Auction to Benefit Berkshire Nursing Families Services

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WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Berkshire Nursing Families (BNF) is announced that their annual Silent Auction has moved online.
 
The Online Auction will launch on Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at 9 am, and a preview of selected items is live now at
 
The BNF Silent Auction features dozens of sought after items and experiences including signed memorabilia from The Red Sox, Bruins, & Patriots items, vouchers to Berkshire summer camps, meal credits at beloved local restaurants, hotel stays, yoga & wellness services, performing arts tickets, and even a ride in a firetruck.
 
All proceeds will go towards BNF's mission to provide essential feeding and parenting support for families in the region.
 
Proceeds from this Annual Trivia Fundraiser help keep all BNF services 100 percent free.
 
The Online Auction goes live on Feb. 27 at 9 am and will close Saturday, March 7 at 8:30pm and can be accessed via the BNF website at https://givebutter.com/c/BNFtrivia2026/auction.
 
For more information about Berkshire Nursing Families visit www.berkshirenursingfamilies.org.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williamstown Town Meeting Facing Bylaw to Ban Agricultural Biosolids

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Town meeting may be asked to outlaw the application of fertilizer derived from human waste.
 
On Monday, Select Board Chair Stephanie Boyd asked the body to sponsor an article that would prohibit, "land application of sewage sludge, biosolids, or sewage sludge-derived materials," on all land in the town due to the presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS.
 
Last year, concern over PFAS, which has been linked to cancer in humans, drove a large public outcry over a Hoosac Water Quality District's plan to increase its composting operation by taking in biosolids, or sludge, from other wastewater treatment plants and create a new revenue stream for the local facility.
 
Eventually, the HWQD abandoned its efforts to pursue such an arrangement. Today, the district still runs its composting operation — for locally produced sludge only — and needs to pay to have it hauled off site for non-agricultural uses.
 
On Monday, Boyd presented a draft warrant article put together by a group of residents in consultation with the Berkshire Environmental Action Team and Just Zero, a national anti-PFAS advocacy group based in Sturbridge.
 
"What this warrant article would do is not allow anybody who owns or manages land in Williamstown to use sludge or compost [derived from biosolids] as a fertilizer or soil amendment on that property," Boyd said.
 
Her colleagues raised concerns about the potential for uneven enforcement of the proposed bylaw and suggested it might be unfair to penalize residents who purchase a small bag of compost that contains biosolids at their local hardware store and unwittingly use it in a backyard garden.
 
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