MassDOT Extends Deadline for 'Name A Snowplow' Contest

03:42PM / Saturday, December 06, 2025Print Story | Email Story

BOSTON — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is announcing an extended deadline for the fourth annual "Name a Snowplow" contest for students in Massachusetts.

The contest seeks to solicit names for 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service for the upcoming 2025/2026 winter season. Submissions will now be received through 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12. The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to help recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during the winter season. Winning names will be announced on Friday, Dec. 19.

Applications for the contest are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 12, and can be submitted by using an online portal: https://www.mass.gov/forms/name-a-snowplow-contest-submission. The contest winners will be invited to participate in a scheduled snowplow unveiling event.

A selection panel composed of MassDOT employees will choose two elementary school classroom winners that are located within each of the six Highway Division districts. The winning submissions will be evaluated based on two grade-level categories: 1) kindergarten through fourth grade; and 2) fifth grade through eighth grade.

During the third annual snowplow naming contest last winter, the winning names were: Snowana, Control-Salt-Delete, Taylor Drift, Ice S'now More, Ice Ice Baby, It's Snow Problem, Mac N'Freeze, Blizzard Buster, C 3 P Snow, Snow Force One, Abominable Plowman, and Meltin' John. These names, which were placed on the sides of plow trucks a year ago, remain on those vehicles.

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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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