Eesha Williams's Blog, page 184
August 6, 2011
UMass Amherst, A Major Valley Employer, Is Run In Secret
The University of Massachusetts campus in Amherst, with 26,000 students, more than 900 professors, and thousands of other workers, is one of the biggest employers in the Valley. Workers at UMass belong to several unions. Since UMass workers work for the state, it's illegal for them to go on strike. So they lobby the governor, state legislature, and the UMass board of trustees for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. The trustees are appointed by the governor.
July 30, 2011
Northampton Company Mows Lawns With Sheep
A locally-owned company is offering sheep lawn mowing services in Northampton. The advantages of sheep over fossil fuel powered lawn mowers include: the animals are usually silent; they don't emit lung cancer-causing air pollution; they fertilize the lawn; and they produce cheese, yogurt, wool, and meat.
One hour of gas-powered lawn mowing produces as much pollution as driving a car for four hours. That's according to:
July 23, 2011
Anti-Nuke Activists Celebrate Brattleboro Court Ruling
On July 18, a federal judge in Brattleboro ruled that the state of Vermont had a better case than Entergy Corporation of Louisiana. Entergy wanted the judge to force Vermont to let Entergy run its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant until 2032. Vermont wants the nuke permanently closed by March 2012. "The fight is not over, but we are in a much better position now than we would have been if this decision had gone the other way," said Vermont attorney general Bill Sorrell.
July 16, 2011
Valley Nuke March Is July 30
Anti-nuclear activists are asking the public to join them on a march to the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant on July 30. Marchers can start in Keene or Brattleboro. Vermont Yankee is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone's throw from New Hampshire.
The march on Vermont Yankee is part of a 25 day March for a Nuclear Free World that will begin in Boston and end near Albany, New York. It will make stops at the Pilgrim nuclear power plant in eastern Massachusetts, and at the Seabrook...
July 9, 2011
Valley Land Saved
In the Valley, farmland and forest land are being permanently protected from development. Meanwhile in the Valley's downtowns, parking lots and run down, single family houses are being transformed into attractive apartment buildings.
Construction is scheduled to begin soon on a new building in downtown Keene that will contain 16 energy efficient apartments. The building , at 75 Railroad Street, will be owned by the Monadnock Economic Development Corporation.
July 2, 2011
Photos: Lake Swimming
These photos show people swimming in a lake at Pisgah State Park, and relaxing on the shoreline. Pisgah is the biggest state park in New Hampshire. It's about a 10 minute drive from Brattleboro, Keene, and Northfield, Massachusetts. The photos were taken on July 2. Mountain laurel flowers are visible in the second photo. To enlarge a photo, click on it, then scroll down and click "See full-size image." photos by Eesha Williams
Nationally Known Bands To Play Near Brattleboro Sept. 17
Six local bands, some of which tour nationally, will play at a festival whose mission is to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The music festival will be on September 17 in Newfane, Vermont. Newfane is about 10 minutes by car from Brattleboro.
Here are the web sites of the bands that are scheduled to perform:
