MCLA to Host Community Panel 'How to Speak About Peace'

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — MCLA faculty and staff invite the campus and North Adams community to a panel discussion "How to Speak About Peace" to discuss urgent calls for a permanent ceasefire in Palestine on Thursday, Nov. 30.  
 
The discussion will start at 7 p.m. in Murdock Hall Room 218. 
 
Panelists include Associate Professor of Anthropology Dr. Mohamad Junaid, Associate Professor of English & Communications Dr. Victoria Papa, Assistant Professor of Art History and Museum Studies Dr. Eunice Uhm, Associate Professor of Modern Language Dr. Mariana Bolivar, and Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr. Carter Carter. The discussion will be moderated by Assistant Professor of English & Communications Dr. Caren Beilin and interim director of The Mind's Eye – an initiative featuring interdisciplinary academic programming. 
 
"As an educational institution with scholarly expertise in our community, one thing we can do to try to cope with the unfolding events is to gather for conversation and to contend with current events. It is notable that this panel includes Jewish, Arab, and Muslim faculty members and those whose research addresses many of these intertwined topics," MCLA President James Birge stated in a message to the campus community. "I encourage our community's participation in this important conversation."  
 
This community panel is a follow-up and continuation of the previous panel about the war in Israel and Gaza. This comes after a weekend of horrific violence that took place in Burlington, Vt involving three Palestinian college students.  
 
"We must continue to talk with one another about peace, to find the words, and indeed the information, to speak and act on this urgent issue," Dr. Beilin said. 

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Neal Secures $700,000 for North Adams Flood Chutes Project


Mayor Jennifer Macksey at last August's signing of an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers. 
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — U.S. Rep. Richard Neal has secured $700,000 in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' budget to complete a feasibility study of the Hoosic River flood chutes.  
 
The Corps of Engineers is in the midst of a three-year, $3 million study of the aging concrete flood chutes that control the passage of the river through the city. 
 
North Adams has ponied up $500,000 as part of its share of the study and another $1.5 million is expected to come from state and federal coffers. Neal previously secured $200,000 in the fiscal 2023 omnibus spending package to begin the feasibility study. 
 
The additional funding secured by Neal will allow for the completion of the study, required before the project can move on to the next phase.
 
Neal celebrated it as a significant step in bringing the flood chutes project to fruition, which he said came after several months of communication with the Corps.
 
"The residents of North Adams have long advocated for much needed improvements to the city's decades-old flood chutes. This announcement is a substantial victory for the city, one that reaffirms the federal government's commitment to making this project a reality," said the congressman. "As a former mayor, I know firsthand the importance of these issues, especially when it comes to the safety and well-being of residents. 
 
"That is why I have prioritized funding for this project, one that will not only enhance protections along the Hoosic River Basin and reduce flood risk, but also make much critical improvements to the city's infrastructure and create jobs."
 
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