Eviction Sealing Information Session at the Pittsfield Athenaeum

11:00AM / Tuesday, December 02, 2025Print Story | Email Story

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Community Legal Aid will be holding an information session on Eviction Sealing to help eligible residents of Berkshire County learn how to seal their eviction records.

Community Legal Aid is a non-profit organization that provides free legal services annually to over 700 low- income and elderly residents of Berkshire County.

The information session will be led by Community Legal Aid Housing Law Attorney Angelina Morisi and is open to the public. It will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., at the Berkshire Athenaeum, located at 1 Wendell Ave., in the Athenaeum Room.

As rental prices soar in Massachusetts, tenants with eviction cases on their records are finding it more difficult to secure affordable housing. A new Massachusetts law, Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 239 s. 16, that took effect on May 5, 2025, allows certain eligible tenants to petition the Court to seal their eviction record.

Tenants may submit a petition to seal their evictions online, in person at the courthouse, or by mail. Not all cases are sealable. Examples of some of the types of cases that may be eligible to be sealed are: when a tenant has won their eviction case (judgment in favor of the tenant); when a tenant was not at fault for the eviction (no-fault eviction); non- payment of rent cases where the tenant has paid the amount owed; and non-payment of rent cases that are at least four years old where the tenant did not pay the amount owed because of a financial hardship. The information session will cover these topics and answer questions about the new law. Tenants can also find out more about eviction sealing at SealMyEviction.org.

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Peace Officer Standards Commission Strips Former Pittsfield Cop of Certification

By Brittany PolitoiBerkshires Staff
02:52PM / Tuesday, August 25, 2026

PITTSFIELD, Mass.— A former Pittsfield Police officer was one of five statewide who recently had their licenses revoked by the POST Commission.

Last week, the Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Commission voted to strip five former officers of their licenses to work in law enforcement, including former PPD officer William Straub.

The commission had determined that these workers were unfit to carry a badge and gun in Massachusetts; so far, 92 state police officers have been decertified by the commission.

Records indicate that Straub faced charges tied to a 2024 incident, but details are redacted. On Oct. 31, 2024, the POST Commission suspended Straub's law enforcement certification, and he resigned from PPD in April.

"According to Pittsfield District Court records, Straub pleaded guilty in April to two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery tied to a 2024 incident," MassLive wrote on Monday.

"Three other charges, including drunk driving and carrying a firearm while intoxicated, were continued without a finding. While that resolution allows the charges to be dismissed after a period of time if Straub abides by certain conditions, the commission treats them as a criminal conviction."

According to records, he was certified as a police officer in July of 2021, and recertified in July 2024.

"The Respondent's appointing agency, the Pittsfield Police Department ("PPD"), submitted a final report to the Commission finding that the Respondent had engaged in criminal conduct and conduct unbecoming [of] an officer," the Aug. 20 final decision to decertify reads.

"The Respondent resigned from PPD on April 9, 2026, prior to the imposition of any discipline."

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