Pittsfield Car Crash Knocks Radio Stations Off Air

04:00PM / Monday, November 04, 2024Print Story | Email Story

Update: Police identify suspect in chase.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — A police pursuit that ended in a crash reportedly cut power temporarily to four local radio stations on Monday and set the car on fire.

The suspect in the pursuit, Anthony Winters, 27, of Pittsfield, was charged with numerous motor vehicle offenses as well as assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (motor vehicle.)

Live 95.9-FM and 1420-AM went off the air around 9:30 a.m., according to their Facebook posts.

"Due to an emergency and technical difficulties, we are currently off-air. Engineers are working as quickly as possible to get the station back up and running. Thank you for your patience," 95.9 posted.

According to police, an officer made a motor vehicle stop for civil traffic infractions in the area of West and Edwin Streets. The operator of the vehicle initially stopped but then fled the scene "making contact" with the officer in the process of fleeing. The pursuit traveled on West to Jason Street.

The suspect vehicle lost control in the 200 block, colliding with the utility pole. The crash broke the pole and resulted in the power outage and the motor vehicle catching fire. The suspect fled on foot and was apprehended a short time later in the vicinity of the crash.

David Isby, with the stations' owner Townsquare Media, came by the accident, which he posted on Facebook.

"High speed chase on Jason Street - driver snapped pole in half - then exited vehicle and ran," he posted, with pictures of the car catching on fire. "What's more 4 radio stations are off the air until power gets restored or the generator at studios (which kicked on) gets working properly!!"

The images show a dark colored, late model four-door car smashed front-end first into a guardrail — right below a deer crossing sign — and a pole and wires laying the road. First the car is smoking with driver's side door open and then fully ablaze. Firefighters reportedly had to wait until Eversource could cut power before attempting to douse the fire.

Jason Street was closed for several hours while utility companies restored power and was reopened around 2:30 p.m. The officer was not injured and returned to work shortly after. Winters was treated for minor injuries at Berkshire Medical Center and then discharged.

Tags: police chase, power outage,

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State Wins $130M to Advance West-East Rail

03:03PM / Saturday, October 17, 2026

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Some $130 million in federal monies is being invested into passenger rail along the so-called Knowledge Corridor and for laying the groundwork to establish West-East Rail from Albany, N.Y., to Boston.

The funding for the Springfield Hub Modernization Project was announced on Friday by Gov. Maura Healey, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and James McGovern.

The project is part of the state's Compass Rail vision, centered on Springfield Union Station and building on existing Amtrak Vermonter, Hartford Line and Valley Flyer service.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation was awarded the funding through the Federal Railroad Administration's Fiscal Years 2025-2026 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program to support modernization of the rail infrastructure around Springfield Union Station.

"This is a major win for Western Massachusetts and a big step forward for West-East Rail," said Healey in a statement. "This $130 million investment in Springfield will help us improve transportation, reduce congestion and connect more communities to jobs, housing and economic opportunity. I'm grateful to Senators Markey and Warren, Congressmen Neal and McGovern, and all of our partners for helping us secure this critical funding and move us closer to expanded passenger rail service across Massachusetts."

The project will upgrade tracks, signals and other infrastructure to address a major rail bottleneck, reduce conflicts between freight and passenger trains, and allow more efficient operations and expanded rail service. This work is expected to improve on-time performance, reduce delays and provide more schedule flexibility for Amtrak Vermonter and Valley Flyer passengers. The project will also create capacity for future passenger rail service while reducing unnecessary train idling, emissions and operating costs.

"Building West-East rail is a once-in a-lifetime investment to connect Massachusetts' communities and our regional economies like never before. It will mean lower costs, less congestion, and access to opportunity for families across the state," said Markey. "I'm proud to have secured this $130 million in federal funding alongside Governor Healey, Senator Warren, Congressman Neal and Congressman McGovern, bringing our total federal investment to more than $280 million to date, which will build the track to this more affordable, cleaner, better connected future."

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