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By DANIEL A. BROWN

I’ve always enjoyed the Fourth of July, perhaps the most joyous holiday in the American spectrum. The day invokes memories of hot dogs and ice cream cones, kids riding bicycles festooned with American flags and, of course, fireworks.Greenfield has...

By SARAH MATTHEWS

An opinion piece was recently published in this paper by an executive at FirstLight Power, the company that owns the Turners Falls Dam and Northfield Pumped Storage Hydropower Station [“Setting the record straight on flows and fish passage...

By KARL MEYER

I belatedly read FirstLight Power vice president of operations John Howard’s lengthy May 31 column after returning from vacation [“Setting the record straight on flows and fish passage commitments”]. After years of public information lockdown via...

By RUTH FAIRMAN

There is a meeting regarding ZIP codes in Whately on June 29, at 6 p.m. at the Town Hall in the center of town.There are three ZIP codes for Whately, 01093, center of town; 01373, Rural Free Delivery; and 01039, West Whately through the Haydenville...

By SUSAN WOZNIAK

Humans are storytellers. We invented novels and poetry and plays to satisfy our need for stories. The tales we experience stir our emotions, sometimes allowing us to relax and often teaching us what we need to know.As I have been with my grandkids...

By WILLIAM LAMBERS

Major League Baseball has produced many classic, inspiring moments over the years, including the World Series. But one of its most noble efforts is not well known.It was during the Second World War, when Major League Baseball launched a plan to raise...

By GENE STAMELL

I have concluded there are two types of people in the world: those who are content with a B and those who will settle for nothing short of an A. Perhaps the term “Type A Personality” has its origins in our grading system, though I am too lazy to do...

By RICHARD FEIN

Mr. President, I am concerned that you will be a weak candidate in the 2024 presidential election . Your age is a legitimate concern for the American people. At 80, you are already the oldest American president ever, and you would be 86 at the end of...

By RAZVAN SIBII

Who said, “I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally”? Was it one of those bleeding-heart liberals who want open borders and have no respect for how...

By ROB OKUN

Women’s activism, including mothers in leadership roles, is legendary. Moms have long employed their moral authority as parents to advance the social good.Where are the fathers and grandfathers? We care about our children and grandchildren, too. As...

By SARA WEINBERGER

On June 19, 1865, two months and 10 days after General Robert E. Lee surrendered to General Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, ending the Civil War, and two years and 18 days after President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, Union...

By JOHANNA NEUMANN

From the Norwottuck Rail Trail here at home to the Grand Canyon in the West, beauty abounds in the natural world. It’s found in places big and small — some well-known, others our secret respites from the modern world. Almost all are well-loved, and...

By JOANNA BUONICONTI

For those of you who have faithfully read my columns, you know that I rarely write about contentious political issues. There are many reasons why I choose not to do this, but the primary one is that the most prominent political issues are also the...

By DANIEL A. BROWN

Back in my elementary school teaching days, I allowed my fourth grade students to bring in a special toy or small stuffie to place on their desks to give them comfort. A month or so into the term, one of the boys, whom I will call Larry, brought in...

By ROB MOIR

A wheezing noise has emanated from Capitol Hill in Washington of late. It is a last gasp to stop America’s progress on the climate crisis.House Oversight and Accountability Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., recently said the following to Fox...

By SARAH BUTTENWIESER and ALICE BARBER

We have been wondering what parents need to hear right about now. This month marks the declared “end” of the COVID crisis. It is a time of implied “get-on-with-its” and “that-was-then-this-is-nows.”Overall, our society tends not to think very...

By JOHN HOWARD

In March 2023, following a decade of scientific study, stakeholder engagement, collaboration and negotiation, FirstLight Power filed the “Flows and Fish Passage Settlement Agreement” as part of the relicensing of the Turners Falls Hydroelectric and...

By JOHN BOS

We are facing a third threat to humankind in addition to nuclear warfare (short term) and climate change (long term). Artificial intelligence (AI) is a fast-evolving technology that can speed up the possibility of both of these threats.I asked this...

By JOHN PARADIS

May is National Military Appreciation Month. Designated by Congress in 1999 to honor past and present military members and their families, the month includes several commemorations, including Loyalty Day, VE Day, Military Spouse Appreciation Day,...

By JOHN SHEIRER

When I walk our dog Libby, a little, shaggy, sweet-natured border terrier, through our neighborhood, I can safely predict two things. First, everyone will love seeing Libby. Second, Libby will love seeing everyone.One of our neighbors calls Libby “The...