| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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Pittsfield Council Sees BRTA's Proposed Route ChangesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
01:18PM / Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Berkshire Regional Transit Authority's new administrator outlined proposed route realignments to the City Council last week for fiscal year 2027.
The plan, which is open to public feedback, would eliminate a few routes and create a new route to address driver shortages. Administrator Kathleen Lambert said reliability is the only thing BRTA has, and it hasn't been as reliable as it should or could be.
"As you know, one of the things that we do is we strive to be on time, provide the service that we say we're providing to our customers, and make that guarantee so that they can get that ride to work, or to the doctor's
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Suspect Arraigned in 'Horrific' Dragging Case By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
12:56PM / Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | |
District Attorney TimothyShugrue says the community has been 'really upset' by this case. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Hancock man has been charged in last week's gruesome dragging that killed 69-year-old William Colbert. William Gross, 65, was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on Wednesday for negligent motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene. He was arrested Monday after police investigators narrowed down the type of car seen on video at the accident scene. Police say Colbert had fallen in the road at the Francis Avenue and Linden Street intersection on Feb. 10 before he was struck and dragged nearly four miles. His 0 Comments
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Dalton Power Program Could Save Ratepayers MoneyBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
10:46AM / Wednesday, February 18, 2026 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The harsh winter conditions have resulted in the need for electric companies to increase their prices and the town's energy program is no different. Since 2015, the town has had an electric program in an effort to stabilize and make energy costs more affordable. According to a town press release, through June 2025, residents and small businesses have saved more than $1.7 million in electricity costs compared to Eversource Basic Service. In November, the town signed a 34-month contract with a new supplier, First Point Power. The original agreement factored in a cost that was four times ISO New England's initial 0 Comments
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Healey Announces Housing Development Supports at Former Pittsfield BankBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:29PM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | |
Gov. Maura Healey poses with the bank's old safe. The building is being refurbished for housing by Allegrone Companies. The project is being supported by a commercial tax credit and a $1.8M MassWorks grant for infrastructure improvements. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Gov. Maura Healey stood in the former Berkshire County Savings Bank on Tuesday to announce housing initiatives that are expected to bring more than 1,300 units online.
"People come here from all over the world. We want them to stay here, and we want kids who grew up here to be able to afford to stay here, but the problem is that for decades, we just weren't building enough housing to keep up with
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Dalton Select Board to Hold Q&A Session on DCTV By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
11:27AM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | |
DALTON, Mass. — Time and again residents have asked for more transparency from town government and now, thanks to a new series on Dalton Community Television, they will have just that. At a recent Select Board meeting, Chair Robert Bishop pitched that the town hold question-and-answer sessions to be filmed by the public broadcasting channel. The item, at the time not on the agenda so could not be discussed, was approved last Monday. "A lot of times on social media or wherever, even by word of mouth, things don't always come out the way they should do, and people get confused," Bishop said. "I would welcome any kind 0 Comments
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Pittsfield Seeks Public Input for CDBG Annual Action Plan| 08:54AM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The City of Pittsfield, through its Department of Community Development, is preparing to draft its Program Year 2026 Annual Action Plan, which will help to determine how the city allocates its Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds for the next program year, beginning July 1, 2026. CDBG funds are provided annually to the City of Pittsfield through an entitlement grant from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) under Title 1 of the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, as amended. The Annual Action Plan is designed to help local jurisdictions assess their affordable housing and community development needs 0 Comments
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Christian Center Surveys Needs, Proposes ChangesBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:56AM / Tuesday, February 17, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The Christian Center wants community feedback to fuel a potential name change and expanded programming.
The nonprofit, whose origins date back to the early 1890s, has held community listening sessions at 193 Robbins Ave. and released a survey to help bring the center into 2026 and beyond. The survey can be found online here: English: Community Input Survey
Spanish: Encuesta de Escucha Comunitaria Executive Director Jessica Jones reported that youth services were the theme of input received so far, community members saying, "Our kids need something to do. They need something to be connected to."
"And we would love to be
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Arrest Made in Pittsfield Hit-And-RuniBerkshires.com Staff,
08:44PM / Monday, February 16, 2026 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- A Hancock man Monday was arrested in connection with last week's fatal hit-and-run accident in Pittsfield, police said. Pittsfield Police arrested William Gross, 65, of Hancock, according to a Monday night news release. The crash on Feb. 10 at the intersection of Francis Avenue and Linden Street led to the death of Pittsfield resident William Colbert, 69. On Monday, Pittsfield Police located the vehicle involved in the accident, the release read. Police said Gross will be arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on charges of motor vehicle homicide and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in personal injury or death. 0 Comments
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Dalton Trustees Want to Restore Chapel as ColumbariumBy Breanna Steele, iBerkshires Staff
05:58PM / Monday, February 16, 2026 | |
 DALTON, Mass. — The cemetery trustees are slowly working to make the Main Street Cemetery's chapel usable again. The vacant limestone building was discussed at last Monday's meeting. The trustees hope to restore the structure that sits in the middle of the cemetery. Edward "Bud" Hall, the town's Department of Public Works superintendent, said he recently spoke with Crosier Electric, which quoted $2,500 to install lighting, emergency lights, motion sensors for the lights, attic power, wiring, and the installation of a hanging light in the porte-cochère with a remote photocell. Trustee John Bartel Jr. said the structure has been used for 0 Comments
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East Housatonic Bridge Restricted to One-LaneBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
12:15PM / Monday, February 16, 2026 | |
The town is considering making it one-way and detouring traffic. DALTON, Mass. — Structural concerns have closed one side of the bridge on East Housatonic Street, making that section of the busy road limited to one lane. The 25.5-foot-long girder bridge is considered structurally deficient, with a poor deck condition, although the superstructure is rated fair. It was built in 1941. The department has been patching the holes in the bridge twice a week, Edward "Bud" Hall, Department of Public Works superintendent, said. There are currently eight barriers spanning 80 feet; the town owns two and borrowed the remaining six from 0 Comments
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No Drought Conditions in Berkshire County | 07:16AM / Monday, February 16, 2026 | |
 BOSTON, Mass. — The Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rebecca Tepper declared the Southeast Region has worsened to a Level-2 Significant Drought, and the Millers River Basin has improved. All other regions remain unchanged, including Berkshire County that remains at a normal drought level. Drought is a look back at conditions over a period of time. The Drought Management Task Force (DMTF) collected and analyzed data from August 2024 through January 2026. During January, Massachusetts received a significant amount of snow and a total of 2 to 3.5 inches of precipitation. In spite of this, precipitation deficits since 2024 0 Comments
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CBRSD Budget Decreases; Dalton Assessment HighBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
05:26AM / Monday, February 16, 2026 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School District has decreased its initial operating projections from nearly 10 percent down to 4.9 percent, but the Dalton's budget is still strained because of its high assessment. During a School Committee in January, a tentative budget was presented, which included a pessimistic look at the uncontrollable costs. Since then, updated figures have come back and substantial reductions were made. Preliminary projections had the district's operating budget at $36,375,938, however, the it is now eyeing a significantly lower operating budget of $33,767,460. The original budget included 0 Comments
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