| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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MassWildlife: Five Years of Bat House Monitoring| 03:50PM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025 | |
December is a season of gratitude—and this year, we're shining a light on MassWildlife's volunteer bat house monitoring program. Thanks to the dedication of 23 volunteers across Massachusetts, all 34 bat houses at 30 sites were monitored regularly during the summer months in 2025 despite mosquitoes, summer storms, and busy schedules. Over the past five years, a total of 53 volunteers have contributed to the program. Seven volunteers have participated every year since the start of the program, providing consistency and invaluable expertise that guides and strengthen the project. Massachusetts is home to nine bat species. Several, including the little brown bat and 0 Comments
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Dalton Board Signs Off on Land Sale Over Residents' ObjectionsBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:50AM / Tuesday, December 23, 2025 | |
Residents demanded the right to speak but the agenda did not include public comment. Amy Musante holds a sign saying the town now as '$20,000 less for a police station.' DALTON, Mass. — The Select Board signed the sale on the last of what had been known as the Bardin property Monday even as a handful of residents demanded the right to speak against the action. The quitclaim deed transfers the nine acres to Thomas and Esther Balardini, who purchased the two other parcels in Dalton. They were the third-highest bidders at $31,500. Despite this, the board awarded them the land in an effort to keep the property intact. "It's going to be an ongoing 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Police Chief Retiring in JanuaryBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:28PM / Monday, December 22, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police Chief Thomas Dawley will retire next month after 24 years with the Pittsfield Police Department, and the mayor will appoint his successor.
Dawley's last day will be on Jan. 9, and he told iBerkshires that it was "just time." He began his law enforcement career in 1995 at the Berkshire County House of Corrections and was appointed police chief in June 2024.
"Reasons for leaving are cumulative. I have been in law enforcement for almost 30 years. There is no particular reason for my retirement, I just feel that it is time," he wrote in an email.
"I love the profession and love this department. The duties,
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Holiday Hours: Christmas & New Year's| 02:58PM / Monday, December 22, 2025 | |
You once could be fined for celebrating Christmas in Massachusetts. (Massachusetts State Library) Businesses, schools and government offices will be taking breaks next week as the nation celebrates Christmas and New Year's. Christmas falls on Thursday, Dec. 25, 2025, and New Year's Day on Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026.
Christmas is now a state holiday but it wasn't always. The General Court under the control of the Puritans outlawed the holiday in 1659.
There was too much eating, drinking, wassailing and other festiveness for the colony's righteous rulers. Even after the ban was lifted, Christmas was treated as a regular day until its popularization during the Victorian
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MassHire Berkshire Awarded $75K Youth Pilot| 08:07AM / Monday, December 22, 2025 | |
LYNN, Mass. — The Healey-Driscoll Administration launched the Youth Employment Gateway Cities Learning Community Pilot aimed at enhancing youth employment opportunities throughout the state. As part of the pilot, four MassHire Regional Workforce Boards, in partnership with Gateway Cities and employers, were awarded $75,000 to develop innovative approaches to youth engagement, employer partnerships, and career readiness. In Berkshire County, MassHire was awarded a $75,000 grant. "The BWB, Berkshire Career Center and our community and business partners have worked extremely hard throughout the past decade to enhance employer-paid work-based-learning 6 Comments
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William Russell Allen House Study Near CompleteBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:16AM / Monday, December 22, 2025 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A feasibility study on the William Russell Allen House is expected by the end of the month.
What comes after that is unclear, but local historians are confident that a group dedicated to rehabilitating the historic East Street home could be assembled. The state, which owns the Russell Allen House, has been spinning its wheels on redevelopment for about 50 years.
In 2003, the 13,000-square-foot mansion was estimated to cost around $4 million to rehabilitate. Today, that number is expected to be at least doubled.
"I think that this is a group effort," City Planner Kevin Rayner told the Historical Commission earlier this
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Dalton Resident Ranks Third in National Snocross Race By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
06:18PM / Sunday, December 21, 2025 | |
Sal LeBeau on his machine with his sister, Kenna, in the black hat, and friend Brandon and his sister Alea. DALTON, Mass. — At just 16 years old, Salvatore LaBeau is already making avalanches in the national snocross racing scene. Last weekend, LaBeau raced in the Mount Zion Snocross National race in Ironwood, Mich., the first of eight races in the national circuit series. Competitions take place across national circuits, attracting racers from various regions and even internationally. Labeau rides for CT Motorsports, a team based in Upstate New York, on a 2025 Polaris 600R. This is LaBeau's first time competing on the CT 6 Comments
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Governor Launches Business Builds Program | 03:09PM / Sunday, December 21, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) announced the launch of Business Builds, a new competitive capital grant program designed to support business expansion, job creation, and climate-friendly investment across Massachusetts. Created through the Mass Leads Act and administered by the Massachusetts Office of Business Development (MOBD), Business Builds provides strategic grants to businesses relocating to, expanding in, or creating new jobs in Massachusetts. The program is aimed at strengthening Massachusetts' competitiveness, accelerating private investment, and advancing projects that provide a clear public benefit, including job growth, 6 Comments
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DFS Adds New Interior Drone Resources to Support Operations| 10:06AM / Sunday, December 21, 2025 | |
STOW, Mass.—The Department of Fire Services has added three new drones to its Special Operations fleet that will allow fire/rescue personnel to stream footage from hazardous indoor environments, State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine said. "Drones were a giant step forward for situational awareness in the fire service," said State Fire Marshal Davine. "Up until now, we've used them primarily to provide aerial footage from outside a structure or above a large wildfire or search area. These new drones can operate reliably inside a building, which will be especially valuable for Hazmat, structural collapse, and other dangerous calls." Watch a video 6 Comments
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MassDOT Announces Municipal Speed Feedback Signage Program| 07:22AM / Sunday, December 21, 2025 | |
BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing the launch of the Municipal Speed Feedback Signage Program, a new $1 million initiative designed to help communities manage vehicle speeds and enhance roadway safety, particularly in speed transition zones where posted limits change. The program, administered cooperatively by MassDOT's Office of Transportation Planning and Highway Division, will provide municipalities with solar-powered, data-capable, and Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) compliant speed feedback signs (either post-mounted or portable trailer-mounted) at no capital cost to local governments. An
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Superintendent's Award Presented to Wahconah High SeniorBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
12:44PM / Saturday, December 20, 2025 | |
Brown's parents Dan and Heather Brown pointed to Haze's drive, resilience and willingness to learn. DALTON, Mass. — Wahconah Regional High School senior Haze Brown was recognized for their academic achievements and for making the school and community a more inclusive and connected place. During last week's School Committee meeting, Brown was presented with the Superintendent's Award for being a "changemaker" and embodying the spirit of academic excellence. The Certificate of Academic Excellence from the Massachusetts Association of School Superintendents was presented by Superintendent Michael Henault. Only one student from each high 6 Comments
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Planning Board Continues Berkshire Concrete Hearing By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
10:07AM / Saturday, December 20, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Planning Board again voted to continue the public hearing for Berkshire Concrete's excavation permit despite opposition from neighbors. The hearing was continued to Jan. 21 with the stipulation that Berkshire Concrete, a subsidiary of Petricca Industries, have all its documents submitted to the town 10 business days prior to the next meeting. "We have two roads to take — one helps keep us with the ability to put more useful and adamant conditions on the permit, and the other one gives us a year and eight months to figure out what we would like to add to the information," Planning Board Vice Chair Robert Collins 6 Comments
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