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The United Way of Hampshire County’s departing executive director, Jim Ayres, leaves a legacy of stability and collaboration among agencies assisting our less fortunate neighbors.Ayres is not venturing far. His last day at the local agency is June 9,...

Hampshire County this month lost Tom McClung and Paul Bixby, two men from different walks of life who shared an empathy they brought to their pursuits and a commitment to their roots.McClung, a jazz musician who grew up in Amherst before taking his...

The trustees of the Pioneer Valley Performing Arts Public Charter School in South Hadley must act quickly to end the turmoil resulting from a controversy about the performance of school head Scott Goldman that erupted earlier this month.We hope that a...

The death of a bicyclist at the intersection of Hinckley and Nonotuck streets in Florence is a tragic reminder that all of us must take care when sharing the roads.Bicyclist Alan Porter, 78, of Florence, was killed about 3 p.m. May 15 when he...

Memorial Day weekend produces mixed emotions. The holiday is a time for somber reflection and remembrance of the tens of thousands who have served in our military over the centuries and have given their lives in their nation’s wars.The holiday has its...

A sense of urgency reflecting the nation’s political climate fuels a call to service delivered by college commencement speakers here this month.Graduates of the local private colleges and University of Massachusetts Amherst were urged to engage in...

Massachusetts, regarded as a bastion of progressive thinking, has never elected a woman governor.Yes, Lt. Gov. Jane Swift filled that seat from April 2001 through 2002 when Republican Gov. Paul Cellucci left to become ambassador to China before his...

Bad enough that President Donald Trump is inflicting his intemperance, narcissism and lack of compassion on the nation that elected him its leader. But it’s now becoming clear that Trump’s disregard for the rules of American justice and international...

There’s an old saying that a leader always should try to leave a place better than he or she found it. That’s exactly what Mary MacInnes did as longtime administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority — and then some.MacInnes, who retired April...

Former president Barack Obama spoke about courage Sunday night in Boston when he accepted the 2017 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award.“I hope that current members of Congress recognize that it takes little courage to aid those who are already...

OK, it might be an overstatement to say that President Donald Trump has met his Twitter match in Amherst Town Manager Paul Bockelman. But when Bockelman took to the Twitterverse recently to chide Starbucks, he made creative use of this 21st-century...

At the opposite ends of their careers, Barbara Black and Allison Jenks share a commitment to improving the lives of people they touch with their compassionate and spirited leadership.The two women received the Person of the Year and Young Community...

On Jan. 21, President Donald Trump’s first full day in office, an estimated 500,000 people rallied in the streets of Washington, D.C., against the new administration.Thousands more are expected in the capital this Saturday — the 100th day of Trump’s...

Honoring a friend while testing his own endurance motivates Jim Brassord to row 1,400 miles along the eastern seaboard to support the new John P. Musante Health Center in Amherst.Brassord’s quest is particularly impressive because — except for the...

For many Americans, the enduring memory of the Vietnam War is of the protests that defined a generation and shattered the illusion of America’s purity on the world stage. But for the 3 million men and women who served in Southeast Asia in the 1960s...

For Jorge Sosa, making homemade corn tortillas for his restaurant in Hadley was about recreating the earthy, crunchy taste of authentic Mexican food. It was a restaurateur’s decision to deliver taste to his customers, but since 2007 these tortillas...

In the wake of parking lot violence and complaints of racism and harassment, Easthampton High School administrators have work ahead to improve the school’s climate and rebuild trust with students and parents.The walkout staged by hundreds of high...

The Amherst Charter Commission took a big step backward last week when it narrowly endorsed a 60-member town council as part of a package of reforms to replace representative Town Meeting and the Select Board.Establishing the largest town or city...

There’s a faint glimmer of hope this spring for people who feel alienated from our national government by the influence of millions of dollars in political donations from corporations and billionaires, and from gerrymandering that has helped polarize...

The actions of our courts and government agencies reveal discrimination as a force that is sometimes subtle but nonetheless directly affects the lives of the nation’s LGBT citizens. Recent days have shown that the battle continues, with both...