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By BILL DANIELSON

Dear Reader: I can’t believe that 2023 is almost over. Next week I am going to work on my traditional Year-In-Review column, but today I have decided to give myself permission to go back to one of my favorite photos of 2023. This is a photo that I...

By MICHAEL STEIN

As a political theorist I think about democracy more than most, and this fall, as an incumbent running for re-election to the Northampton School Committee, I had an intimate view of our local political culture. What I observed was a vague yet vocal...

By MATT L. BARRON and JON WEISMANN

On Dec. 11, the U.S. House passed the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act, legislation to require Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to disclose drug rebates and discounts, revealing what they pay drug makers for prescription drugs. The bill would also...

By RICHARD FEIN

My last column was about the Israel/Hamas war. It suggested that the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas was winning. Now I’m posing a related question: When the current war in Gaza ends is an overall resolution to the Israel/Palestine conflict...

By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ

I remind the reader of my penchant for recreational lying, the purpose of which is not to deceive but to entertain, lest the reader misunderstand my tranquility under the threat of Trump becoming dictator for life.Whew! I am so relieved. I’d read a...

By NINA SCOTT

Richard Nicoll and his wife Martha Hanks-Nicoll live in New Salem, in a lovely house with a spectacular view. Richard is originally from the southwest of England; he finished high school and one year of Agricultural College, then came to the U.S. in...

By TOM WEINER

I want to start with the conclusion of this story, which is expressed in its simplest form in the title. Palestinians and the Jews of Israel are arguably two of the most hurt people in the annals of human history. Nowhere are the consequences of their...

By SUSAN WOZNIAK

As summer was winding down, I had a conversation with a young woman. Something she said, led me to answer, “That’s out of my bailiwick.” She looked puzzled and asked, “What’s a bailiwick?” I chuckled a bit and said, “Your generation uses the word...

By RORY LITTLE

 The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is a mysterious and slow institution. As our national court of constitutional finality, SCOTUS usually takes months to decide whether to review a lower court decision, and more months to hear arguments...

By JOHANNA NEUMANNThinking globally and acting locally has long been a saying in the environmental movement. In the spirit of being grateful for every bit of incremental progress we make to protect our water, our air and our open spaces, here, in...

By JOHN SKIBISKI

Ukraine today is probably sorry it agreed to give up its third largest arsenal of nuclear arms because of assurances of future protection. Underestimated was possible political wrangling making the promise fragile at best while people are being killed...

By RAZVAN SIBII

Immigration is a complicated issue. It’s difficult to decide which of the millions of people in need of urgent assistance should be welcomed into the country. It’s difficult to figure out what “assimilation” means and to what extent we should ask...

By PETER M. HAAS

The recently concluded Climate Change COP28 (the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the 1992 UN Framework Convention on Climate Change) surprised many observers by generating more concrete decisions than had been expected. Most...

By PHYLLIS KEENAN

The promise of Massachusetts’ community colleges is high quality, affordable education that’s accessible to everyone. At Greenfield Community College, where I’m a professor, our goal is to ensure there’s opportunity available for all residents,...

By SARA WEINBERGER

’Tis the season to go shopping, often online, for gifts that those near and dear don’t need and most likely don’t want. Remember the excitement of giving what you thought was the perfect gift and then catching the recipient’s forced grin as they...

By SHEL HOROWITZ

Remember when the previous administration tore babies and children from their families’ arms and locked them in little cages? Bad news: Republicans in Congress and far-right activists, including that former president, are heating up even worse...

By ROB MOIR

Boston suffered more than 20 inches of rain during the summer of 2022, setting a record that was only broken when two hurricanes brought 25 inches of rain in 1955. An estimated 1.5 billion gallons of water sluiced off the land, overwhelmed sewage...

By RUSS VERNON-JONES

Eight years ago in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, the nations of the world set a goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C. They agreed that every nation, and especially the wealthiest ones, would contribute to reducing climate-damaging...

By RICHARD SZLOSEK

Well, the powers that be in Northampton have unanimously decided to reduce our Main Street down to two lanes of traffic. The project apparently won’t even begin until 2025 and I have stayed out of the discussion because, at my advanced age, who knows...

By TOLLEY M. JONES

My grandmother Esther died on November 17th at the age of 95. Grandma had five children: Charles, Patricia, Michael, David, and Valerie. Tragically, she buried four of her five children as adults — one of whom was murdered, along with that adult...