Editorials

Chris Barcomb, of Easthampton, sits where a bench used to be in front of Hay Market Cafe on Main Street Northampton Tuesday afternoon.

Editorial: What makes a downtown?

Friday, May 24, 2013

In response to long-standing problems reported by downtown shopkeepers, Mayor David J. Narkewicz took decisive action last week when he authorized the removal of six benches that had long been stationed along Northampton’s wide, tree-lined Main Street sidewalks. The benches did what benches do — they invited passersby to have a seat and rest a while. But in some respects, … 4

FILE PHOTO
The Little Red Schoolhouse on the Amherst College Campus opened in 1937.

Editorial: End of an era for Little Red

Friday, May 17, 2013

As the final bell rang at a preschool on the Amherst College campus May 16, school staff and parents expressed dismay that the program was headed for a hiatus. Given the popularity of the 75-year-old school and the high praise it won from generations of parents, that’s too bad. It may be back … 0

Editorial: Recycling’s durable value

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

About the same time that the American Lung Association was giving Western Massachusetts its annual poor grades for ozone pollution, news reports surfaced of Gov. Deval Patrick’s decision to lift a 23-year-old moratorium on new waste incinerators to allow gasification waste disposal plants. Traditional incinerators are still banned. Patrick and his advisers argue that allowing gasification plants will promote and encourage more advanced … 0

Talkback »

kaikuso wrote:

07:15 PM EST

What makes a 'downtown?' A sense of Welcome. A sense of Community: as in, COMMON + UNITY. I've live in this area...(full comment)

Editorial: What makes a downtown?

Theresa1 wrote:

06:09 PM EST

Where is the inaccuracy? He does not understand the financial running of Smith School; how could he when he gave inaccurate information...(full comment)

Julie Thomas: Mayor’s plan resembles ‘hostile takeover’

Other Local News

Editorial: Healing the IRS

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

On Tuesday in Washington, the former commissioner of the IRS told a Senate panel that he was “dismayed” and “saddened” by an investigative report that concluded the IRS had wrongly targeted conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status. Earlier, Douglas … 1

Editorial: Northampton floats flexible zoning

Monday, May 20, 2013

Residents of Northampton will want to tune in — and fast — to a major revamp being considered in how the city regulates what people can and cannot do with their properties. The city’s Ordinance Committee and Planning Board have been holding public hearings on a package of … 1

Editorial: A system that remains broken

Friday, May 17, 2013

Any way you cut it, what emerges from the din of a federal trial that unfolded this month in U.S. District Court in Worcester is a state probation department that is petty and mean-spirited at best, and highly dysfunctional at worst. The lens through which the community sees … 0

Editorial: Lessons of the Kermit Gosnell murder case

Friday, May 17, 2013

Limiting access to abortion does not stop the procedures from happening — that’s the takeaway from the Kermit Gosnell trial. For more than 15 years, Gosnell operated a cash-only, squalid West Philadelphia practice that specialized in late-term abortions for desperate, uninsured women. This week, Gosnell was found guilty … 2

Editorial: Finish the job on rental oversight

Friday, May 17, 2013

Ten years ago, Amherst’s health department set up a system to register rental units. Because it lacked enforcement power, only 700 properties were listed, roughly 44 percent of the number of rental properties, including complexes, in town today. It is time to finish the work through passage at … 0

Editorial: Carol T. Christ of Smith College served community as well as school

Friday, May 17, 2013

When Smith College gathers to send off the class of 2013 Sunday, it will also say farewell to Carol T. Christ, who is completing her tenure as the college’s 10th president. Christ assumed the presidency of Smith in 2002 after a distinguished career as a professor, researcher, head … 6

Editorial: Dignity for the disabled

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

What started amid strife in a federal court ended with a party last week in the court itself, as a judge took himself off a 15-year-old case and a matter of fundamental human dignity won the day. That sort of celebration gives us all a lift. The specifics … 0

Editorial: Anthony Baye, arsonist

Monday, May 13, 2013

Northampton will know Wednesday whether Anthony Baye will spend 19 to 20 years in state prison for setting dozens of fires in 2009 and 2007. That now appears likely, after a plea deal Monday halted his trial. That day, for the first time in public, Baye took responsibility … 2

Editorial: Road work, the right way

Sunday, May 12, 2013

The road construction season is in full swing and one of the biggest projects to impact traffic regionally — rebuilding the Manhan Bridge in Easthampton — begins in earnest in a matter of weeks. Given the number and range of projects, this is one construction season that will … 0

Hampshire Regional students watch as police, fire fighters and students participate in a mock drunk driving accident Thursday morning, the Friday before prom. Under the sheet is Kezoah Behlke,18, of Southampton playing the dead passenger just removed from the vehicle and getting ready to be put in the Hearse.

Editorial: Toward safer prom nights

Friday, May 10, 2013

Traffic deaths during the prom and graduation season are higher among teenagers than at any other time of year. A study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration notes that about 300 teenagers attending proms died in alcohol-related … 0

Don't Miss This

Editorials

Editorial: What makes a downtown?

Teen taste in footwear focus of downtown mural in Amherst

Day care center finds new home

Adrienne Pascucci, Northampton confident entering championships

Amherst eliminates rival Northampton from playoff contention

Editorial: What makes a downtown?

Clare Higgins: Enough of political dynasties. We're a democracy, after all

Chutney tacos? You betcha! Top chefs offer up fresh takes on taco night

Lou & Lucy’s Leftovers: There’s more than one way to cook an asparagus

Art People: Bruce Watson | satirist, biographer

Williston alum Rafael Cortina wins Student Academy Award