The Top Left Corner

Above: Nurses with Berkshire Health Systems on strike in September, 2017; submitted photo.

Listen to the show live HERE Thursdays from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Eastern every week.

Send your questions and comments by e-mail to [email protected].

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! 

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. 

We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every week, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

You can listen live–and participate live–at the link below. You’ll find a chat box you can use to comment live. We do our best to read everyone’s comments on the air: 

radiofreeberkshires.com/podcastfilter/top-left-corner/

–Jay and Steve

The Issues We’re Talking About This Week:

Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington has come under fire in recent weeks due to allegations of improper communications and an effort to have Judge Jennifer Tyne removed from the bench. We speak with Peggy Kern and Mohammed Memfis about the slow pace of real progress on criminal justice reform and the shift from the crisis of the cash bail systems for poor communities and communities of color to Section 58A Dangerousness Hearings.

OUR GUEST THIS WEEK

Peggy KernWriter, Community Organizer

Peggy Kern; submitted photo.

Peggy Kern is an award-winning young adult fiction author and activist. Her Bluford High Series books have sold over 250,000 copies nationwide. For her most recent novel, “Little Peach,” Peg spent a year imbedded with the NYPD and built personal relationships with sex workers and trafficking survivors in order to tell their stories. Peg is cofounder of the Berkshire County Court Watch program in addition to many other community-based projects devoted to accountability within American policing and prison systems

Mohammed MemfisRacial Justice OrganizerCommunity Organizer

Above: Nurses with Berkshire Health Systems on strike in September, 2017; submitted photo.

Listen to the show live HERE Thursdays from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Eastern every week.

Send your questions and comments by e-mail to [email protected].

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! 

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. 

We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every week, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

You can listen live–and participate live–at the link below. You’ll find a chat box you can use to comment live. We do our best to read everyone’s comments on the air: 

radiofreeberkshires.com/podcastfilter/top-left-corner/

–Jay and Steve

The Issues We’re Talking About This Week:

The looming eviction crisis in the U.S. as federal and state eviction moratoriums expire..

Fires in the forest, fires in the junkyard…

OUR GUEST THIS WEEK

Laura Mancusi BrittonWestern Massachusetts OrganizerMassachusetts Jobs with Justice

Jacqueline VelezRacial Justice OrganizerMassachusetts Jobs with JusticeWebsite: www.massjwj.net

Lydia WoodField OrganizerWestern Mass Area Labor Federationwww.wmalf.org

Listen to the show live HERE Thursdays from 9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Eastern every week.

Send your questions and comments by e-mail to [email protected].

THE TOP LEFT CORNER 05-20-21

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! 

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. 

We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every week, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

You can listen live–and participate live–at the link below. You’ll find a chat box you can use to comment live. We do our best to read everyone’s comments on the air: 

radiofreeberkshires.com/podcastfilter/top-left-corner/

–Jay and Steve

The Issues We’re Talking About This Week:

The looming eviction crisis in the U.S. as federal and state eviction moratoriums expire…The recently announced decision by the CDC (and Governor Charlie Baker) that people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 no longer need to wear masks indoors…

OUR GUEST THIS WEEK

Andrew Art; photo via LinkedIn

Andrew Art is an attorney, businessman, and member of the Diversity, Inclusion, and Racial Equity committee that formed last year after a police sergeant leveled allegations of racism and discrimination against the Williamstown Police Department.

Andrew will join us to talk about his work on the DIRE committee, the recent elections in Williamstown, and whatever else is on his mind!

Get in touch by e-mail at [email protected]

You can listen to the show LIVE (and interact), every Wednesday, 9 – 11 a.m., Eastern.

Get in touch by e-mail at [email protected]

You can listen to the show LIVE (and interact), every Wednesday, 9 – 11 a.m., Eastern.

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! Another blessedly rainy day here in the Berkshires. Did you know that our region is flirting with drought conditions already? Don’t fret about the clouds. The sun will return in good time.

We continue to ponder all the candidates for the contested races that will be decided at the ballot box on May 11.

Today we’ve got interviews with Sonya Bykofsky, head of the Lenox Democratic Committee, to talk about the state of play in the continuing Gus Bickford Saga.

Then, Andrew Farnitano will be on The Top Left Corner (live internet radio show) this morning just after 10:00 a.m. to talk about the Fair Share Amendment.

AND the only candidate to respond to our invitation to submit a 5 minute audio message to voters was Williamstown Planning Board candidate Roger Lawrence. His segment is at the 01:44:15 mark if you want to go straight to it.

We’ve had great audience participation during our candidate interviews. You can make comments or ask questions using the chat box on our show page, via email, [email protected], or our Twitter handle: @RadioFreeBerks.

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every Wednesday, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

–Jay and Steve

LIGHT (OR NOT)

No time for chit chat today! Your co-hosts are just going to gab for a bit.

OUR GUESTS THIS WEEK

Sonya Bykofsky

A founding host of this show, and a great friend to have during these weird times. Activist. Humanist. Humorist.

Andrew Farnitano

The Fair Share Amendment is a proposal to amend the Massachusetts Constitution, creating an additional tax of four percentage points on the portion of a person’s annual income above $1 million. The new revenue, approximately $2 billion a year, would be spent on “quality public education and affordable public colleges and universities, and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation.” To ensure that the amendment continues to apply only to the highest inco...

Get in touch by e-mail at [email protected]

You can listen to the show LIVE (and interact), every Wednesday, 9 – 11 a.m., Eastern.

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Could we have predicted the massive windstorms that were in store for us those couple of days this week? No. We could not have. Did the broadcasting of our show have anything to do with it? Gawd we hope not. We had no planned guests this week, so mostly we ran down Steve’s predictions for the Biden’s First 100 Days. He did pretty well.

We also had a surprise call in guestm Janice Roux, who dropped a major one on us with the announcement that sexual harassment charges may have been behind the resignation of two Williamstown Water Department employees. She also shared some tidbits from the many pages of documents she obtained from the Town through the Freedom of Information Act.

Jay was feeling the effects of the COVID-19 shot from the previous evening. Not as bad as an angry drunk Jay, but close.

–Jay and Steve

LIGHT (OR NOT)

No time for chit chat today! Your co-hosts are just going to gab for a bit.

OUR GUEST THIS WEEK

No scheduled guests!

LOCAL

It’s all local today, brothers and sisters.

THE COMMONWEALTH

There is nothing happening worth noting anywhere outside the Northern Berkshires this week. So don’t worry about it.

WHO WE’RE READING, WATCHING, AND LISTENING TO THIS WEEK

Jay has had precious little time to do any bonus media absorption, but did get through all four installments from the rebooted Planet of the Apes franchise. He has thoughts about it all, that we may one day have time to discuss.

Get in touch by e-mail at [email protected]

You can listen to the show LIVE (and interact), every Wednesday, 9 – 11 a.m., Eastern.

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! Arctic breezes returned to Williamstown, but are we chilled into silence? Never.

We continue to ponder all the candidates for the contested races that will be decided at the ballot box on May 11.

Today we’ve got interviews with Kevin Yang, Editor-in-Chief of the Williams Record; Arthur De Bow, Cultural District Coordinator for the City of North Adams, Joseph Smith, a parent from North Adams who really has been a one-man army for truth and transparency in the City’s educational system during the pandemic; and Nico White, former candidate for Williamstown Select Board, current observer of all the political games being played, something he should excel in as the owner of Purple Dragon Games on Spring Street.

We’ve had great audience participation during our candidate interviews. You can make comments or ask questions using the chat box on our show page, via email, [email protected], or our Twitter handle: @RadioFreeBerks.

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every Wednesday, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

–Jay and Steve

LIGHT (OR NOT)

No time for chit chat today! Your co-hosts are just going to gab for a bit.

OUR GUEST THIS WEEK

Kevin Yang, Editor-in-Chief of the Williams Record.

Kevin is here to give us something of a year-in-review through purple tinted glasses and let us know what stories he was proudest of coming out of the Williams newsroom.

Arthur De Bow, Cultural District Coordinator for the City of North Adams.

The Cultural District of the City of North Adams seeks artist proposals for the creation of  two “Selfie” Murals. The murals are intended for installation in the  downtown Cultural District this June. 

Joseph Smith

This parent from North Adams was the first to catch North Adams School District in a lack of transparency, and continued to call out its stonewalling over releasing information about which school saw its first case of COVID-19 and when. Now, he’s uncovered the glaring difference between recommended safe school bus protocols and what the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is allowing.

Nico White

This former Williams student and current local business owner dropped out of the race for Select Board. We’ll hear why and find out what he thinks are the challenges facing the town going forward.

LOCAL

It’s all local today, brothers and sisters.

Get in touch by e-mail at [email protected]

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! Here in Williamstown, we’ve had a string of beautiful spring days over the past week or so. Naturally, we’ve got to ask ourselves how we’re going to be punished for this. A late April snowstorm? A May frost? We’ll see.We are in the process of interviewing all of the candidates for the contested races that will be decided at the ballot box on May 11.

Today we’ve got interviews with Wade Hasty, who is running against Al Cumming’s for the 1-year Select Board seat. And also Steve Dew, who is running against Joan Diver for a seat on the board of the Williamstown Housing Authority.

We’ve had great audience participation during our candidate interviews. You can make comments or ask questions using the chat box on our show page, via email, [email protected], or our Twitter handle: @RadioFreeBerks.

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every Wednesday, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

–Jay and Steve

LIGHT (OR NOT)

Your co-hosts are just going to gab for a bit.

Jason’s never-ending battles with his chickens and Steve’s neurotic obsession with his cats are just two of the many subjects we’ll be riffing on.

OUR GUESTS THIS WEEK

Wade Hasty is running for the 1-year seat on the Williamstown Select Board. After Niko White and Barbara Rosenthal dropped out of the race over the past 10 days, Wade will be facing local contractor and bluesman Albert Cummings on May 11. Visit Wade’s campaign Facebook page here.

Steve Dew grew up in Williamstown in the 1970s and 1980s and attended the public schools here. He returned to live in town full-time in 2004. Steve is running for a 5-year seat on the board of the Williamstown Housing Authority. Steve will face Joan Diver on May 11. Visit Steve’s campaign Facebook page here.

LOCAL

If you’re eligible to be vaccinated in Massachusetts (we’re currently in Phase 2), the easiest way to get an appointment is by following @vaccinetime on Twitter and turning on notifications. When you get a notification that there are appointments available in your area, just click on the link provided to begin the sing-up process.

THE COMMONWEALTH

In a March 16 column for the Boston Globe, Adrian Walker discusses the precipitous decline in Gov. Charlie Baker’s approval ratings, which peaked at 78% in August 2020. We’ve been highly critical of Charlie “Blue Cross/Blue Shield” Baker’s handling of the pandemic. It seems like our fellow citizens are finally catching on.

WHO WE’RE READING,

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this bonus episode of the Top Left Corner, which was something of “back by popular demand” show, since we had so many people request that we allow people to express their dismay over the vigil for slain Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans planned by the ad hoc group, Citizens Affirming All Lives Matter (CAALM).

Listeners got in touch with us in any number of ways to say that they listened to our conversation with Rinaldo Del Gallo III in Episode 108, and felt compelled to respond. So, on this show, we heard from local Black Lives Matter organizer, Raymond “TeeTee” Moore; his wife Shawna Moore; intersectional activist Jonathan Stinson; Vermont based activist and founder of Brooklyn to Vermont, Shawn Pratt; journalist Toby Rogers; and, of course, our own Steve Dew.

Enjoy the show.

–Jay and Steve

P.S. We want to hear from you! Participate live during the show by using the chat box on our show page, our Twitter account @RadioFreeBerks, or email us at [email protected].

Episode #109

Hey, Greylock Nation —

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! It’s campaign season for local races here in Williamstown. Over the past two weeks we’ve interviewed both candidates for the 3-year seat on the Select Board, and we’re looking forward to interviewing the candidates for the 1-year seat in the coming weeks. We’ve had great audience participation during our candidate interviews. You can make comments or ask questions using the chat box on our show page, via email, [email protected], or our Twitter handle: @RadioFreeBerks.

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every Wednesday, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

–Jay and Steve

P.S. We want to hear from you! Participate live during the show by using the chat box on our show page, our Twitter account @RadioFreeBerks, or email us at [email protected].

LIGHT (OR NOT)

Brood X is on its way–but will it invade Western Mass?Billions of cicadas–winged bugs about an inch-and-a-half long–are about to emerge from the ground, with late April and early May to see the busiest activity. This time around, most of the action will happen south of New England, in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Ohio. Cicada-philes need not fret, however, because we are on track to welcome Brood 14 in 2025.

Sisu, a pitbull mix, was finally apprehended and brought to a local shelter where a family has already been approved to adopt him. But the best part of this story may be the fact that he got to keep the stuffed unicorn.

OUR GUEST THIS WEEKPittsfield Attorney Rinaldo Del Gallo, III

Rinaldo Del Gallo is organizing a demonstration on Saturday in North Adams, and encourages all attendees to bring a “Thin Blue Line” or American Flag. From his press release:

Saturday, April 10, 2021, at 1:00 PM, the ad hoc group CAALM (Citizens Affirming All Lives Matter), will hold a vigil in support of fallen United States Capitol Police Officer William “Billy” Evans, who died in the line of duty. Officer Evan death is a result of a hate crime targeting Officer Evan’s race and the fact that he was a police officer.Officer Evans was a native of North Adams and a graduate of Drury High School. Officer Evans was white and the killer was a follower of the Nation of Islam, a well-known anti-white, racist organization. The event will be both an homage to Officer Evans service and a protest against all race based hate crimes, regardless of the race of the perpetrator or race of the victim. The event will also protest senseless anti-police violence.Rinaldo Del Gallo

​Statement from the Family of USCP Officer Billy Evans

Billy was the best father, son, brother, and friend anyone could ever hope for.  His death has left a gaping void in our lives that will never be filled.The absolute most important thing in his life was his two children, Logan and Abigail. His most cherished moments were those spent with them — building with Lego, having lightsaber duels, playing board games, doing arts and crafts, and recently finishing the Harry Potter series. He was always so eager to show how proud he was of everything they did. Any opportunity to spend time with his children brightened both their lives and his.

Welcome to this week’s episode of the Top Left Corner! It’s the last day of the month, and for the past week or so March has been much more lion than lamb, as high winds have played havoc with the power lines here in Berkshire County. We hope by the time we hit the internet airwaves today our neighbors’ vital electric appliances are back online. Less sympathy, perhaps, if you’re frantic to recharge your dog fitbit, smart condom, or bluetooth toaster. But who are we to judge? 

If you’re here for the first time, the Top Left Corner is a locally focused weekly live internet radio show and podcast based in Williamstown, Mass. We do our best to wade through the spin and biases and cowardice and bring back the important stuff that most of us really care about. Every Wednesday, we’re going to tell you what we think about local current events and the national stories that directly affect the people of Williamston and Berkshire County. We also interview amazing guests.

–Jay and Steve

P.S. We want to hear from you! Participate live during the show by using the chat box on our show page or email us at [email protected]

OUR GUESTS THIS WEEK

Today, we’re fortunate to have two guests on the TLC. Jeffrey Johnson is running for a three-year term on the Williamstown Select Board. As local election season swings into high gear here in Williamstown, we’ll be talking to Jeff, who is running against Tony Boskovich. Check out last week’s show to listen to our conversation with Tony. In addition, Amanda Tobin will be joining us to discuss the unionization effort underway at MASS MoCA in North Adams.

AMANDA TOBIN

Amanda Tobinl submitted photo.

Amanda Tobin is a practicing museum educator working to support social justice through arts education. She currently works as the Associate Director of Education at MASS MoCA, where she has developed community and school engagement programs, particularly for area partner schools, since 2014. She holds a BA in art history and East Asian studies from Oberlin College and an MEd in arts in education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

JEFFREY JOHNSON

Jeffrey Johnson, left, with his family; submitted photo.

Johnson, who grew up in Williamstown, has been married to his wife, Jessica, for 15 years. They are proud to be raising their daughter and son here, Jayden, age 18 and Jeffrey, age 14, both of whom attend Mt. Greylock. Johnson attended Williamstown Elementary and Mt. Greylock schools and earned a BA degree in Sociology with a minor in Religion from Middlebury

College. Johnson currently works as a Service Coordinator Supervisor in the Pittsfield/North Adams office at the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ Department of Developmental Services, where he has been a fixture for 14 years. Prior to that, Johnson served on the Board of Ecu- Health Care-Berkshire North.

LIGHT (OR NOT)

It turns out the Washoe people who lived on the lands the infamous Donner Party got trapped in on their way to California