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: 64,261 (-1595)
Last Week: 14,678 (-2326)

Number of Unique Sessions
Last 30 days:43,140 (-546)
Last Week 9442 (-2098)

Number of Active Users
Last 30 Days: 28,936 (+650)
Last Week: 6674 (-1749)

TOP FIVE MOST-READ STORIES LAST WEEK
1. Opinion: The Common Share Food Co-op: Reflections on a Failure to Launch  by Alex Kent
2. Middle School Closes Early Due to Staff Absences by Art Keene
3. Jones Funding Request Questioned by Community Preservation Act Committee by Maura Keene
4. Introducing Amethyst Brook Elementary School and Chestnut Street Academy by Maura Keene
5. Amherst School Committee Considers Proposal to Keep Sixth Grade in the Elementary Schools by Maura Keene

TOP FIVE MOST-READ STORIES IN THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
1. Debunking the Jones Library Banner by Maria Kopicki
2. UMass Amherst Staff Votes No Confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes by Amherst Indy (c/o UMass Professional Staff Union)
3. Opinion: The Common Share Food Co-op: Reflections on a Failure to Launch  by Alex Kent
4. Middle School Closes Early Due to Staff Absences by Art Keene
5. Opinion: Thrive or Perish: Transforming Admissions Will Dictate Whether Hampshire College Prospers by Jonathon Podolsky

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?

ARTS

• Alum Eric Swanson Pledges $30,000 to Support Arts and Engineering at Amherst Regional High School
• Troubadour Bill Ludwig at the January PVFS Song and Story Swap
• What’s Happening in Amherst? by Art and Maura Keene
• Landscapes Abstract and Immersive at Gallery A3 in January

BUDGET

•  School Staff Pans Proposals to Keep Sixth Grade in Elementary Schools by Maura Keene
• Jones Trustees President Questions if Library Is Being Shortchanged by Town by Maura Keene

CLIMATE / ENERGY / ENVIRONMENT / NATURE

• New Series from Town Shade Tree Committee Will Spotlight the Trees of Amherst 

DEMOCRACY

• Review Committee Recommends 18 Amendments to Town Charter by Anita Sarro
• Western Mass Resistance Calendar and Supplemental Reading List by Art Keene
• Holiday Shoppers Are Flexing Political Power Through Big Boycott Campaigns  by Victoria Valenzuela (c/o Waging Nonviolence)
• A Better World is Possible: Assemblies, A Path to Co-Governance and Democratic Renewal by Ben Palmquist (c/o Convergence)

EVENTS

• Western Mass Resistance Calendar and Supplemental Reading List by Art Keene
• Public Hearing on Establishing an East Amherst Local Historic District and Draft Design Guidelines Scheduled for January 12
• Troubadour Bill Ludwig at the January PVFS Song and Story Swap
• What’s Happening in Amherst? by Art and Maura Keene
• Landscapes Abstract and Immersive at Gallery A3 in January

FEATURES

• Indy Editors’ and Staff Writers’ Picks: Recommended Good Reads from 2025 by Art Keene and Jeff Lee
• Holiday Shoppers Are Flexing Political Power Through Big Boycott Campaigns  by Victoria Valenzuela (c/o Waging Nonviolence)
• A Better World is Possible: Assemblies, A Path to Co-Governance and Democratic Renewal by Ben Palmquist (c/o Convergence)
• Photos of the Week: A 2025 Favorites Gallery compiled by Art Keene
  

HISTORY / HISTORICAL PRESERVATION

• Public Hearing on Establishing an East Amherst Local Historic District and Draft Design Guidelines Scheduled for January 12 

HOUSING

• Applications Now Available for Amherst Community Homes, 30 Affordable Duplexes for Homeownership in North Amherst by Maura Keene

LIBRARY

• Jones Trustees President Questions if Library Is Being Shortchanged by Town by Maura Keene
• Jones Library Trustees Work to Understand Fundraising Needs by Jeff Lee

MEDIA

• The Indy is Going on Vacation by Art Keene
• Year in Review. The Indy by the Numbers. Most Read Articles in 2025 by Art Keene
• New Series from Town Shade Tree Committee Will Spotlight the Trees of Amherst
•  Indy Editors’ and Staff Writers’ Picks: Recommended Good Reads from 2025 by Art Keene and Jeff Lee

PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY

• What Can Amherst Expect from an Underfunded CRESS in the Coming Year by Norah Stewart

RECREATION

• Cherry Hill Debuts Disc Golf Course by Jeff Lee
• Town Manager Appoints Seven to Cherry Hill Working Group by Art Keene
  

RESOURCES

•  Western Mass Resistance Calendar and Supplemental Reading List by Art Keene

SCHOOLS

• School Staff Pans Proposals to Keep Sixth Grade in Elementary Schools by Maura Keene
• Alum Eric Swanson Pledges $30,000 to Support Arts and Engineering at Amherst Regional High School

SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE

• What Can Amherst Expect from an Underfunded CRESS in the Coming Year by Norah Stewart
• Holiday Shoppers Are Flexing Political Power Through Big Boycott Campaigns  by Victoria Valenzuela (c/o Waging Nonviolence)

TOWN GOVERNMENT

• School Staff Pans Proposals to Keep Sixth Grade in Elementary Schools by Maura Keene
• Jones Trustees President Questions if Library Is Being Shortchanged by Town by Maura Keene
• Jones Library Trustees Work to Understand Fundraising Needs by Jeff Lee
• Review Committee Recommends 18 Amendments to Town Charter by Anita Sarro
• What Can Amherst Expect from an Underfunded CRESS in the Coming Year by Norah Stewart
• Town Manager Appoints Seven to Cherry Hill Working Group by Art Keene
• New Series from Town Shade Tree Committee Will Spotlight the Trees of Amherst
• Public Hearing on Establishing an East Amherst Local Historic District and Draft Design Guidelines Scheduled for January 12
• Town Manager Report for December 12, 2025