Commentary
Sean Valentine: Voter choice does not exist in a vacuum
Recently I have read many an article from many an erudite legal scholar saying that the 14th Amendment should not bar Mr. Trump from running for office. Many argue that the "democratic" thing to do is to allow voters to decide. If we feel he isn't...
Wendi Weinberg: Contemplating what is possible
I happen to be living in a time when now I know what deep fear feels like. It is possible that 2024 could be our last election … if a want-to-be dictator takes over the White House and disassembles the structure of governing I’ve known all my...
Guest columnist Richard S. Bogartz: What threat of dictatorship?
By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ
By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ
Columnist John Sheirer: We all deserve the privilege of normalcy
By JOHN SHEIRER
Nearly 40 years ago, I entered a college classroom as the instructor for the first time. I was a 23-year-old graduate teaching assistant, charged with my very own section of English composition. Twenty-five students silently inspected me as I placed...
John Varner: ‘Leverett is not Florida’
In Florida, it is common for developers to plan and build entire new communities. A few political favors are done, a new exit ramp springs off the closest highway, and regulatory concerns are bulldozed along with the land.Within the span of a few...
Columnist Razvan Sibii: Top five hypocrisies of the American immigration system
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...
Columnist Johanna Neumann: Environmental progress in 2023
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...
30% of profs call for Amherst College to divest from firms making money from Gaza campaign
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — A call for Amherst College to divest from companies that could be making money off the Israel-Hamas war is being issued by 60 faculty members, who contend in a letter that Israel’s military response to the Oct. 7 Hamas attack violates...
Amherst Council delays decision on rental permit changes until new year
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Revisions to the town’s rental permit bylaw and regulations, along with associated fees for applications and inspections, may not be considered for adoption until sometime in the new year, allowing town officials to address potential legal...
Five College scholars join 1,000-plus educators to push New England senators for permanent cease-fire in Gaza
By SCOTT MERZBACH
More than 100 scholars from the region’s Five Colleges have signed onto a letter sent to the New England’s 12 U.S. senators demanding a permanent cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, the peaceful release of Israeli hostages and arbitrarily detained...
UMass ends practice of posting arrestees’ names after outcry
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — An Oct. 25 protest calling for University of Massachusetts administrators to cut ties with the defense industry and condemn Israel’s military actions in Gaza concluded with 56 students and one employee remaining in the Whitmore...
Deerfield voters shoot down road repair borrowing authority
By CHRIS LARABEE
DEERFIELD — In a narrow vote with light turnout on Tuesday, residents rejected the authorization of up to $5 million for road repairs around Deerfield, 195-191.The rejected Proposition 2½ debt exclusion would have authorized the town to borrow money...
Amherst working group delivers draft solar bylaw to council
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — Restrictions on how much forestland could be cut to make way for large-scale solar projects and potential mitigation measures for the loss of trees are not included in a draft solar bylaw for Amherst.But the Solar Bylaw Working Group’s...
Amherst planners move Jones Library project along
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — As a Town Council decision looms on increasing the borrowing authorization for the $46.1 million expansion and renovation of the Jones Library, the site plans and special permits needed for the project have been approved by the Planning...
State attorney general’s office rejects parts of Pelham’s solar bylaws
By SCOTT MERZBACH
PELHAM — The state attorney general’s office is rejecting portions of an amended solar electric bylaw adopted by voters at annual Town Meeting in May, including requiring mitigation for loss of carbon sequestration and forest habitat and prohibiting...
Amherst’s interim superintendent defends HR consultant after union calls for resignation
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — The regional school district’s interim superintendent is defending the work of a human resources consultant as critical for the district during a tumultuous time, responding to a demand from the school union that she resign.Last Thursday,...
Amherst Regional School Committee restarting middle school principal search
By SCOTT MERZBACH
AMHERST — A search process for a permanent Amherst Regional Middle School principal that failed last spring when both finalists withdrew, including a candidate who had completed a public interview and was invited for a site visit, will resume in the...
Deerfield promotes Northampton resident Kathlene Sanderell to town clerk
By CHRIS LARABEE
DEERFIELD — After putting out a search for a town clerk earlier this year, it turns out the Select Board’s preferred candidate was in Town Hall all along.After nearly a year of service, the board appointed Assistant Town Clerk Kathlene “Cassie”...
Leverett moves to discontinue Rattlesnake Gutter Road
By SCOTT MERZBACH
LEVERETT — Despite an appeal from the town’s fire and police chiefs to reopen a section of a long-closed gravel road, the Select Board is moving forward with permanently discontinuing much of Rattlesnake Gutter Road as a public way.Acting on a request...
Anna and Ladimer S. Nagurney: In United States’ national interest to support Ukraine
While John Berkowitz's commentary, "End Ukraine war before it ends us," [Gazette, Dec. 4], makes some interesting points, it is not "Ukraine war" but Russia's war on Ukraine. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a sovereign, democratic nation, and...
