Opinion

Editorial: High school graduates urged to embrace diversity, practice compassion

High school graduations are bittersweet times of looking back at accomplishments reached and friendships made, while considering the uncertainties of the journey ahead, whether the chosen path is school, the military or employment.They are also a time...

Columnist Jay Fleitman: James Comey brouhaha ridiculous

By JAY FLEITMAN

The breathlessly anticipated testimony of former FBI director James Comey came and went last week.He confirmed that President Donald Trump was never under any investigation, but he felt the need to call Trump a liar because of the president’s...

Editorial: Monday mix on Easthampton K-9; Northampton kennel; North Amherst port-a-potty

Kudos to the Easthampton Police Department for its addition of Gino, a 17-month-old Belgian Malinois, and to Officer Andrew Beaulieu for rearranging his life to handle the department’s latest crime-stopper.The new K-9 unit paid off quickly when Gino,...

Kerry Driscoll: Congress should curb Trump’s trips to Mar-a-Lago

Congress should curb Trump’s Mar-a-Lago trips In 2015, Donald Trump said he would “rarely leave the White House because there’s so much work to be done.” Now, he is golfing and visiting a Trump-branded property every few days.I’m deeply concerned...

Rufus Chaffee: Cites integrity of Northampton community

Cites integrity of Northampton community Hat’s off to the integrity of the Northampton community. I recently lost my wallet downtown, apparently beside my car in a parking space.Anxiety roared and I searched in several locations to no avail. Starting...

David Gardner: Concerned about sign removal in Easthampton

Concerned about sign’s removal in EasthamptonIn times like these it is more important than ever to focus more attention on fair and equal access to freedom of expression in the public realm. In recent weeks, I have been witness to what seems to be the...

Columnist Joe Gannon: First issue the defeat of Trumpism

By JOE GANNON

And now we begin to see the true cost of Trumpism, and the lingering cancer it will bequeath our body politic long after the man is gone.In fact, the quicker Trump departs — through self-implosion or impeachment — the faster the GOP will be able to...

Barbara J. Plante: Praises Smith Charities for aid to widows

Praises Smith Charities for aid to widows This letter is so long overdue but no less heartfelt. What Smith Charities does for widows in local communities is remarkable.Many have children and some do not. We all share a common bond: picking up the...

Editorial: Chinese charter school sent wrong message 

If the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School doesn’t want to be accused of acting like a publicly funded institution for the select, it should stop acting like one.Clearly, the school in Hadley provides a valuable alternative education for...

Columnist Ginny Curtis: Westhampton decision-making faulty

By GINNY CURTIS

There is a storm brewing in Westhampton. Some folks are looking to the skies; most taxpayers are glaring up at Town Hall. Will the Select Board prove Jonathan Swift wrong when he said, “You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear”?Having attended...

Editorial: Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker takes right step in joining climate alliance

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker took the right action in swiftly joining an alliance of political, academic and business leaders pledging to move the nation toward meeting the commitments made as part of the Paris Climate Agreement.The day after...

Columnist Jeff Palm: Questionable reporting on Chinese charter school

By JEFF PALM

When is enough enough? The litany of unfavorable articles and editorials printed by the Gazette would make it seem as if the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School is a pariah among local institutions.As a parent of two children at the school...

Karen Chrisman: Thanks supporters of Amherst plant sale

Thanks supporters of Amherst plant sale The Garden Club of Amherst wants to thank everyone who helped make our annual plant sale a great success.During this community event, now over 60 years old, members sell potted divisions from their gardens,...

Rain Jewett: Use Thoreau as role model in resisting Trump

Use Thoreau as role model in resisting Trump Henry David Thoreau was a strong activist who fought against slavery, racism and President James Polk. We can learn from his strategies in our resistance against President Trump today.James Polk was a...

Rutherford H. Platt: Next shoe to fall may be final one

Next shoe to fall may be final one Thank you for publishing Dr. Marty Nathan’s timely and detailed critique of President Donald Trump’s anti-environmental agenda (“Marching for truth in Northampton,” June 1).The White House is indeed spinning “a...

Charles Schmid: Americans have right to honor any flag

Americans have right to honor any flag America has changed so much that I sit back and look at an America I no longer know. How did it come to this? We as Americans have rights that are supposed to be upheld. In the new America discrimination is...

Editorial: Recreational marijuana excise tax could subsidize youth jobs 

While the state Legislature ponders exactly how legalized recreational marijuana will be sold in Massachusetts, a promising new idea has emerged about how to spend the revenue expected from taxing the pot sales.A bill under consideration by the Labor...

Columnist Bill Newman: Unanswered questions in UMass overdose death conviction

By BILL NEWMAN

This is a story of sadness and punishment compounding tragedy and pain.On Oct. 4, 2013, Eric Sinacori, a 20-year-old kinesiology major at the University of Massachusetts, was found dead in his apartment at Puffton Village in Amherst. He died from a...

Alex Kent: What is Chinese immersion school trying to hide?

What is Chinese immersion school trying to hide?Why did the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School bar the Gazette from its graduation?Does the school’s administration seriously expect the public to believe that no room could be found for a...

Bruce Laurie: President Trump’s speech on Paris climate accord brings Woody Allen to mind

Trump’s speech reminder of Woody Allen line The closest that President Trump came to the truth in Thursday’s speech on leaving the Paris climate accord was exaggeration; the rest of it was a pack of distortions and lies that are destined to backfire,...