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In today’s news is announced widespread elimination of an “alphabet soup” of divisions and programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Georgia. When government agencies and scientists are categorized as alphabet soup, I know ignorance is on parade. Eliminated has been the Division of Violence Prevention, part of the injury center at CDC. I know the people wielding power do not know, nor do they care, about the leadership of this division across all forms of violence from suicide to elder and child abuse, domestic abuse, sexual violence.

By TOLLEY M. JONES

“Soon ah will be done with the troubles of the world, goin’ home to live with God”

By JOE GANNON

When I saw the above-the-fold headline about a school meeting (“Northampton schools probe staff response to student’s unfulfilled IEP,” Gazette, March 31) I thought, ah jeez, here they go again?

This past week saw two unsettling videos come out within 24 hours of each other. In the first, RumeysaOzturk, a Tufts University graduate student and visa-holder, is dragged off the street by masked, plainclothes ICE agents. Like Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident also targeted for anti-Zionist activism, she is held in detention without facing formal charges.

I had the pleasure of attending Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra’s re-election campaign kickoff at the Iron Horse. The energy in the packed room was palpable — supportive, energized, and hopeful about Northampton’s future. There’s no denying that Northampton is currently in an extraordinarily difficult financial reality. Among other challenges, and similar to many other communities, we are dealing with the long-term impacts of municipal funding challenges brought by Proposition 2½, the broken state level school funding formula that leaves communities like Northampton behind, and the millions of dollars we pay in sending tuition to charter schools each year.

By KAREN GARDNER

There were thousands, perhaps millions, of people in the streets on Saturday — in towns and cities in every state of our union. It was big! Not like the 11 people who showed up to demonstrate in front of Northampton’s City Hall on Inauguration Day, when the flood of illegal, unconstitutional executive orders began. No, it was bigger.

By MICHAEL ALBANO

I was at the State House in January 1983 when Gov. Michael Dukakis announced his intention to file legislation creating a “right to shelter” law. At the time, I was representing the Parole Board and the Department of Corrections in hopes that incarcerated women at MCI-Framingham, many with children awaiting their release, would be included in the legislation and have a home to go to when granted parole, or, after completing their sentence.

This year, more than 226,000 Americans will die from lung cancer — the No. 1 cancer killer. We need to stop this. When people think of lung cancer, they relate it to smoking. That is not accurate in many cases. Lung cancer does not discriminate. It happens to people who have never smoked in their life, who lived a healthy life, and it struck them hard. For what? It is beyond unfair and unexplainable.

I hate war. I mean, who doesn’t hate war? It’s basically young healthy people fighting to the death over causes and political positions they don’t know much about. And they die. And the people they are sent to fight against also die. And all of the innocents, they die, too. Since the brutal attacks of October 7th, survivors occupy my mind daily. First, as a Jew, I cried for the brutal killings of innocents, in the name of holiness. Now, every day has been a new barrage of news with all its perspectives and positions, and more innocents dying.

It is a new year and seniors are on the chopping block. Housing is the worst. We cannot find anything. CHAMP (Common Housing Application for Massachusetts Programs) and many housing offices offer help but really give nothing. It is time to change the system. Seniors are people too. Seniors matter.

As our Easthampton High School We the People (WTP) civics team prepares to compete this week in the national WTP civics competition in Washington, D.C., the Easthampton Democratic and Republican committees offer our joint appreciation and support for the team.

The millions of people who participated in protests across the nation on April 5 showed that “We the People” have a powerful voice as we exercised our First Amendment right to peacefully assemble and petition the government. I encourage all of us to continue this in an ongoing basis. One next step will be to join the Hands Off Social Security Rally this Thursday, April 10 at noon. If you work nearby, come on your lunch break. Address is 1550 Main Street, Springfield. The mobilize link is below. This issue impacts or will impact all of us.

Trump no longer remembers his campaign promise to reduce the price of groceries. He only remembers he talked a lot about groceries on the campaign trail. He now says he thinks the word, groceries, is quaint. Who knew?

Congratulations to all those recognized by the New England Newspaper and Press Association. Your readers and viewers (of photography) know how good you are. Very nice to see it recognized by others.

By RABBI ARIELLA ROSEN

The following guest column is adapted from testimony Rabbi Ariella Rosen gave to the state’s Special Commission on Combatting Antisemitism on March 11.

By ANDREW MOREHOUSE and CHARLOTTE BONEY

The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts recently received troubling news: the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has canceled a portion of its food deliveries through August — an estimated $440,000 worth of food we were counting on. While this represents only 1% of our total distribution last year, it’s a serious shortfall that will force us to draw on emergency reserves to purchase food. Even more concerning are the proposed federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These cuts would deepen food insecurity across western Massachusetts and further strain our already overburdened food assistance network.

By BILL NEWMAN

On March 15, the Trump administration deported over 200 Venezuelans to a notoriously violent prison in El Salvador. Trump has claimed that the Alien Enemies Act of 1789, which allows deportation of citizens of a nation at war with the United States, gives him that unilateral power and that the U.S. today is at war with (you might have missed this — I did) Venezuela.

We are so taken up with bad news, I’d like to share some happy news with you instead.

Ever since Israel began it’s assault in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Oct 7, 2023, the word genocide has been used by supporters of Palestine, human rights activists, and/or detractors of Israel’s government. Supporters of Israel’s actions have decried the use of the word, maintaining that using the word genocide was antisemitic. Now, can there be little doubt what Netanyahu’s government’s plan is for Gaza and the West Bank?

By DR. SHELLEY BERKOWITZ