Search Results

Keyword search: MA

Daniel Lyons’s letter of July 15 responds to Pat Hynes’s column of July 8 advocating ending the use of all fossil fuels, by quoting a report by Vaclav Smil describing the enormous technical, economic, and political challenges which make a rapid transition away from fossil fuel use impossible. Smil’s report was published by the Fraser Institute, which Wikipedia says is a nonprofit organization which ceased disclosing its corporate donors in the 1980s, but also says that Fraser has received major donations from Charles and David Koch and ExxonMobil, all interested in promoting fossil fuels.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — Karol and Fred Burgos have seen modest, less than $100, year-to-year increases in their monthly rents since moving four years ago into Woodland Crossing/ Vesta Apartment Homes, an affordable housing complex restricted to individuals and couples age 62 and over.

By SAM FERLAND

EASTHAMPTON — Easthampton tenants and advocates gathered outside the Municipal Building Wednesday with signs and megaphones, calling for city councilors to support their opposition to out-of-state property owners increasing rents.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — Alice Jenkins, Marisol Pierce-Bonifaz and Joey Pisani are still technically teenagers. But in Pulaski Park on Thursday, the three youths led a rally of more than 100 participants with all the verve and vigor of veteran organizers.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HADLEY — An Amherst solar developer and a Hadley farmer could team up on a new agrivoltaic project on farmland on River Drive, continuing what they see as the success of an existing dual-use solar array on Shattuck Road.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — The Conservation Commission is poised to discuss a range of options for addressing hunting on town conservation land, from prohibiting the activity entirely to placing more restrictions on some of the public sites where hunting is currently allowed.

By Staff Report

AMHERST — After several weeks with Puffer’s Pond being open for swimming, town officials announced Thursday morning that the North Amherst site would be closed immediately due to high levels of E. coli bacteria.

By RUSS VERNON-JONES

I have often been frustrated that Donald Trump and Fox News combined have been able to get huge numbers of USers to believe things that aren’t true. Misinformation seems to have played a big role in getting many voters to choose Trump in last November’s election.

NORTHAMPTON — The Sphere Northampton has been awarded a $50,000 grant to launch the Sphere Westfield Mindshift Business Accelerator, an intensive business development program designed to support low- to moderate-income entrepreneurs in the Westfield community.

Regarding the news article “Picture Main Street groups mobilize,” (Gazette, July 2), rather than repeating the many flaws in Picture Main Street, let’s consider a specific example of City Hall fallibility that happens to border Main Street. Whenever I am stuck at the Elm-West Street intersection (frequently), I glare at the “Hulk on the Hill” (aka the former First Baptist Church) behind its chain link fence and forbidding signage. It is outwardly unchanged since June 8, 2023 — over two years ago — when the city paid Eric Suher $3.175 million, promising to convert it into a community “resilience hub.”  Great concept; but wrong property, location, and price.In a letter dated Nov. 17, 2022, the city informed its selected appraisal firm in East Longmeadow that “We have signed an option to purchase the building for $3.3 million.” Actually, Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra did not sign an option until Dec. 9, 2022 after the city received the appraisal for exactly that price on Dec. 1 and Mr. Suher’s bid was opened the next day.  No evidence appears that the city — the only buyer on the horizon — tried to negotiate a lower price for the benefit of its taxpayers.In April, 2024, a group of concerned citizens  commissioned an independent reappraisal by Colliers Valuation and Advisory Services in Boston that determined that the property's fair market value as of the date the city bought it was actually $1.6 million, or less than half what the city paid. The city now owns a very expensive white elephant  at the most hazardous intersection in downtown — with no elevator and only four off-street parking spaces.The city administration responsible for that fiasco is still in office. Should there be any confidence that Picture Main Street won't be a much larger disaster for downtown and the city’s tax base and reputation?Rutherford H. Platt

By Grace Chai

By SAM FERLAND

EASTHAMPTON — Nearly 24 years after the Sept. 11 attacks, the city is forming a tribute committee to develop a permanent memorial to honor the lives of those who served that day — an idea that emerged from a recent debate about flying the American flag over Nashawannuck Pond.

By ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL

NORTHAMPTON — A Holyoke man has been sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty to a violent armed robbery in the parking lot of the Northampton Walmart last year.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

AMHERST — A former guidance counselor at the Amherst Regional Middle School, removed from her position for alleged anti-trans actions during the 2022-2023 school year, was wrongfully terminated and must be reinstated to her previous role, according to a ruling by an arbitrator.

By SCOTT MERZBACH

HATFIELD — Average residential water and sewer users in Hatfield will see their combined bills increase by about $96 as the result of rate adjustments aimed at covering both the operating budgets for the departments and ensuring sufficient money is being saved for emergency repairs and capital projects.

By CAROLYN BROWN

Through five decades in the entertainment industry, comedian, author, actress, and radio host Sandra Bernhard has done a lot – and, next weekend, she’ll bring that experience and love of performing to Northampton.

By TINKY WEISBLAT

“The Wonder and Happiness of Being Old” by Sophy Burnham (Andrews McMeel Publishing, 256 pages)

Glasgow Lands, a festival celebrating Scottish culture, history, and heritage, will return to Look Park for its 30th year on Saturday, July 19, from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

By JOHANNA NEUMANN

On a recent work trip to New Orleans, I visited a lighthouse. But, if you’re imagining a structure on the cliffs of Cape Cod, I need to clarify that this lighthouse was a little different. Here’s its story.

We are volunteers at the Academy of Music who are delighted to be involved with this delightful venue and valuable resource to our city. Of course there are great challenges to create accessibility in a place built 125 years ago. However one important and legally required resource that is sadly lacking at the venue is assistive devices for the hearing impaired. In our aging society it also likely adversely impacts attendance.

Regarding the article [“End of an Era: Remembering UMass athletics' glory days in the Atlantic 10, Gazettenet.com, July 7], while I appreciate the effort to acknowledge the history of these programs, I was disappointed by the omissions related to the UMass men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams. The article noted that the men’s team had won an A-10 championship in 1997-98. In reality, the UMass men’s swimming and diving team has claimed 16 A-10 titles—in 1996–1998, 2001–2005, 2007–2012, 2015, and 2016. To my recollection, that is more A-10 championships than any other UMass team. The women’s team also earned an A-10 title in 2001. Additionally, the men’s team was New England Champion for eight years between 1987 and 1994, a distinction that also deserves mention. The article also neglected to recognize Coach Russ Yarworth, who led the men’s program from 1979 to 2019 — an extraordinary 40-year tenure. Russ was not only one of the most respected coaches in the conference, but also a former teammate of mine on the UMass squad in 1975–76. His leadership was instrumental in building one of the most successful programs in UMass athletics. The women’s team was similarly shaped by long-time head coach Bob Newcomb, who guided the team to its A-10 title in 2001 and played a central role in developing a competitive and respected program.