Zonta Club to Honor Five Local Leaders for International Women's Day

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Zonta Club of Berkshire County will host its fourth annual International Women's Day celebration on Friday, March 6, at the Berkshire Hills Country Club. 
 
The event aims to recognize local women who have made significant contributions to advancing the status of women and girls.
 
This year's honorees represent a diverse cross-section of leadership in advocacy, education, and international relations:
  • Divya Chaturvedi (Elizabeth Freeman Center)
  • Lorena Dus (Berkshire Immigrant Center)
  • Shela Levante (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts)
  • Brenda Oppermann (U.S. Naval War College)
  • Maria Rundle (Flying Cloud Institute)
 
Since the inception of the annual award in 2023, the Zonta Club has recognized a total of 17 women for their professional and volunteer efforts within the community.
 
The evening's itinerary begins with networking and dinner at 5:30 p.m., followed by the formal recognition program at 7:15 p.m.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive. 

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour. 

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.  

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children.  The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation.  One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue. 

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out. 

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release. 

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