 9:15 p.m. at Wahconah Park. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Constitution Hill Farm in Lanesborough, built in 1750 and considered one of the oldest continuously operated farms in Berkshire County, is on the market for $1.985 million. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/norther...

A woman suffered life-threatening injuries Wednesday after her Jet Ski-style watercraft crashed into a dock at high speed on Onota Lake. www.berkshireeagle.com/breaking/jet...

Gov. Maura Healey visited the Berkshire Family YMCA in Pittsfield on Wednesday, reading to preschoolers and touting state childcare investments, including a $31.2 million infusion aimed at shortening waitlists and helping families afford care. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/o...

The Pittsfield Licensing Board suspended Bei Tempi's liquor license for five days over allegations the bar served alcohol to two underage people in January. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Dalton voters rejected a proposal to allow movable tiny homes as accessory dwelling units, defeating a bylaw change 20-41 at Monday's special town meeting. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Lenox police are stepping up traffic enforcement for the holiday weekend, targeting speeding on the Route 7/20 bypass and the Pittsfield Road corridor. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

With a heat advisory in effect through Friday, cooling centers and misting stations are open across the Berkshires. Here's a full list of where to beat the heat in Pittsfield, Stockbridge and Great Barrington. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/communi...

A heat dome will send the Berkshires into dangerous territory Wednesday through Friday, with the heat index potentially hitting 110 and Thursday's high approaching Pittsfield's all-time record of 95. Some relief arrives Sunday. www.berkshireeagle.com/weather/berk...

About 350 people turned out at The Mount in Lenox on Sunday to meet the artists behind "Sculpture at The Mount," whose 23 outdoor works, including a 14-foot bird with bedspring feathers, are on display through Oct. 24. www.berkshireeagle.com/arts_and_cul...

North Adams is drafting new rules for e-bikes, adding them to the list of wheeled vehicles banned from sidewalks and introducing fines and possible impoundment for unsafe riding. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/norther...

Pittsfield has canceled its July 4 fireworks after failing to secure a vendor, drawing frustration from residents. Mayor Peter Marchetti says three vendors were contacted but none could commit. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

In addition to a “de-escalation” crisis training program for the department’s officers, the mental health specialist shared with Lee and Stockbridge is being deployed more often. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

The long-vacant Orchards Hotel could reopen as early as September, with a new Mediterranean-American fusion restaurant. www.berkshireeagle.com/business/orc...

Pittsfield Police Department's Animal Control unit is on the lookout for Yoda, an orange/green iguana that's between 3 1/2 and 4 feet long. www.berkshireeagle.com/breaking/pit...

City Councilor Cameron Cunningham said he plans to ask the City Council to look into whether it’s possible to convert the former elementary school into new headquarters for city police, as well as a community resource center. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Summer warmth is back in the Berkshires, with highs climbing toward 90 and rising humidity by midweek. But with much of the county now in a moderate drought, the region could use a lot more rain than the forecast offers. www.berkshireeagle.com/weather/summ...

Work on North Adams' Billy Evans Bridge has stalled after crews discovered contaminated groundwater during the replacement project. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/norther...

The BRTA board has tabled a proposal to pause Route 921, the express line linking Pittsfield with Great Barrington, for 90 days. Leaders pitched the pause to free up drivers amid a staffing shortage. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Pittsfield firefighters evacuated a Shaker Lane property and cut power to nearby homes Thursday after workers sheared the valves off a 1,000-gallon underground propane tank. Crews spent four hours safely dissipating the gas. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

At Berkshire County Unification Day, four families celebrated reuniting with their children after involvement with the Department of Children and Families. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/b...

A Pittsfield man rescued a framed photo of a mustachioed trolley conductor from a trash bin in 1990. Thirty-six years later, Henry Cadorette Jr. is hoping to track down the conductor's family and return it. Do you recognize him? www.berkshireeagle.com/news/local/i...

After last week's fatal shooting on Tyler Street, Pittsfield business owners say the violence doesn't reflect the neighborhood they know. "It's how we react to the incidents that make us a stronger community," one said. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/central...

Massachusetts environmental regulators have fined Housatonic Water Works $2,500 for missing its deadline to install a state-ordered manganese filtration system, three weeks after the company failed to get the treatment plant running. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/souther...

From @NewsLitProject Craving to be informed without feeling chronically online? Touch some grass & then pick up a local physical newspaper! Don't have that option? You can still lean into analog summer by checking out our printable, offline resources. youtube.com/shorts/lHzTh...

Residents pushed back against a proposed four-story Marriott in downtown Lee at Monday's Planning Board meeting, raising concerns about its height, privacy and whether the chain fits the town's small-town character. www.berkshireeagle.com/news/souther...

Pittsfield police have obtained a murder warrant for 35-year-old Terry Martizna in last week's fatal shooting of 29-year-old Justin Crawford on Tyler Street. Police consider Martizna armed and dangerous. www.berkshireeagle.com/breaking/tyl...

Crane Currency, the Dalton company that has supplied the paper for U.S. dollars since 1879, celebrated its 225th anniversary Tuesday with U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, Crane family members and federal officials on hand. www.berkshireeagle.com/business/cra...