Nat Reade: Mayor right to consider Smith Vocational change

To the editor: I don’t know anything about Smith Vocational or its budget. I do think, however, that we’re lucky in Northampton to have a mayor who’s willing to consider every option to deal with our money problems, no matter how hard or unpopular they might be. Given … 1

• David Narkewicz commentary: Strength in combining schools

Frank Olbris: Here’s another reason to go outside in Northampton

To the editor: The open land preservation and development of parks in Northampton provides real physiological benefit to residents. In the New York Times, an April column called “Phys Ed” by Gretchen Reynolds was headlined “Brian Fatigue Goes Green” with the subheading, “Results from a mobile EEG device … 0

Jeffrey Peterson: Smith Vocational voting location changed for good reason

To the editor: Voters from Wards 2 and 5B who turned out for the primary election at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School had a change in their routine, as the polls were moved from their former location in the cafeteria to our gymnasium. While some people had … 0

Janra Roberts: Time to leave Boston bombing victims alone

To the editor: I am dismayed at the opinion that is held by many of my fellow citizens, and conveyed in the letter to the editor May 6, saying that instead of telling the public about the perpetrators of the Boston bombing, we should focus on the victims. … 0

Rob Snyder: ‘Retreat’ inappropriate development project

To the editor: The possible construction of a development called The Retreat for as many as 700 students in the rural Cushman area of Amherst would house students miles from the campus and result in traffic congestion as many students drive through the small intersections of the Cushman … 1

Joelle DeRoy: Praises coverage of Extravaganja

To the editor: With all the recent news about the arrests being made at Amherst events, I praise Krista Mangiardi’s article about this year’s Extravaganja, the annual gathering held on the common to support the legalization of marijuana. I was expecting complaints to be made about the crowded … 0

Kayla Lesure: The Boston bombings and the death penalty

To the editor: The April 15 Boston Marathon bombings have once again brought forth the debate over capital punishment. While both explosions and the shooting of MIT officer Sean Collier all happened within the state of Massachusetts, a state that abolished capital punishment more than 30 years ago, … 0

Ramil Maharramov: Azerbaijan’s political history remembered

To the editor: Our cause for celebration, and request for a proclamation or citation, is the world’s first predominantly Muslim secular parliamentary democracy that was proclaimed 95 years ago on May 28, 1918, in the Caucasus region of Europe — the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR). ADR became the … 0

Isaiah Stavchansky: Serious lack of student testing competition

To the editor: The story headlined “States dropping GED as test price spikes” says that the GED was previously run by a nonprofit organization, American Council on Education. The article fails to state that the new organization running GED is Pearson, a for-profit organization. Pearson bought out its … 0

Eli Ayres: Turning family homes into student housing just heartless capitalism

To the editor: The recent increase in conversions of family homes into student housing is just another example of heartless capitalism eroding Amherst neighborhoods. This change has recently been propagated by two investors, Jamie Cherewatti and You-Pan Tzeng. Their investments have not only brought noise and rowdy behavior, … 0