Rep. Blais holding office hours
State Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, will host in-person office hours for 1st Franklin District constituents on Monday, Sept. 8, at Buckland Town Hall, 17 State St. in Shelburne Falls, from 9:30 to 11 a.m. and at the John Zon Community Center, 35 Pleasant St. in Greenfield, from noon to 2 p.m.
Office hours serve as a time for constituents to speak directly with Blais and her staff regarding issues that matter to them or problems they are facing with state agencies or departments. Blais’ office regularly assists with the following: unemployment benefits, the Registry of Motor Vehicles, MassHealth coverage, social service referrals, elder services, veterans affairs, public housing and vouchers, utilities and more.
Additionally, virtual office hours are held every Friday at 8 a.m. Email kelly.oreilly@mahouse.gov or call 413-362-9453 to receive the Zoom link.
If these times do not work, residents of the 1st Franklin District can reach out to kelly.oreilly@mahouse.gov to arrange for a more convenient time.
Habitat for Humanity accepting applications for Northampton home
NORTHAMPTON — Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity is accepting applications for a one-bedroom home in Northampton.
The application deadline is Tuesday, Oct. 21. Eligible applicants will have incomes up to 60% of area median income (adjusted for family size).
The home in Northampton will be all-electric and built to ENERGY STAR standards. It will be a one-story home, adaptable for someone with mobility impairments.
People who are interested in submitting an application are invited to attend one of the following information sessions to learn more:
- Saturday, Sept. 13, at 10:30 a.m. at the Lilly Library, 19 Meadow St. in Florence. Register at tinyurl.com/Sept13HabitatInfo.
- Tuesday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Register at tinyurl.com/Sept30HabitatInfo.
- Thursday, Oct. 16, at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Register at tinyurl.com/Oct16HabitatInfo.
During each information session, potential applicants will learn about Habitat for Humanity’s selection criteria and how to prepare a complete application. The selection criteria include housing need, ability to make mortgage payments and willingness to partner with Habitat for Humanity, such as by participating in the construction of the home and on other projects. More information is available at pvhabitat.org/apply.
Since 1989, Pioneer Valley Habitat for Humanity has built homes with almost 60 low-income families in Hampshire and Franklin counties. At the onset of homebuilding, a family is selected and enters into a long-term partnership with Habitat for Humanity. Future homeowners contribute 250 hours of labor during the construction alongside community volunteers. Upon completion, the home is sold to the family with an affordable mortgage. Habitat for Humanity also has a perpetual legacy in that all mortgage funds received are reinvested to build more homes.
Office of Outdoor Recreation hosting forum on accessible trails
The Massachusetts Office of Outdoor Recreation will hold its second public forum on the Trails for All accessibility initiative on Monday, Sept. 15, from 6 to 8 p.m. on Zoom.
The office will present draft recommendations for improving trail accessibility across Massachusetts. The forum is intended to be an opportunity for people with disabilities, their loved ones, accessibility advocates, trail designers and land managers to help shape the trails systems to ensure they serve people of all abilities, now and in the future.
The Trails for All initiative aims to create universally accessible trails through intentional trail planning that removes barriers to access and brings the outdoors to individuals of all abilities via trail improvements such as gentle grades, stable surfaces and inclusive signs. To learn more, visit mass.gov/info-details/trails-for-all.
To register for the Sept. 15 forum, visit bit.ly/accessibletrails2. With questions, email info@dodsonflinker.com. The meeting will offer American sign language, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Vietnamese and Haitian Creole interpretation. Closed captioning is also available.
UMass Amherst announces local graduates
AMHERST — Approximately 5,000 students received bachelor’s degrees in more than 100 majors at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s undergraduate commencement in May, including the following students from Franklin County:
Alexander Harold Taylor of Bernardston; Brenton Dickinson of Colrain; Anwen Marie Burwick, Iona Grace Burwick and Blair Jean Huang, all of Deerfield; Catherine Grace Bezio of Erving; Ryan Daniel Artus, Emanoil Cotet, Jonathan A. Flynn, Jacob Michael Frank, James David Hairston, Sabrina Lapcheske, Shannon Quetzal Leftridge, Derek J. Lenois, Maxfield Christopher George Rubin and Longyao Xu, all of Greenfield; Tyler John Viarengo of Heath; Sarah Donahue, Elizaveta Leonidovna Pobezinskaya and Rheannon Amelia Stewart, all of Leverett; Henry D. Curtis of Leyden; Helena May Bowse, Alexis Sofia Dimitriou, Nicholas George LaCoy, Izaak Anthony Vigil-Sagan and Celeste Leone Wise, all of Montague; Austin D. Paine of New Salem; Morgan Virgina Barnes, Colin Matthew Boyle, Astrid Elizabeth Conrod, Alexander Currier and Cristian M. Ferniel, all of Orange; Ryan Patrick Burke of Rowe; Liam Fiske-Mercer and Lydia A. Sargent, both of Shelburne Falls; Benjamin Rehorka and Jennie Poza Schwarz, both of Shutesbury; Samuel Charles Battisti, Genesis Locke, Benjamin Martino, Brett L. Robinson, Sophia Stilla and Ahad Emirhan Yildiz, all of South Deerfield; Halle Maureen Beeltje, Eleanore P. Brown, Noelle Cook, Robert Crager, Rebekah J. Doucette, Noah T. Jenkins, Elizabeth Josephine Kinsman, An Thanh Le, Amer Nawaz Maan, Matthew James McKenna, Nathan James Robinson, Anshul Sadh-Gauri, Kirsten Anistasia Szala-Krotkov, Anushreya S. Verma and Dong Van Vo, all of Sunderland; Jaedin Irving Johnson and Lucy I. Postera, both of Turners Falls; and Jakob Christopher Carron, Sarah Olivia Johnson, Liesel May Nygard and Sam Simon, all of Warwick.