Opinion
Guest columnist Katy Eiseman: Must stop subsidizing wood-fired energy
By KATY EISEMAN
The Massachusetts Legislature is considering a bill that would once again increase subsidies for burning wood, taking the state in the wrong direction in the name of “clean” energy.Biomass energy has been a controversial topic in Massachusetts for...
Susan Tracy: Support Ukraine funding
When Congress returns next week, funding for military aid to Ukraine will be on the table in the House. However, if Speaker Mike Johnson brings Ukraine aid up for a vote which will pass, the MAGA Republicans have threatened his tenure as...
Guest columnist Gary Michael Tartakov: What antisemitism is not
By GARY MICHAEL TARTAKOV
I have been a Jew for 83 years. Though I’ve only known it for around 78. My parents explained it to me at Christmas in 1945, as the reason that I was not going to get a Christmas tree, like my playmates, in Los Angeles. It was at the end of the...
Guest columnist Helen Seidler: Energy transition is going to take a push from everybody
By HELEN SEIDLER
In his regular column last month, Russ Vernon-Jones argued that the climate crisis affects all of humanity and that wealthier countries need to finance the use of renewable energy in poorer countries to support their development [“Solving humanity’s...
Guest columnist Dr. Stephen Frantz: Palestinian survival is not too political
By DR. STEPHEN FRANTZ
Some people, organizations and government bodies will say that it is too political or polarizing to discuss the horror of the current uninhabitable conditions in Gaza.But it is not political or polarizing when you’re asking for badly needed...
Tobias Bernecker: Good schools equals good communities
That's it.Tobias BerneckerNorthampton
James Canning: Mr. Magic, hooray
Mr. Magic, hooray! Mr. Magic’s come again with promises, hats, and tricks!Give attention to his strut and to his growl, so fierce. Oh, Mr. Magic, you’re divine! You take more than you give. But we’re so glad you’re here! Don’t worry! We’ll be fine....
Bob Nagle: State police response
On Easter I was in a mental health crisis. Trooper Novak was dispatched to the incident. Trooper Novak immediately deescalated the situation with compassion and non-confrontational demeanor. The kindness and metal health awareness of Trooper Novak...
Guest columnist John Varner: What peace must mean, at council and for Mideast
By JOHN VARNER
Freedom without responsibility is anarchy. Sadly, Amherst has been getting repeated lessons that illustrate this maxim. The most recent incident: The Town Council’s attempt to get involved in global politics by passing a resolution on the horrendous...
Tom Bodo: Northampton schools need Smith College to lead
Northampton is a city of leaders. Aside from being the hometown of one U.S. president (so far), it has repeatedly stood head and shoulders above other small cities. Its dedication to social justice, climate action, and old-fashioned good governance...
Richard Cooper: Community behind our students
I am writing to share an uplifting story of community generosity and support. In 2021, I introduced donation containers at the checkout registers of my two stores, Cooper’s Corner in Florence and State Street Fruit Store in Northampton, urging...
Linda Butler: Good news in the fight for a livable world
Thank you for another excellent column by Russ Vernon-Jones (”Solving humanity’s shared climate crisis,” Gazette, March 14). He’s right to ask us to take a global perspective on climate change. We’re all in this together. I also appreciated Daniel...
Robert Salthouse: Electric vehicle fires are rare
I am writing in response to the Gazette article regarding local fire departments training for electric vehicle (EV) fires [“Firefighters prep to meet ‘unique challenge’ as electrical vehicles gain popularity,” April 1]. I was very pleased to learn...
Columnist J.M. Sorrell: ‘Nobody’s right if everybody’s wrong’
‘For What It’s Worth” is a classic Buffalo Springfield song. It was written in response to the November 1966 Sunset Strip curfew riots. Stephen Stills wrote the song, and he first thought to write about soldiers and civilians in Vietnam, but he...
Guest columnist Richard Szlosek: Bosox at Amherst
By RICHARD SZLOSEK
I was in elementary school in the late 1940s and baseball was one of my chief interests. I was a huge fan of the Boston Red Sox and my heroes were Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, Bobby Doerr and Dom DiMaggio. I was devastated when the Sox lost the...
Paige Bridgens and Ruthy Woodring: Where once there was a car lot, let there be a forest
Imagine a forest emerges from that wasteland of asphalt on King Street north of Foster Farrar. Imagine oak and hickory, an understory of ironwood, winterberry, serviceberry and woodland wildflower species. Shade cools the urban heat island effect, air...
Columnist Joanna Buoniconti: Don’t give up on getting the help you need
By JOANNA BUONICONTI
To start this column, I would like to take a minute to walk down memory lane with you all, my dear readers. About a year and a half ago, I wrote a column called “Is It OK to Ask for Help,” in which I discussed my discomfiting experiences with gaining...
Guest columnist John Sheehan: No man is an island
By JOHN SHEEHAN
On Good Friday, I decided to do something different. Instead of going to church, I went to stand in solidarity with people involved in the struggle for peace and justice at Smith College and the Coolidge Bridge in Northampton.John Donne’s poem has...
Sharon Rudnitzky: Empathy is compassionate understanding
I agree with much of what guest columnist Shalini Bahl-Milne wrote about moving forward with compassion in her piece about the recent Amherst Town Council meeting [“Beyond empathy: A compassionate approach to polarizing issues in Amherst,” March...
Jay Kilbourn: Farmers, food and climate depend on us
The Gazette recently reported on a meeting of 50 local farmers and farm agencies at Plainville Farm in Hadley [“Valley farmers spotlight agricultural drainage ditch troubles,” March 25]. The discussion covered both drainage issues and other threats...
