Editorials

AP PHOTO
Ousted IRS Chief Steve Miller, left, and former IRS Commissioner Douglas Shulman talk during a break in testimony Tuesday at a hearing at the Senate Finance Committee.

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 Shulman, a Bush appointee whose six-year term ended in November 2012, had “absolutely” insisted no targeting took place. Nor had he nor … 0

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 proposed zoning changes that would affect most residential property owners. Two more public hearings are … 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 this not-so-pretty picture is the federal trial of Christopher Hoffman, of Hatfield, who was formerly … 0

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Jack Hirsch: Why has town of Amherst retreated from Master Plan?

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Jack Hirsch: Why has town of Amherst retreated from Master Plan?

Other Local News

Editorial: Long road to arson trial in Anthony Baye case

Monday, May 6, 2013

Opening arguments are scheduled for Wednesday in one of the most important trials in recent Northampton history. On Page One today, residents of the neighborhood east of downtown reflect on the arson spree that killed two men nearly 3½ years ago and the fact that the case against … 0

Editorial: Springfield’s casino choice

Sunday, May 5, 2013

A big global company is promising to pay the city of Springfield more than $25 million a year. Much must happen before City Hall sees any of that dough, but casino money has sure been flowing in Hampden County. On its way to being chosen last week as … 0

Editorial: Chaz Williams, little big man, decides to stay at UMass

Sunday, May 5, 2013

Chaz Williams waited until minutes shy of an NBA deadline last week ago to declare he will remain at the University of Massachusetts to earn a degree — and to keep playing his spirited style of basketball. We hope Williams knows fans of men’s hoop at UMass are … 0

Editorial: The outlook for clean air in the Valley

Friday, May 3, 2013

Though Hampshire County still fails an important air-quality measure, it is encouraging that the region isn’t logging as many “orange zone” days as it once did. That’s a measure the federal Environmental Protection Agency uses to mark days of unhealthy air, based on monitors that record the presence … 0

Editorial: Training for the worst of times

Friday, May 3, 2013

It is obscene that the term “active shooter” is so common in our speech. Many of us prefer to believe that the gun violence that has turned other communities upside down is an abstract, distant horror. Our police officers cannot take that view — and we’re all better … 0

Editorial: Pride gets in motion

Thursday, May 2, 2013

Since the last Pride event in Northampton a year ago, a lot has happened in the world of gay and lesbian rights, politically and socially. The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in two cases related to gay marriage, with decisions expected soon. Barack Obama became the first American … 0

Editorial: A new chancellor builds on storied past

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Though he started work nearly 10 months ago, Kumble R. Subbaswamy was installed as University of Massachusetts Amherst chancellor just last weekend. By letting time pass, the community got to know the man many hope will lead the campus for the next decade in its quest to earn … 0

Editorial: 21st-century Easthampton High

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

It was a long, slow road to a new, state-of-the-art high school in Easthampton. At points, advocates for the project may have thought it an impossible dream. The dream came to fruition last month when students and teachers … 0

Editorial: Narrowing the field

Monday, April 29, 2013

Today might qualify as the most important election day nobody knows about. The primary election for both Republicans and Democrats is the first step in choosing the next senator from Massachusetts. So cast your ballots. The winners go on to the June 25 general election. The winner then … 0

Editorial: Mayor raises new questions on old school — Smith Vocational

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Mayor David Narkewicz is starting a critical conversation for Northampton as he considers making Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School part of the city’s public school system. It will be a difficult conversation, and early reaction suggests it will be a divisive one if the mayor cannot clearly … 7

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