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Winner Anita Curtin with the mayor.
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Winner Taylor Turner with Mayor Daniel Bianchi.

Pittsfield Students Honored In Berkshire Jazz Art Contest

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Honorable mention Leanne Hamilton with Mayor Daniel Bianchi, and Berkshire Jazz President Edward Bride.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Three high school students were honored by the mayor on Tuesday for winning the annual Berkshire Jazz art contest.
 
Taylor Turner, a senior at Pittsfield High School, Max Whalen, a PHS freshman, and Anita Curtin, a junior at St. Joseph's High School, were chosen as the winners. The work of one of those three winners will be the symbol of the annual Pittsfield City Jazz Festival in October.
 
The winners were chosen by judges Diane Firtell, Scott Taylor, and Julio Granda, who chose a winner for each of three genres — representational art, abstract art, and graphic design. They also awarded three "judges choice" awards and five honorable mentions. 
 
The judge's choice awards were given to Shane McMahon, a PHS sophomore, Alicia Williamson, a PHS junior, and Andrew LaPatin, also a PHS junior.
 
The honorable mentions were given to two PHS juniors, Tegan Lyon and Kaylin Barcus, and Ethan Kittles, a PHS senior, Leslie Tayi, a Taconic High School junior, and Leanne Hamilton, a St. Joe junior.
 
More than 100 students from Pittsfield HIgh, Taconic, St. Joe and Miss Hall's entered the seventh annual contest. The contest is intended to be a cross-genre creative activity coupling painting with music. 
 
PHS art teachers Colleen Quinn, Lisa Ostellino, and Barbara Patton; Taconic teachers Marybeth Eldridge and Mike Boroniec; St. Joseph's teacher Dale Zola; and Miss Halls teachers Ellie Kreischer and Sophia Lee were all participated in the contest. 
 
Project coordinator is Art Niedeck, a jazz musician and music educator, and co-chairman of the Education Committee of Berkshires Jazz, Inc., which is responsible for planning the Pittsfield CityJazz Festival and other events throughout the year.
 
Berkshire Jazz Inc. is chartered to promote jazz education throughout Berkshire County. The non-profit is supported by ticket sales from the festival, as well as donations from sponsors, which this year include Greylock Federal Credit Union the Feigenbaum Foundation, the Massachusetts Cultural Council, North Coast Brewing Company, Cultural Pittsfield, and jazz education pioneer Jamey Aebersold.

Tags: artists,   awards,   jazz,   

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Possible Measles Exposure at Boston, Logan

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health confirmed Wednesday that an out-of-state adult visitor who spent time in Boston and Westborough earlier this month was diagnosed with measles and was present in a number of locations.
 
This could have resulted in other people being exposed to measles virus.
 
The visitor arrived at Logan International Airport on American Airlines flight 2384 from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, on Dec. 11 at 2:39 p.m. They stayed at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Boston-Westborough in Westborough and departed the state on Dec. 12 via Logan at 9:19 p.m. on JetBlue flight 117 to Las Vegas.
 
DPH is working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and local partners to identify and notify those who may have been exposed to measles from this individual.
 
"Measles is a highly contagious, airborne disease, which has increased significantly in the United States because of the unfortunate decrease in vaccination rates. It is also a preventable disease," said Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein. "This current situation serves as an important reminder of the critical role vaccination plays in protecting our communities. While Massachusetts has not had a measles case this year, 2025 saw the highest number of nationwide cases in more than a decade — nearly 2,000 in 44 jurisdictions, and sadly, three deaths. 
 
"Fifteen years ago, measles had been considered eliminated in the United States, but that tremendous progress is at risk. Vaccines are one of the most important public health interventions ever — they are safe, effective, and lifesaving."
 
Measles is very contagious. However, the risk to most people in Massachusetts is low because the vaccination rate in the state is high. People who are not immune and visited any of the locations on the following dates and times may be at risk for developing measles.
 
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