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By KURSTEN HOLABIRD and MATT HOLLOWAY

May 2, 2023 is an important date for the future of Amherst. On that date, voters will go to the polls with the chance to steer our community onto a positive and progressive path by voting “yes” for a new consolidated elementary school building. (Early...

By RUSS VERNON-JONES

My friend Hannah recently got an advertisement in the mail urging her to open a new account at Chase Bank. Although it offered some attractive features, she decided to reject the offer. Why? Hannah rejected it because she cares about tackling climate...

By MICKEY RATHBUN

One of the many casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic was the series of annual spring gardening symposiums hosted by the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners Association (WMMGA). These popular events helped gardeners of all abilities expand their...

Happy Women’s History Month! This year’s theme is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories” (nationalwomenshistoryalliance.org). Throughout the year, the National Women’s History Alliance is highlighting storytellers, writers, journalists, playwrights...

By THOMAS DOURMASHKIN

The issue of “reparations” is about as confusing as it can be. Many issues are raised but few really have bearing on the problem.To be clear from the start, I am for reparations, but not on a local level. There is a debt, but attempts to pay it on a...

By ALLISON MCDONALD

We are deep in the budget planning process for next fiscal year and Amherst schools are facing significant and difficult budget cuts. The uncertainty around the multiple contracts that are not yet settled, including that with the Amherst Pelham...

By D. DINA FRIEDMAN

When I was 7 and my brother was 4, we were playing in my room. My ballerina tutu was on the floor, and my brother put it on. He pranced out to show my mother, a big grin on his face. “How do I look in a dress?”My mother’s face went to red quicker...

By RICHARD MCCARTHY

Once when I was walking on a main drag in Toronto, I turned to the woman I was with and said, “The guys here dress differently than I do.” Without missing a beat, she said, “I wouldn’t worry about it if I were you. You’re equally out of fashion...

This month I want to look at a very personal topic that we all encounter daily — food. What we eat, and don’t eat, impacts climate change. The diets of people around the world affect climate change.Increasing numbers of people in the U.S. are eating...

By ALEX KENT

The phone rang and a Walpole number came up. I shouldn’t answer numbers I don’t recognize — let it go to voicemail. But out of idle curiosity, I picked up the call and it was another wholly unsolicited inquiry from a company wanting to buy my house in...

By JONATHAN KLATE

‘Wokeness” is what folks on the political right love to declare themselves as being against these days. But, what is it, really, that they oppose?The term “woke” was derived from African American vernacular English meaning alertness to racial...

By KARIN WINTER

Our master plan in Amherst calls for an increase in density in the downtown area, both commercial and residential.But is it possible to increase residential density in downtown Amherst without destroying much of the green space and beautiful ambiance...

By HIND MARI

In her poem “Kindness,” Naomi Shihab Nye says that before we know kindness, we must know sorrow. Her poem reminds me of a question a friend asked me upon returning from a visit to Palestine: “Growing up under the Israeli occupation, how can you be so...

By ANDREA BATTLE and JEFF GOLD

Key components of a healthy democracy require a commitment to equality of basic rights and justice, the rule of law, and free and fair elections for all citizens. But for these principles to be realized, a strong democracy also demands trust built on...

By JEFF LEE

The state Division of Local Services (DLS) maintains a wealth of economic data on Massachusetts cities and towns. In particular, the DLS tracks the average value of a single-family home in each community, and the average annual property tax levied on...

The smell of harsh antiseptic stings my nostrils — even through my mask. Every six months it’s the same routine for the physical therapy re-evaluation, which is a requirement for me to receive insurance authorization approval for the treatment of my...

By Michael Weiler

Since the COVID pandemic began, UMass’s 1,400 service staff workers have done extraordinary, even heroic work. To recognize them, an anonymous donor has pledged $7 million dollars to construct a pavilion on UMass land, dedicated to service staff....

How many Americans does it take to change a light bulb? To change one bulb now should only take one of us. However, to change all our bulbs in the coming years will require millions of us — and the best way to initiate that action is through the...

Two hundred and twenty-two years, seven months, and seven days ago, my ancestor Lucia, an enslaved woman and mother of two small girls, decided to risk capture, beatings, death, and being sold away from her children to escape her enslaver — her abuser...

By CLAIRE MORENON

Many of us take a break from work and spend time gathering with loved ones at this time of year, providing an opportunity for reflection and contemplation alongside the merriment. As this year closes and we look ahead, we ask: What world will each of...