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By JONATHAN KAHANE

The Gazette opinion page is my second favorite section of the newspaper. I prefer to begin my day’s journey by reading the comics. All too often they provide me with the only good laughs of the day. I procrastinate reading the news as it generally...

By SHERIFF PATRICK J. CAHILLANE

It’s no exaggeration to say that crime in the United States is fueled by addiction.According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse and other organizations that monitor the link between crime and addiction, approximately 65% of incarcerated Americans...

By RICHARD MCCARTHY

Once when I was walking on a main drag in Toronto, I turned to the woman I was with and said, “The guys here dress differently than I do.” Without missing a beat, she said, “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. You’re equally out of fashion...

By DAN MURPHY

I remember my excited face smushed up against the car window eagerly taking in the big city of Boston. It was finally the day my family and I were going to see the Red Sox. I couldn’t wait! We drove past Fenway Park and I watched in dismay as it got...

Happy Women’s History Month! This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories” (nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org). Throughout this year, the National Women’s History Alliance is highlighting storytellers, writers, journalists, playwrights...

By ALLISON MCDONALD

We are deep in the budget planning process for next fiscal year and Amherst schools are facing significant and difficult budget cuts. The uncertainty around the multiple contracts that are not yet settled, including that with the Amherst Pelham...

By JONATHAN KLATE

‘Wokeness” is what folks on the political right love to declare themselves as being against these days. But, what is it, really, that they oppose?The term “woke” was derived from African American vernacular English meaning alertness to racial...

By Richard Fein

This column will ask Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and Palestinian Authority’s president, Mahmoud Abbas, about their role in perpetuating the Israel/Palestinian conflict.Prime Minister Netanyahu: Are you serious about the “two-state...

By CARRIE N. BAKER

On Jan. 17, prosecutors in Stoughton charged Victor Carter with viciously murdering Amber Buckner, who was stabbed 30 times. Police found her with the handle of a 4-inch knife protruding from her right temple. The next day, prosecutors in Quincy...

By MARC WARNER 

Has anybody else pretty much had it with the Northampton City Council? The context of my question is their resolution calling for city-funded reparations.The council didn’t just vote unanimously for the measure, they absolutely fawned over it. One...

By KARIN WINTER

Our master plan calls for an increase in density in the downtown area, both commercial and residential.But is it possible to increase residential density in downtown Amherst without destroying much of the green space and beautiful ambiance that this...

By MICHAEL DOVER 

On Feb. 7, President Joe Biden delivered a memorable State of the Union address. But we should also take note of a strange line in Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ official Republican response. Calling on the country to elect “a new generation of...

By Susan Wozniak 

We are three weeks past the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment. At its heart are three factors, one an object and the second a way of thinking. The object is plastic and the way of thinking is corporatism. We will discuss the third later.I remember...

By DENNIS HELMUS

‘Wanted: More liquor licenses” was a headline in the Feb. 7 Gazette regarding Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra’s request to the Legislature for additional all-alcohol licenses to “strengthen the recovery of the city’s downtown dining and...

By BILL DANIELSON

As the days begin to lengthen, I find myself wistfully looking out the window of my car and watching the forests go by as I drive to work. The prolonged period of warmer-than-average weather that we have experienced this winter has also left the...

By JAY ASH, ED LAMBERT, and CHERYL STANLEY

Children from every community across our commonwealth possess limitless potential, but that potential can fizzle quickly if it is not nourished and supported as they develop into adults. Most begin elementary school confident that their futures hold...

By MARIEL E. ADDIS

I had the pleasure of seeing former Valley resident Dar Williams perform at the Bellows Falls Opera House last weekend. I have to admit that I was largely unfamiliar with much of Dar’s work, but I felt that, based upon everything I had heard about...

By WILLIAM LAMBERS

On this Presidents Day let’s step back in time for a moment to President George Washington’s last message to the nation. It was 1796 when Washington gave his farewell address.Washington had one last request of the American people, to “Observe good...

Daisy is an animated woman with a sparkle in her eyes. We met at the Academy of Music, for the premiere of “Finding the Words,” a film about Voices from Inside (VFI), a creative writing program for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. My...

By MOMODOU SARR

I am fascinated by the ecosystem of a classroom. When I was invited to fill in for two middle school teachers back-to-back during the pandemic years, I jumped at the invitation. I was curious to see what the social, political, and cultural nature of...