High-Density Housing Looking for a Home in Amherst

In the last few weeks, a housing developer from Columbus, Ohio has approached residents in an area south of the UMass Amherst campus about buying parcels of land on Sunset Avenue for the construction of student housing. Despite a rising need for such high-density, space-efficient housing stemming from the university’s large student population and long-term plans to continue expanding its student enrollment in the coming years, the project has faced criticism from some homeowners in the area.

Photo: Protest Sign on Interstate 91 Near Vermont Yankee

As of July 8, this sign was visible to motorists heading south on the freeway in Bernardston, Mass., near Greenfield and the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The sign was put up at least a week earlier. Vermont Yankee is owned by Entergy Corp. of Louisiana. Residents of towns near the reactor have voted overwhelmingly to close Vermont Yankee. For background on this issue, please see:

http://valleypost.org/2007/11/09/what-can-history-nuclear-power-teach-us...

and click the "nuclear power" tag at the top of this article.

'Get Off the Bus'

A recent incident on a Pioneer Valley Transit Authority bus has set off a surge of advocacy efforts in support of the right of mothers to breastfeed in public places. On June 16, a PVTA driver asked a woman to stop nursing her baby daughter. When she refused, he insisted that she, the baby, and her 7-year-old son get off the bus.

Photo: A Swim in the River

After weeks of cool, rainy weather, summer has finally arrived in New England. On June 25, temperatures hit the mid-80s and a swimmer enjoyed the cool water of the Connecticut river in Brattleboro. That night, there was heat lightening, and hundreds of fireflies could be seen. (To make the photo bigger, please click on it.) photo by Eesha Williams

Photo: Keene Local Food Activist

Bonnie Hudspeth of Keene buys local organic eggs at the Hannah Grimes store on Main Street in downtown Keene after walking through a rain storm. Hudspeth works for a non-profit organization, the Keene Downtown Group. The Group's mission is to make downtown Keene better. Downtown Keene is walk-able and is full of locally owned businesses. Suburban Keene is dominated by cars, Wal-Mart, and other chain stores. For details, call Hudspeth at 603-352-0900. More info on the egg store is at www.HannahGrimes.com

photo by Eesha Williams

Photo: Rare Bird Near Greenfield

A rare Henslow's sparrow was seen in June on Meadow Road in Montague, Mass. People travelled hundreds of miles to see the bird. Mark Fairbrother of Montague saw the sparrow first, according to the Greenfield Recorder newspaper.

photo by Steve Mirick

Organizing to Close Vermont Yankee

On June 20, volunteers with the Citizens Awareness Network (CAN) www.vtcitizen.org got ready to go door-to-door in Rockingham and Westminster, Vermont. They asked residents to sign a petition to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. For more on this issue, please click the "nuclear power" tag, above. To enlarge the photo, click on it. photo by Eesha Williams

A Sunny Day on the Connecticut River in Greenfield

This photo, taken on June 4, shows the view looking north from Massachusetts Route 2 on the Greenfield/Gill town line. The river is tested by the state of New Hampshire and other agencies and is now safe for swimming. (For many years it was too polluted.) Please click on the photo to enlarge it. photo by Eesha Williams

Vermont Governor Sides With Louisiana Nuclear Co. Against State Legislature

Vermont Governor Jim Douglas on May 22 vetoed a bill that would have required Entergy Corporation of Louisiana to pay for cleaning up the mess it made at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. On June 3, Vermont Senate president Peter Shumlin of Putney said the legislature will wait until January 2010 to try to override Douglas's veto.

Anti-nuclear march, Brattleboro, 2008. photo by Eesha Williams (click to enlarge)

 

Bear Chases Man Near Downtown Keene; Both OK

From the Keene Sentinel: A hungry young black bear ripped open a homeless man’s tent Tuesday (May 26) and chased him through the woods in Keene, according to wildlife officials. The local man, identified as Dave Kolek, was not injured during the incident. Kolek wears tattered clothing, has a thick beard and long hair and is known by an array of nicknames, including “Tarzan” and “Jumanji.”

The bear tore open Kolek’s tent, which was located in a wooded area near the intersection of Main Street and Route 101, shortly after 10:30 a.m., N.H. Fish and Game Officer Josiah Towne said.