MassDOT Extends Deadline for 'Name A Snowplow' Contest

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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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15 People Displaced in Pittsfield Home Fires

Staff Reports

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Fifteen people were displaced after 2-alarm home fires this weekend on Springside Avenue and Elaine Drive. 

On Friday evening, the Fire Department responded to a structure fire at 209 Springside Ave., which took a four-hour battle to extinguish and resulted in a partial roof collapse. The next day, on Saturday evening, crews knocked down a fire at 121 Elaine Drive in about an hour. 

The garage and part of the single-family home on Elaine Drive were gutted to the frame, along with a vehicle parked in the driveway. On Springside Avenue, the top level and porch of the multifamily were burned through.  

A GoFundMe has been started for the family of the Elaine Drive home, which includes several young children.  The fundraiser, with a $5,500 goal, explains they lost their home and all of their belongings. (iBerkshires.com does not confirm or endorse fundraisers; they are provided as information only.)

There were no civilian or firefighter injuries, and both incidents are under investigation.  One dog was rescued on Springside Avenue. 

On Oct. 10, around 6:15 p.m., PFD responded to the Springside Avenue home for a reported structure fire and saw a 2 1/2-story wood frame multifamily with a heavy blaze showing from the second-floor front porch, extending out. 

The building suffered a partial roof collapse, which prolonged extinguishment. The fire was brought under control after about four hours.

“An aggressive offensive attack was mounted by first arriving crews stretching hose lines into the building as well as primary searches that proved negative. Ladders were placed around the structure to provide access as well as escape if needed. An off-duty Fire Captain had also been on scene early in the incident to help evacuate the structure and rescue a dog,” PFD wrote in a press release. 

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