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The firefighters delivered the gifts to DCF on Tuesday.

Pittsfield Firefighters Donate Christmas Gifts to DCF

By Andy McKeeveriBerkshires Staff
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Union members did all of the shopping and wrapping ahead of time.
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — The city's firefighters are helping to provide a good Christmas to children in DCF care.
 
The firefighters union continued its annual holiday tradition of buying gifts for more than two dozen local children involved with the state Department of Children and Families.
 
The firefighters had taken the names of 25 children, what they'd like for Christmas, and then headed out to shop for them.
 
"We take 25 names that are organized by the Department of Children and Families and buy gifts. We get anywhere from clothing to toys for each individual," said Union President Robert Leary.
 
DCF provides the information to the International Association of Fire Fighters Pittsfield Local 2647 and the Pittsfield Permanent Firemen's Benefit Association and the firefighters do the rest. On Tuesday, the gifts were delivered to DCF's Eagle Street office.
 
"A group of guys go out and do all of the shopping and then as a group we do all of the wrapping," Leary said. 
 
The gift giving has been a long tradition for the union. Leary sees it as a way to give back to the community.
 
"This is just one of the things we try to give back to the community through," Leary said. "This is been a yearly thing probably going on close to 20 years now. This has been one of the ones we really tried to stay connected with."
 
The union is one of a number of organizations that support DCF during Christmas. DCF collects information on sizes and wants from the families they work with and then partner with various organizations in the community to provide them.

Tags: children & families,   donations,   firefighters,   holiday story,   

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Dalton Man Accused of Kidnapping, Shooting Pittsfield Man

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A Dalton man was arrested on Thursday evening after allegedly kidnapping and shooting another man.

Nicholas Lighten, 35, was arraigned in Central Berkshire District Court on Friday on multiple charges including kidnapping with a firearm and armed assault with intent to murder. He was booked in Dalton around 11:45 p.m. the previous night.

There was heavy police presence Thursday night in the area of Lighten's East Housatonic Street home before his arrest.

Shortly before 7 p.m., Dalton dispatch received a call from the Pittsfield Police Department requesting that an officer respond to Berkshire Medical Center. Adrian Mclaughlin of Pittsfield claimed that he was shot in the leg by Lighten after an altercation at the defendants home. Mclaughlin drove himself to the hospital and was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries. 

"We were told that Lighten told Adrian to go down to his basement, where he told Adrian to get down on his knees and pulled out a chain," the police report reads.

"We were told that throughout the struggle with Lighten, Adrian recalls three gunshots."

Dalton PD was advised that Pittsfield had swabbed Mclaughlin for DNA because he reported biting Lighten. A bite mark was later found on Lighten's shoulder. 

Later that night, the victim reportedly was "certain, very certain" that Lighten was his assailant when shown a photo array at the hospital.

According to Dalton Police, an officer was stationed near Lighten's house in an unmarked vehicle and instructed to call over the radio if he left the residence. The Berkshire County Special Response Team was also contacted.

Lighten was under surveillance at his home from about 7:50 p.m. to about 8:40 p.m. when he left the property in a vehicle with Massachusetts plates. Another officer initiated a high-risk motor vehicle stop with the sergeant and response team just past Mill Street on West Housatonic Street, police said, and traffic was stopped on both sides of the road.

Lighten and a passenger were removed from the vehicle and detained. Police reported finding items including a brass knuckle knife, three shell casings wrapped in a rubber glove, and a pair of rubber gloves on him.

The response team entered Lighten's home at 43 East Housatonic before 9:30 p.m. for a protective sweep and cleared the residence before 9:50 p.m., police said. The residence was secured for crime scene investigators.

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