In Northampton on July 25, about 45 people attended a rally to protest Chase bank's support of the fossil fuel industry. The Brattleboro area was hit hard by floods this month. The floods were made worse by climate change. The Northampton rally organizers have a web site at http://climateactionnowma.org. Russ Vernon-Jones was one of the organizers. He told the Valley Post, "It was a great success.

About 100 people attended a rally in Springfield on July 17. Nurses are asking the community to join them in protesting corporate moves to make health care in the region worse. Nurses at Mercy Medical Center, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA) union (www.MassNurses.org) held an informational picket outside the hospital on July 17 in response to Mercy's owner Trinity Health Corporation recently closing 20 intermediate care beds, “temporarily” closing other essential services without any indication they will be re-opened, and creating a staffing and patient care crisis.

A labor rally is set for July 17 in Springfield. Nurses are asking the community to join them in protesting corporate moves to make health care in the region worse. Nurses at Mercy Medical Center, represented by the Massachusetts Nurses Association union (www.MassNurses.org) will hold an informational picket outside the hospital on July 17 in response to Mercy's owner Trinity Health Corporation recently closing 20 intermediate care beds, “temporarily” closing other essential services without any indication they will be re-opened, and creating a staffing and patient care crisis.

In Brattleboro, about 15 UPS workers attended a labor rally on June 30. On August 1, the biggest strike against a single employer in U.S. history will probably start. UPS workers this summer voted 97 percent in favor of striking if they don't get a fair union contract. UPS reported record profits that let $8 billion in dividends be paid to UPS shareholders last year. Many UPS workers make $15 an hour. The workers have a web site at https://teamster.org.

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Forty-five people attended a rally in the Pioneer Valley town of Washington, Massachusetts on June 17. The goal was to stop logging in a state forest. “It went very well,” Janet Sinclair told the Valley Post. She was one of the organizers. A petition is at:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLg5REHtGz1n04L6DrnZ6OkR_ScYhD...

One of the speakers at the rally was Michael Kellett, executive director of RESTORE The North Woods.

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About 500 people attended a rally at the Greenfield town common on May 25. They were protesting cuts in funding for music classes in Greenfield public schools, among other cuts. On June 14, the music funding was restored.

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In the Pioneer Valley town of Washington, Massachusetts on June 17 at 11 a.m., there will be a rally to stop logging in a state forest. A petition is at:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfLg5REHtGz1n04L6DrnZ6OkR_ScYhD...

The rally will be at:

In the U.S., in general, rich people don't go to nursing homes. Same with prison. But for the rest of us, a nursing home is likely to be the place we spend the last months of our lives. The town of Killington, Vermont is 50 miles from Brattleboro as the crow flies. Killington doesn't have a nursing home, so most Killington people go to nursing homes in nearby Rutland, Vermont. The Gables and the Pines are two of the biggest. Neither responded to phone calls and emails seeking comment for this article, which compares nursing homes in Europe and the United States.

About 500 people attended a rally at the Greenfield town common on May 25. They were protesting cuts in school funding. Julie Carew was at the rally. She runs a group called Strings for Kids, which is a partnership between the Greenfield public schools and Artspace Community Arts Center in Greenfield. Carew told the Valley Post, "I was at both city council meetings... This is a slap in the face from the mayor who was 'virtually' in attendance at both meetings where it was made crystal clear that the numbers the councilors were trying to meet were counting on that $365,000 from the mayor....

In Springfield, 170 people marched on May 21 to protest a proposed fossil fuel pipeline. "It was amazing," Susan Theberge told the Valley Post. She is one of the organizers. The organizers have a web site at:

www.arisespringfield.org/springfield-climate-justice-coaliti

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In Brattleboro, about 10 people attended a rally for farmworker justice on May 21. The organizers have a web site at www.MigrantJustice.net.

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More than 100 people attended an abortion rights rally in Greenfield on May 13. The number one cause of climate change is overpopulation. Susan Triolo told the Valley Post that information about abortion rights will soon be at www.indivisible.org. Triolo was one of the organizers of the Greenfield rally. From the north Greenfield exit to the southern Brattleboro exit on Interstate 91 takes 15 minutes by car, according to Google Maps. Amtrak and Greyhound run between Greenfield and Brattleboro.

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