160 March

About 160 people marched in South Hadley, Massachusetts on March 8. They were protesting a decision by Mount Holyoke College, which has $789 million in its endowment, to close a child care center. South Hadley borders Holyoke. “This impacts women most,” Andrea Fernandes told the Valley Post in a voice phone interview on March 10. She is one of the march organizers.

The group that organized the march has a web page at:

www.facebook.com/groups/268773044614053

120 Rally

Eighty or so people marched in Northampton to protest nuclear weapons. The January 22 march was organized by several groups, one of which has a web site at www.TheResistanceCenter.org. After the march there was a rally.

***********

Victory for Brattleboro Bike-Ped Activists

After years of pushing for crosswalks to be built on one of the busiest roads in Brattleboro, activists are celebrating the opening of the first crosswalk. It's on Putney Road in front of the circus school and it has a solar powered flashing light that turns on when people press a button. The activists have a web site at www.LocalMotion.org. A crosswalk in front of Hannaford supermarket will be built in or around March, the town manager told the Valley Post. The below photo was taken on January 20.

1,500 Acres Saved

Fifteen hundred acres of forestland has been protected from development in Holyoke and West Springfield. “The deal will be completed on or around April 22. I am certain it will go through,” Bob Wilbur told the Valley Post in a voice phone interview on January 13. He is director of land conservation for MassAudubon. A map of the land is at:

https://www.massaudubon.org/our-conservation-work/land-conservation/urge...

Photo: Green Mountain Forest

There are two popular ways to get to the summit of Stratton Mountain in Vermont, near Brattleboro. One is to take a ski lift. The other is to hike. The hiking trail is on the opposite side of the mountain from the ski resort so hikers don't see any sign of the resort until they reach the fire tower at the summit. The summit is big so the only sign of the ski resort from the fire tower is the top of one ski lift in the distance. This photo was taken on November 8 from the fire tower. It shows Somerset lake and, beyond the lake, Massachusetts.

Workers' Strike Shuts Down Cafe

About a dozen workers at a coffee shop in Brattleboro are on strike. Mocha Joe's is closed due to the strike. The strike began on October 24. “We are not making a livable wage,” Lu Racine told the Valley Post in an in-person interview on the picket line. Racine has worked at Mocha Joe's for about 18 months.

Nel McNeill has worked at Mocha Joe's for about a year. “One of our co-workers was fired over something small,” McNeill said.

The workers can be reached at mj.coworkers@gmail.com. They are asking the public to sign their petition at:

250 in the Streets

Two hundred or so people attended a Women's March rally in Brattleboro on October 17. Protesters held signs that said, “Black Lives Matter,” that called for gay rights and for action on climate change, and that encouraged people to vote. The second photo, below, shows the rally. It was taken by Leah Nussbaum.

Organizers have a web site at www.WomensMarch.com. One reliable source said about 150 people were at the Brattleboro rally; another said 225 or so.

************

Rally, March Planned

At 4:30 p.m. on September 3 in Springfield there will be a rally to protest a proposed facility that would cause lung cancer and climate change. It would turn trees into electricity. The rally will be outside city hall. Details are at:

http://climateactionnowma.org/public-action-stop-the-polluting-biomass-p...

**********

In Northampton on September 5 there will be a Black Lives Matter march. It starts at 1 p.m. at Sheldon field and ends at the police station. It's being promoted by the Pioneer Valley Workers' Center.

**********

Nurses Fight Back

On August 24 in Springfield, about 75 people attended a rally calling on Mercy Medical Center owner Trinity Corporation to provide better health care. The rally was organized by the nurses who work at the hospital. They have a web site at www.MassNurses.org. The below photo shows four nurses at the rally. The photo is by Joe Markman. To enlarge the photo, click on it, then scroll down and click “see full size image.”

Brattleboro BLM Rally is July 17 at 5 p.m.

In Brattleboro on July 17 at 5 p.m., there will be a Black Lives Matter rally at Pliny Park at the corner of Main and High streets. More information is at:

www.facebook.com/events/1206897952976729

********