AMHERST — For Jacqueline Maidana, Town Meeting was what she described as “the finest form of democracy,” a comment she made four years ago when the town began exploring whether to change its form of government.
An elected member of Town Meeting for several years, representing people at her home at Clark House and in downtown Amherst, Maidana died recently after receiving hospice care.
Now, her friends have organized a GoFundMe drive at https://bit.ly/2XkJfag.
Maidana, a Boston-born Red Sox fan who relocated to Northampton in the 1970s as a single mom, was also one of the subjects in the book “The Women of Clark House.” At Clark House, she was a contributor to the public garden.
Previously, while living near the Lilly Library in Florence, she had artist studio space and began a postage-stamp milonga, a party for people to dance Argentine tango.
She remained connected to Florence with her Valley Tango show every Wednesday on Valley Free Radio, sharing music, readings and community announcements.
After moving to Amherst, she was elected to Town Meeting and served on the Town Meeting Coordinating Committee. In 2018, when the town government changed to Town Council, Maidana ran unsuccessfully for a seat and promoted an agenda supporting affordable housing and renovating the elementary schools and downtown fire station.
Those who knew Maidana will gather Sept. 19 at the Unitarian Meetinghouse to celebrate her life from 2 to 4 p.m.
Those who plan to attend should RSVP, and must be vaccinated and wear masks.
The University of Massachusetts is no longer No. 1 in campus food, but only because The Princeton Review this year has a different way of determining rankings.
Instead, UMass was named to the inaugural “Great Campus Food” list, with the magazine noting, “We chose 26 of our annual ranking lists categories when making these lists, focusing on those areas that college applicants and their parents told us mattered to them.”
Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises at UMass, expressed pride in his team. “Despite many obstacles, our dining team rose to the occasion and continued serving a great experience to our customers,” Toong said. “They truly deserve this recognition.”
“Throughout the pandemic, our dining program continued to provide quality food and comfort to our students,” added Vice Chancellor of Administration and Finance Andrew Mangels. “We are excited to have all of our students back again experiencing the healthy and sustainable food that UMass Dining provides.”
Chad Roderick, a maintenance professional at Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge in Hadley, has volunteered throughout the summer to help firefighters on the front lines of wildfires in the West, including at the Bootleg Fire in Oregon.
Roderick is one of a number of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service employees in the Northeast Region who have volunteered to support firefighting efforts in Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Colorado, California, Arizona and Washington.
Leverett recently received a $258,750 grant for a culvert enhancement project on Shutesbury Road.
The grant was part of $21 million in money going to cities and towns through the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program.
Gov. Charlie Baker recently made the grant announcements in Easthampton.
“Massachusetts communities are implementing important, nation-leading efforts to adapt to climate change,” Baker said of the program.
