- Rob Kusner on How Should Annual Budgets Be Determined?: “A friendly amendment to Joe Cook’s last paragraph: Let’s prioritize our construction dollars on what all of us need instead…” Oct 5, 16:53
- on Amherst’s Neighboring Towns: Sunderland: “1+2+4+7+14=28 By canoe, we find School Street, By bike, the Buttonball Tree, And by reading The Indy, Stephen and Hetty:…” Oct 5, 16:23
- on School Superintendent Floats Grade 7-12 Consolidation to Solve Chronic Budget Woes: “Ira Bryck and Rob Kusner, I appreciate this discussion. Thank you! (I write as a mother of two children now…” Oct 5, 10:46
- on John Page Named New Executive Director of Business Improvement District: “Congrats John! You’ll do great and the town can really use your talents!” Oct 5, 09:29
- on How Should Annual Budgets Be Determined?: “We could ameliorate the the budget problem by prioritizing construction projects according to need. The North Common project is pretty…” Oct 5, 09:05
- on Opinion: Jones Library Bidders Beware: “I expect that, like the first time, the project will not receive an acceptable bid, either because any bid will…” Oct 5, 06:43
- on School Superintendent Floats Grade 7-12 Consolidation to Solve Chronic Budget Woes: “The article attributes (without quotes) to Herman: …while the high school has the capacity for 3,000 students, the number of…” Oct 5, 02:20
- on October is National Coop Month: “I can’t wait to have our Common Share Food Coop open in Amherst!!” Oct 4, 14:16
- on How Should Annual Budgets Be Determined?: “Agree completely. See also these previous stories in the Indy on PILOT payments by other colleges and universities in the…” Oct 4, 13:57
- on How Should Annual Budgets Be Determined?: “I would like to name the elephant in the room. PILOT payments. We need to get more money from the…” Oct 4, 12:38
- on School Superintendent Floats Grade 7-12 Consolidation to Solve Chronic Budget Woes: “There is clear and present data that shows Amherst is rapidly losing families, and closing schools at the rate we…” Oct 4, 12:20
- on UMass Amherst to Partner with Amherst Survival Center to Establish Campus Food Pantry: “Food insecurity and housing insecurity are real for some UMass students. I’ve know students whose families struggle to make ends…” Oct 3, 19:09
- on UMass Amherst to Partner with Amherst Survival Center to Establish Campus Food Pantry: “Next on on-campus homeless shelter with cots for students who can’t afford Amherst rents .” Oct 3, 06:53
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Perhaps this is a good time, while Amherst has a building project that is going less than smoothly, to suggest…” Oct 2, 11:34
- on University Drive Overlay District Gets Mixed Reviews from Town Council: “We need to bring back the town meeting pure democracy style of government and make Amherst democratic again. Once the…” Oct 2, 05:30
- on Opinion: One Solution to the Proliferation of Student Housing in Family Neighborhoods: “Brings to mind an incident that happened about six years after the date of the above article. After another party…” Oct 1, 19:07
- on Opinion: One Solution to the Proliferation of Student Housing in Family Neighborhoods: “The letter below was published in several newspapers in eastern and central Mass in March of 2014. Yet, here we…” Oct 1, 13:54
- on UMass Amherst to Partner with Amherst Survival Center to Establish Campus Food Pantry: “I found it strange that a University needs a food pantry for it’s students. Don’t they have meal plans for…” Oct 1, 12:33
- on Elementary School Building Project Bid Comes in Under Budget: “The contractor reviews at DCAMM are not the only source of information you are allowed to use. The Amherst school…” Sep 30, 22:28
- on University Drive Overlay District Gets Mixed Reviews from Town Council: “We are becoming over saturated with Developer involved student housing . Take a breath . I would like to see…” Sep 30, 09:04
- on Letter: A Sustainable Jones Library?: “No one has yet mentioned the impact of the concussive vibrations of all these heavy loads on the almost 300…” Sep 28, 17:44
- on Elementary School Building Project Bid Comes in Under Budget: “On a project of this size pre-qualification of the bidders would have been required by law. What does our pre-qualification…” Sep 26, 18:27
- on Elementary School Building Project Bid Comes in Under Budget: “Editor’s note: The writer provided of folder of project evaluations supporting his above claims for projects in which CTA was…” Sep 26, 15:00
- on Public Comment: Proposed Demolition/Expansion Mutilates Historic Jones Library: “I agree with this opinion of what they propose to do to the Jones Library. I grew up in Amherst…” Sep 26, 12:28
- on Letter: Inviting Bids on Jones Library Plans That Are Not Finalized Wastes the Town’s Money: “Ask the trustees and their enablers put up their own personal assets as collateral for these promises, and see if…” Sep 26, 02:29
- on No Bidders for Library Swing Space: “If Robert Peirent is not back from vacation yet the good folks at the Mass. Office of the Inspector General…” Sep 25, 21:42
- on Letter: Inviting Bids on Jones Library Plans That Are Not Finalized Wastes the Town’s Money: “The Jones trustees have agreed to pay for all kinds of things but their promises lack credibility. The trustees have…” Sep 25, 19:56
- on Letter: Inviting Bids on Jones Library Plans That Are Not Finalized Wastes the Town’s Money: “If the Library Trustees will agree to pay for all of the change orders from Library funds that exist right…” Sep 25, 17:01
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Do Amherst people not realize that much of this is simply WRONG? Where is this town’s moral compass? Time to…” Sep 25, 15:50
- on Elementary School Building Project Bid Comes in Under Budget: “I am blown away! I just watched the Building Committee zoom meeting and it’s amazing to me that nobody mentioned…” Sep 25, 11:07
- on Letter: Section 106 Review Should Be Completed Before Jones Expansion Project Goes Out to Bid: “Thanks for detailing this civic SNAFU, Arlie! At present, contractors are to work up their (new) bids on the contract…” Sep 24, 21:38
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “It certainly does not seem as though Mr Bockelman is acting in the best interests of all residents of the…” Sep 24, 07:58
- on Letter: In Amherst, Can Good People Agree to Disagree?: “Ken, there is one place where I disagree with you here. I do not think the current plan to destroy…” Sep 23, 21:04
- on Elementary School Building Project Bid Comes in Under Budget: “Rather than spending these school project savings on other pending projects, please consider investing in more extensive PV canopies over…” Sep 23, 01:24
- on Letter: US Must Enforce the Leahy Laws and End Weapons Shipments to Israel: “Although Harris is definitely the lesser of two evils, I just cannot bring myself to vote for a party that…” Sep 22, 17:21
- on No Bidders for Library Swing Space: “With no proposals submitted during the first Request for Proposals process a new RFP must be issued for the swing…” Sep 22, 15:58
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Lisa Perlbinder says the article is “misleading.” Could Ms. Perlbinder please explain what is misleading about the article? Thank you.” Sep 22, 14:11
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Is the Jones Library construction project a “public construction project”? Hmmm. “While there is no statute that establishes a change…” Sep 22, 13:41
- on Letter: A Healthy Democracy Requires Critical Public Engagement: “John McCabe was a former Jones trustee and he, too, was averse to public comment.” Sep 22, 11:58
- on Social Justice Committee Frustrated with Slow Progress on Implementation of CRESS and Youth Empowerment Center: “I note that the Historical Commission also has two vacancies. One can only wonder why filling the first vacancy is…” Sep 22, 11:39
- on Elementary School Building Project Bid Comes in Under Budget: “Yes, it’s the difference between an honest and open process where every decision was scrutinized and a rubber-stamping no questions…” Sep 22, 11:33
- on No Bidders for Library Swing Space: “I wanted to ask the Building Committee whether a new Project Notification Form had been submitted or are contractors bidding…” Sep 22, 11:02
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “My contractor and engineering friends tell me that change orders are major sources of income for their firms. They usually…” Sep 22, 10:21
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Absolutely nobody likes being mislead.” Sep 22, 06:10
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Please forgive me for bit more reality-checking here: Aren’t many of the second commenter’s cited “23% of the Amherst residents…” Sep 21, 16:36
- on Larry Rankin Black-and-White Photography at Gallery A3 in October: “For the Zoom forum at 7:30 pm on October 17, I will be joined by Bob Solosko, a Northampton photographer,…” Sep 21, 16:01
- on Elementary School Building Project Bid Comes in Under Budget: “Elementary school project vs. Jones Library Trustees’ demolition/rehabilitation/expansion project: Compare and contrast.” Sep 21, 11:58
- on No Bidders for Library Swing Space: “You’ve done a public service, Jeff, by reporting on this farce of a “public comment” period. Amherst voters deserve to…” Sep 21, 11:41
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Anita Sarro has kindly informed me that change orders happen only AFTER a contract is signed. She adds that a…” Sep 21, 11:19
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “As someone who opposes the present expansion/demolition plan for the Jones Library as oversized, historically disastrous, unaffordable, and environmentally unfriendly,…” Sep 21, 11:03
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Credit where credit is due, Lisa, please! Town Manager Paul Bockelman, Library Trustee President Austin Sarat and the then-Board of…” Sep 21, 09:35
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “The soon to be vacant Wildwood School would serve as an excellent “Community Center” to meet the needs of the…” Sep 21, 09:02
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “So much name-calling by supporters of the project…running out of arguments I guess.” Sep 21, 08:35
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Thanks for reading, Ms Perlbinder. To be clear, this article was not authored by a group but by an individual…” Sep 21, 08:14
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “I don’t think this is bad actually. Many grants get rejected and never reported. Here’s the thing I don’t understand—why…” Sep 21, 06:16
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Amherst’s people unwittingly compelled to pay lobbyists who persuade those in positions of power to ignore facts? In some contexts…” Sep 21, 03:24
- on Resettling Our History Lands. Reflections on the Exhibit “Cambodians in Amherst”: “A favorite bicycle ride in Amherst takes me along Stanley Street, where some of the most remarkable farming practices in…” Sep 21, 01:48
- on Resettling Our History Lands. Reflections on the Exhibit “Cambodians in Amherst”: “Here is some information about the exhibit hours: SATURDAYS UNTIL OCTOBER 2024: CAMBODIANS IN AMERICA. Exhibit 11 a.m. to 3…” Sep 20, 22:42
- on Housing for the East Village and Main Street: “as per the Amherst Indy’s What’s Happening column, I am adding the following here as follow up: “WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 25:…” Sep 20, 22:36
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “I will happily donate generously to a right-sized library project that will preserve and repair the beautiful historic building, but…” Sep 20, 22:29
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “Dear Detractors: No one ever counted on the historic tax credits to go ahead with this project. In addition, the…” Sep 20, 16:26
- on Repeated Rejections of Library Funding From State Historic Commission Were Hidden From Town Council and the Public: “The proverb, “a fish rots from the head down” comes to mind. At least now I have a better understanding…” Sep 20, 14:56
- on Resettling Our History Lands. Reflections on the Exhibit “Cambodians in Amherst”: “Thanks for the article… and for the exhibit. Ours was one of many Amherst families to welcome a Khmer teenager…” Sep 20, 11:46
- on UMass Amherst Launches Early College Program Giving High School Students Opportunities to Earn College Credit for Free: “I am not a fan of this for a reason that isn’t mentioned — student attrition. There is a major…” Sep 19, 19:37
- on Opinion: It’s Time to Start Ending All Fossil Fuel Production: “Thank you Mr. Vernon-Jones for this piece. One small thing I’ve done is I got rid of my credit card…” Sep 19, 17:12
- on UMass Amherst Launches Early College Program Giving High School Students Opportunities to Earn College Credit for Free: “i’m confused- will high schoolers in the host community of Amherst not be eligible? was there not a stated desire…” Sep 19, 11:50
- on Emily Dickinson Museum’s Evergreens’ Barn Comes to Life. : “And here is the museum’s own press release about the project: https://www.emilydickinsonmuseum.org/carriage-house-reconstruction/” Sep 18, 18:02
- on Council Debates Proposed Nuisance Property Bylaw: “Starting next fall — September 2025 — the babies not born during the “Great Recession” won’t be showing up to…” Sep 17, 19:23
- on Opinion: Calling for an End to Killing Palestinians with Our Help: “Thank you Mr. Tartakov. I also wrote a letter discussing the US illegal involvement in supporting Israel. See link below.…” Sep 16, 15:17
- on Opinion: Calling for an End to Killing Palestinians with Our Help: “Thank you, Gary Tartakov. You are an inspiration and an example to me and to many others. It does make…” Sep 15, 23:32
- on Jones Library Building Project Odyssey Approaches Final Challenges: “Just remember: Often rose-colored glasses Are carried in silk purses….” Sep 15, 05:33
- on Jones Library Building Project Odyssey Approaches Final Challenges: “I wish we could all let go of the historic facade/wood finishings/slate roof and just build a practical, not-pretty, good-enough…” Sep 15, 05:31
- on Letter: A Healthy Democracy Requires Critical Public Engagement: “ Sometimes I can’t help but see the irony in what I read (from reputable sources, fact checked by the…” Sep 14, 22:01
- on Letter: A Healthy Democracy Requires Critical Public Engagement: “I am told that the downtown design meetings were more of same. I hope it’s not true.” Sep 14, 19:31
- on Letter: A Healthy Democracy Requires Critical Public Engagement: “Here.. here Darcy!” Sep 14, 18:19
- on Jones Library Building Project Odyssey Approaches Final Challenges: “‘Odyssey’ is the right word for this project, Jeff! After sacking Troy, Odysseus spent 10 improbably adventurous years getting back…” Sep 14, 12:40
- on Letter: A Healthy Democracy Requires Critical Public Engagement: “The whole point of the new form of government was to silence the pesky Town Meeting opposition that has kept…” Sep 14, 12:09
- on Jones Library Building Project Odyssey Approaches Final Challenges: “The ~$25 million estimate of town’s portion of the project reported last year is an overly optimistic minimum. The town…” Sep 14, 09:06
- on Valley Green Energy Coming to Amherst November 1: “Why is no one talking about the source of this “green” energy? Isn’t that the primary issue?” Sep 14, 08:38
- on Letter: A Sustainable Jones Library?: “It’s also important to remember that the Jones project has never been subject to the town Net-Zero Bylaw because it…” Sep 14, 08:25
- on Letter: A Sustainable Jones Library?: “Thanks, Mickey, for highlighting the massive amount of brick, mortar, and other debris that the Jones Library demolition/expansion project would…” Sep 14, 04:00
- on Letter: A Healthy Democracy Requires Critical Public Engagement: “Did the guest columnist miss this concept in high school (it was observed by a young French fellow when he…” Sep 14, 02:26
- on Letter: A Healthy Democracy Requires Critical Public Engagement: “The week after Ameen’s opinion piece appeared, the Gazette ran a guest column by her husband, former trustee Jon McCabe.…” Sep 13, 11:55
- on In The Face of Public Criticism, Trustees Praise and Defend Jones Library Director: “To get a glimpse at Tom McBride’s suggested reading: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo213447492.html” Sep 13, 02:27
- on In The Face of Public Criticism, Trustees Praise and Defend Jones Library Director: “The trustees ensured that Sharon Sharry would be a political advocate as well as a library director by making it…” Sep 12, 19:41
- on In The Face of Public Criticism, Trustees Praise and Defend Jones Library Director: “I don’t fully understand Ms. Sharry’s role, it seems her job would only be to direct day to day operations…” Sep 12, 06:38
- on In The Face of Public Criticism, Trustees Praise and Defend Jones Library Director: “Well said, Ira! But as a public service to the community, for both information and entertainment, in the spirit of…” Sep 10, 02:16
- on Photos of the Week: A Gallery of Amherst’s Decaying Infrastructure: ““ Is there a class issue at play here? “ Always has been Rita. There are good people in this…” Sep 9, 15:46
- on In The Face of Public Criticism, Trustees Praise and Defend Jones Library Director: “The claim, made repeatedly, that 2/3 of the Amherst community wildly supported this failed plan needs repeated debunking. Only 3000…” Sep 9, 04:49
- on Petition Urges Town Council To Pivot to Affordable Alternative to Costly Jones Library Demolition/Expansion Project: “The Library posts the links to meeting packets, minutes and recordings at https://www.joneslibrary.org/agendacenter when they are available. As of 9/8,…” Sep 9, 01:54
- on In The Face of Public Criticism, Trustees Praise and Defend Jones Library Director: “The old adage, “if these walls could talk,” suggest the historic Jones Library would rue the day the current Library…” Sep 8, 11:18
- on Petition Urges Town Council To Pivot to Affordable Alternative to Costly Jones Library Demolition/Expansion Project: “Could someone please provide the internet link to the September 6th video recording of the Jones Library Board of Trustees…” Sep 8, 10:53
- on Photos of the Week: A Gallery of Amherst’s Decaying Infrastructure: “essential priorities for our town to address!!!” Sep 8, 10:32
- on Black Roots Folk Festival Coming to the Common Sunday: “The flyer says Sunday the 8th!” Sep 7, 21:25
- on Letter: Board of Health Has Been Seeking Trash Hauler Reform Since 2021: “$500 is a great deal of money for one person on a fixed income *many seniors in town by the…” Sep 7, 17:58
- on UMass Task Force on Campus Demonstrations Publishes Recommendations: “Regarding Land Use Policy: adopt a definition of “Structure” informed by Massachusetts law; That would be the Building Code, which…” Sep 7, 13:20
- on Black Roots Folk Festival Coming to the Common Sunday: “I’m confused. Is this on Saturday the 7th or Sunday the 8th? Sounds like a wonderful event!” Sep 7, 06:19
- on Photos of the Week: A Gallery of Amherst’s Decaying Infrastructure: “Thanks Rob and Rita for picking up on the color code which didn’t strike me as so appropriate until you…” Sep 6, 21:45