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By RUTH LEAHEY

On Nov. 9, the Whately Grange presented a Quilt of Valor and many Patriots Awards to local veterans from Hatfield, Williamsburg, Buckland and other area towns.The handmade Quilt of Valor quilt was presented to retired U.S. Air Force Col. Marcus J....

By JONATHAN KLATE

I am a Jew.My father and all of my grandparents emigrated from the pale of settlement in Eastern Europe, as did my wife’s Jewish father. It was difficult to know where they lived exactly and for how long; Ukraine, Moldova, Russia, Hungary, Belarus …...

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 MICHAEL SEWARD

Soon after former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was ousted, this newspaper published an article where U.S. Reps. Richard Neal and James McGovern attempted to justify their decision to join all House Democrats in that effort. In doing so, they once...

By LORRAINE MANGIONE

Given all the trauma and tragedy in the world these days, I have to ask myself why I am bothering to write something in the Gazette about the downtown redo, but I realize it is because many of the same government questions are involved in different...

By ROSALIE P. PORTER

My highest compliments to the Daily Hampshire Gazette staff on the fine news coverage and columns published recently. First, the excellent column by Susan Wozniak, “Hannah Arendt, Golda Meir: Truths to be listened to” [Oct. 27]. Second, the coverage...

By the REV. PETER KAKOS

Forty years ago, an Israeli journalist, David Grossman, spent months interviewing Palestinians of the West Bank in order to understand their point of view of existence under Israeli rule. Publishing the results of his findings in a book, “The Yellow...

By ERIC WINKLER

The redesign of Main Street in Northampton represents a great advance toward the city’s goals for sustainability, resilience, and responsiveness to the climate crisis. As the Northampton Energy and Sustainability Commission, we want to explain why we...

By ROB OKUN

Another American first. We’re closing in on 600 mass shootings in 2023 and — good news, people — there’s still two months left in the year. Can we get to 650? 700? USA! USA! USA!Banks. Bars. Beauty Salons. Big box stores. Bowling alleys. Concerts....

By PETER M. HAAS

Rhetoric over the Israel Hamas war is burning red hot. Some narratives blame Israel, some blame Hamas, some focus on the morality of Israeli tactics against the citizens of Gaza.Underlying this fervid and unreconcilable debate are two fundamentally...

By FRANK ROBERTS

As the conflict in Israel enters its fourth week, I find myself thinking more about the future than the past.Initially I was angry. I found my thoughts drifting from outrage to sadness to revenge. I have constantly imagined what I would do if it were...

By KATHLEEN WROBLEWSKI

Over 400 years ago, the first Poles arrived on American soil. They were important members of the Jamestown colony, working as glassblowers, carpenters, masons and artisans, helping to build a community that was central in our country’s founding.In...

By MARISSA ELKINS

Can you imagine if downtown Northampton had trolley tracks running at grade through the middle of Main Street? It would be extraordinarily dangerous and congested and would not suit our current needs.The Mill River used to run through the heart of...

By D. DINA FRIEDMAN

Every time I go to see the 1-year-old I regularly care for, he greets me with one word: light. It’s a request, rather than an observation. I follow his pointing finger as I take him in my arms, stopping at every fixture in the house so he can bask...

By JONATHAN KAHANE

I am constantly astonished, make that flabbergasted, upon reading the Gazette’s opinion page, at the extraordinary number of “experts” in every discipline under the sun residing in our “Happy Valley.” Some of the “solutions” proposed recently by...

By RUTHERFORD H. PLATT

The idealized future Main Street visualized in the city’s computer images will not magically just happen. How will the city and state manage years of construction impacts on traffic congestion, on downtown businesses, on emergency vehicle access, on...

By IAN RHODEWALT

With October upon us, Halloween decorations have started going up everywhere — spooky skeletons, ghoulish ghosts, and villainous vampires. This year, however, the start of this month sees a new form of dread spreading in communities across...

By JAMES ROYER

Current law dictates that students are required to pass the MCAS tests in mathematics, science and technology, and English to receive a high school diploma. Petitions are circulating that would place on the ballot a law that would replace the MCAS...

By MARK REYNOLDS and LINDA BUTLER

One year after a major climate bill was passed, Massachusetts has begun to reap the benefits of an influx of clean energy investment and jobs.When the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act was signed into law last August, it unleashed a stream of clean energy...

By ALEX KENT

My wife and I live in downtown Amherst in a house I purchased over 22 years ago. We love living downtown: the proximity to the Amherst Cinema, to restaurants, stores, and coffee shops.In our neighborhood, we are well known by other long-term...