| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Companion Corner: Beauty at Berkshire Humane SocietyBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
05:04PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — There's a sweet dog waiting for their new home at Berkshire Humane Society. iBerkshire's Companion Corner is a weekly series spotlighting an animal in our local shelters that is ready to find a home. Beauty is a 5-year-old bulldog mix and has been at the shelter for about a month after she didn't get along with other animals in the home. Canine caregiver and adoption counselor Simone Olivieri told us about Beauty: "Just very sweet, cuddly, but also very energetic, very playful, just a great companion, great, great little buddy." Beauty is very energetic and loves to go outside and play. She loves to go on walks and is very obedient, is house
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Workforce Development: Kaela Martin| 03:55PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
 Before Kaela Martin completed the Front Line Advanced Supervisor course at Berkshire Community College, she had already made smart career choices. She had landed a job as a welder fabricator at Lenco, an armored vehicle manufacturer in Pittsfield, in 2023 and was proving herself to be a valuable employee. But Kaela isn't the type of person to sit still and let her career path determine itself — or, worse, become stagnant. "I started kind of accidentally working my way up at Lenco, just my helping my crew chief and taking on extra responsibilities. They saw potential and wanted to develop that. They wanted to give me the tools to do my job properly," Kaela 0 Comments
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OLLI at BCC Distinguished Speakers Series: Ukraine-Russia War in the Era of Trump 2.0| 03:49PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College (OLLI at BCC) presents the next installment of its Distinguished Speakers Series on Wednesday, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. Speaker James Brooke's talk, "Ukraine-Russia War in the Era of Trump 2.0," will provide an informative update and lively discussion on the Russia-Ukraine war. Brooke is a former New York Times foreign correspondent and a former Ukraine reporter. The free talk will be accessible via Zoom. To register, visit https://berkshireolli.org/event-6433453. A Zoom link will be provided upon registration. After the event, a recording will be available 0 Comments
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Man Shot by Police in Hinsdale Incident DiesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
02:59PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
HINSDALE, Mass. — The individual shot by police on Wednesday died that afternoon at Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield. Police Chief Shawn Boyne and Sgt. Dom Crupi were injured during the incident. Crupi is recovering from gunshot injuries to the hand and elbow at Albany, N.Y., Medical Center. The name of the man killed has not yet been released. The incident began about 10:30 a.m. when the individual called 911 after arming and locking himself in the back bedroom of a house at 53 Off South St. Ext. The incident escalated over the next hour when officers breached the door and struggled to subdue him. Crupi was shot through the hand by 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Health Board Upholds Berkshire Pipe License RevocationBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:21PM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city has lost another tobacco permit, and Berkshire Pipe and Tobacco was advised to find a different product to sell.
On Wednesday, the Board of Health reaffirmed its Dec. 3 decision to revoke the 17-year-old business's tobacco license, which has been suspended since March. While the shop owners were apologetic, the board upheld its decision because of repeated violations and a citation from the Department of Revenue for untaxed tobacco products.
"Unfortunately, you're in a situation where, having been given a number of chances to get off suspension, get off fines, you've gotten to the point where you're selling an
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Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County Information Sessions| 11:11AM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Literacy Volunteers of Berkshire County will be holding information sessions at the Berkshire Athenaeum in Pittsfield on how to become a volunteer tutor for LVBC. Attend one of the sessions on Tuesday, Jan. 13 at either 10:30 a.m. or 6:30 p .m. to learn more about the program and the steps to take to become a volunteer tutor. At the conclusion of the information session, interested parties can sign up for the next available tutor training, which starts on Feb. 2. 0 Comments
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State Fire Marshal Reminds Bars and Clubs of Sparkler Hazard| 10:39AM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
STOW, Mass. — State Fire Marshal Jon M. Davine today sent a notice to Massachusetts bars and restaurants regarding the fire hazard posed by sparklers, which are believed to have contributed to the tragic New Year's Eve fire that claimed dozens of lives in a Switzerland bar. "Please be advised that sparklers and other pyrotechnic devices, including so-called 'cold spark' pyrotechnics, are illegal for possession, sale, and use in Massachusetts without professional licensing, certification, and permitting," State Fire Marshal Davine wrote in a notice to proprietors of restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and discotheques. "This includes small sparklers that 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Launches A Public Survey| 08:05AM / Thursday, January 08, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield is seeking public input through a new community survey focused on community interaction and the use of technology specifically related to the Department of Public Works (DPW). The city is currently engaged in a project with the Edward J. Collins Center for Public Management at UMass Boston designed to review DPW's current organizational structure and operations. Part of this process includes a review of the use of technology, especially public-facing tools such as PittSMART and the city's website www.pittsfieldma.gov. The project also focuses on overall communications and information sharing by DPW with members of 0 Comments
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Police, Civilian Injured in Hinsdale ShootingBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
03:30PM / Wednesday, January 07, 2026 | |
HINSDALE, Mass. — Two police officers were injured and a civilian is in critical condition after a shooting late Wednesday morning not far from the police station. The civilian was taken to Berkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield; the officers sustained non-life-threatening injuries from what police describe as an isolated incident that poses no threat to the public. The Cheshire Police Department indicated the injured officers were Police Chief Shawn Boyne and Sgt. Dom Crupi in a post on Facebook stating "Our thoughts are with the Chief and Sergeant from Hinsdale and hoping for a speedy recovery." The investigation is being led by the State 0 Comments
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BHS Upgrades Respiratory Illness Alert to Moderate Level| 02:01PM / Wednesday, January 07, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. – As the Berkshire region experiences a heightened level of respiratory illnesses, Berkshire Health Systems (BHS) has raised its Respiratory Illness Alert level to Yellow, or Moderate, triggering updated masking and visitation requirements, effective Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, at 7 am. Respiratory illnesses are impacting a significant number of BHS patients, and the changes are being implemented to enhance safety for BHS staff, patients and visitors. Yellow signifies moderate activity and now requires masking for all BHS staff when in direct contact with patients. Any patients with symptoms should mask, and BHS asks that visitors who have any respiratory illness
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Pittsfield Begins Search for OPM to Lead Crosby/Conte ProjectBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:40PM / Wednesday, January 07, 2026 | |
 PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Wheels are moving on the Crosby/Conte proposal.
On Tuesday, the School Building Needs Commission created a seven-member selection committee for an owner's project manager.
The Massachusetts School Building Authority, from which the district is seeking an 80 percent reimbursement, has invited Pittsfield Public Schools to a feasibility study phase, along with five other districts. On the table is a proposal to rebuild and consolidate the outdated John C. Crosby Elementary and Silvio O. Conte Community School on the Crosby property.
Potential solutions will be studied, and a cost estimate and schedule will be laid out. According to a schedule
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Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Detected in Domestic Flock| 10:44AM / Wednesday, January 07, 2026 | |
DUKES COUNTY, Mass. — The Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) and its partner agencies safely depopulated and disposed of a backyard flock of chickens in Dukes County due to the detection of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI). The affected birds exhibited clinical signs consistent with HPAI and tested positive for the disease. MDAR officials did not find any evidence of contaminated products that were distributed. MDAR is advising backyard and commercial poultry owners to practice strong biosecurity measures to prevent domestic poultry from having contact with wild birds since the HPAI virus is continuing to circulate in the wild bird population.
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