Heather Bellow

2 weeks ago | berkshireeagle.com | Heather Bellow

SHEFFIELD — Last summer, Holly Aragi was facing the loss of hundreds of acres of land her family farms. A cash buyer appeared to scoop up the farmland, which her family has rented and cropped for more than 28 years from an owner who put the land up for sale last year. But with the help of a large group of local land trusts, donors and state and federal money, Aragi was able to save her family's Pine Island Farm and ensure that it will forever be used only for farming.

2 weeks ago | berkshireeagle.com | Heather Bellow

EGREMONT — With AmeriCorps funding still in limbo after the Trump administration made $400 million in budget cuts, the community is stepping up to help. Six AmeriCorps members doing service work in the Berkshires with Greenagers are staying on after nearly getting fired earlier this month. Donations have poured in, and Greenagers has raised $26,000 so far. The nonprofit needs more donations to ensure its work can continue. But additional funds may be on the way.

2 weeks ago | berkshireeagle.com | Heather Bellow

The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded a total of $2.5 million to the Berkshires for various projects to clean up pollution and spark redevelopment. The money will help study and clean up toxic sites across the Berkshires, including multiple contaminated properties in Great Barrington and Adams.

2 weeks ago | berkshireeagle.com | Heather Bellow

PITTSFIELD — KC Clow hasn't had a bite of fresh fruit since February. He also hasn't had a hot meal since then, he said. “Warm at best,” Clow said in a phone interview from his room at Hillcrest Commons Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, where he's staying to regain strength after a winter respiratory infection. “It’s god-awful.”Clow, a Sheffield retiree on Medicare, started posting pictures of the food he is being served at the facility on Facebook.

2 weeks ago | berkshireeagle.com | Heather Bellow

GREAT BARRINGTON — At every graduation ceremony at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, and at all of Bard’s early colleges, a Burmese gong rings out. It honors the spirit of Ba Win, a Myanmar native who landed at Simon’s Rock in 1979 and died April 20. He had a generous, courageous and inspiring presence, according to those who knew him. He was also a great cook. Win was 78 when he died after a brief illness.