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Victim in Fatal Dragging Identified as Pittsfield Man

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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Police are searching for a suspect in a fatal hit-and-run on Tuesday. 
 
The victim was identified on Wednesday as William S. Colbert, 69, of Pittsfield.
 
His body was found nearly four miles away from where he was reportedly struck. 
 
The initial report was that someone was in the road, possibly struck by a motor vehicle, at the intersection of Linden Street and Francis Avenue at about 11:33 p.m.
 
According to the report filed by Sgt. David Hallas, officers were unable to locate either a victim or a vehicle at the intersection. They spoke with witnesses and canvassed the area. 
 
They found him in the road in the 1350 block of West Housatonic Street near the Best Western hotel. 
 
The victim was deceased. 
 
The investigation is pointing to the victim being struck at the Linden Street intersection and then trapped under the vehicle and dragged "to a final resting place" on West Housatonic. 
 
The driver of the vehicle fled the scene and is wanted by police. The car was described as a sedan, possibly a dark colored Toyota or Honda. 
 
It may have traveled on Linden Street, Robbins Avenue, Daniels Avenue, Columbus Avenue, Onota Street, South Merriam Street and West Housatonic. 
 
Police are asking that any information including footage from security cameras from between 11:33 and 11:49 p.m. be forwarded to dhallas@cityofpittsfield.org or adayton@cityofpittsfield.org or arrangements made for pickup. 
 
Hallas and Officer Anthony Dayton can also be reached 413-448-9700, Ext. 543 for Dayton and Ext. 560 for Hallas. 

Tags: fatal,   

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Pittsfield Holds Second Master Plan Workshop

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff

Participants added notes to the sectors  such as transportation, open space and neighborhoods  being reviewed by the Master Plan Steering Committee. 

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— The city is about halfway through developing its new master plan, and held a second community workshop this past Thursday. 

"Basically, we're talking to people from Pittsfield and trying to figure out, among a broad sector of issues that affect us, what is our goal and vision for the next 10 years, where we want Pittsfield to be in 10 years, and what changes do we want to see?" Director of Community Development Justine Dodds explained to about 20 community members and city staff at Conte Community School. 

"That will be broken down into some goals and objectives and then some measurable action items that we can all take as a community to move that forward."  

The Pittsfield Master Plan is the policy guide for future physical development, covering land use, infrastructure, sustainability, and more. The plan was last updated in 2009, and Pittsfield has engaged the VHB engineering firm and CommunityScale consultants to bring it through 2036. 

There have been two public listening sessions, a Master Plan Advisory Committee guiding the work, and small focus groups for each section. On poster boards, residents were able to see and mark the draft goals and actions under six themes: economic development, housing opportunities, transportation and infrastructure, environment and open space, neighborhoods and community, and governance and collaboration. 

In November 2025, community members participated in a similar exercise at City Hall. 

Transportation and infrastructure had several notes on them. Suggestions included using infrastructure to address the urban heat island effect, a light rail system, and continuing to implement Complete Streets standards for roadway construction projects. 

"I want to ride my bike to my friend's house safely," one respondent wrote. 

Under economic development, people suggested digital business infrastructure for the downtown, food hall opportunities, and nightlife opportunities. 

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