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By MARIEL E. ADDIS

My mom passed in 2008 at the age of 70. She had suffered for a number of years with early-onset Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and had been in nursing home care the last years of her life.I had come out as transgender to my wife a year and a half before...

By JOHN HAAG

I am writing in support of John Berkowitz’s recent column, “End the war in Ukraine before it ends us” [Gazette, Dec. 4].In recent years, the world has witnessed the tragic conflict unfolding in Ukraine, a crisis that has caused immeasurable suffering...

I felt so uplifted reading about the police officer who fought to overcome her circumstances and remake her world [“Emerging from darkness,” Gazette, Dec. 30]. I would love to see a weekly article dedicated to uplifting stories like this one. It is so...

Bravo to the Florence Civic and Business Association [FCBA] for envisioning and manifesting the first annual Tractor Parade. Parading from Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School to Look Park on a dark and chilly night, 39 tractors aglow with...

The recognition of the late Martha Spiegelman’s many contributions to human rights was well deserved (“Human Rights Day honors late leader Spiegelman,” Gazette, Dec. 2). I participated in this well-attended event organized by the local chapter of...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Around 15 years ago, Jason Graves lost his job at a restaurant and needed to find another way to make an income. That’s when his wife, Lynn, made a suggestion: “Why don’t you open up a bike shop?”Soon, Full Circle Bike Shop in Florence...

A recent article addressed gaps in parents’ expectations for children’s future and the need for Massachusetts to make college more accessible to all. In the past, graduating from college has proven to be a strong indicator of financial success. But...

By MARIEL E. ADDIS

Imagine for a moment, getting a new name, a new gender, a “new” body, and a closet full of new and different clothes. Now, imagine experiencing life with both a heightened level of both emotions and physical sensations. While it seems like something...

There’s been a lot of talk about revitalizing downtown. To me, supporting the Parlor Room Collective is without a doubt the most bang I could get for my philanthropic buck. So that’s what I just did on Giving Tuesday, hoping that the folks at...

By LARRY HOTT

It was February 2001. I was at my desk in our film studio reviewing every grant proposal I had written for our film “Imagining Robert: My Brother, Madness and Survival,” which was based on the book by Jay Neugenboren.I met Jay four years earlier while...

We clearly have a shortage of doctors in the commonwealth and it’s even more severe in rural areas like western Mass. There is no easy solution for this, but there is a simple step which could help. One way we can make it easier for doctors to come...

By BARRY ROTH

Editor’s note: The following was submitted to the U.S. State Department by Rep. Jim McGovern at the author’s request, on Dec. 21, 2014. Nothing came of it. At the time of this writing December 21, 2014 (the winter solstice) things appear very dark and...

Surprise, more taxes! It’s great that the value of our home of the last 47 years has increased quite a bit. The problem is we won’t see any of that increase until we sell it, but the city is taking its percentage now. Right now us senior citizens have...

By JOSEPH SILVERMAN

A recent article reported on a climate science expert who resigned from the Hadley Climate Change Committee after she responded to challenges from committee members with an emotional outburst that included profanity [“Climate panel member quits,”...

By RICHARD FEIN

In four previous columns I have written about my love for my Jewish religion and for the State of Israel. It is because of that love that I am appalled by the Netanyahu government’s attempt to undermine that nation’s democracy and for its occupation...

By OLIN ROSE-BARDAWIL

In recent years, it has become clear that social media platforms have the capacity to deepen social polarization and worsen the already dire political situation.Many of the negative effects of social media on our political environment are well known...

By JOHN PARADIS

Last week, I watched a 1-pound eastern gray squirrel roll a 10-pound pumpkin across our yard to the edge of our woods.Then, in a matter of minutes, the rodent gnawed off the stem and chewed a hole. It continued to bore inside, eventually fitting its...

We have an interesting contradiction going on in Israel and Gaza now. On the one hand, Israel defends its brutal response to Hamas’ recent terrorist spree by stating the only way to be safe is to root out (read: exterminate) all of Hamas.On the other...

By MARIEL E. ADDIS

It may seem odd for a transgender woman to be writing a piece about her love of several faith communities. For a long time, members of the LGBTQ+ community were shunned by many denominations and many churches. However, I have been lucky enough to...

By DOMENIC POLI

Hop in a car at the Stillwater Bridge in Deerfield and you can make it to the Dinosaur Footprints in Holyoke in about a half-hour. A bicycle can you get you there in roughly 2½ hours and walking will likely take you eight hours. Dave Rothstein now...