image description — Crosby School's fourth-grade class poses on Monday with the snowplow they named through a state contest.

Crosby Kids Get Visit From 'Flurry Fighter' Snowplow

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
05:13PM / Monday, April 10, 2023Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A state plow named by Crosby School's fourth-grade class is fighting snow on city streets.

On Monday, state Department of Transportation representatives traveled to the elementary school to congratulate the students on winning the snowplow naming contest.

The victorious title, "Flurry Fighter," was a mixture of the 13 students' top choices.

Khalessi Daury-Jackson enjoyed the collaboration.

"We all came up with it as a class," she explained. "Randomly, half the class said one name, the other half said another name so we kind of just smushed it together and we came up with that."

The class was one of 12 name winners out of more than 900 entries. The contest ran in December and two plow trucks were named in each of the six highway districts.

"I don't know if you guys saw the truck going down the road doing the snow this year but we did a lot of work this year to keep those roads clean and safe for everybody," District One maintenance engineer Michael Fabiano said.

"You'll see the vehicle in the future. They're based right out of here in our Pittsfield depot so I'm certain you'll see them going up Route 20 or down 7."

MassDOT gifted the class with a Flurry Fighter sign and a $100 gift card, which teacher Danielle Bradley said will be spent on classroom seating.

"They were very excited," she explained. "There were other classes in the building that submitted names, too, so they were excited that they won."

Excitement was in the air as the students took pictures in front of the plow.

"It reminded me of boxing," Maxton Powell said.

Ethen Zama explained that the name reminds him of Canada and how he wants to go there.

"I just think it’s an awesome idea, I think the collaboration was amazing," Principal Candy Allessio said.

The second truck named in District 1 is "Sled Zeppelin," named by sixth-graders at Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School in Shelburne Falls. They're plow made a visit earlier on Monday.

The other "Name A Snowplow" contest winners are Flurry Fighter, Luke Snowalker, Plower Ranger, Sherlock Snowmes, Snowdrop, Arctic Beast, Snow day No Way, Blizzard Wizard, Snow Big Deal, Snow Time to Lose, and Blizzard of Oz.

The aim is to celebrate the snow and ice season and recognize the hard work of public works employees and contractors during winter storms.

Tags: contest, Crosby School, MassDOT, snowplow,

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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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