Naila Moreira: Telling the story of science

We tell stories to know who we are. Speaking our own stories, we rediscover ourselves. And by hearing and identifying with one another’s journeys, we discover and reach each other, too. My world — my story — is one of science.I birdwatch. I teach...

Joe Lavallee: Urges Hatfield residents to attend Town Meeting

Urges Hatfield residents to attend Town Meeting Annual Town Meeting in Hafield is again just around the corner on May 9.Attendance has been great, but remember it only takes 75 registered voters to have a quorum and thereby takes usually one-half (or...

Jim Palermo: Democrats erred in filibustering Gorsuch

Democrats erred in filibustering Gorsuch Am I the only one who thinks the Democrats screwed up when they insisted on filibustering the vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch? Had the Dems been willing to vote up or down on his nomination,...

Susan Rice: Personal attacks should not follow opinions

Express opinions without fear of personal attacks In response to the tasteless letter published April 5 (“Columnist purposely gets under skin of community”), perhaps the writer’s comments should remind her of herself.Where is the fairness of...

Editorial: Campaign targets money in elections 

There’s a faint glimmer of hope this spring for people who feel alienated from our national government by the influence of millions of dollars in political donations from corporations and billionaires, and from gerrymandering that has helped polarize...

Mark D. Hart: Support carbon fee for environment and jobs

Support carbon fee for environment and jobs By dismantling Obama’s Clean Power Plan, President Donald Trump claims he is going to bring back jobs and make “America wealthy again” (“Trump ends ‘war on coal’,” March 29).This has no basis in fact....

John Rejniak: Responds to criticism of Beetle Bailey comic strip

Beetle Bailey response In response to the letter writer’s comments on the comic strip Beetle Bailey published April 6 (“Object to Beetle Bailey”): Get a life.John Rejniak Southampton

Carol Rinehart: Must live with open hearts, courage and honesty

Must live with open hearts, courage, honesty In a chorus when some singers take a breath on “the” while others breathe on “river” and others on “flows,” the beauty of the sound is sustained.The river flows smooth and strong when the singers share what...

Rich Szlosek: Amherst College should ask Russia for mammoth

Amherst College should ask Russia for mammoth It is interesting how sometimes seemingly disparate news items can jell together in a moment of clarity and suggest a clear course of action.I recently read of a group of Russian geneticists who were in...

James Harvey: Schools must send clear message on racism

Schools must send clear message on racism I write in support of the Easthampton parents protesting their high school’s inadequate response to racism in their school by failing to send a clear message that racial hatred will not be tolerated (“Parents...

Jeanne Hoose: Thanks community for supporting Adult Spelling Bee

Thanks community support for Adult Spelling Bee On behalf of the Northampton Education Foundation, I would like to thank our community for supporting Northampton Public Schools by attending and participating in the 17th annual Adult Spelling Bee on...

Editorial: Mixed results on LGBT scorecard

The actions of our courts and government agencies reveal discrimination as a force that is sometimes subtle but nonetheless directly affects the lives of the nation’s LGBT citizens. Recent days have shown that the battle continues, with both...

Columnist Joe Gannon: Must defeat America’s dystopian experiment

By JOE GANNON

Captain Chaos and Bomb Chucker Bannon continue to offer such a dizzyingly daily cornucopia of new outrages and foot-in-mouth gaffes that you could be forgiven for not being able to look away from your screen.But I found myself recently trying to look...

Mark Waslick: Uber driver says police not the problem

Uber driver says police not the problem I read the article on Uber drivers being targeted by Amherst police (“Police, Uber drivers at odds,” April 4) and the drivers’ slant on the limited, one- sided information that was gathered.I have been an Uber...

Columnist Jeff Napolitano: Undocumented residents not the problem

By JEFF NAPOLITANO

Jay Fleitman’s column in the April 4 Daily Hampshire Gazette (“Sanctuary city advocates protect criminals”) is as close to journalistic negligence as I imagine one can get.Let’s start with his ubiquitous use of the term “illegal immigrant,” which the...

Editorial: Questions about ties to Russia need clear answers

Who would have predicted that America would spend much of President Trump’s first 100 days, the traditional honeymoon phase of a presidency, wondering just what his tax returns and government probes of Russia’s interference in our elections might say...

Columnist Lawrence B. Siddall offers a personal glimpse of Iran

By LAWRENCE B. SIDDALL

It seems that the news we hear about Iran these days is mostly negative. This is troubling to me as someone who has been there because the media doesn’t tell us much about the Iranian people.Since my brief visit there almost two years ago, I have...

Columnist Cheryl Zoll: Family planning network at risk

By CHERYL ZOLL

Congressional lawmakers in Washington may have backed off their drive to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but they are certain to consider other harmful policy changes and funding cuts that could limit women’s access to reproductive health care and the...

Editorial: Towns free to go their own way with broadband

It doesn’t happen often enough, but last week common sense prevailed in state government.The Baker administration, saying it heard the pleas of 40 rural towns in central and western Massachusetts, has essentially stepped out of the way to allow those...

Columnist Jay Fleitman: Sanctuary city advocates protect criminals

By JAY FLEITMAN

Synonyms of sanctuary: refuge, haven, retreat, safe place, protection, asylum, shelter, hiding place, immunity from pursuers.San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and our own Northampton and Amherst, liberal communities all, have...