| News and events in Pittsfield, Mass.
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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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MassWildLife: Counting birds, Your New Holiday Tradition| 08:01AM / Saturday, December 20, 2025 | |
Looking for a way to give during the holiday season while also enjoying nature? A tradition that started Christmas Day in 1900 is now a long-standing program of the National Audubon Society. People across the state will spend the beginning of the winter counting birds, helping ornithologists gather data that would be difficult to collect on their own. From December 15 to January 5, the Christmas Bird Count (CBC) will commence in the U.S., Canada, and 18 other countries in the Western Hemisphere. Countries are divided into geographical regions (35 in Massachusetts) and each region will pick a single 24-hour period to count birds. Data from the CBC can be utilized in many ways, 6 Comments
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Pittsfield Affordable Housing Initiatives Shine Light, HopeBy Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
07:08AM / Saturday, December 20, 2025 | |
Housing Secretary Edward Augustus cuts the ribbon at The First on Thursday with housing officials and Mayor Peter Marchetti, state Sen. Paul Mark and state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier. PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The holidays are here and several community members are celebrating it with the opening of two affordable housing initiatives. "This is a day to celebrate," Hearthway CEO Eileen Peltier said during the ribbon-cutting on Thursday. The celebration was for nearly 40 supportive permanent housing units; nine at "The First" located within the Zion Lutheran Church, and 28 on West Housatonic Street. A ceremony was held in the new Housing 6 Comments
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Dalton Finance Anticipates Challenges Budget Season By Sabrina Damms, iBerkshires Staff
03:45PM / Friday, December 19, 2025 | |
DALTON, Mass. — The Finance Committee will soon embark on its budget planning process, which comes with a notable challenge. It was demonstrated during its meeting last Wednesday that this year's budget planning will demand both strategic thinking to ensure financial stability for the town while maintaining critical services. The town does not have a lot of budgetary flexibility because it does not have a lot of room with relation to Proposition 2 1/2, Chair William Drosehn III said. Proposition 2 1/2 limits the ability of town's to raise taxes and sets a levy ceiling. Drosehn said the town's levy limit is $280,000. However, it 6 Comments
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