MCLA Announces Tamar Sarai as 2024 Hardman Journalist in Residence

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NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Writer and journalist Tamar Sarai will deliver the Hardman Journalist in Residence Lecture on Monday, April 8, at 6 p.m., in the Feigenbaum Center for Science and Innovation Atrium. 
 
The lecture is free and open to the public.
 
"Tamar Sarai represents a refreshing journalistic practice which our Beacon and Beacon Web News journalism students will find energizing and modern," said MCLA Professor Michael Birch. "Her writing will offer new topics and focus for their learning, as will her emphasis on the power and value of good writing in the service of exceptional storytelling. This will be an excellent learning opportunity for our students."
 
According to a press release, Tamar Sarai is a writer and journalist currently based in Philadelphia. She is a features writer at Prism, a non-profit media outlet that seeks to highlight the perspectives and voices of those directly impacted by some of today's most pressing issues. Tamar's work focuses on race, culture, and the criminal legal system. Both her writing for Prism and her freelance work often focus on the ways Black women and girls are impacted by policing and the prison system. Her work has been featured in outlets including Shadowproof, Capital B, and Essence. Tamar is a graduate of Wellesley College and Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.
 
MCLA's Hardman Lecture Series presents in-depth discussions with some of the leading journalists of our time and is made possible through the Hardman Family Endowment.

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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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