In Ashfield, Massachusetts, 150 acres of open space has been permanently protected from development. Ashfield is near Northampton and Greenfield. “The plan is for the Franklin Land Trust to embark upon an eco-restoration project to transform Edge Hill (golf course) into high-quality wetland and shrub-land habitat for species such as bobolinks,” Sebastian LaMontagne told the Valley Post. He works for Franklin Land Trust, which saved the land. “Otters are frequently seen playing in a small pond on the property. Edge Hill will be open to the public for passive recreation such as hiking and cross-country skiing.”

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In Northampton on February 4, about 40 people attended a rally to protest the police killing of Tyre Nichols in Memphis, Michael Kowalchuk, one of the Northampton rally organizers, told the Valley Post. The high temp in Northampton on February 4 was 16 degrees with winds that got up to 24 mph. The event was organized by Massachusetts Peace Action, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and other groups.

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In a voice phone interview on February 9 the new Brattleboro town manager, John Potter, told the Valley Post he will look at the state's plans to fix the pedestrian death trap on Route 5 between the West river bridge and the Friends of the Sun wood stove store. "I've been running there a few times," he said. The state's plans are wholly inadequate, experts say.

Potter also said he will learn more about the fee on vacant commercial buildings that exists in the Pioneer Valley town of Easthampton, Massachusetts, and in other towns and cities around the nation. The Brattleboro Home Depot and its vast parking lot have been vacant for many years.