Tom’s Top 3 for 2/2: Art Sale Injunction Renewed Through Monday

A Massachusetts Appeals Court justice gave the state's top prosecutor a bit more leeway, letting it bar the Berkshire Museum art sales through Monday, February 5th. The Berkshire Eagle has confirmed that meantime talks are underway between the museum in Pittsfield and the attorney general to resolve the dispute. Neither side, however, would comment to the Eagle. It’s also not known whether there is serious buy-in on the outcome from either side, due to secrecy surrounding the proceedings. What a compromise might entail is also uncertain. Justice Joseph Trainor said that...

 No further extension should be anticipated.

As part of his order Thursday, Trainor also said the office must submit its status report on or before Monday.

Second Meeting Held On Tote-Based Trash Pickup Plan

Mayor Linda Tyer heard from concerned residents during a neighborhood meeting at the Ralph J. Froio Senior Center yesterday. The meeting was focused on the mayor’s proposed toter-based trash pickup program, which would relegate rubbish removal for individual households to a 45-gallon toter for trash and a 96-gallon container for recycling. The Berkshire Eagle reports that the City Council debated the issue for week before if eventually declined to vote on the issue last month, voting instead to refer the proposed ordinance back to Tyer for revision. Tyer said she'll consider possible amendments after hearing from residents during the series of meetings taking place until February 12th.

Here is the schedule of remaining neighborhood meetings from the city's website, cityofpittsfield.org:

6-7:30 p.m.  Thursday, Feb. 8, Conte Community School, 200 West Union St.

6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Feb. 12, Herberg Middle School, 501 Pomeroy Ave.

For more information, please call Roberta McCulloch-Dews, Director of Administrative Services, Mayor’s Office, 413-499-9322.

Fifth Former Staffer At Eagleton Guilty Of Assault

A former staff member of the now-closed Eagleton School in Great Barrington has admitted to assaulting students on two separate occasions, both of which were caught on videotape. The Berkshire Eagle reports that 42 year old Isaac Harris-El, of Watervliet, N.Y., is the fifth former staffer now to be convicted on charges connected with assaulting students at the Great Barrington school-for-boys and young men with developmental disabilities. None have been sentenced to jail time. Another staffer was recently acquitted after a jury trial.