Guest columnists Greg Reynolds and Jesse Porter-Henry: Educator pay and benefits should align with community values

By GREG REYNOLDS and JESSE PORTER-HENRY

Saying that we were moved barely begins to describe how we felt on Jan. 8 when student after student spoke on educators’ behalf at the Hampshire Regional School Committee meeting. Current students, recent grads now in college and those who are into...

Guest columnist Cynthia Loring MacBain: U.S. foreign policy not unlike incarcerated men

By CYNTHIA LORING MACBAIN

For 32 years, I was a volunteer with the Alternatives to Violence Project in New York State maximum security prisons: Sing Sing, Elmira, and the last years in Auburn Correctional Facility.A mantra among men incarcerated for violent crimes is “A man’s...

Guest columnist Rob Okun: Little League's mercy rule in a time of war

By ROB OKUN

Let’s start with some basic assumptions: 1) Israel is not Jewish — just as the U.S. is not Christian. 2) Palestine is not Muslim. 3) Hamas perpetrates heinous acts, puts civilian lives in peril, and regularly violates the “rules” of war. 4) Israeli...

Columnist Sara Weinberger: ‘Beloved community’: Living King’s vision of nonviolence

By SARA WEINBERGER

Thirty-four years ago today, the United States observed the first federal holiday honoring the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. For many years, the day was marked with local celebrations, service projects, and educational workshops celebrating...

Guest columnist Daniel Cantor Yalowitz: Building on King’s legacy with action

By DANIEL CANTOR YALOWITZ

“True peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Stride Toward Freedom (1958)The wars that rage around the world are not only to be found elsewhere, beyond our soil and nation. Yes,...

Joe Silverman: Warm and happy with my mini-splits

There have been two recent pieces in the Gazette pointing out negative aspects of installing mini-splits. First of all, it’s important to emphasize the importance of transitioning home heating and cooling from fossil fuels to electric. Scientists are...

Columnist Bill Newman: Libraries under attack — Fight back

By BILL NEWMAN

This is scary. The number of books being banned in school libraries is spiraling upward. Nationwide, for the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America substantiated 3,362 school book bans that targeted 1,557 unique titles. That’s a 33% increase from the...

Charles LaPiene: What are we?

A Jan. 6 article says President Joe Biden is concerned Donald Trump is a “threat to democracy.” It is true. He is.The USA is not a democracy (mob rule); we are a constitutional republic (rule of law). Biden needs to go back to high school and retake...

Jeanne Allen and Nick Mottern: A hopeful message

A standing ovation for the Valley’s branch of the Jewish Voice For Peace’s recent contribution to the Gazette [“Common cause for Palestinians and Jews,” column, Dec. 27]. Not just for their hopeful message alone, but also for their actions: their...

Byron Coley: Move Deerfield forward on Jan. 16

The torrential storms last summer wreaked havoc on Deerfield’s roads and culverts, leading to millions in repair costs.At the public information session on Jan. 9, Select Board Chairwoman Carolyn Shores Ness and Police Chief John Paciorek highlighted...

Pam Hyjek: The twisted real estate market

Does it occur to anyone else that this real estate market is absolutely not for anyone who is actually seeking housing?The sky-high lending rates help no one (except the lenders), as it stands, and no seller will even consider a buyer who needs...

Alex Kent: Table saws demand respect

As a part-time woodworker and carpenter, I was happy to see that a German company has bought and is operating a wood- and metalworking company in Northampton [“A luxurious acquisition,” Gazette, Jan. 11]. I was surprised, however, at the front-page...

Joseph Morse: Where is your voice?

Has anyone fasted for Sudan? 10,000-plus dead. Thousands more wounded. Russia and Ukraine? Russia’s military casualties are approaching 300,000. The number includes as many as 120,000 deaths and 170,000 to 180,000 injured troops.The Russian numbers...

Guest columnists Mark Reynolds and Linda Butler: Energy alternatives will protect Americans from blackouts 

By MARK REYNOLDS and LINDA BUTLER

As we reflect on a year of unprecedented weather events, we must move into the new year embracing a diverse mix of power options to protect Americans from blackouts and climate extremes.While Massachusetts escaped the worst of the U.S. heat waves this...

Norah Dooley: Aggressive action needed on logging and forest protection 

The recent article on forestry underplays the urgency of immediate, drastic action needed to combat climate change [“Reports point way toward climate goals,” Gazette, Jan. 4].The new reports from the governor’s Climate Forestry Committee shows us that...

Robert Freedman: Ukraine needs help to determine their own fate

Recent guest columnist John Haag addressed Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine asserting it was “essential to empathize with Russia’s national security concerns” [“A call for peace: Ending the war in Ukraine,” Gazette, Jan. 5]. Putin would agree....

Mary Hall: Time to help Russia understand

The Jan. 4 edition of the Gazette includes the column “Why we must not let Ukraine fail.” A response can be, “Why we must permit Russia to fail” — that is to say, we must establish conditions in which the Kremlin can safely admit that giving up their...

Betty Ussach-Schwartz: Trump manipulating judicial system

Awaiting the outcomes of a vast array of criminal and civil cases filed in state and federal courts, it becomes apparent that Donald Trump will appeal every conviction, monetary award and motion denied, thereby delaying any accountability and ensuring...

Peter M. Haas: How ‘green’ will that cement plant be?

It is great that a company will be manufacturing “green” cement locally [“Clean cement plant to employ 70,” Gazette, Jan. 10]. However, “green” production is a very difficult concept to pin down, particularly in cement production, which is one of the...

Guest columnist Bob Nagle: Treat, street, repeat

By BOB NAGLE

According to Frontiers in Psychiatry, 3.06% of people living with bipolar disorder experience psychiatric hospitalization. Upon awakening, I found myself emotionally mired in a wellspring of despond. What happened? My life of strife...