GREENFIELD — City Clerk Kathy Scott told City Council members at their Committee Chairs meeting on Tuesday that the Local Election District Review Commission (LEDRC) has accepted the reprecincting map for Greenfield.
Councilors had previously voted to accept the reprecincting map for the city, following a request for the state to review it again in hopes of better aligning it with the House of Representatives’ district map that legislators approved in October, which left Greenfield split between two districts.
Scott said there are a few steps remaining in the process but that “we are on our way.”
GREENFIELD — The Economic Development Committee is expected to reopen discussion on two agenda items during its Jan. 11 meeting: declaring the former Lunt Silversmith property at 298 Federal St. as surplus property, and authorizing Mayor Roxann Wedegartner to sell the property.
The matter previously came before City Council, but after concerns about the environmental safety of the property were raised by councilors, it was sent back to the Economic Development Committee for further review.
Precinct 3 Councilor Virginia “Ginny” DeSorgher, who chairs the subcommittee, told councilors at the Committee Chairs meeting Tuesday night that she plans to invite a number of stakeholders in the cleanup efforts, including the current licensed site professional, O’Reilly, Talbot & Okun Associates Inc. (OTO), Travis Drury from the Conservation Commission, the city’s attorney and Health Director Jennifer Hoffman, among others.
GREENFIELD — To mark 20 years since the first detainees arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, area residents will demonstrate on the Greenfield Common on Saturday, Jan. 8, and Tuesday, Jan. 11, both from noon to 1 p.m.
The American military prison has housed 780 detainees over two decades. All but 39 have been released.
Some protesters are fasting from Jan. 7 to Jan. 11 in solidarity with the prisoners, according to a press release from Sherrill Hogen, a member of Witness Against Torture and No More Guantanamos. During those days, there will be sister protests in Washington D.C. and across the country, organized by Witness Against Torture, the Center for Constitutional Rights, Amnesty International, The Center for Victims of Torture, and the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
GREENFIELD — Just Roots at 34 Glenbrook Drive will host a plant medicine workshop on Sunday, Jan. 16, from 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The event will be held outdoors and will be limited to 15 participants, a Just Roots newsletter states. Masks and social distancing are required.
Participants must register by Sunday, Jan. 9, by emailing DivinahRakia@gmail.com. Include your name, preferred pronouns, contact information and why you are interested in plant medicine, according to the newsletter.
There is a sliding scale cost of $75 to $125. Payment can be sent using Venmo @LilyRakia-Chandler.
GREENFIELD — Racial Justice Rising and three local libraries will hold a virtual event called “A Conversation About Racism: Staying Curious, Moving Forward and Being Part of the Solution” on Tuesday, Jan. 11, from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The program will focus on the experiences of three local Black people — Jeanne Hall and Dick Hall, and Gloria Matlock — followed by open conversation. According to a Racial Justice Rising newsletter, the discussion will be moderated by Allen Davis, an educator and racial justice advocate.
To register, email Northfield’s Dickinson Memorial Library, one of the three sponsoring libraries, at dmemlib@gmail.com. The other two are the Erving Public Library and the Leverett Library.