From Other Sources: News for and About Amherst. This week, Area News Roundup

We’re in the summer doldrums and it’s been a slow news week or two as the Valley has emptied out with folks trying to make the best of their remaining summer vacation. Nonetheless, there are a few stories that we were unable to cover and we provide links to them below.

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Sales Tax Holiday Set for This Weekend in Massachusetts by Adam Frenier (8/9/24) This weekend marks the annual sales tax holiday in Massachusetts, when many items under $2,500 are exempt from the 6.25% surcharge. Diana Szynal is the president of the Springfield Regional Chamber, a business group. She said many retailers are getting creative in trying to attract shoppers. “Some of the smaller, locally owned businesses do a really great job of outreach ahead of this weekend, things people can do maybe around pre-shopping, that sort of thing, that allows them to really attract people in for the weekend,” Szynal said. Certain items, such as alcohol, tobacco and marijuana are not eligible for the holiday. And groceries and clothing are not subject to the sales tax in Massachusetts at all times. The initiative does come with a price. It’s estimated that the tax-free weekend cost Massachusetts state government about $36 million in uncollected tax revenues last year. (NEPM)

Town Looks to Join Appeal to Complete 104 Mile Central Rail Trail by Scott Merzbach (8/9/24) The town’s Transportation Advisory Committee is supporting completion of the Massachusetts Central Rail Trail to improve accessibility, safety and commuting routes for bicyclists and pedestrians. The committee’s unanimous support for the project at its Aug. 1 meeting comes after the Northampton City Council appealed in July to the state Department of Transportation to finish the 104-mile stretch connecting Northampton to Boston. Rob Kusner, a longtime advocate for bicycle transportation who served on the Amherst Select Board, said the hope is to get support from the 26 communities along the trail route, as well as other cities and towns near the trail. “The idea is that this isn’t just a single rail trail, it’s a network,” Kusner said. Kusner said enhanced bike paths and bike lanes and extensions, such as the Swift Connector to the University of Massachusetts campus, can attract people locally and from around the world for a “touristic exploration as well as practical transportation.”  The Town Council and its Governance, Organization and Legislation Committee expect to take up a similar resolution to Northampton’s with the endorsement from the transportation committee. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Florence’s Gabby Thomas Wins Two Gold Medals at Olympics by Connor Pignatello (8/9/24). In the 200 meters on Tuesday, Gabby Thomas turned her Tokyo bronze into a Paris gold. And on Friday in the 4×100 relay, Thomas turned her Tokyo silver into another gold, as the Americans won with a time of 41.78 seconds under a steady rain at the Stade de France. The Florence native now holds four career Olympic medals – two golds, one silver and one bronze. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)

Pushback as Healy Administration Prepares to Evict 57 Families from Shelters by Sam Drysdale / Statehouse News Service (8/8/24). The day before dozens of families are scheduled to be evicted from Massachusetts shelters, protestors planned to hold a vigil at the Statehouse on Thursday over new restrictions Gov. Maura Healey made to the family shelter system. Healey’s latest shelter policies limit families to spending a maximum of five business days at overflow sites and makes those people ineligible for longer-term emergency family shelter system stays for at least six months. The new rules took effect Aug. 1 and also create a prioritization system for long-term family shelters that favors Massachusetts residents over recently arrived immigrant families. Anti-homelessness and immigrant advocacy groups strongly oppose the new regulations. Thursday afternoon’s Statehouse rally comes after a full week of smaller demonstrations in front of the governor’s office; the release of a letter signed by dozens of advocacy groups, medical professionals and social workers; and another well-attended rally last week where protestors called the new guidelines “cruel.” (NEPM)

For College Students Protesting War in Gaza, the Fallout Was Only the Beginning by Associated Press (8/4/24).
Since her arrest at a protest at the University of Massachusetts last spring, Annie McGrew has been pivoting between two sets of hearings: one for the misdemeanor charges she faces in court, and another for violations of the college’s conduct code.  It has kept the graduate student from work toward finishing her dissertation in economics. “It’s been a really rough few months for me since my arrest,” McGrew said. “I never imagined this is how UMass (administration) would respond.” Some 3,200 people were arrested at colleges and universities across the country this spring during a wave of pro-Palestinian tent encampments protesting the war in Gaza. While some colleges ended demonstrations by striking deals with the students, or simply waited them out, others called in police when protesters refused to leave. Many students have already seen those charges dismissed. But the cases have yet to be resolved for hundreds of people at campuses that saw the highest number of arrests, according to an analysis of data gathered by The Associated Press and partner newsrooms. (Daily Hampshire Gazette)