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In regards to the May 17 article (“Feds strip Jones of $1M grant), I read with dismay that an Amherst resident appealed to DOGE and federal officials to halt funding for the planned Humanities Center. Apparently this resident took exception to the Civil War tablets and gender neutral bathroom aspects of the project. This shows a chilling disregard for the history and people of Amherst. I sincerely hope that the Civil War tablets and exhibit will find their promised home in the new library. The tablets list the names of all 300 or more local residents who fought in the Civil War, regardless of “color.” The exhibit showcases and honors the 54th MA Volunteer Regiment and Calvary. Yes, these soldiers were Black. Yes, there have been people of many ethnic backgrounds in Amherst for hundreds of years — including the Bridges family whose efforts preserve and commemorate this part of our history. I am happy that the library will have climate-controlled space for our famous literary figures. They, too, are an important part of our history, but only a part. As for gender neutral bathrooms, please, this is 2025. We can do better, as I hope that the Jones Library will continue to demonstrate.

Two huge realities threaten America. Neither threat comes from immigrants. The first is caused by the seizure of our economy and politics by a handful of rich elites in tech, finance, media, real estate and insurance, with devastating impacts on working Americans, immigrants and citizens alike. This DOGE-Trump-led elite hijacked the U.S. government to steal our assets. They fired federal workers and canceled grants, but not to save money. Indeed, DOGE has cost us billions. Instead, their real goal is to destroy governments so that we depend only on them. The Republican Party lost its long-held goals to uphold the law and to empower the little guy, and now seeks only to aid corruption. America is also rapidly losing control over the natural resources that make our economy and our lives possible. This threat comes not from a trade imbalance nor a drop in energy production. It is caused by Trump-MAGA’s sellout to rich elites in oil-gas, mining, tech and chemicals. They shut down federal efforts to protect our air, water and land, endangering our very existence. Climate change is already driving intense new levels of floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, wildfires and pollution. It will get worse. It is not hard to find the reality beyond the lies: The Guardian, NPR, AP, New York Times, Washington Post (still), Boston Globe and our own Daily Hampshire Gazette share real news. There are a thousand ways to connect and to help build a just and sustainable future to address these realities.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Buried on the grounds of Fort River School in 1994 to mark the 20th anniversary of the school’s opening, a time capsule is being uncovered Sunday afternoon, 11 years after the original scheduled date to dig it up.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — MCAS English language arts assessments showing seven in 10 Amherst Regional High School 10th graders are meeting or exceeding expectations and a more than 50% drop in behavioral referrals at Pelham Elementary School are among signs of progress being made under the district’s state-mandated Student Opportunity Act Plan.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — With markers in their hands, students and staff from both Fort River and Wildwood schools throughout the day on Monday inscribed their names on a beam that will become part of the entrance canopy at the town’s first new elementary school building in more than 50 years.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — A sewer backup that caused wastewater to enter a Hadley apartment building on Greenleaves Drive last Wednesday morning temporarily displaced more than 30 residents, and likely will force most first-floor tenants to seek other living arrangements for several days.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — During his military service, Charles Thompson, a Black soldier from Amherst serving in the 54th regiment during the Civil War, recounted his thoughts and feelings of his experience in a handwritten letter to his sister, Mary Thompson.

By EMILEE KLEIN

AMHERST — UMass doctoral candidate Shannon Callaham had initially planned to spend last week analyzing interview data between Holyoke community members and energy industry professionals as part of a grant-funded project that centered around environmental justice in Holyoke’s transition to renewable energy.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Year-long delays on demolition are being imposed by the Historical Commission on two Amherst College-owned residential properties, though college officials have permission to raze a dilapidated estate on South Pleasant Street as soon as its history is professionally documented.

Reminder Monday, May 26 is Memorial Day. Town offices, libraries, schools and banks will be closed. We remember those who sacrificed for us.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A $1 million National Endowment for the Humanities grant awarded to the Jones Library two years ago is being canceled by the Trump administration.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Falling ceiling tiles, locked bathrooms with broken stalls and a class schedule that regularly drops a guided academic study and advisory period are among concerns Amherst Regional Middle School student leaders are bringing to the Regional School Committee.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — In separate trips to the plaza outside Hampden Commons on the University of Massachusetts campus last Wednesday morning, sophomore Grace Altman hand-delivered an upholstered headboard with outlets, and a rug and ottoman, furnishings she had in her Southwest Residential Area dorm room.

By SAMUEL GELINAS

AMHERST — Change is a theme common enough at college commencements — a beginning and an end. But for the UMass Amherst class of 2025, change seemed more pressing and obvious when they received their diplomas Friday night.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — CRESS Connections, a new program of the Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service, is bringing together the unarmed public safety professionals with local youths to build more meaningful relationships.

The UMass Baseball Minutemen continue to up their game when it comes to community outreach. Not only did they send George Washington to the bus with a 16-3 demolition, they again welcomed Amherst Youth Baseball and Hadley-Amherst Youth Softball to their game at Lorden Field on Sunday, giving more than 60 youngsters the opportunity to join the pregame huddle and be on the field for the national anthem as well as allowing young Edward Robinson to man the PA mic for the 4th inning.

We are writing to celebrate and express our heartfelt gratitude for our incredible Amherst community! On a drizzly Sunday, April 6, nearly 200 residents joined forces all over town for the annual Amherst Rubbish Roundup! Volunteers from all Amherst districts came in support of this community cleanup to beautify our beloved town. These amazing volunteers braved busy roadsides, bustling sidewalks, downtown parking areas, quiet conservation trails, and public school lands to collect an impressive 184 bags of garbage and recycling.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — Bradley James Driscoll, 26, of Amherst, will spend the next five years in prison for distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.

AMHERST — A smoke detector covered in plastic in a University of Massachusetts dormitory room, delaying firefighter response and evacuation of the building during a fire that started in a trash can and spread to a bed on May 14, is prompting a criminal complaint for tampering with a fire alarm against the student tenant, according to the Amherst Fire Department.

By MARIETTA PRITCHARD

When he’s not coaching basketball for a community league, our grandson is waiting to hear from the law schools he’s applied to. He is ambitious, with hopes for a top school and plenty of grant money. He thinks about a clerkship and then possibly a job in academia. For more than a year he studied for, took and retook the LSAT exam until he got the grade he expected from himself. His family looked on amazed at his gritty persistence.