What’s In This Issue?

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ANALYTICS
Numbers in parentheses indicate change from the previous week.

Number of Unique Page Views:
Last 30 days: 45,527 (+ 292)
Last Week: 10,090 (-1631)
Number of Unique Sessions
Last 30 days: 21,705 (+ 1599)
Last Week: 4999 (-233)

TOP FIVE MOST-READ ARTICLES IN THE MONTH OF JANUARY
1. Union Questions Spate of Child Abuse Investigations Launched by District Against School Staff by Amherst Indy
2. Two January Property Sales Illustrate How Family Housing in Amherst is Increasingly out of Reach by Jeff Lee
3. Interim Middle School Principal Appointee Withdraws by Art Keene
4. Opinion: The UMass Connection to Amherst Town Government. When Is It a Conflict of Interest? by Darcy DuMont
5. Amherst Looks To Library For Building Project Reimbursement Payment by Jeff Lee

TOP FIVE MOST-READ ARTICLES LAST WEEK
1. Amherst Looks To Library For Building Project Reimbursement Payment by Jeff Lee
2. Public Comment Rules Modified. Public Comments Decry Condition of DPW Building and Advocate for Free Higher Education by Maura Keene
3. Superintendent Search Committee Announced. Large Budget Shortfall Expected for Regional School District in FY 2025. by Art Keene
4. Letters: Six Letters and Public Comments in Support of Fired ARMS Science Teacher Erin Lawler by Amherst indy
5. North Amherst Library Set to Reopen by Amherst Indy

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?
ARTS
Two Amherst Music Events This Weekend That Won’t Break the Bank by Jeff Lee

CAMPUS
PHENOM and Allies Urge Town Council to Support Debt-Free Future Act
Ancestral Bridges Exhibit Relaunches at Frost Library Unveiling Untold Stories of Black and Afro-Indigenous Families

CLIMATE / ENERGY / ENVIRONMENT / NATURE
Opinion: Why Urban Forests Are Key to Fighting Climate Change by Julian Hynes
Photo of the Week: Fun With Pareidolia by John Root

EVENTS
Two Amherst Music Events This Weekend That Won’t Break the Bank by Jeff Lee
North Amherst Library Set to Reopen
Ancestral Bridges Exhibit Relaunches at Frost Library Unveiling Untold Stories of Black and Afro-Indigenous Families
Town Will Celebrate The Year of the Dragon February 17
What’s Happening in Amherst? by Art and Maura Keene

DEMOCRACY
Opinion: How the Town Council President Has Consolidated Power by Darcy DuMont
Opinion: Silence Is Dangerous in the Current Age of Rising Fascism in the US by Henry Giroux (for Truthout)

DOWNTOWN
New Market and Residential Building Planned for Downtown by Maura Keene
BID Responds to Dinosaur Jr. Dis with Amherst Eatery Challenge and Drawing by Maura Keene

FEATURES
It’s Black History Month. Here Are Three Things To Know About the Annual Celebration by Scott Neuman (for NPR)
What Happens When a School Bans Smartphones? A Complete Transformation by Tik Root (for the Guardian)
From Other Sources, News for and About Amherst.  This Week: Amherst Area News Roundup and Potpourri from Further Afield by Art Keene
Photo of the Week: Fun With Pareidolia by John Root

HISTORY
Ancestral Bridges Exhibit Relaunches at Frost Library Unveiling Untold Stories of Black and Afro-Indigenous Families
New Market and Residential Building Planned for Downtown by Maura Keene
It’s Black History Month. Here Are Three Things To Know About the Annual Celebration by Scott Neuman (for NPR)

HOUSING
New Market and Residential Building Planned for Downtown by Maura Keene
Visions for Housing on University Drive by Maura Keene
Letter: University Drive Is Well Suited for Housing Expansion. Let’s Do It Well by Suzannah Muspratt
Letter: The Proposed University Drive Overlay Zone: Boundaries, Building Design, Flood Control, Setbacks, Landscape Design, Outdoor Gathering Spaces by Janet Keller

LIBRARY
North Amherst Library Set to Reopen

OPINION
Letter: Installing 2.5 Acres of Impermeable Plastic at High School Could Destroy Remaining Grass Fields by Maura aand Art Keene
Letter: University Drive Is Well Suited for Housing Expansion. Let’s Do It Well.  by Suzannah Muspratt
Letter: The Proposed University Drive Overlay Zone: Boundaries, Building Design, Flood Control, Setbacks, Landscape Design, Outdoor Gathering Spaces by Janet Keller
Opinion: How the Town Council President Has Consolidated Power by Darcy DuMont
Opinion: Why Urban Forests Are Key to Fighting Climate Change by Julian Hynes
Opinion: Silence Is Dangerous in the Current Age of Rising Fascism in the US by Henry Giroux (for Truthout)

SCHOOLS
Second Educator Departs Amherst Schools Amid 51A Furor by Art Keene
Letter: Installing 2.5 Acres of Impermeable Plastic at High School Could Destroy Remaining Grass Fields by Maura and Art Keene
What Happens When a School Bans Smartphones? A Complete Transformation by Tik Root (for the Guardian)

SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Second Educator Departs Amherst Schools Amid 51A Furor by Art Keene
PHENOM and Allies Urge Town Council to Support Debt-Free Future Act
Sojourner Truth School Announces Spring Classes by Art Keene
It’s Black History Month. Here Are Three Things To Know About the Annual Celebration by Scott Neuman (for NPR)

TOWN GOVERNMENT
Second Educator Departs Amherst Schools Amid 51A Furor by Art Keene
Finance Committee to Discuss Policy for Disposal of Surplus Town Property by Maura Keene
New Market and Residential Building Planned for Downtown by Maura Keene
Visions for Housing on University Drive by Maura Keene
PHENOM and Allies Urge Town Council to Support Debt-Free Future Act
Letter: Installing 2.5 Acres of Impermeable Plastic at High School Could Destroy Remaining Grass Fields by Maura and Art Keene
Letter: University Drive Is Well Suited for Housing Expansion. Let’s Do It Well.  by Suzannah Muspratt
Letter: The Proposed University Drive Overlay Zone: Boundaries, Building Design, Flood Control, Setbacks, Landscape Design, Outdoor Gathering Spaces by Janet Keller
Opinion: How the Town Council President Has Consolidated Power by Darcy DuMont