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By PHIL WILSON

Here is a way for Northampton, Amherst, or any local town to become the cutting edge of democracy: Do away with elections.People who consciously scheme to obtain power tend to be, well … power hungry. If you don’t want narcissists and psychopaths...

I read with interest the recent guest column by Northampton School Committee member Michael Stein, who used the word “we” on behalf of the School Committee while expressing his individual views and reasons for his vote on the Northampton school budget...

By JOSH SILVER

The debate over Northampton school funding is the latest example of the circular firing squad of the American political left. According to the loudest voices for maximum school funding, anyone who points out that the budget recently approved by the...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

A plan unveiled by Senate Democrats on Monday to make community college free for all in Massachusetts starting this fall has the potential to have a big impact for prospective students across the state, including here in the Pioneer Valley.The...

By CATHY MCNALLY

 I’ve often appreciated the measured perspective, wry humor, and rich language of Bill Dwight. In his recent column, “How to make sense of Northampton’s school budget dilemma,” however, this cool “city father” turns into a cranky municipal dad whose...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — The public got an up-close look at the future Community Resilience Hub last week when officials opened the downtown building currently under renovation for public viewing. A rendering of what the exterior of the former First Baptist...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Auto dealerships close to downtown are now banned after the City Council’s recent decision to adopt new zoning that councilor’s say better aligns with the city’s ideals of sustainability.Though the zone change approved at the council’s...

By ELISE LINSCOTT

NORTHAMPTON — While the focus was on celebrating and supporting the LGBTQ community on Saturday during Hampshire Pride, there were also calls for Palestinian liberation, disrupting the mayoral proclamation with chants calling for a cease-fire and...

By JOE GANNON

 There are not many columns I have read in the Gazette that were as poetic as Jena Schwartz’s,“Things I have not said” [Gazette, April 24]. It is a time when much is being left unsaid, and as she points out, a time when many want much left...

By LISA GOODRICH

Nick Martinelli, CEO of Marty’s Local, began his career with a stint at the Farm School in Athol, hoping to learn how he might participate in the local agricultural economy. While conducting market research in 2015, he recognized there was a lot of...

By MARIEL E. ADDIS

 When I came out, and even when I began my male-to-female transition, I couldn’t quite imagine the way my life would turn.Before transitioning, I was very private. I was not a particularly vocal advocate for social justice, although I always...

If handed images of the college encampment protests and told to mark the antisemitism, many people would circle students wearing keffiyehs and waving Palestinian flags. The rise of antisemitism in America is undeniable, but I hear the call from...

By STEVE PFARRER

The Holyoke Civic Symphony has titled its 2023-2024 season “The Brass Menagerie,” not to be cute but to highlight a series of concerts dedicated to celebrating the family of brass instruments: the horn, the tuba, the trumpet, and the trombone.On May...

By STEVE PFARRER

On the morning of May 16, 1874, the dam on the Williamsburg Reservoir, up in the hills along the East Branch of the Mill River, suddenly collapsed, sending 600 million gallons of water roaring downhill.The flood, which soon became a 30-foot-high brown...

I am the parent of a Northampton High School student. I have been fortunate enough to have had the capacity and time to be engaged in the schools my son has attended, serving on the PTO since he was at Bridge Street Elementary School. (Pro tip: If you...

As we start to feel the warmth of spring, I have seen a jump in the number of people outside, enjoying our neighborhoods —  biking, walking and rollerblading through the community.We are so fortunate to have an amazing and accessible trail network...

By J.M. SORRELL

May 1 is May Day. Originally it celebrated spring in Celtic and other traditions. Singing, dancing, bonfires, and competing for the tallest maypoles for male fertility were all the rage. Apparently size comparisons have been around for centuries. Who...

By OWEN MITZ

 Driving into Northampton south on King Street after getting off I-91, we are greeted by a number of tire stores, fast food establishments, auto dealers, auto body shops, drug stores (both types), food and liquor stores, and an occasional different...

I don’t know if it’s irony, farce, comedy or tragedy. But, in the debate over gun control and ownership, some people insist that only members of the militia can “keep and bear arms.” And they restrict the “keep” part to armory storage.Additionally,...

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — When she was a student at Williams College, Yvonne Hao recalls traveling to Northampton with friends to eat at local restaurants, shop at thrift stores and attend concerts held by the local music scene, although she isn’t quite sure of...

By SARAH WILLIE-LEBRETON

 As Smith’s new president, I have been enormously impressed to learn about our integrated history and 150-year relationship with Northampton. We will continue to be the neighbor who answers the knock at our door, cherishing the city we call home.I...