 This program is brought to you by cable franchise V's and generous donations from viewers like you Welcome to the Amherst weekly report from Amherst media My name is Claire Healy and today we'll be covering the news out of Amherst, Massachusetts from this past week Saturday November 7th the 2020 presidential election results were announced by the Associated Press After five days of nationwide suspense and Joe Biden is projected to be the next president of the United States In Amherst center celebrations broke out almost immediately as residents gathered cheering at the intersection on Main Street While cars drove by honking their horns Many attendees expressed patriotism and someone started passing out American flags We asked some attendees how they were feeling and what had brought them downtown For local resident Arwen King her way of commemorating the moment was to get her bagpipes and play victory songs Which she did throughout the afternoon So hit with the news that Biden won the presidential election So I ran back to my house and I got my bagpipes and started playing victory tunes in the car For many who have disapproved of President Trump these past four years this moment brought a feeling of joy and relief Joy I'm feeling collective Effervescence because of being with other people who are celebrating and I'm so happy my kids are driving around right now Hocking their horns and celebrating that they get to be a part of this after having survived the past four years Local resident Shae Sharvis said a friend of hers had invited her and her daughter Downtown to decorate the sidewalks with chalk art And I'm out here with all the other town residents celebrating by the president's presidency Every vote counted. We made sure that we all went out and voted. This was one of the biggest voters coming out There was no one organizer a group and instead different social groups individuals and families that cycled in and out of the intersection Early Sunday morning, Massachusetts felt its largest earthquake in decades according to the United States Geological Survey The earthquake had a magnitude of three point six and was felt in parts of Rhode Island and Connecticut Because little overall damage Leading up to Halloween many people across the country were concerned about the possibility of a spike in COVID cases related to Halloween festivities In Amherst part of this concern was the possibility that students would be partying over the weekend Between the Monday and Friday following Halloween weekend you must reported 52 new COVID cases six of which were on campus While it is unclear whether or not these cases were linked to Halloween activities. It is entirely possible The six on-campus cases bring the total number of cases reported on campus during the semester to 10 and the 52 cases Bring the cumulative total of COVID-19 cases reported by the University to 234 The Amherst Survival Center is hosting its first virtual hike for hunger challenge Participants are asked to hike during the month of November anywhere They please and share their adventures on social media in order to raise funds meant for the survival center's COVID-19 hunger response fund While there is no fundraising minimum Registration is $25 and includes a complimentary hike for hunger t-shirt Veterans Day this year looked a little different around the country due to COVID regulations While the town of Amherst has traditionally held a Veterans Day tribute to service members on the North Common This year employees made goodie bags that were then delivered to veterans Amherst media correspondent Rebecca Duffy attended a Veterans Day celebration at Applewood retirement community and spoke with attendees Thanks Claire. The coronavirus pandemic has presented many challenges to the veteran community here in Amherst They had to experience long periods of self-isolation as well as limiting their contact with family and friends However today on Veterans Day the town of Amherst has planned many events for the veterans so that they feel honored and appreciated Applewood retirement community and the Bangs community center partnered together to host an event for Amherst veterans The event included raising a new American flag on the property while a pianist played traditional American music Including God Bless America and Yankee Doodle. We care about them and their service It's just a really unique way of honoring the people who live and work here that have been veterans The Bangs community center and the Amherst Veterans Services office made care bags to distribute to all the veterans in Amherst So we went out to 65 houses This morning at about 9 30. I had 12 volunteers So town staff volunteered to help us and so hopefully we made an impression and and also an opportunity to connect and say What more can we do for you because that was really an important piece of this the care bags contained face masks hand sanitizer dog tags information on how to contact the veteran center for support and even a commemorative book for those who served in Vietnam It's an opportunity to just connect with our veterans to know that we haven't forgotten them Even though we can't have the ceremonies parades and services that we usually do state representative Mindy Dom says that she is working to better support the veterans in her district during the COVID-19 pandemic I've been assigned to the special committee that's looking at the Holyoke soldiers home and some of the tragedies that happened there early on in the COVID-19 pandemic and one of the things that's becoming very clear is that we have to do a Better job of translating our words of support into actions and into money and to funding And to making sure that the services exist for our veterans and not just talk about it, but actually do it Connor says that many veterans in Amherst had an easy time adjusting to the pandemic due to their experiences in service But it got harder for them as the pandemic prolonged That kind of idea of having new follow instructions and kind of do your job do your thing Veterans do very well during those kind of things As this thing has gone on I do know that the isolation especially for our senior veterans has been really tough Which is why we're doing this. I think it's more important in a pandemic To make veterans feel even more special as they've lived through many other historic events Similar to this and so I think it's important that we take every measure to Remember the people who serve this great country Everyone I spoke with today shared reverence for the veterans and expressed how important It is to make sure that they feel connected to the community and to honor them for their services For Amherst weekly report. I'm Rebecca Duffy That's all for this week. This has been the Amherst weekly report from Amherst media Stay safe and join us for more news at the same time next week