BCHS Explores Melville's Travels in the 1840s

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — This talk, "A Whale Ship was My Yale College and My Harvard: Herman Melville's Whaling Years," by Arrowhead docent and researcher Peter Hacunda will explore Melville's life during the early 1840s.
 
The talk considers how this time shaped Melville and why a whaleship was Melville's "Yale College and [his] Harvard." 
 
The lecture will be held on Oct 8 at 5:30 pm at Arrowhead. Tickets are available at berkshirehistory.org;$15 BCHS Members, $20 non-members.
 
According to a press release:
 
In late December 1840, adrift in his personal life, 21-year-old Herman Melville arrived in New Bedford, Massachusetts, preparing to embark on a South Seas whaling voyage. His diverse experiences and adventures in the course of the ensuing nearly four years would profoundly shape him and his writings. During this time, young Melville toiled as a foremast hand in the uniquely demanding and colorful social world of a whaleship on three different vessels and served for more than a year as a seaman aboard a United States Navy frigate.
 
His odyssey took him to far-flung South American ports, the Galapagos Islands, Tahiti, and the Sandwich Islands. He lived among the indigenous people in the Marquesas Islands and witnessed the early impacts of colonialism and Christian missionary work in the Pacific world. 

Tags: berkshire county historical society,   Melville,   

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Hinsdale OKs Police Department Audit After Fatal Shooting

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

HINSDALE, Mass. — The town has approved $25,000 for an administrative review of the police department, more than two months after police fatally shot 27-year-old Biagio Kauvil during a mental health crisis. 

Town Administrator Robert Graves said the shooting on Jan. 7 is not the only focus of the audit, and it will be several months before the Select Board receives a final report. 

During a special town meeting on March 11, an article appropriating $25,000 from free cash for an independent consultant to conduct a professional evaluation and audit of the Town's Police Department was approved. The audit includes a review of the department's policies, protocols, operations, and procedures, and concludes with a written report. 

"The Berkshire County District Attorney's Office and Massachusetts State Police are investigating the shooting, and we await their conclusions.  As we look to move forward, the International Association of Chiefs of Police, our insurance company (MIIA/Cabot Risk), and our legal counsel have recommended that the town hire an independent law enforcement consultant or firm to conduct a comprehensive administrative review of our police operation," Graves wrote in an email to iBerkshires on Friday. 

"This event is not their focus; they will assess the overall operation. We want a written assessment of our police operation's strengths and weaknesses to help Hinsdale make future changes and improvements." 

He said after completing the procurement process and signing a contract with a reputable consultant or business, it will most likely be several months before the Select Board receives the final report. 

"Still, it will help the town and police department move forward," Graves wrote. 

Last weekend, family and friends of Kauvil stood in Park Square asking for justice. A flier for the standout reads "Biagio was killed by police while experiencing a mental health crisis. Now, over seven weeks later, authorities have not yet provided any updates.

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