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By TIM WALTER

My dad, Paul Walter, grew up on the lower west side — the poor part — of Cleveland, Ohio. His mother was “a wet Democrat,” his father “a dry Republican.” He worked his way through college and law school. In the 1930s in the midst of the Depression,...

By JENNY ADAMS

I looked for it under a tree. But in the end, I found it near the bushes lining the edge of his condominium yard. I wish I could say that it was hidden. It was not. It stood out, a solid brown mass of poop in plain sight.Unlike my dad’s very visible...

By JOHN PARADIS

In 2022, when Washington bureaucrats thought it would be a good idea to close the VA medical center in Northampton, several veterans, including myself, were incredulous.U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern was livid too, and he called on us to speak up so he could...

By ALI WICKS-LIM, LAMICKO MAGEE, and MARTHA TORO

Recently Ben Herrington, Allison McDonald and Peter Demling resigned from the Amherst Regional School Committee, each citing some version of the same hero/victim narrative. Before leaving, they secured a significant buyout for Superintendent Mike...

By CHRISTOPHER DEMING

The housing shortage crisis in Hadley has transcended local boundaries, gripping neighboring towns like Amherst, Hatfield and South Hadley. This issue has evolved into a community-wide concern, raising questions about the intentions of developers, the...

By ANDREW DELANEY

The year 1983 was a crossroads for Amherst College following the sudden and tragic death of president Julian H. Gibbs (Class of 1947). Professor G. Armour Craig, also an Amherst graduate, was named acting president. The transition of power between two...

By FRANK ROBINSON and MARVIN VENAY

Think about all the things we do online — remote work, completing school assignments, setting up appointments, keeping up with friends and loved ones, ordering food, clothing, and more. Now, imagine trying to do any of that without reliable access to...

By JONATHAN KAHANE

Aging can be a relentless and stern master who often rewards his students with wisdom, that is if the students are willing and eager to put their minds to the task. Unfortunately, more often than not, the opportunity to acquire this understanding is...

By PATRICK O’CONNOR

While Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia claims the city cannot afford to bus children through an unsafe area, school administrators and city officials continue to get paid handsomely. Just take a moment to look at some of these top 2022 school salaries, as...

By MARIEL E. ADDIS

‘I’m Mariel and I love my tools.” Clapping can be heard from other members of the tool owners’ support group.When I announced my transition in January 2016, I think some people thought I might trade in my tools for a makeup kit. Nothing is further...

By JIM PALERMO

We are not doing our kids any favors by raising them to be too hyper-sensitive to flourish in a very cruel and hostile environment. The truth is that while we can coerce people to behave in a certain way, we cannot coerce people into believing as we...

By JOEL RUSSELL

Congratulations are due to Northampton Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra, Carolyn Misch, director of the Office of Planning and Sustainability, and other public officials for their steadfast support of the approved Main Street redesign. The project has...

By JULIE SPENCER-ROBINSON

It was wonderful to see the Gazette’s editorial page recently filled with support for the Thrive Act. This important piece of state legislation would eliminate passing the MCAS as a graduation requirement and establish a commission to recommend “a...

By JOHN P. DIBARTOLO JR. 

Among the reasons given for the proposed redesign of Main Street is that it will afford greater safety to pedestrians and cyclists. If this is true, we should not wait for federal funding and a three-year construction period, we should institute the...

By JON WEISSMAN

I am grateful for Merriam Ansara’s letter to the Gazette (“Grateful for hospital alliance, more work to do,” Gazette, July 17). As chair of the board of Mass-Care: the Massachusetts Campaign for Single Payer Health Care, I can “explain … the details...

By LISA CAIN

Why did Amherst Regional Public Schools (ARPS) have to lose Superintendent Mike Morris? I don’t claim to understand what happened with Mr. Morris. My children have both been in the Amherst schools since they were in kindergarten. They will both be...

By LEE ARMSTRONG

Those who take a hard right stance on guns claim a never-ending woke effort is to take away, or at least strictly control, their guns. What they want is total elimination of all gun restrictions and controls.The U.S. Supreme Court decisions of the...

By LILLY LOMBARD

An end run is afoot to overturn the public’s will regarding the future of Northampton’s Main Street. During the exhaustive, transparent public process for the redesign of Main Street, I was part of a large and active citizen-business collaboration —...

By GENE STAMMEL

“Always get married in the morning. That way, if it doesn’t work out, you haven’t wasted a whole day.” — Mickey Rooney“I always say, if you’re married 50 years and 10 of them are horrible, you’re doing pretty good.” — Michelle Obama“Keep your eyes...

By ELENA HUISMAN

Just this summer, Northampton and the surrounding towns have been impacted by devastating floods, heat waves and wildfires that have brought suffocating smoke and dangerously unhealthy air. We are witnessing and living with the impacts of the climate...