Opinion
Columnist Karen Gardner: Unanswered questions
By KAREN GARDNER
Voter fraud! Those satanic Democrats are bringing in millions of illegal immigrants and registering them to vote against the former guy! How could he possibly win with so much voter fraud and corruption going on against him?But we’re going to be ready...
Joe Gannon: Thoughts on the River Valley Co-op petition debate
On the debate at the River Valley Co-op, a seeming tempest in a locally sourced teacup, one statement in the recent guest column, “Co-op members should reject divisive, anti-Israel petition,” stood out to me. “The petition to boycott Israeli products...
Philip Korman: HIP funding must be restored
If I told you that our state runs the only program in the country that targets hunger and health by making fruits and vegetables grown by local farmers accessible to families on SNAP, you might feel proud of that fact. And if I shared that this...
Tom Riddell: Northampton City Council education resolutions
In Gazette reporter Alexander MacDougall’s story on the City Council’s recent discussion regarding the Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School’s request to expand [“Resolution: No to charter school plans to expand,” Nov. 9], he does not...
Colleen C. Currie: Meals honoring veterans should be free
I read the article in the Nov. 7 Gazette, “Veterans being honored around county.” I won’t get into the larger issue of honoring veterans daily for the sacrifices they made for all of us. I do, however, want to comment on the many meals for which...
Guest columnist Tim Nixon: Let’s stop getting gaslit by the right
By TIM NIXON
If Kamala Harris had won the 2024 election, the next months would have been filled with a cycle of headlines about voter fraud. They would have stemmed from complaints from Republican leadership and lawsuits backed by powerful donors (along with a...
Guest columnists Luz Arevalo and Anglea Divaris: Tax amnesty is good policy, but leaves out some distressed taxpayers
By LUZ AREVALO and ANGELA DIVARIS
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue announced a tax amnesty program that will run from Nov. 1 to Dec. 30, 2024. The program will forgive penalties for some taxpayers who are able to pay in full their tax balances and interest.When the Legislature...
Rebecca Nordstrom: Good news for the Jones Library
I was pleased and relieved to hear the news that a bid for the Jones Library renovation project has come in within the budget. Libraries are important to our democracy, and the proposed renovations will protect and expand this precious resource so it...
Mona Hisham Shadi: When you erase us
As an Arab-Muslim and employee of River Valley Co-op, I had the instance of recently receiving a disciplinary action for wearing pins that read,“Free Palestine” and “Remember Gaza.” This reprimand was part of a larger roll-out banning any staff...
Kathleen McGovern: Reflections on Veterans Day
Both of my parents were in World War II. My mother was an army nurse, my father, a lieutenant colonel. They are both buried in Arlington National Cemetery, each having met the criteria for eligibility on their own.When asked why they would choose to...
Randi Stein: Response to petition drive well-researched
I want to thank Rhonda Wainshilbaum for her letter to the editor regarding her response to the petition to deshelve Israeli products at the River Valley Co-op [“Deshelving campaign misinformed, antisemitic,” Oct. 31]. I appreciated her well-researched...
Guest columnist Police Chief Jennifer Gundersen: Driving too fast all over town
By POLICE CHIEF JENNIFER GUNDERSEN
At a recent Community Office Hours, I had the opportunity to hear from longtime South Hadley resident Ray Rondeau. Mr. Rondeau explained to me, like many other residents have during my community conversations, that the aggressive driving in South...
Guest columnist William Lambers: ‘The silence heard round the world’
By WILLIAM LAMBERS
The start of the Revolutionary War is known as “the shot heard round the world.” Veterans Day, (Armistice Day) is known for the “silence heard round the world.”It was Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m. when the guns finally went silent, ending the fighting of...
Columnist John Sheirer: I’m done.
By JOHN SHEIRER
I spent part of Election Day in my community college classroom with introductory literature students. We watched videos of Richard Blanco’s and Amanda Gorman’s 2013 and 2021 inaugural poems. The students loved Blanco’s powerful imagery depicting the...
John Paradis: Gazette threw away its shot
Let the record state that the Daily Hampshire Gazette did not endorse a candidate for president. The role of a newspaper is to share its opinion on the consequential news of the day to help guide readers in making important decisions affecting their...
Columnist Bill Newman: A call to resist Trump
By BILL NEWMAN
On the daily WHMP radio show that I co-host, the first part of the show on the first Thursday of the month is reserved for our congressman, Jim McGovern. I’d been happily anticipating this week’s scheduled post-Election Day conversation with him.For...
Bridget Matthews-Kane: Reflections on a campaign
Thank you to the residents of Westfield and Southampton who honored me with their vote to be the state representative of the 4th Hampden District. I’m grateful for their confidence in me.I also appreciate our many volunteers for their efforts. I’m...
Susan Grant: Got fooled by a con artist
Since I worked in consumer protection for many years, I know how easily a skilled con artist can fool smart, well-meaning people. That is what Donald J. Trump just did in the presidential election.I’m not blaming the victims, but I’m confident that...
Guest columnist Richard Szlosek: Time for a breather
By RICHARD SZLOSEK
OK folks, it’s time to take a little break from the intense coverage of the 2024 presidential election. To relieve our mental and emotional fatigue during this little respite, I thought I would write about the far less contentious election of 1924....
Columnist Olin Rose-Bardawil: Where the Democrats went wrong
By OLIN ROSE-BARDAWIL
I know that many reading this were shocked to find out that Donald Trump managed to pull off a victory on Tuesday. Many are bewildered as to how someone with such a criminal record and history of disrespecting democratic ideals could land in the White...
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