UPDATE: Pittsfield Crash Sends Three to BMC with Serious Injuries

UPDATE, 4:16 p.m., Wednesday: police have released the names of the three Pittsfield men involved in Tuesday's accident.

UPDATE: Around 3:40 p.m., Pittsfield Police, County Ambulance, and Action Ambulance responded to the area of 241 South St. for a reported single motor vehicle crash.

A 2004 Dodge Dakota occupied by three men was traveling northbound in the 240 block, left the roadway to the right, and collided with a tree at the southwest intersection of South and Broad Streets. The occupants were freed by the Pittsfield Fire Department by mechanical means.

Both northbound lanes of South Street were closed from Crofut to Broad Street for about a half hour and the right northbound lane was closed for about 90 minutes while the crash was investigated.

The names of the occupants are not being released until family members are notified.

Weather did not appear to be a factor, police say, as the crash occurred just before the beginning of the precipitation.

Anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have information concerning it is asked to contact Officer Michael Silver at 413-448-9700, Ext. 596.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three people were seriously injured when a pickup truck they were riding in collided with a tree on South Street.

Police responded to the one-vehicle crash at around 4 p.m. on Tuesday near the intersection of Broad Street. The extend cab Dodge was traveling north when it collided with a tree on the right side of its lane.

Lt. Marc Maddalena reported that there were three occupants in the pickup who were all sent to Berkshire Medical Center with serious injuries. According to police, none of the occupants were children.

Around the time of the accident, the city was experiencing freezing rain.

CBRSD School Committee OKs $36M Budget

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:15AM / Tuesday, March 18, 2025

DALTON, Mass. — The Central Berkshire Regional School Committee approved a gross final budget of $36,643,001 for fiscal 2026, an increase of 2.70 percent over this year. 

 

The biggest cause of the increase is from insurances. The district's active health insurance premiums increased by 16 percent; retirees had an increase of 20 percent, and a 3 percent increase in dental, said Gregory Boino, director of finance and operations.

 

Another large increase was for special education transportation costs, which increased $135,000, "and it's just to meet the actual expenditures where we're living right now," Boino said. 

 

The district's Special Education Out of District Tuition line decreased by $214,350 because students are aging out of those out-of-district placements, he said. 

 

The Finance Committee also decreased the other post-employment benefits, or OPEB, amount by $350,000, so next year, the district will be funding it with $50,000, Boino said. 

 

The Finance Committee discussed how there is a deep need for the community to petition the state to change Chapter 70 education aid and rural aid, School Committee member Paul Farella said prior to the budget update. 

 

"The way that they work makes it extremely difficult for us to make a budget that is fair to towns when you have some that have high percentages of assessment and others with negative it can create a sticky situation," he said.