image description — The side door at St. Joseph's Church was burned in early August. A parishioner says it happened again.

Pittsfield Police Investigating Attempted Arson at St. Joe

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
06:32PM / Thursday, August 19, 2021Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are investigating an attempted arson that occurred on the property of St. Joseph's Church in the early morning of Aug. 4.

Over half of one of the southern rear doors is charred from top to bottom and part of the window is melted. There are also signs of char on the ground beneath.

Lt. Gary Traversa reported that the investigation is active and detectives are making progress, but further details need to be withheld to maintain investigative integrity.

Parish attendee attorney John Bernardo said this fire was attempted twice, the second time occurring earlier this week.

Traversa said there has not been a second report of the incident and there is only a report from Aug. 4. Fire Chief Thomas Sammons said only one fire was reported to his department.

Bernardo is disappointed that this occurrence has not received public attention, he told iBerkshires, and wants the community to be aware of what happened.

A regular churchgoer, he described the act as "atrocious." He speculated that the situation may not be publicized because of city efforts to frame the area as a cultural hub.

"The night before last, they burned the doors again," Bernardo said. "Nobody's doing anything."

Any suspicious activity should be reported to the Pittsfield Police Department at 413-448-9700 or on the PPD website.

Tags: arson,

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Neal Tours Berkshire Innovation Center as Pittsfield's Tech Economy Grows

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
05:38PM / Thursday, October 15, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass. —Congressman Richard Neal visited the Berkshire Innovation Center Thursday to highlight $735,000 in federal funding secured for a new cybersecurity training and testing facility.

"The number one job of the federal government is to provide for the security of its people. I mean, we should never lose sight of that, whether it's China or Russia, every single day there are these belligerents that are attempting to infiltrate national security here in the United States, and we should not be naive about it," Neal said. "I mean, we can have an argument about proportionality; we can do a lot of different things, but not to miss the point of what they're trying to do every day."

The new cybersecurity facility will provide regional manufacturers and businesses with research and design equipment, specialized lab space, and training facilities and is planned to be housed in a to-be-redeveloped space across the street from the Berkshire Innovation Center (BIC), located at 45 Woodlawn Ave.

The derelict property, formerly owned by General Electric, is now known as the William Stanley Business Park.

The project is a $7.2 million dollar investment from the state, $5.2 million from the tech collaborative, $2 million from bond funding secured by Neal, and $1 million that will be split into two phases: $500,000 for BIC to begin building and $500,000 for Myrias Optics to start production in Pittsfield, said Mayor Peter Marchetti.

BIC Executive Director Ben Sosne said manufacturers often highlight the need for help with cybersecurity, particularly in meeting the security requirements necessary to conduct business with General Dynamics and other major contractors.

Collaborators in the field and the public sector have recognized the need that has only grown since technology has advanced and is a great career opportunity, Sosne said.

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