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Much has been written about the unprecedented political polarization in Northampton — personal attacks online and at public meetings — the loudest focused on our school budget. On one side are passionate supporters of our schools, pushing for the “strongest” school funding. They argue that ample reserves and rainy day funds exist, and that the […]

I love this season; it comes round so habitually, bringing with it joy and amusement. Not spring, mind you. But UFO season, Aliens Amongst Us Season. It comes around about once every presidential administration or so, like cicadas of the mind. But take care — UFOists are a volatile group, denying that aliens ever have, […]

It seems that the proponents of the Picture Main Street project are pursuing their goal at any cost. A few years ago, the city touted what was then a $21 million project that was purportedly fully funded as a way to make Main Street safer and more vibrant (see Daily Hampshire Gazette Nov. 17, 2023). […]

The expression “by any means necessary” has roots from Jean-Paul Sartre’s 1948 play, “Dirty Hands,” and it refers to eradicating class differences to create a more equitable society. It gained traction in the U.S. when Malcolm X used the expression for doing whatever is needed to create freedom, justice, and equality for Black Americans. Is […]

I’m well aware that it’s bad luck to divulge a birthday wish, but I don’t think the rule applies here because I’m not telling you all my wish for my 27th year. I’m simply typing it instead, for it to live eternally on this paper and on the internet.  Because when the clock strikes midnight […]

Northampton is entering a period shaped by a broader economic reality: an increasingly unpredictable environment where costs for families — housing, utilities, energy, health and dental care, home and auto insurance, and everyday goods — continue to rise. Municipal governments are not insulated from these pressures. Construction costs, infrastructure maintenance, public employee health insurance, school […]

In the almost three months since the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, the world’s attention has been gripped by that conflict. Bombs and rockets rained down on Iran and Lebanon until a fragile ceasefire was pronounced on April 8, but the outcome of the war is still uncertain, as sporadic bombing continues, negotiations […]

When it comes to seeking mental health information, online searches and chats with artificial intelligence (AI) can help us sift through data, read about others’ experiences and opinions, and begin to make sense of what we’ve been feeling. It can also lead us to local resources, reviews of clinics and clinicians, and to info on […]

“One in three Americans are under-babied,” said Trump’s Medicare and Medicaid chief Dr. Oz last week, echoing J.D. Vance’s contempt for childless women as “cat ladies.” Guided by evangelical supporters, the Trump administration is eroding longstanding civil rights laws protecting women and girls in education and the workplace, restricting access to contraception and abortion, and […]

Lately it seems like everywhere I look, everything I hear, and everything I read these days,  I am subjected to a never ending list of the joys and exaltations of the arrival of spring here in New England. The words “Ahhh finally. Those short daylight hours, the bitter cold temperatures, the slippery and dangerous roads […]

I want to be president. After all, there’s money to be made, lots of it. Prior to the recurrent guy I never wanted to be president. Why, I would ask anyone willing to listen, would you want to take on such an awful job? So much responsibility, so many decisions to be made, so many […]

In June of last year and February 2026 the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran. A main cause was Iran’s program to develop a nuclear weapon. This column will ask the question: Why would an Iranian nuclear weapon be of such concern to other countries? Does Iran have a nuclear weapons program now? According to the […]