Wal-Mart versus Wilderness in Greenfield

Around the nation and around the world, former sand and gravel pits have been restored to wilderness wildlife habitat. In Greenfield, Wal-Mart wants to pave a former sand and gravel pit on French King Highway near Route 2. Wal-Mart wants to build a giant “big box” store and acres of parking lots at the site.

Wal-Mart is owned by the world's richest family, the Waltons. They pay at or barely above the minimum wage in the United States, and among the world's lowest wages at their factories in China.

New Look at Two Companies With Stores in Valley

Two new books contain new information about the biggest and third biggest corporations in the world. Both companies have retail stores throughout the Valley. Wal-Mart is the world's biggest company; Exxon Mobil is the third biggest. (Shell is second.) The companies are ranked by size at:

www.money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/global500/2011

Valley Nuke Battle Is On

On December 12 in Brattleboro, protesters occupied a nuclear corporation’s board room. Meanwhile, activists seeking to close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant are gearing up for a vote next month in the Vermont senate on whether the state’s top nuclear regulator – who many say has been too friendly to the industry – will get to keep his job.

Vermont Yankee is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone’s throw from New Hampshire.

Like a Leech, Wal-Mart Returns to Greenfield

Wal-Mart wants to build a massive new store and parking lot, destroying open space in Greenfield. The town Planning Board will hold a meeting about Wal-Mart's scheme on May 5. “Please save the date, and encourage your friends to come and show their opposition to this environmentally and economically valueless plan,” said Greenfield resident Al Norman.

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. at 114 Main Street.

In Greenfield, Wal-Mart lost a vote by the people 18 years ago. The company wanted to build in town; it was rejected by a vote of the people.

Workers to Rally April 4 in Springfield, Greenfield, Keene

On April 4, the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., there will be rallies for workers' rights in Springfield, Greenfield, and Keene. The award-winning documentary film "At the River I Stand" shows King's last days in Memphis, in which he spoke to big crowds and marched, in support of striking garbage workers. Information on the film is at:

www.newsreel.org/video/AT-THE-RIVER-I-STAND

The DVD is available by inter-library loan from your local public library.

The time, location, and organizers' contact info for the rallies in Springfield, Greenfield, and Keene are at:

600 at Vermont Yankee Protest Vigil

More than 600 people attended a protest vigil at the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant near Brattleboro and Greenfield on March 20. The action was organized by www.NukeBusters.org "NRC" usually stands for Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the federal agency that has more than 1,000 employees and gets 98 percent of its money from the industry it regulates. There are 104 reactors at 65 locations in the U.S. Closing one of them would result in lay-offs at the NRC. More information on Vermont Yankee is at http://valleypost.org/node/536

Photos: Sunrise Near Greenfield

These photos were taken at dawn on March 17. They show part of the campus of the Northfield Mount Hermon boarding school in Gill, Massachusetts, near Greenfield. In the background is mist over the Connecticut river. To make a photo bigger, click on it, then scroll down and click "see full-size image." photos by Eesha Williams

Japan Quake Puts Valley Nuke in Local Spotlight

The massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on March 12 created a still-evolving disaster at several of Japan's nuclear power plants. Meanwhile, the Louisiana company that owns the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant is trying to get permission from the government to run the 40 year old reactor until at least 2032. Vermont Yankee is three miles from Massachusetts and a stone's throw from New Hampshire.

Fight Over Valley Nuke Rages

Twelve months ago, the Vermont senate voted to permanently close the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant. The New York Times published several long articles about the vote, which, the newspaper suggested, would mean the reactor’s owner, Entergy Corporation of Louisiana, would be required to close Vermont Yankee in March 2012. In the weeks after the vote, activists who had worked for decades to close Vermont Yankee celebrated. There were at least two victory parties in Brattleboro, one of which was attended by about 200 people, including Peter Shumlin.

Photos: Eagles Over River Farm

These photos were taken on February 4 in Gill, Massachusetts, near Greenfield. They show a pair of eagles, farm buildings, and the Connecticut river. The Golden eagles who live in the Valley go to Canada to raise their young. The Valley Post welcomes comments from anyone who can identify these birds. To make a photo bigger, click on it, then scroll down and click "see full-size image." photos by Eesha Williams