Northfield student graduates from Wesleyan University
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. — Jane Potee recently graduated from Wesleyan University, where she majored in history and gender studies. She is a 2022 graduate of Pioneer Valley Regional School and the daughter of Stephen Martin and Ruth Potee of Northfield.
Five local students make UNE dean’s list
BIDDEFORD, Maine — Five students from northern Franklin County were named to the dean’s list for the spring semester at the University of New England. They are: Griffin de Ruiter and Mya Shattuck, both of Bernardston; and Katheryn Fuller, Elizabeth Musselman and Avery Sargent, all of Northfield.
Dean’s list students have attained a grade point average of at least 3.3 out of a possible 4.0 at the end of the semester.
Town admin provides update on trash bag overpayment
BERNARDSTON — After residents unanimously approved reimbursing Marshall’s Country Store for a $76,950 overpayment for trash bags at a Special Town Meeting, Town Administrator Lou Bordeaux provided the Selectboard with an update on June 10.
Explaining how the overpayment occurred, Selectboard member Brian Keir had told Special Town Meeting voters that an agreement was made with the previous owner of Marshall’s Country Store many years ago that the store would pay double for trash bags to pay off money that was owed. Throughout changes in town administration and store ownership, the tradition continued without notice, even after the trash bag debt was fully paid.
At the June 10 Selectboard meeting, Bordeaux reported that Amber Snow, who owns the store with her husband Jesse, had informed the town that the store was owed another 26 cases of trash bags. Bordeaux said he met with Highway Superintendent Brian Miner and those 26 cases have been brought to Marshall’s Country Store. “We are all square,” he said.
Bordeaux also detailed changes moving forward.
“Effective July 1, there will be a new system in place,” he said. “There’s going to be a 10-box minimum to go over there.”
Bordeaux added that the Town Administrator’s Office will generate invoices to Marshall’s Country Store, and regular inventory will take place as well.
Juggler coming to Northfield library
NORTHFIELD — Juggler Henry Lappen will perform at Dickinson Memorial Library on Tuesday, July 14, at 11 a.m.
In a wordless show (with the help of road signs), using body language and audience interaction, Lappen juggles all sorts of objects and balances strange items on his nose.
The program is financially supported by the Northfield Cultural Council.
July 17: ‘Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work’
NORTHFIELD — Retired University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Jarice Hanson will present “Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work,” at Dickinson Memorial Library on Friday, July 17, from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
The performance is a historically based telling of the story of the first woman to hold a U.S. Cabinet position — Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, whose sacrifices and leadership ushered in a range of progressive social reforms in the first half of the 20th century. Perkins’ story shows her philosophy, faith and resilience to challenge dominant structures to create lasting and meaningful social change.
Hanson’s performance is based on years of research, and draws from biographies, Perkins’ own writings and archival research in the Mount Holyoke “Frances Perkins Papers” collection. Much of the text comes from Perkins’ own words, particularly the 400 hours of oral history she recorded in her later years.
“Frances Perkins: A Woman’s Work” shows Perkins’ sense of humor, as well as her reflections not only on her early call to activism and her concern for the working poor, but also on the development of New Deal ideas in which she had a major role, including Social Security, the 40-hour work week, child labor laws, the Works Progress Administration (WPA), the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), the Bureau of Labor Standards, the Monthly Jobs Report, and factory workplace safety and fire safety regulations.
After a 50-minute performance and an in-character question-and-answer session, Hanson will explain Perkins’ final years.