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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 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.

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 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.

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.

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.

Dear Hampshire County pet owners: I am Ramona Sirois, 10 years old, and I want to talk to you about an issue in our community and worldwide: animal abandonment. You can help prevent it! Animal abandonment is when a pet owner stops caring for an outdoor pet or releases an indoor pet into the wild. The owner does this because they cannot care for the pet, do not want them, or think the pet will be better off in the wild. This is a problem for the pets and the habitat they are released into.

By WILLIAM LAMBERS

It was 80 years ago on July 16 when a mysterious flash of light and a massive explosion rumbled in the New Mexico desert. Only a few people knew about it at the time, but the United States just entered a frightening unknown world: the age of nuclear weapons.

By BILL LANE

Two of our region’s most beloved businesses — Dave’s Soda and Pet City and Hadley Garden Center — have collapsed in eerily similar ways. Both were acquired by outside buyers who made warm promises: to keep the businesses running, protect employees, and honor their local legacies. And in both cases, those promises quietly unraveled. Now, Hadley is left with the prospect of shuttered storefronts, lost jobs, and heartbroken local founders and staff.

Two recent letters about the Mill River Greenway bike path being planned for South Main Street in Haydenville gave lessons on what a neighborhood is and to whom it belongs. I’ve lived on South Main Street all my life, in the house that has been my family’s for four generations. I am proud of my neighborhood and treasure the neighborly ways we live on our street. Therefore, I think I bring a legitimate voice to this discussion.

This Sunday in Amherst, I saw my first spotted lanternfly. I wanted to share this news, because we can rally to protect our beloved ecosystem. Here are some ways I’ve found helpful to stay active about ecosystem protection: learn identifications. When you see a lanternfly, or another dangerous species, act as the planet’s immune system. Strengthen our bat population with those boxes. In other parts of the state, there are reports that bats are eating spotted lanternflies! The leading resource on the construction and maintenance of safe, healthy bat boxes is merlintuttle.org.

While most international and American attention is being focused on the possibility of Iran having nuclear weapon capabilities, the certainty of the ongoing genocide of Palestinians has taken a back seat.

By ANAT WEISENFREUND

Increased temperatures due to climate change are negatively impacting our health, our environment, our infrastructure, and our economy. Yet corporations and governments aren’t doing nearly enough to cut climate-warming emissions, even when they know that the economic cost of inaction in the long run will be significantly greater than making the needed investments now.

Thank you, Tolley Jones. Your columns are hard reading, but they tell my heart how to understand what I know.

Pat Hynes ends her July 8 column (“Human-made problems can and must be unmade”), which advocates stopping the use of all fossil fuels, with the question, “Why aren’t we doing it?” The answer is provided in a recent Vaclav Smil report: “To eliminate carbon emissions by 2050, governments face unprecedented technical, economic, and political challenges, making rapid and inexpensive transition impossible.”

President Donald Trump does not care about you or me. It’s not like rooting for the Red Sox, who have no idea who you are, because if they did know, they would care. But Trump is not a normal human being. You will never hear him say, as Barack Obama did, after the Marathon bombing, “You will run again.” Trump will never “feel your pain.” He will just never care. And that’s the kind of person we have running the whole show of governing our country, making decisions that affect our lives, deciding who lives here and who does not, all while not knowing or caring who anybody is. Just one heart beats in the world of Trump: his own.

By JON HUER

Nowadays most people believe that “facts” and “truths” are similar, almost identical: They say truths are based on facts and facts lead to truths. Dictionaries further confuse them as close cousins, if not twins.

By NORA M. LEOVICH

Bar advocates, (private attorneys who accept court appointments of criminal cases for indigent defendants), have stopped working. We are not “on strike” – we can’t be. We are not unionized. We are a group of lawyers who have agreed to accept criminal cases and who contract with the state for hourly compensation to work on these cases.

I write in strong support of the proposed mixed-use housing project near Atkins Corner. As a progressive town that values sustainability, inclusion, and smart planning, Amherst should embrace this opportunity. Opponents cite environmental concerns, but three- to four-story mixed-use buildings are proven to be the most environmentally friendly forms of development. They reduce sprawl, preserve open space, and support walkability and public transit. This is exactly the kind of density we need to meet our climate goals.