UNICO Baseball/Softball Hall Inductions Set for Friday

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. – UNICO of Pittsfield will host the 29th annual induction ceremony for its Baseball/Softball Hall of Fame at the Wahconah Country Club on Friday, Nov. 21.
 
The five new inductees will join 156 others who have been inducted since 1996.
 
This Class of 2025 includes:
 
Ron Bartlett (Taconic High School)
 
Bartlett started his playing days as a catcher in the Richmond Little League. He continued to compete in the Babe Ruth league, played on the South County American Legion Team and then transferred to the Tyler Aces.
 
After playing for two years as the catcher at Taconic and upon graduation, he continued his education at Florida State University where he was one of only three walk-ons from a group of 120 selected to play varsity ball. He later transferred to Miami Dade South Junior College, where his team won the conference championship.
 
After completing a final year at Florida State, Bartlett returned to the  Berkshires where he served as assistant coach to Don Murphy, played four years for the Dalton Collegians and coached five years in the Great Barrington minor and little leagues.
 
Kristin Massimiano Browne (Taconic High School)
 
Massimiano Browne began her softball career in the Pittsfield Parks League where she was named to the all-star team. At Taconic High School, she was a four-year starter at third base and was named to the All-Berkshire first team three times, All-Western Mass second team and the  All-Western Mass team (twice). She added to her softball resume when she was named twice to the Western Mass Bay State Games softball team and played club ball for the Westfield NWS elite team.
 
At Williams College, Massimiano Browne was twice named to the all New England Small College Athletic Conference first team. She also served as an assistant varsity coach at Taconic.
 
Dan Flynn (Lenox Memorial Middle/High School)
 
Flynn was a four year starter on the Lenox varsity baseball team. He was the baseball co-captain in his senior year, when he led the team in batting average, home runs, runs batted in, runs scored, walks and stolen bases and ended his high school career with a batting average of .350. As a catcher and third baseman he was named to the all conference, all-Berkshire and all-Western Mass teams.
 
During this same time he played for the Lenoxdale Post 274 legion team for five years. At Rollins College he was a four-year starter as catcher. He made the team as a walk-on and earned a baseball scholarship. After graduation he served as the Rollins assistant coach and was invited to play in the Cape Cod baseball League.At Rollins, he was named to the first team all conference team, as well as all tournament teams and was named the 1980 Rollins college scholar athlete.
 
Allie Hunt (Pittsfield High School)
 
Allie was a four-year high school starting shortstop and served as captain in her junior and senior years. During this time, she received a number of recognitions including Pittsfield High, conference and Berkshire County MVP, Division 1 all-Western Mass First Team (twice) and the 2014-15 Sports Caravan Athlete of the year in softball.
 
At Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Hunt was a five-year third baseman and named to a number of athletic and academic  teams including the Liberty League all academic team (three times), ECAC academic honor roll , NCAA D-3 all region third team and was an Olympia inductee, which is RPI’s athletic honor society.
 
Chris Keegan (Pittsfield High School)
 
Keegan is a proud Marine Corps veteran and member of the Marine Corps League. He was an active participant in his community’s football, basketball and baseball youth leagues. He also has been a highly productive and valued contributor to a number of athletic programs including activities in the Boys and Girls Club, Camp Russell, Pittsfield Little League and Babe Ruth leagues. He also is a high school volleyball official.
 
Keegan has been recognized for his work as the Taconic High School assistant baseball coach where he has recently stepped down after 30 years of dedicated service to Taconic high school athletes.
 
A dinner will follow the presentations. If any prior honorees wish to attend the cost of the meal is $50. Please contact Mark Ringie at  413-212-1588 for reservations.
 
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Dalton Special Town Meeting Rejects Land Buy for Police Station

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Voters hold up cards to be counted on a vote to cast secret ballots on purchase of land question. Voters rejected the land purchase but authorized buying electronic devices for future voting.  
DALTON, Mass. — A special town meeting on Monday night authorized 11 of 12 warrant articles, only nixing a contentious proposal to buy land for a police station.
 
After nearly an hour of discussion, 113 voters rejected by secret ballot the purchase of land on West Housatonic Street for $69,700.
 
Article 2 needed two-thirds to pass, and failed 65-48, about 10 votes short. 
 
A motion was made by Robert Collins for the article to be voted on by secret ballot to ensure ballot privacy, which was approved by 72-19. 
 
Town officials have been debating options for a new police station for more than year, focusing on several parcels that could host a new building and, more recently, the possibility of a combined fire and police station. These included the West Housatonic site, another on Main street and the vacant Dalton High lot next to the Senior Center. 
 
Resident Adelard Nadeau Jr., who previously served on the Fire District's Prudential Committee, argued that the town is spending money that it does not have. 
 
He advocated for the lot by the Senior Center which he believed to be cheaper and shovel ready. 
 
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