Trump Elected 47th US President

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
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On Wednesday morning, some woke up with a sense of victory and others with a sense of fear.

Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States on Tuesday after a tight race with Democrat Kamala Harris. According to the Associated Press, Trump has secured 51 percent of the vote to Harris' 47.5 percent.

Trump has 292 of the required 270 electoral votes, with Harris garnering 224.

The former president delivered his victory speech in West Palm Beach Wednesday morning while the crowd chanted "USA, USA, USA." He called this the "greatest political movement of all time" and promised to deliver the "golden age of America."

"We're going to help our country heal. Help our country heal. We have a country that needs help and it needs help very badly. We're going to fix our borders. We're going to fix everything about our country," Trump said.

"We've made history for a reason tonight and the reason is going to be just that we overcame obstacles that nobody thought possible and it is now clear that we've achieved the most incredible political thing."

Harris was to deliver a concession speech at 4 p.m. at Howard University in Washington.

AP called this an "extraordinary comeback for a former president who refused to accept defeat four years ago, sparked a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, was convicted of felony charges and survived two assassination attempts."

Massachusetts has reported about 97 percent of its votes, with Harris securing more than 2 million votes representing 61.4 percent and Trump seeing 36.4 percent of the vote or about 1.2 million.

Pittsfield, the county's largest community, has about 99 percent of its votes counted, according to the AP.  Harris saw 70.6 percent support, 14,439 votes, and Trump saw 27.5 percent support, 5,628 votes.



Opponents are concerned about Trump's Agenda 47, his plans for his second term. They see it as mirroring points from the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025, a right-wing take on human rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ-plus rights, and immigrants' rights among others. Trump has repeatedly said that it is not his platform.

Supporters believe he can address the nation's economic crisis and see positives in securing the border.

On Wednesday morning, re-elected state representative for the 2nd Berkshire District Tricia Farley-Bouvier acknowledged that it may be a hard day for those who oppose these policies.

"Today: Rest. Be kind to yourself. Do something nice for someone else. Tomorrow: Repeat. We'll get through this…," she wrote on Facebook.

Elizabeth Warren secured her third term in the U.S. Senate, fending off Republican challenger John Deaton with 59.8 percent of the votes counted so far, compared to Deaton's 40.3 percent.

Yesterday on social media, Warren said the right to an abortion, health care, social security, and "our very democracy" is on the ballot.

"Today, we have the power. The power to fight for our families, protect our freedoms, and determine our futures. The power to build an America where all of our kids can thrive," she wrote on Facebook.

"Use your power."

Richard Neal was re-elected to the U.S. House for the Massachusetts 1st Congressional District over independent challenger Nadia Milleron with 62.6 percent of the vote so far.

According to AP, Republicans currently outweigh the Senate in a 43:52 ratio with five to be called. It is similar with the House, representing an 186:201 ratio with 48 to be called.

Note: an earlier version of this article incorrectly attributed Project 2025 to the president-elect. It is a Heritage Foundation plan.


Tags: election 2024,   president,   

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Pittsfield Council OKs Underground Fiber Network

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — More underground fiber internet cables will be installed in Pittsfield. 

On Tuesday, the City Council approved Gateway Fiber's request to install an underground fiber network infrastructure within the city's right-of-way.  

The company was given the go-ahead for an aerial network last year alongside Archtop Fiber, marking the beginning of construction with a ribbon-cutting at the Colonial Theatre. Gateway Fiber will offer subscription plans ranging from $65 to $150 per month, depending on speed. 

Wards 3 and 4 will see the most work in the first phase, according to an underground fiber deployment plan.  Fourteen streets in Ward 4 will see underground fiber deployment; 13 streets in Ward 3.  

Ward 4 Councilor James Conant voted in opposition for personal reasons, as he signed up for Gateway Fiber briefly last year and said he had poor service and poor communication from the company. 

Some councilors and community members appreciated bringing competition to Spectrum internet services. Ward 5 Councilor Patrick Kavey pointed out that it costs about $90 per month for 500 megabytes per second with Spectrum, and that all three fiber services that have come to Pittsfield are cheaper. 

Operations Manager Jennifer Sharick explained that they were seeking approval for underground fiber deployment as part of the next phase in Pittsfield. The city was found to be a "very" viable community for underground fiber. 

Gateway Fiber, she said, originally served a community of 250 residents outside of St. Louis, Mo. 

"Following the pandemic, we saw the need, and what people need for fiber and reliable internet service to bring residents and businesses the opportunity for connectivity," Sharick said. 

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