Opinion

Guest columnist Aubrey Menard: They paved paradise and put up a storage facility

By AUBREY MENARD

Every spring as the Valley turns green and warmth returns to the air, I look forward to pulling my bike out and going for a ride. I live in Amherst, so one of my favorite places to ride is along the Norwottuck Rail Trail, past the beautiful Hadley...

Guest columnist Dan Peters: No, you bleep: Refs have had enough

By DAN PETERS

Imagine being at your workplace trying to perform your job duties and you hear your boss yell the following comments directed at you: “That’s terrible!” “Open up your eyes.” “You blew that one!” “Where are your glasses?!?!” Can you imagine trying to...

Guest columnist Jeffrey Fishman: Less than informed, in denial of facts

By JEFFREY FISHMAN

As someone who has struggled continuously to find understanding and respect for those Republican voters who ardently support the ex-president, being informed and educated about scientific evidence and widely accepted facts is critical to garnering...

Annette Pfannebecker: Congress must find solutions to stop death toll in Gaza 

Ten U.S. senators joined Sen. Bernie Sanders to pass Resolution 502B© under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. This resolution simply asks the State Department for a report on human rights records of any country receiving U.S. military assistance....

Lori Goldner: Be mindful of vehicle idling

As the winter gets colder, the Amherst Energy and Climate Action Committee would like to encourage all drivers to remain mindful of their vehicle idling habits. While protection from the cold is important, idling a car for longer than five minutes is...

Cydnie Reiman: State flag should showcase beaver

After reading the Jan. 9 Gazette article [“State reckons with its history”], I decided to write with my idea of a component for the new state flag.The beaver. The beaver has always been important to Massachusetts (as well as the rest of New England)....

Thomas Doubleday: Why Trump stays on ballot

I find it very interesting that an attorney such as John Bonifaz, who is supposed to be versed on constitutional rights, thinks it is OK to skirt amendments such as the Fifth, which states that everyone is afforded the right to a fair trial and the...

Anna Nagurney: Thanks for the uplifting, terrific local journalism

I’d like to commend the Gazette journalists and staff for the outstanding Jan. 25 print edition, which continues to make me smile (and that is quite needed during these very challenging times).From the front page article on the NHS senior Noah...

Ken Kahn: Better sports headers for paper

In the daily sports section The Gazette has two basketball lists: “College Hoops: The Top Twenty Five” and “Women’s Hoops: The Top Twenty Five.” I suggest a change of the first to “Men’s Hoops: The Top Twenty Five” is both long overdue and more...

Randi Stein: Should try connecting with her tribe

I am offended and bewildered by the words of guest columnist Sarena Neyman, who says she is “losing her tribe over Gaza.” [“Losing my tribe over Gaza,” Gazette, Jan. 20]. While I want to hasten to say I too have come to a position that a cease-fire...

Columnist Johanna Neumann: Halfway there — 2023 a year for major green projects in Amherst

By JOHANNA NEUMANN

Happy 2024. After my last column, I got feedback from a reader who pointed out that I missed a topic in my round-up of environmental progress in 2023. She mentioned that I had completely failed to mention Amherst voters overwhelmingly approving plans...

Guest columnist Sarena Neyman: Losing my tribe over Gaza

By SARENA NEYMAN

For me, being Jewish was never about religion or Zionism. My Holocaust survivor parents sent me to Jewish day schools and Zionist summer camps, but none of that stuck. I haven’t set foot in a synagogue for decades and have always been critical of...

Guest columnist Dave King: Not heeding anti-militarist message of MLK

By DAVE KING

Another Martin Luther King Jr. Day has come and gone, when legions of politicians trot out MLK’s “I have a dream” speech to remind us we should be striving together in harmony for a world where all peoples can enjoy our country’s prosperity....

Doug Yourga and Jeanne Horrigan: Amherst Senior Center needs help

We serve as volunteers on behalf of the elderly population of the town of Amherst. We represent the interests of more than 5,500 senior citizens and concerned members of their families through the Friends of the Amherst Senior Center and the Amherst...

Guest columnist Maria José Botelho: Obituaries hold time still on others’ lives

By MARIA JOSÉ BOTELHO

I’m grateful to find out that there’s another faithful reader (and writer) of obituaries in our community [“There’s just a lot of life in the obits” by Marietta Pritchard, Gazette, Jan. 3].I have been reading obituaries since I could read in English...

Guest columnist Marietta Pritchard: There’s just a lot of life in the obits

By MARIETTA PRITCHARD

Have I mentioned that I read the obituaries in the Gazette every morning before I start my day? Does this sound depressing? I don’t find it so. It somehow anchors things for me.I can learn about people in my community and about how they or their...

Columnist Darcy Dumont: Towns taking lead on climate action

By DARCY DUMONT

Action on climate has been accelerating in the last year in Massachusetts municipalities. I wrote about leading municipalities in this column back in March 2021, and in other columns focusing on Northampton and on Ithaca, New York.Much has happened...

Guest columnist John Varner: Opposing Leverett megaproject only common sense

By JOHN VARNER

While it is true that racism has been behind some zoning restrictions, racism is not the only reason zoning restrictions exist.Is all zoning racist? This is certainly what some real estate people want you to think, based on nearly a full page of...

Patricia Crosby: Support nuclear disarmament policy resolutions

In these very uncertain times, full of conflict and violence but also resolution and hope, the Mount Toby Monthly Meeting of Friends strongly endorses a set of policy solutions regarding nuclear disarmament that have been proposed by the grassroots...

David Ahlfeld: Cease-fire and negotiation needed in Ukraine

Cease-fire and negotiation are the best way forward in the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Recent columns in the Gazette have argued against a cease-fire by citing the need to defend the territorial integrity of Ukraine and to avoid rewarding...