When N.L. Dennis was singing in a recording studio with Toots and the Maytals, Bob Marley stopped by to listen. Marley praised Dennis's delivery. Today, Dennis lives in his native Jamaica and joins hundreds of Jamaicans who come to Vermont every summer in search of better paying work. Most of them work on vegetable farms and at apple orchards. Dennis works as a reggae musician.

On July 28 at 11 a.m., Dennis and the Thunderballs will play a free concert at the Putney, Vermont farmers' market. Putney is near Brattleboro. Donations are appreciated by the band.

On July 17, some of the 134 people who were arrested in Amherst on May 7 for protesting UMass's support of Israel's war on Gaza had a court date. The protest was peaceful. The UMass professors' union president said he supports the protesters. Two-time Pulitzer Prize winning author Colson Whitehead responded to the arrests by canceling his planned speech at the UMass graduation ceremony, which was on May 18. Whitehead also won a MacArthur fellowship (the annual award is now $800,000) and the National Book Award. The protesters have a web page at:

www.instagram.com/umass_sjp

In a victory for education and workers' rights, protesters in Northampton got some of what they wanted July 2 when the city council voted to approve the mayor's revised school budget, Rachel Maiore told the Valley Post. She is a member of the city council and former director of the Valley Women's March, which brought thousands of people into the streets of Northampton the day Trump became president, and every year of his presidency. Photos of the 2019 march are at:

https://valleypost.org/2019/01/19/photos-northampton-womens-march

A land trust has saved 200 acres of farmland in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Deerfield borders Greenfield. The USA is losing 6,000 acres of open space to development every DAY. In a June 16 email to the Valley Post, a spokesperson for Franklin Land Trust confirmed the deal.

In a victory for education and workers' rights, protesters in Northampton got some of what they wanted when the mayor announced more school funding on June 5. As of June 7, the city council had not yet posted on its web site the minutes of its June 6 meeting. The council was to have voted on the mayor's plan at the meeting.

About 100 people rallied against proposed budget cuts at Northampton public schools, Scott McLennan told the Valley Post. He works for the teachers' union. The union has a web site at www.MassTeacher.org. The rally was on May 17.

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The Amherst Young Feminist Party organized a walkout and rally with about 200 students from Amherst middle and high school on May 24, according to the group's facebook page. The goal was to increase access in the USA to reproductive healthcare. Mindy Domb is a member of the state legislature. She spoke at the rally. The group's web site is:

https://generationratifyam.wixsite.com/website

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About 100 people rallied against proposed budget cuts at Northampton public schools, Scott McLennan told the Valley Post. He works for the teachers' union. The union has a web site at www.MassTeacher.org. The rally was on May 17.

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On May 23 in Springfield about 50 people attended a rally to stop Wells Fargo bank from evicting a low-income family from the family's home. “The rally went really well,” Rose Webster-Smith told the Valley Post. She works for the group that organized the rally. The group has a web site at www.SpringfieldNoOneLeaves.org.

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In Springfield on May 21 there will be a climate rally. It starts at 5 p.m. at 244 Worthington Street. The organizers have a web page at:

https://climateactionnowma.org/our-allies/

A major cause of climate change is overpopulation, according to:

www.biologicaldiversity.org/programs/population_and_sustainability/climate/

For people in Brattleboro who want to know what the state legislature is doing, the best option may be to read VTDigger. The mission of the Vermont Journalism Trust, owner of the popular news website, is to “produce rigorous journalism that explains complex issues, promotes public accountability and fosters democratic and civic engagement.”

What's less clear is how much the group wants itself to be subject to public accountability and democratic and civic engagement.

On April 26 in Amherst about 125 peace protesters held signs inside and outside an event at UMass with the governor of Massachusetts. The protesters were calling for UMass to stop investing in companies that take part in Israel's war on Gaza, and to cut ties with military contractors.