Thanks to the work of activists in Springfield, 1.5 miles of abandoned train tracks will be turned into a rail trail. "The design for the McKnight Community Trail is in progress," Liz Stevens told the Valley Post on March 8. She is part of an all-volunteer group that has a web site at www.WalkBikeSpringfieldMA.org. "The actual construction of the trail is expected to happen in 2023.... On March 6, I walked on a section of the trail with Andy Krar, the city engineer, and saw work being done by... the company contracted to create the trail design. A crew was there to collect soil samples....
March 06, 2020
Brattleboro Climate March is April 22
On April 22 at 3 p.m. there will be a climate march from the Brattleboro town common to the corner of Elliot and Main streets. One of the groups that's organizing the march has a web site at www.350Vermont.org.
The biggest cause of climate change is over-population. Population is growing fastest in Africa. But in 2014 (the most recent year for which data is available) the average person in the USA produced 16.5 tons of carbon dioxide. The average person in Mali produced 0.1 tons that year. That's according to:
February 21, 2020
Local News Round-up
In Holyoke on February 21 at 4 p.m. there will be a rally in solidarity with Native Americans in Canada who are fighting construction of a fracked gas pipeline. The rally will be at 12-6 Mt. Park Road. More information about the rally is available by calling Gia at (413) 512-1192. More information about the pipeline is on the web site of the tribe that's leading the fight to stop it:
www.wetsuweten.com/territory/pipelines
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February 07, 2020
Activists Take to the Streets
In Springfield on February 5 there was a rally to protest the U.S. senate's acquittal of Trump. The rally was outside city hall. “We had about 50 people, which was great considering we just posted the event less than 48 hours before,” organizer Jackie Neiman told the Valley Post. The organizers have a web site at www.RiseUpWesternMass.com.
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On February 13 at Mount Holyoke College there be a climate rally. It will be outside Blanchard Hall at 12:20 p.m. A campus map is at:
January 18, 2020
Photos: Women's March
About 500 people took part in the Springfield Women's March on January 18. The organizers have a web site at www.PioneerValleyWomensMarch.org. The most frequently seen signs opposed Trump's policies and supported peace, justice, and environmental protection. To enlarge a photo, click on it, then scroll down and click "see full size image." Then you can click on the photo to zoom in more. photos by Eesha Williams
January 17, 2020
Workers Unite
About 130 tutors who are employed by the Keene public school system are planning a rally to demand justice. “We are planning on rallying at central square but we don’t have a date yet,” Kathy Twombly told the Valley Post on January 15, 2020. She is president of the tutors' union. Twombly's union is part of a bigger union that has a web site at www.nea.org.
December 29, 2019
Workers Win
Thanks to the labor movement, on January 1 the minimum wage will go up to $12.75 an hour in Massachusetts and $10.96 an hour in Vermont. The New Hampshire minimum wage will remain at $7.25. In the 1930s workers went on strike around the nation, forcing politicians to pass the first minimum wage laws. To this day, unions lobby to raise the minimum wage. One of the most active unions in the Pioneer Valley and Brattleboro has a web site at www.ufcw1459.com. New Hampshire unions have a web site at www.nhaflcio.org.
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December 12, 2019
150 at Rally
In Springfield, about 150 people attended a rally calling on politicians to do more to deal with climate change. “There were great speakers and there was amazing energy from everyone,” Grace Tatian told the Valley Post. She is a student at Mount Holyoke College. The rally was on December 6. More information is at:
www.facebook.com/SunriseSouthHadley
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October 16, 2019
Workers Unite
In Springfield on October 14, about 25 workers attended a rally outside their employer's office. They are paramedics and EMTs. They work for American Medical Response Corporation, a subsidiary of Global Medical Response (GMR) Corporation. GMR has about 38,000 employees. It's based in Texas.
September 25, 2019
3,500 at Valley Climate Protests
On September 20 in the Valley, around 3,500 people attended marches and rallies calling on politicians to do more to stop climate change. About 1,000 people marched in Northampton. About 1,000 people marched in Brattleboro; photos are at:
Around 600 people attended rallies in Greenfield, according to organizers. The Northampton march was at 5 p.m. At noon in Northampton about 400 people attended a downtown rally.