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I was pleased to see that Northampton’s City Council, and the mayor are sponsoring a special order to ban the requirement that renters pay a broker’s fee contracted by the landlord. This fee which often totals one month’s rent, is on top of what renters have to pay for first and last month’s rent, as well as a security deposit. The average rent for a 2-bed room apartment in Northampton now is around $2,000. This means that a renter would need to come up with $8,000 to afford to live in the city.

If you knew somebody who could make the markets go up or down instantaneously, could you make a lot of money? Let’s say you were the son of a person, and you ran that person’s businesses and that person could establish policies that positively affected the stock markets. Could you invest in a stock that was priced low and make a lot of money when stocks went up because of policy changes?

The recent blizzard of new tariffs unleashed by the Trump administration isn't just confusing trade policy; it's a direct hit on American families and businesses. From skyrocketing taxes on imports from China to broad levies on steel, aluminum, cars, and a new baseline tariff on nearly everything else, these actions contradict basic economics and common sense.

A little context about the sheriffs and how stressed they are over their budgets. (“Free jail calls stressing sheriffs’ budgets, staff,” Gazette, April 9). Gov. Maura Healey recommended in her 2026 budget $741 million to incarcerate as of March 31, 6,843 people in 17 jails. Most people are being held pretrial, that is not convicted of anything. For examples close to home, the budget for the Hampshire County jail/House of Correction is $18 million to incarcerate 118 people. In Hampden County, the cost is more than $100 million to incarcerate 1,058 people, 604 held pre-trial.

I am writing to offer my support of Mayor Gina Louise Sciarra for a second term as Northampton’s mayor. I voiced support her first mayoral run and do so again because she shares my values, is smart and dedicated to our city. She listens to the people she represents and makes decisions, sometimes tough ones, that best maintain the services and infrastructure of our city while preserving its future. I am a retired public school teacher who believes that we should value all people and that it is our responsibility to contribute to our communities. Mayor Sciarra shows up to support people with disabilities, and on weekends has worked with volunteer crews that clean up the city’s trails. She is the real deal. Go to her website and read about her views, vision, and accomplishments and join me in supporting her for another term. 

By JOSH SILVER

If you follow Northampton city politics, you know that hostility and acrimony dominate marathon-length City Council and School Committee meetings. This is a big reason that many of our elected officials have recently announced they will not seek reelection this year — and there are very few candidates raising their hands to run for these important positions.

By JUDSON BROWN

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Come the upcoming municipal elections in November, at least half of the Northampton School Committee members will be different from the ones who started at the beginning of the current term.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — As the movement to ban smartphones in schools gains momentum in the state, a new group of local parents and educators has been formed to highlight the dangers kids are facing from the devices, as well as to advocate for school policies and state laws around youth smartphone access.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — The School Committee on Thursday approved a recommendation for a massive increase in school spending in the upcoming fiscal year budget, although some members acknowledged the prospect of actually doing so represented a nearly impossible financial challenge for the city.

By CAROLYN BROWN

Legendary Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot died in 2023, but his longtime band members, who now tour as The Lightfoot Band, will share his music and legacy in Northampton at the Iron Horse on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m.

By CAROLYN BROWN

A new festival for young people and the arts is coming to Northampton.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — ValleyBike Share is adding more than 100 new bikes and welcoming a new city to its operations, thanks to a nearly $1 million state grant.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Education Foundation (NEF) has awarded its first two grants since completing a restructuring that will allow it to fund projects across the city’s school district in perpetuity.

By OLIN ROSE-BARDAWIL

Regardless of where you stand politically, it is hard to deny that what Cory Booker did on March 31 was amazing.

How should Northampton address its school funding crisis? The simple answer: Increase the budget. The harder question: Where does the money come from, and at what cost? We need to discuss this issue without reducing it to accusations of not supporting students and educators.

By CAROLYN BROWN

A new group of “queerleaders” in Northampton wants to lift up the LGBTQ community — in more ways than one.

By CAROLYN BROWN

Two events this month aim to raise funds for 33 Hawley in Northampton for two different reasons – namely, to support programming in its Barn Door Gallery and to add risers and 175 chairs for shows in its Workroom.

This past week saw two unsettling videos come out within 24 hours of each other. In the first, RumeysaOzturk, a Tufts University graduate student and visa-holder, is dragged off the street by masked, plainclothes ICE agents. Like Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident also targeted for anti-Zionist activism, she is held in detention without facing formal charges.

Dear Readers,