A lengthy and intense campaign by Water Not Waste culminated in the enactment of the Drinking Water Protection Ordinance by Northampton’s City Council last night. The councilors were 6-2 in favor, with David Murphy and Maureen Carney dissenting (Paul Spector, who voted against the ordinance at its first reading in July, was absent from last night’s meeting). This ordinance prohibits […]
Republican: “Northampton Thornes Marketplace owner Douglas Kohl dies at 51”
The North Street Neighborhood Association is saddened at the passing of Douglas Kohl. We extend our condolences to his family and colleagues. The Republican reports: Northampton Thornes Marketplace owner Douglas Kohl dies at 51 Douglas A. Kohl, builder, developer, philanthropist and conservationist, died Wednesday at the age of 51… Kohl was well known as the […]
Developer Douglas Kohl of Northampton dies after liver transplant surgery
The Gazette reports today on its website: Area businessman and developer Douglas Kohl died Wednesday, according to email messages circulated by relatives and friends. Kohl, 51, of Summer Street in Northampton, experienced complications after receiving a new liver in a transplant performed at a New York City hospital. Continues
Video: District Attorney Candidates Debate; Jason Vassell Case
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 9/1/10 debate between the Democratic candidates for Northwestern district attorney, Michael Cahillane and David Sullivan. The debate was sponsored by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, The Recorder, Northampton Community Television and WHMP. It took place in the community room of JFK Middle School. This video is 1 hour 22 minutes long […]
Call For Nominations For The Ward 3 Board Of Directors
A message from the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association: Call For Nominations For The Ward 3 Board Of Directors Hello from the Vice-President’s office! This year has been a busy one for the Ward 3 Neighborhood Association. Since our previous annual meeting we have experienced the terrible fires of late 2009 and the vast, gracious support […]
Video: Cahillane Debates Sullivan for Northwestern District Attorney
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 8/24/10 debate between the two Democratic candidatates for Northwestern District Attorney, Michael Cahillane and David Sullivan. This video is 1 hour 9 minutes long and was recorded by Lachlan Ziegler. The Daily Hampshire Gazette will host a debate between the two candidates on September 1 at JFK Middle School on Bridge […]
Video: City Council Meeting of 8/19/10; Upper Roberts Meadow Dam; Extended Producer Responsibility
Here is a complete blip.tv video of the 8/19/10 meeting of Northampton’s City Council. Download the agenda (PDF). This meeting includes a discussion of preserving Upper Roberts Meadow Dam (see the public comment period at the beginning of the meeting and then the councilors’ debate during 0:38:50-2:01:22 on the video) and promoting a waste-reduction initiative, Extended Producer Responsibility. The EPR […]
Video: Gene Tacy Challenges Mayor on Fire Department Stipends for Medical Calls
Ward 7 City Councilor Gene Tacy says the Fire Department’s most recent contract gives each member $14.06 for each medical call they respond to, in addition to their regular compensation. In aggregate, these stipends add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. In the Finance Committee portion of last night’s City Council meeting, Tacy says he feels […]
CommonWealth: “Cheap, clean energy stirring interest in Holyoke”
As a resolution to preserve Upper Roberts Meadow Dam comes before Northampton’s City Council tomorrow, it’s worth noting how locally-produced green energy helped Holyoke attract its upcoming high-performance computing center. Bruce Mohl writes for CommonWealth magazine: Cheap, clean energy stirring interest in Holyoke (7/27/10) Holyoke, one of the poorest cities in Massachusetts, hasn’t attracted any significant business […]
Joel Kotkin: “Urban Legends: Why suburbs, not cities, are the answer”
This week in Foreign Policy, Joel Kotkin challenges the notion that bigger is always better when it comes to cities. Urban Legends The human world is fast becoming an urban world — and according to many, the faster that happens and the bigger the cities get, the better off we all will be. The old […]