ValleyBike short-term rentals open in West Springfield; station added in Easthampton
Updated Apr 23, 2021;
Posted Apr 23, 2021
ValleyBike Share has expanded into West Springfield with two stations, one shown here on April 23, 2021 at the West Springfield Public Library on Park Street and one on Memorial Avenue. (Jim Kinney/The Republican)
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WEST SPRINGFIELD ValleyBike, the Pioneer Valley’s short-term bike rental program, opened in West Springfield this week with two stations.
The stations are two of 20 new stations ValleyBike plans to add across its expanding network this year with a $1.1 million state and federal transportation grant, said Wayne Feiden, an administrator of ValleyBike in his role as director of planning and sustainability in Northampton.
GCC president launches online conversation series
SALOMON-FERNANDEZ
Published: 4/20/2021 3:23:21 PM
GREENFIELD Greenfield Community College is launching “Candor with Prez Yves,” a biweekly online conversation series hosted by GCC President Yves Salomon-Fernández that will feature guests from Western Massachusetts and beyond.
Salomon-Fernández said she was inspired to create “Candor with Prez Yves” by the wealth of extraordinary leaders and activists engaged in crucial work locally and throughout the state.
“There’s so much that we can be sharing during this time, that we can be celebrating, and there are challenges that we are all facing,” she said in a GCC press release. “We are finding ways that work, and we’re also learning a lot through those struggles. I thought it would be a great opportunity to engage these thoughtful leaders and action-oriented leaders in sharing some of those.”
Agawam students will share art with environmental messages in online expo
Updated 6:23 AM;
Today 6:23 AM
“Beavery careful” about what gets dumped in storm drains, says one design by a Doering School fifth-grader entered in a contest in the Cooler Communities Expo this month. More entries can be seen online at coolercommunities.org/agawam-student-art-projects/.
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AGAWAM Pandemic restrictions mean the Cooler Community Expo can’t have 300 guests in the high school gym, like it did the first time the environmental fair was held in May 2019.
Instead, the April 28 event will be held online, where there’s an infinite amount of space available. That’s a good thing, because there are more students participating this time, according to elementary school science teacher Tammy Rumplik. And because many of the exhibits can be viewed at any time, and from the privacy of home, Rumplik hopes there will be even more attendees.
Donor makes bid to save St. John Cantius, St. Mary’s churches in Northampton
Updated 9:19 PM;
Today 9:10 PM
An aerial view of the former St. John Cantius Church on Hawley Street in Northampton on March 20, 2021. A developer is seeking to tear down the structure as part of a construction project. (Patrick Johnson | The Republican photo)
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NORTHAMPTON An anonymous donor has put up $50,000 to save St. John Cantius Church and the similarly endangered St. Mary’s Church on the other side of downtown.
Northampton City Councilor Jim Nash announced the proposed donation Tuesday during a meeting of the Northampton Central Business Architecture Committee, which was discussing O’Connell Development Group’s proposal to demolish St. John Cantius and build condominiums in its place.
Springfield Symphony Orchestra unveils streaming chamber music series
Updated 5:26 AM;
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In their tireless effort to keep the music playing, the Springfield Symphony Orchestra has announced its Virtual Spring Chamber Concert Series for On Demand Streaming.
The three-concert series will begin on Saturday, April 10, with successive concerts on April 24 and May 8, all at 5 p.m. The programs will remain streaming through May 21. Each of the three 45 to 50-minute concerts consists of music for strings and percussion, featuring SSO violinists Masako Yanagita, Marsha Harbison, and Beth Welty, violists Delores Thayer and Noralee Walker, cellists Boris Kogan and Joel Wolfe, and percussionists Martin Kluger, Nathan Lasell, and Robert McEwan.