Opinion
Columnist Rev. Andrea Ayvazian: Divided city? Pride brought us together
By THE REV. ANDREA AYVAZIAN
The Northampton Pride March, held on May 4, could not have come at a better time. I have marched with my family since my son was little, and he is now 36 years old. It is a part of our spring tradition. But this year, the march felt especially...
I thoroughly enjoyed Bill Newman’s column “Laurels and the laureate” Gazette, May 11. The lyrical writing allowed me to be in Wyoming, watching the horses, the different styles of riding, the multi-generational love of horses and riding. It was simply...
Lora Wondolowski: Condemning the UMass response to student protests
The Peace Development was founded in Amherst in 1981 by anti-war activists as a means for supporting the peace movement. As an organization rooted in support of grassroots organizing we are deeply troubled by the mass arrest of peaceful protesters at...
Margaret Mastrangelo: Vote ‘yes’ for Hadley firetruck
I am writing in support of funding to replace the Hadley Fire Department’s 24-year-old ladder fire truck. Treasurer Linda Sanderson gave a thorough explanation at the recent Town Meeting of how the cost of the new fire truck will be absorbed and paid...
Nancy Lacey: Holyoke Girls Track 4x1 needs community's help to get to Nationals
There is something really good happening at Holyoke High School. Four young women have qualified for the 4x1 at Nationals in Eugene, Oregon. They are the first ever Holyoke team to qualify for this event. When they were told "no," they problem-solved...
Devorah Jacobson: Vote Kyle Dragon for Hadley Select Board
We are writing to express our support for Kyle Dragon who is a candidate forthe Select Board in Hadley. Kyle brings experience in agriculture, public safety and working with town municipalities. He is committed to preserving our farmland, finding...
Joan Kurtz: Easthampton Dog Park fundraiser
On behalf of my board, I would like to thank Jesse’s Ride for hosting a fundraiser this past Saturday to benefit the Friends of Easthampton Dog Park. This event was held to honor the memory of Jesse Johansmeyer and to support a cause which undoubtedly...
Columnist Russ Vernon-Jones: ‘Carrots’ alone won’t change climate course
By RUSS VERNON-JONES
There has been some discussion of carrots and sticks in our nation’s climate policy. Why? What’s at stake here and why does it matter?The metaphor apparently goes back more than a century to a cartoon that portrayed a race between two donkey riders —...
Dale Melcher and Martin Wohl: NEF funds NHS homesteading course
The Gazette article about Bob Melnik’s homesteading class (“Modern homesteading at NHS,” March 14) was a great example of the creative, engaging and challenging projects our NPS educators are doing in all our schools. Bob’s course, like a number of...
Rutherford Platt and Barbara Kirchner: ‘Magical thinking’ in downtown Northampton
Regarding the article, “Music key to downtown revival,” [Gazette, May 1], returning from a few days away recently we left I-91 at the Route 5 exit, passing piles of highway construction material and heavy machinery which welcome the traveler at the...
Betty Ussach-Schwartz: How extremists co-opt protests
It is at once encouraging that many college students have familiarized themselves with the barbaric attack upon Israeli citizens by Hamas and the disproportionate and horrendous responsive attack on Palestinians in Gaza, and are motivated to join...
Bill Packard: Consider Greenway trail plan favored by neighborhood
Concerning the front-page article about the planning Mill River Greenway bike path through Haydenville, it should have been noted that the majority of the residents of Lower South Main (from Bridge Street to Fort Hill Road) want the bike path...
Columnist Johanna Neumann: One way to save the right whales
By JOHANNA NEUMANN
The North Atlantic right whale is one of the rarest whale species in the world. Will we drive them to extinction or save them?Those of us lucky enough to have taken a whale-watching trip in the Gulf of Maine may have glimpsed the majesty of humpback...
Sarah Buttenwieser: Our kids need well-staffed schools
My understanding is that increased staffing in the schools was deemed necessary as schools dealt with the impact —emotional and otherwise — of the pandemic upon our children. Now, we are post-federal emergency. However, our kids are not post-pandemic...
Alex Kent: ‘Working way through college’ relic of the past
A recent letter writer complains about “today’s snowflake generation pleading for subsidies to support their lifestyle choices,” insisting that young people suck it up and pay for their own college education [“Don’t cancel student debt,” May 13].The...
Cheryl Muzio: Smith College owes more to the city
I am writing to address the guest column penned by Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton [“Smith College and the city: Neighborliness and much more,” Gazette, April 12].I read the article with great hopes that she, along with the Smith...
Michael DeChiara: Don't ‘Quabbin-ize’ push for clean energy
The Quabbin Reservoir is a powerful reminder of towns being steamrolled by state government to get its way. Almost 100 years after construction began, the same dynamic is at play again, this time motivated by a narrow interpretation on how to expedite...
Guest columnist Laura Briggs: Why send police to halt a peaceful protest at UMass?
By LAURA BRIGGS
Let’s just say the obvious: The University of Massachusetts Amherst — indeed the overwhelming majority of universities — have never before sent phalanxes of police in riot gear to respond to peaceful protests by students within minutes or hours of...
Jennifer Ablard: Improve the existing bike routes
Instead of adding more bike paths that will need to be maintained, how about maintaining the roads for the existing designated routes? The South Street route is more treacherous than ever. Giant potholes and debris make riding (and driving ) more like...
Kate Todhunter: Gratitude for NHS event with Holocaust survivor
I would like to publicly express my gratitude to Professor Henia Lewin, as we marked Yom HaShoah or Holocaust Remembrance Day. Last April 11th, during Genocide Awareness Month, Northampton High School junior Maayan Seltzer organized a schoolwide event...
