ASHFIELD — Jonathan Harr, author of “A Civil Action,” will speak at St. John’s Church in Ashfield for a Homecoming service on Sunday at 10 a.m.
He will discuss his reporting for an upcoming book on the refugee crisis in east Africa. Harr has taught nonfiction writing at Smith College and is a former staff writer for New England Monthly. He has also written for The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine.
Harr spent several years researching and writing “A Civil Action,” published in 1995, and subsequently nominated for a National Book Award. The book was about a lawsuit over industrial pollution of an aquifer in Woburn in the 1980s, which appeared to have caused several cases of fatal leukemia. The book received the National Book Critics Award, and inspired a movie of the same name, starring John Travolta and Robert Duvall. Harr later wrote “The Lost Painting: The Quest for a Caravaggio Masterpiece” in 2005. This became a best seller.
According to Susan Todd, St. John’s has devoted much of its mission work this year to support refugees globally and locally. She said the congregation looks forward to a better understanding of the situation, as Harr has witnessed it.
There will be a potluck brunch after the service and an opportunity for discussion. All are welcome.
Small towns like Charlemont that need help paying for necessary bridge repairs for town-owned structures with less than 20-foot spans may now apply for grants through the $50 million Municipal Small Bridge Program, started by Gov. Charlie Baker. The applications will be accepted from now through October.
This program, signed into law in August, will make up to $500,000 a year available per town, for design, construction and administration of repairs for eligible bridges on town roads.
Charlemont, for instance, has 46 bridges in town, including two small bridges that have been closed this year after a state inspection. Town officials say the town has a $3 million annual budget and about $5 million worth of priority bridge repair and maintenance work.
The state estimates there are about 1,300 small bridges in the state. “Seemingly small-scope projects such as small briges can actually be critical for citizens’ ability to travel throughout their communities,” said Stephanie Pollack, secretary of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
“The Municipal Small Bridge program is another example of our administration’s commitment to partnering with and supporting our cities and towns,” said Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito. “These bridges and the funding to support them are both important pieces of our local economies.”
The grant program is for small bridges not eligible for federal aid under existing replacement or rehabilitation programming and are at high risk for full or partial closure because of their present condition.
Town officials can access project documents, including applications, through the MassDOT website.