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By SARENA NEYMAN

On the precipice of a new quarter-century, where do we stand? Amherst remains both a quintessential New England college town and a vibrant global village. Downtown boasts 45-plus eateries serving flavors from around the world, unique boutiques, and top-notch museums and cultural institutions including Amherst Cinema, The Drake, and the Jones Library.

’Twas the fifth day before Christmas when a notice was delivered to each and every home of the Hadley Housing Authority, home to 40 elderly and disabled people. Lights were blinking it must be the season!

By NANCY E. GROSSMAN

By RAZVAN SIBII

The anti-immigration people won the elections. They campaigned successfully on the “mass deportation” of undocumented immigrants and they have every intention of fulfilling that threat. And, if the first Trump administration is any indication, they will also drastically shrink and slow down legal immigration in every way they can think of.

Before entering the Mos Eisley spaceport seeking an interplanetary Uber to Alderaan, Obi-Wan Kenobi cautioned Luke Skywalker, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.” Evidently, Mr. Kenobi had never been to Washington, D.C., and certainly not during a Trump administration. Donald Trump is a con man. Always has been and always will be. He is also a hollow man honeycombed with self-doubt, horror-struck at the thought of self-awareness, and using remorseless mockery of others as a psychological contrivance counterbalancing his moral and ethical impotence.

By JOSHUA WALLACK

The Kittredge estate holds a unique place in Leverett’s history — a nearly 80-acre property whose next chapter deeply respects the character, values and “vibe of Leverett” and its neighbor Amherst. As someone who has spent decades creating projects...

By FRANK COUVARES

 As a supporter of the Jones Library renovation and expansion plans from the beginning, I think everyone involved in conceiving, designing and carrying forward this project can be congratulated. Their dedicated efforts have assured us of an invaluable...

Some people think that we teens don’t need our own space in our new library, but we do. One reason is when you are at home and you have a younger sibling it is very hard to get work done, so this space would be very helpful for that. Another reason...

Thanks to Raymond Fontaine for his wonderful recollections of public radio past from WGBH and WFCR 88.5FM [”Memories of public radio past still glow,” Gazette, Dec. 21]. I was at GBH when most of those shows were produced. And I’m proud of those...

Not a wreath nor a tree, or even a poinsettia to signify the Christmas holiday at the Hadley Housing Authority. On Dec. 20, notices were placed door to door, stating that all outdoor Christmas lights and holiday decorations must be removed by...

On Friday, Dec. 20, about 5:30 p.m., I was driving home east on Route 9 from South East Street in Amherst. It was terrifying. My good snow tires had zero traction on the icy surface. Vehicles were going 10 mph yet still skidding.At one point I saw a...

The town of Leverett is home to a unique resource. This is a former Christmas tree farm now known as the Blueberry Patch kindly donated by Gordon S. King for community use. Recently its accessibility has been unjustly obstructed by no trespassing...

By RUSS VERNON-JONES

Many of us are wondering how we can be most effective in blocking authoritarianism from completely taking over the United States now that Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans are about to assume political power. This is not an easy question, but it’s...

RFK Jr.’s plans for eliminating both vaccinations and fluoride in drinking water are dangerous and radical ideas that will make the American population, especially our children, less healthy and will cause catastrophic medical problems. The vaccines...

As a UMass alum, longtime basketball fan, and human being, I am appalled by the behavior of the UMass basketball coach, Frank Martin. His screaming in the face of his players in front of an arena full of fans is nothing less than abuse, not to mention...

By ANDY MORRIS-FRIEDMAN

My sincere apologies to my liberal friends, our once great country and the world. I really thought that my last satire was going to keep Donald Trump (sic) from winning re-election. Instead, reality has become a satire of itself and things are so...

A Dec. 9 letter writer (“From UFC to NFL, everybody’s happy again”) bizarrely proposes that “people seem to be happy again” simply because she has seen some professional athletes dancing like Trump. No doubt some millionaires are dancing at the...

I am writing to support the Jones Library building project. Though I am a resident of South Hadley, I work in Amherst and am a regular user of the Jones Library. As a librarian myself, I am deeply concerned by the attempts to block this project when...

I want to correct a letter that was published in the Nov. 30 edition under the title “Spreading disinformation about the Jones Library.”First, the writers misquoted the sign near the Amherst Farmer’s Market, making it seem slightly more provocative...

The Nov. 27 letter in the Gazette in support of The Jones Library demolition-expansion project appears to be unfamiliar with the interior of the Jones Library and reasonable alternatives to tearing down the Jones’ 31-year-old brick addition. The...