On February 13 in Northampton, about 25 people attended a march, with rallies before and after. They were protesting Stop & Shop’s involvement in the destruction of the Amazon rain forest. Details are available via the web site of one of the groups that organized the march: www.xrWesternMass.org. Workers at the River Valley food co-op in Northampton are union members. The below photo shows the second rally. To enlarge the photo click on it, then scroll down and click “see full size image.” photo by Hayley Berliner

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Soul singer Son Little will perform a concert at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on January 28 at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18 plus a "service fee." In December he will play in Los Angeles. In March he will play in Paris, France. You can hear one of his songs at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=zilN0KCkhRA

The annual Northampton Women's March, which attracts thousands of people every year, is moving to Springfield. “It will be on January 18,” Rachel Maiore told the Valley Post on November 19. She's the main organizer. “What a gift it’s been to develop relationships with community leaders in the Springfield area.”

Details are at www.PioneerValleyWomensMarch.org.

In Brattleboro on November 3 there will be a rally to call on congress to remove Trump from office. Among his likely crimes are sexually assaulting women, failing to pay taxes -- Trump is a billionaire -- and using taxpayer money to bribe leaders of foreign nations to help Trump get re-elected. The rally starts at 2 p.m. at Pliny Park at the corner of Main and High streets. As of October 30 about 30 people had RSVP'd. Details are at:

www.facebook.com/events/2960179400874665

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Proving the power of collective action, a group of college students in Northampton scored a major victory against climate change. On October 18, Smith College announced it will stop buying stock in fossil fuel companies and will sell the stock the college owns in those companies. More than $100 million of Smith College's $1.9 billion in savings is invested in fossil fuel companies. The students used rallies to pressure the college to divest.

On October 5 a land trust announced it had saved 350 acres of forestland in two towns that border Northampton. Kestrel Land Trust permanently protected the land in Westhampton and Williamsburg. The USA is losing 6,000 acres of open space to development every day.

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The following local newspapers are owned by out-of-state corporations: Hampshire Gazette, Amherst Bulletin, Brattleboro Reformer, Springfield Republican, Greenfield Recorder, and Valley Advocate. The corporations that own these newspapers are run undemocratically. Other news organizations are run democratically. A group in Northampton that works nationally to improve local journalism had a major victory this summer when officials with the state of New Jersey announced the state will invest $2 million in local journalism.

About 450 people attended rallies in Northampton and Brattleboro on May 21. The rallies were calling on politicians to guarantee women's right to safe, legal abortions. “We had a great turnout,” Debby Pastrich-Klemer told the Valley Post. She was the MC at the Northampton rally. About 300 people were there, Pastrich-Klemer said.

Two students at Keene State College were among a group of 10 people who were arrested for non-violent civil disobedience at the New Hampshire statehouse. They were protesting a Republican effort to make it harder for people to vote. “It went really well,” Robby St. Laurent told the Valley Post in a telephone interview. He is one of the Keene students. The other was Jackson Brannen. In a phone interview Brannen told the Valley Post. “There were over 100 people there supporting us. It was a powerful moment. We want Governor Sununu to sign House Bill 106.” The arrests happened on May 7.

Ruth Moody will play at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton on May 12 at 7 p.m. Tickets cost $23. You can hear one of her songs at:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7LVzdyImdA