Stories - Reason Gone Mad

Six Months After a Fatal Crash in Great Barrington, the Same Malfunctioning Crosswalk System Remains

The town promised immediate improvements after Gary Fretwell’s death. Six months later, the old warning lights still malfunction, and a MassDOT-provided replacement delivered in April has not been installed.

By Bill Shein

/ 30 Jul 2026

Six Months After a Fatal Crash in Great Barrington, the Same Malfunctioning Crosswalk System Remains

Six Months of Reporting No One Else Did

Here’s what RGM has produced this year—and your opportunity to support essential, in-depth storytelling.

By Bill Shein

/ 26 Jun 2026

NOTED: The Curious Case of 347 Main

A podcast conversation that revisits a quiet deal between Great Barrington and a private developer to secure $1 million in state funds for a luxury-apartment project—and the unresolved questions about what taxpayers received in return.

By Bill Shein

/ 10 Jun 2026

NOTED: A Trump Postage Stamp?

The United States Postal Service has long avoided putting living people—including presidents—on stamps. Last week, Trump’s postmaster general suggested that rule may no longer “match the moment.”

By Bill Shein

/ 29 May 2026

NOTED: The State Said It Didn't Do PCB Blood Testing. It Had Been Doing It for Years.

Massachusetts health officials told Berkshire County residents that PCB blood testing was “very unusual” and unavailable. Documents show they were working from a script—and that the state has been doing that testing for years.

By Bill Shein

/ 25 Apr 2026

NOTED: The State Said It Didn't Do PCB Blood Testing. It Had Been Doing It for Years.

RGM on Public Radio's "The Rundown with Carrie Saldo"

Continuing the discussion across Massachusetts about the recent "Nuclear Berkshires" investigation

By Bill Shein

/ 11 Apr 2026

RGM on Public Radio's "The Rundown with Carrie Saldo"

Welcome to the (Nuclear) Berkshires

In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, the rebuilding of America’s nuclear arsenal is bringing a surge of money and jobs—and little public discussion.

By Bill Shein

/ 25 Mar 2026

RGM DISPATCH: New Crosswalk Lights, ICE Spending, and “On the Radio”

In this edition: Pedestrian safety in Great Barrington (including crosswalk lights with a mind of their own), more details of what ICE is buying from Massachusetts companies, and yes, that Donna Summer song.

By Bill Shein

/ 14 Feb 2026

RGM DISPATCH: New Crosswalk Lights, ICE Spending, and “On the Radio”

The BearCat Next Door: Built in the Berkshires, Deployed by ICE

A high-profile tool used in federal immigration enforcement is manufactured in Pittsfield, Massachusetts—in the heart of deep blue Berkshire County. Few seem eager to talk about it.

By Bill Shein

/ 3 Feb 2026

The BearCat Next Door: Built in the Berkshires, Deployed by ICE

After Three Fatal Crashes, a Town Looks Back—and Ahead

A report from a crosswalk in Great Barrington.

By Bill Shein

/ 26 Jan 2026

After Three Fatal Crashes, a Town Looks Back—and Ahead

RGM DISPATCH: A Man is Critically Injured at a Great Barrington Crosswalk Long Known to be Dangerous

A seventy-year-old man is in critical condition after being struck at a Route 7 crosswalk where pedestrian risks—particularly for elderly residents living nearby—have long been known. Upgrades have been deferred for years.

By Bill Shein

/ 17 Jan 2026

RGM DISPATCH: A Man is Critically Injured at a Great Barrington Crosswalk Long Known to be Dangerous

RGM DISPATCH: Housatonic Water Woes, B.H.S. Data Breach Update, and the Meaning of "Reason Gone Mad"

In this newsletter: Updates on a western Massachusetts hospital system’s data breach; a water company whose problems have outlived generations of regulators; public-records requests aging in place; and a look back at rogue-nation-identification tips first published on Reason Gone Mad in 2006.

By Bill Shein

/ 10 Jan 2026

RGM DISPATCH: Housatonic Water Woes, B.H.S. Data Breach Update, and the Meaning of "Reason Gone Mad"