pittsfield

A fire in Pittsfield, Massachusetts left a woman dead Monday night.

A new documentary by Pittsfield Community Television traces the Massachusetts city’s 4th of July parade back to the turn of the 19th century.

This spring, Berkshire County’s largest community adopted a Comprehensive Wastewater Management Plan. Ricardo Morales, Pittsfield’s Commissioner of Public Utilities, spoke with WAMC about the document, which sets out decades of plans for how the municipality handles refuse.

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts city council has accepted a $170 million budget for fiscal year 2021.

Emails obtained by WAMC News have shone a light on how officials all the way from Pittsfield, Massachusetts to the federal level reacted to the Black Lives Matters protests that sprung up in May in response to the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody. WAMC spoke with Police Chief Michael Wynn about what he learned from the protests, and why he referred to city councilors as “insane” when they pushed back against a narrative that Antifa agitators were coming to the Berkshires.

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts City Council has shot down a motion to cut health insurance for elected officials making less than $15,000 a year.

In a 6-4 vote, the Pittsfield, Massachusetts city council voted to send the proposed 2021 school department budget back to committee.

Teachers from around Berkshire County demonstrated against budget cuts in Pittsfield, Massachusetts Monday afternoon.

Monday night, the Pittsfield City Council approved an amended police spending plan for 2021, along with accepting the city’s fire and emergency management budgets unaltered.

At a long and inconclusive city council meeting, the civic leaders of Pittsfield, Massachusetts debated the school committee’s proposed budget for 2021.

The Pittsfield Public Schools will be laying off at least 140 employees as it anticipates a sharp cut in state funding.

This week, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Police Chief Michael Wynn said his department is reviewing its use of force policy to make sure it’s "consistent with federal standards and best practices." WAMC spoke with Alexis Hoag, Practitioner in Residence at Columbia University's Eric Holder Initiative for Civil & Political Rights civil rights lawyer and lecturer at Columbia Law School, about the department’s current policies and federal standards.

As Pittsfield, Massachusetts sets its 2021 spending plan, its police force is one of the few departments to see an increase in Mayor Linda Tyer’s proposed budget. With conversations about defunding police abounding, Police Chief Michael Wynn tells WAMC that he opposes the idea. He also explained why his department is seeing a nearly 5% spending increase to an almost $11.5 million yearly budget.

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts city council is amending its sewer and drain codes to save the city money on a state loan.

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts city council is scheduled to vote on an update to its municipal sewer codes Tuesday night.

Small business owners in Pittsfield, Massachusetts can now apply for federal stimulus funding through a city grant program. 

Days after a peaceful protest drew hundreds, a few anti-police brutality protesters continue to demonstrate in downtown Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

An internal memo from the mayor of Pittsfield, Massachusetts obtained by WAMC says state police have been deployed to the city to head off what they say is the threat of violent Antifa protesters.

A private investment group has purchased the Bousquet Mountain ski resort in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 

For state and local governments, the coronavirus pandemic has created new challenges in crafting spending plans. Tuesday night, the mayor of Pittsfield, Massachusetts submitted her proposed 2021 budget to the city council before hearings on municipal spending begin next week.

Berkshire County’s largest community says it won’t hold a 4th of July parade this year.

Three Pittsfield, Massachusetts city councilors are endorsing Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse in his bid to unseat Congressman Richard Neal.

With the coronavirus pandemic shuttering performing arts venue for months, Massachusetts cultural nonprofits and their employees have experienced an abrupt loss of revenue and sweeping furloughs and layoffs. Among the efforts to provide relief to the flagging industry, a new $30,000 fund has been established specifically for theater professionals living in Berkshire County. WAMC spoke with Massachusetts Cultural Council Executive Director Anita Walker about that and other ways state and private entities are working to support the arts.

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts police department is investigating after one of its officers shot a city man who threatened police. 

The Pittsfield, Massachusetts city council met Tuesday night to appropriate funding for emergency housing and sign off on tax increment financing plans for two prospective downtown businesses.

Pittsfield, Massachusetts police are investigating a shooting following a car accident Thursday night. 

As the COVID-19 pandemic stretches into the foreseeable future, the question of how to safely begin reopening nonessential businesses looms over municipal leaders. WAMC spoke with Pittsfield, Massachusetts Mayor Linda Tyer Tuesday about how the pandemic is affecting the community.

On Friday, Jesse Cook-Dubin ended his four-year term as president of Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. The nonprofit entity has worked to promote and develop the Western Massachusetts city’s core since 1983. The corporate lawyer spoke with WAMC about the challenges and successes he faced while at the head of DPI, what his successor will need to prepare for moving forward, and more.

Two Pittsfield, Massachusetts residents were arrested early Thursday morning on illegal firearm possession charges. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Police Chief Michael Wynn’s role as the city’s deputy emergency management director has meant he is coordinating county-wide responses to the crisis. Wynn spoke with WAMC Wednesday about how his department is handling the risks of policing during the coronavirus outbreak, an uptick in domestic violence reports, and what role the department plays in enforcing public health guidelines on the streets of Pittsfield.