We should not agree to postpone Article 33 until next year's town meeting. We'll need Article 33's insurance in the meantime against the intense development pressures we've already seen big cannabis bring to town.
On Aug. 18, Williamstown residents will have the opportunity to vote on the NIOC pledge. A vote for this pledge is an acknowledgement, a collective addressing, and a commitment to inclusiveness, tolerance and respect for all — and is one way to reverse the very real wrongs and historical instances of ugliness in the Village Beautiful.
As a small vegetable farmer in Williamstown, I am a strong supporter of the citizens petition on outdoor marijuana cultivation that will be voted on at the Williamstown town meeting on Aug. 18.
Digging a little deeper, the issues were typically associated with large industrial-scale operations, almost always with indoor production facilities, predominately in western states with far less stringent regulations than Massachusetts.
If you apply to vote by mail, in many or most towns you can deliver your own ballot envelope to the town's drop box. In Cheshire, for example, there is a drop box at the Town Hall right next to the entrance to the town clerk's office.
On behalf of all of those who were muted last night, I am asking the mayor, the City Council, Community Development and the Zoning Board and the Community Preservation Committee to rescind the 877 South St. cell tower permit, stop the construction, ensure the tower is off, and restart a fair and transparent permitting process.
I asked my great-aunt and -uncle what they heard and saw Colonial Village as residents and they all say: "Whites-only. We were told as children to avoid going in there because it was unsafe and unwelcoming for Black people."
Never has it been so dangerous to cast our vote; yet, more so than ever, we need to. This upcoming national election will determine the course of our country, our town, our family, and our life.
The only way to solve the issues in our government, our political process, and our country is to make our voices heard. Whether it's a local, state, or national election, each of us has a civic duty to vote to make our government work for us the way it's supposed to.
The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally altered the landscape for public education in just about every way. It has further exacerbated the inequities in our society, from access to technology and broadband in rural areas to the assurance of essential nutrition for underserved populations.
I want to remind people that starting June 1, 2020, flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes like Kools and Newports will no longer be sold in Massachusetts.