ORANGE — Morning Dew Cultivars, an artisan producer of cannabis headquartered in an indoor garden and curing library, is launching an incubator program in April to provide free online learning and hands-on, in-person technical training to aspiring cannabis cultivators living in the Pioneer Valley.
The Dew Work Incubator is a collaborative professional development program designed to help participants polish key skills to achieve their cannabis career goals. According to a Morning Dew Cultivars press release, the curriculum is tailored to serve both beginners and professionals alike, navigating topics including irrigation strategy, plant virus prevention and curing techniques.
The four-week program will run from April 4 to April 29. Each Monday, participants will receive access to one hour of self-paced online coursework that can be completed anytime that week. According to Chief Operating Officer Tory Kaltner, weekly instruction also includes in-person training at Morning Dew Cultivars’ facility in Orange on Fridays from 1 to 2 p.m.
While there is no registration deadline, Kaltner said registration may be capped depending on interest. Should the class become full, Kaltner said another Dew Work Incubator is planned for September.
Email Kaltner at tory@morningdewmass.com for more information and details on how to register for the Dew Work Incubator.
SPRINGFIELD — The 17th annual Western Mass CODEPINK commemoration of International Women’s Day, which will focus on the trauma of incarcerating women and girls, will be held Tuesday, March 8, from noon to 1 p.m. on the steps outside Springfield City Hall, 36 Court St.
Guest speakers will address issues of prison abolition, clemency for those in prison and alternatives to incarceration. The event is free and open to the public.
“Public safety is not jails and prisons,” Sunderland resident Susan Triolo, one of the event organizers, said in a press release. “Public safety is jobs; education; housing; and high-quality, universal, free child care and preschool so women can work outside the home with full confidence their children are safe.”
Speakers include state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton; Louellyn Lambros of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls; Judy Holmes of Voices from Inside; Jaqueline Velez of Western Massachusetts Jobs with Justice; Laura Briggs, University of Massachusetts Amherst professor and author; and Tanisha Arena of Arise for Social Justice. The Raging Grannies, a singing ensemble, will round out the program with parodies of familiar tunes rewritten with anti-war and social justice messages.
BOSTON — The state Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP) is offering private well owners an opportunity to get free testing for PFAS compounds — synthetic substances known as “forever chemicals” that have been linked to adverse health effects — in 85 communities where 60% or more of the consumers use private wells.
The Franklin County towns that qualify are: Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Erving, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, New Salem, Rowe, Shelburne, Shutesbury, Warwick and Wendell. The North Quabbin towns of Petersham, Phillipston and Royalston are also eligible.
Private well owners are encouraged to apply online at dwp-pfas.madwpdep.org. The offer is only available for a limited time.
For a list of frequently asked questions, visit bit.ly/3MyNJzc.