Mass, Vt. Voters Select Presidential Candidates Tuesday

Staff ReportsiBerkshires
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NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Voters in Massachusetts and Vermont will be heading to the polls on Tuesday to cast ballots in the presidential primaries. 
 
Super Tuesday includes voting in 15 states that will apportion about a third of all delegates to the primary winners. New York State and Connecticut vote on April 2.
 
Massachusetts is a partially open primary in that voters who are enrolled in a party can only vote in that primary but unenrolled voters can choose a Democratic, Libertarian or Republican ballot. Vermont is an open primary state and voters can choose which primary to vote in regardless of party enrollment. 
 
Early voting in Massachusetts opened on Feb. 21 and Secretary of State William Galvin said more than 700,000 voters had requested mail-in ballots within the first week of early voting. As of Monday, more than 50,000 people had voted in person.
 
The Democratic primary has incumbent Joseph J. Biden Jr., Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips and author and speaker Marianne Williamson on the ballot. Biden has 206 delegates and his opponents none. 
 
The Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire District will also vote for State Committee Man and Woman. These are party representatives from each of the state's 40 senatorial districts who vote at the state convention. 
 
Sherwood Guernsey II of Williamstown is running for re-election as committee man unopposed and Marietta Rose Rapetti Cawse and Megan Elise Arvin, both of Pittsfield, are vying for committee woman.
 
The Republican ballot has seven presidential candidates though all but two have dropped out: Donald Trump and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Trump currently has 244 delegates to her 43. 
 
Still on the ballot but out of the running are Chris Christie, Ryan Binkley, Vivek Ramaswamy (three delegates), Asa Hutchinson and Ron DeSantis (nine delegates).
 
Running unopposed for State Committee Man and Woman are Nicholas A. Boldyga and Jessica L. Boldyga, both of Southwick.
 
The Libertarian ballot has Jacob George Hornberger of Virginia, Michael D. Rectenwald of Pittsburgh, Chase Russell Oliver of Georgia, Michael ter Maat of Virginia and Lars Damian Mapstead of California. There are no candidates for party committee representatives. 
 
All three ballots also offer "no preference" for presidential candidates and voting for town and city party representatives.
 
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.; find your local polling station here

Tags: election 2024,   primary,   

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Community Hero: Noelle Howland

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff

Noelle Howland is committed to keeping alive the late Pittsfield ACO Eleanor Sonsini's mission of helping animals ... albeit farther north in North Adams.
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — No Paws Left Behind Executive Director Noelle Howland has been selected as the November Community Hero of the Month. 
 
The Community Hero of the Month series honors individuals and organizations that have made a significant impact in their community. The series sponsor, Haddad Auto, has extended this initiative for one more month.
 
Howland breathed new life into the mission of the former Eleanor Sonsini Animal Shelter, which closed in August 2023. 
 
The shelter in Pittsfield operated under the mission established by Eleanor Sonsini, a local animal rights activist and longtime animal control officer in Pittsfield, to be a no-kill shelter committed to finding surrendered and abandoned pets new forever homes. 
 
Howland's love for animals, dedication to their well-being, and expertise in animal behavior and training and shelter management brought this mission to new heights at No Paws Left Behind, a new shelter for dogs located at 69 Hodges Cross Road. 
 
"I want people to understand that I know it's hard to surrender. So, my biggest thing is [making sure] people know that, of course, we're not judging you. We're here to help you," Howland said. 
 
When Sonsini announced its closing, Howland, who was the shelter's manager, worked to save it, launching fundraising initiatives. However, the previous board decided to close the shelter down and agreed to let Howland open her own shelter using their mission. 
 
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