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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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

By JOHN SHEIRER

Four years ago, my column in this newspaper predicted that Donald Trump would lose the 2020 presidential election. Readers who opposed Trump told me, “I wish I had your optimism,” or “That’s what you said in 2016,” or “His crazies have gotten worse...

In the Bible story of King Solomon and two women claiming to be the mother of one baby, wisdom shines when Solomon asks for a sword to cut the baby in two. One mother relinquishes her claim so that the baby may live. Solomon knows the baby must belong...

In a Dec. 29 guest column, writer Michael Seward suggests that opposition to the proposed housing development in Leverett is racist and immoral (“Leverett housing a counter to injustice”). However, he neglects to describe the project being proposed.It...

By MICHAEL SEWARD

After about 100 years of exclusionary zoning, there was bound to be a reckoning. Antiquated and discriminatory housing policies among the towns of the Pioneer Valley resulted in a severe housing shortage. The housing proposal presented at a recent...

By ERIC COCHRANE

Two years ago, before I moved to Somerville, a neighbor asked my thoughts on development in western Massachusetts. I have pondered the question, and have concluded that mixed-use development, when built densely and with universal design in mind, is a...

By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ

By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ

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...

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...

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...