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Columns

Pamela Schwartz: With override, ‘we all win more than we lose’

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — A yes vote on June 25 is the best choice for each of us individually and as a community. It is also our only choice if we want to continue receiving the services we expect from our city: 1. Quality public school education for Northampton’s children. Without the override, we will lose 14 school staff positions, resulting in drastic cuts to art and music at the high school … 0

Anthony Patillo: ‘General overrides are forever’

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — We all want the best for Northampton. In 1988, we voted for our first general override, for $600,000. Since then, five other override referendums have faced voters — another general override in 2009 for $2 million and four debt-exclusion Proposition 2½ overrides for the JFK Middle School, Northampton High School and the fire and police station construction projects. If the June … 0

Michael and Judy Ryan: Help make Forbes accessible to all

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — As children of Northampton, we grew up as card-carrying members of Forbes Library, and for over 60 years we have continued to use Forbes for myriad purposes on countless occasions. We borrow books, record albums, movie videos, books on tape and DVDs; we attend lectures, public meetings, art exhibits, poetry readings, debates, seminars and forums. We often visit exhibits in the … 0

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soccertom wrote:
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What a great find ! Thank you for tying some loose threads together for me. I graduated from Smith College SSW'83 and...(full comment)

A letter from John Hancock, Sophia Smith's ear trumpet and a half-pound key: Finds from the Hatfield Historical Museum
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11:28 AM EST

We really DO need to have better laws defining the use of bicycles on the roads. I see them all the time...(full comment)

Hadley bicyclists’ rights case rolls on in federal court
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Kim Pinkham: Why one regional solar firm is leery of Solarize Massachusetts program

Sunday, June 16, 2013

GREENFIELD — The recent article “Solar contract causes friction” (Gazette, June 11) raised the question of what values we, as consumers, bring to the table when making the decision to go solar. Over the course of our 11 years as a locally based worker-owned cooperative, PV Squared has … 0

Sara Weinberger: On the hunt for economic injustice inside a closet

Sunday, June 16, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — I’ve caught the travel bug. Recently, however, I took a different kind of trip. I journeyed through Asia, South America and even some places I had never heard of, like South Africa’s neighbor, Lesotho. This was not a pleasure trip. There were no luxurious accommodations or … 0

Marietta Pritchard: The fate of a field in Amherst

Friday, June 14, 2013

AMHERST — When we bought our house on Orchard Street in Amherst in 1961, we were not thinking much about the future. We needed a place to live with our 1-year-old son, and this small saltbox-type structure was available within easy walking distance from my husband’s office at … 0

Rob Okun: Brave stand taken by future fathers to change male athletic culture

Friday, June 14, 2013

AMHERST — In a world where too many men stay silent in the face of discrimination against women — from sexual harassment to domestic and sexual violence — the public statement of a chorus of young Massachusetts male athletes not long before Father’s Day offers a sliver of … 0

John Paradis: The frugal ‘yes’ voter on Northampton override

Thursday, June 13, 2013

NORTHAMPTON — When I retired from the Air Force in 2009, my family could choose any place to live. We elected to return to New England, where I was born and raised and where I was proud to tell people I went to a great public school. We … 13

Amy Pybus: What we want from schools in Easthampton, and everywhere

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

EASTHAMPTON — I’ve been following with great interest the heated discussion in the Gazette about school choice. Sadly, I wasn’t surprised to see that my town is one of the leaders in losing students to school choice. I have been watching students leave our schools in droves, and … 1

Jerry Fix: Disappointed by inaction on call to use Easthampton church property as shelter

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

EASTHAMPTON — Three years ago, in a Gazette guest column, I urged our parish, which was just consolidated from the Sacred Heart, Notre Dame and Immaculate Conception parishes, to donate at least one of our superfluous buildings to house homeless men, abused women needing safe passage or some … 0

Jose Tolson: Weaker food assistance programs not right for country

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

PELHAM — I was shocked and ashamed to read an column by Paul Krugman titled “From the Mouths Of Babes” in the New York Times concerning congressional Republicans’ efforts to defund and eventually eliminate the food stamp program. I take a dim view of the mean and selfish … 0

Carl D. Beach: A wartime memory of a queen’s coronation

Monday, June 10, 2013

WILLIAMSBURG — I’ve enjoyed reading the articles and seeing the pictures of Great Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II celebrating the 60th anniversary of her coronation. I remember that time well and her memories are probably a lot happier than … 0

Wendi Webber: US Fish and Wildlife Service marks two decades of Valley partnerships

Monday, June 10, 2013

HADLEY — This month marks 20 years since the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service opened its Northeast regional office in Hadley. We moved our headquarters here in 1993, from the Boston beltway, to join the rich academic and scientific community in the Pioneer Valley. More than 200 people … 0

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