What’s in This Issue?
Photo: Dreamtime. Creative commons
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ANALYTICS
As of early June, we have removed from our counts all visits to our site that didn’t result in meaningful engagement with the content. While total visits to our site continue to grow (over 105,000 in June), only about a third resulted in meaningful engagement, such as opening an article or clicking a menu. The other visits are likely bot traffic. From now on, we’ll only tally meaningful engagement. Numbers in parentheses indicate change from the previous week.
Number of Engaged Page Views Last 30 Days: 25,713 (+ 1438)
Number of Engaged Page Views Last Week: 6999 (+882)
Number of Engaged Sessions Last 30 Days: 16,662 (+617)
Number of Engaged Sessions Last Week: 4318 (+502)
Number of Engaged Users Last 30 Days: 11,156 (+297)
Number of Engaged Users Last Week: 3100 (+376)
TOP FIVE MOST-READ ARTICLES LAST WEEK
- Amherst Joins Blue Tidal Wave | With the Exception of Ballot Question 7, Local Results Mirror the Rest of the State by Maura and Art Keene
- Town Councilors Push Back on Some Proposed Amendments to the Waste Hauler Bylaw by Maura Keene
- One-Year Moratorium Proposed for Rezoning Hampshire College by Maura Keene
- Should Large Housing Projects Be Allowed in Neighborhoods Near UMass? by Maura Keene
- Letter: No on Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House by Jennifer Scarlott/River Valley for Palestine and five other organizations.
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?
ARTS
- What’s Happening in Amherst? by Art & Maura Keene
BUDGET
- Full Staffing for CRESS: A Cost-Saving Investment That Strengthens the Amherst Police Department by the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC)
- Jones Library Building Project Financial Status, November 2026: More Than $7 Million Still Owed to Town by Maria Kopicki
- Despite Calls for Unity, Battle Lines Being Drawn over School Budgets by Maura Keene
- At +2.75%, Finance Committee Asks if Equal Is Still Fair by Jeff Lee
- Opinion: Here’s a Quick Fix to Amherst’s Budget Problem – Reduce Library Spending to the State Average by Jeff Lee
CLIMATE / ENERGY / ENVIRONMENT / NATURE
- Town Will Realize Nearly $5 Million in Benefits from New School’s Sustainability Features by Maria Kopicki
- Committees Agree on Definition of Attic; No Decision on Proposed Data Center Ban by Maura Keene
- Signage for Pioneer Valley Landform Observatory Installed on Mount Pollux by Maura Keene
- FAQ: Amherst Hauler Reform and Curbside Compost Pickup by Zero Waste Amherst
- Letter: Threat Posed by Data Centers Requires a Ban, Not a Moratorium by Ira Bryck
- Letter: Hearing on Proposed Data Center Ban Nov. 12 by Amber Cano-Martin
DEMOCRACY
- Letter: No on Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House by Jennifer Scarlott/River Valley for Palestine and five other organizations
- Opinion: What Now? Real Political and Economic Change or More of the Same? by Michael Pill
EVENTS
- What’s Happening in Amherst? by Art & Maura Keene
FEATURES
- Wally and Juanita’s Bean Patch and Other Counterculture Sites in the Valley by Hetty Startup
- Fortunately Magazine: Exploring the Intersection of Art, Culture and Economic Democracy By Chloe Spurr and Rowan Faris
- Photo of the Week: Sunset on Sunset by Joe Cook
HISTORY / HISTORICAL PRESERVATION
HOUSING
- Committees Agree on Definition of Attic; No Decision on Proposed Data Center Ban by Maura Keene
- Letter: Clear ADU Rules Will Add Homes to Our Community in a Way That Works for Everyone by Ira Bryck
ISSUES & ANALYSES
- Full Staffing for CRESS: A Cost-Saving Investment That Strengthens the Amherst Police Department by the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC)
LIBRARY
- Jones Library Building Project Financial Status, November 2026: More Than $7 Million Still Owed to Town by Maria Kopicki
- At +2.75%, Finance Committee Asks if Equal Is Still Fair by Jeff Lee
- Opinion: Here’s a Quick Fix to Amherst’s Budget Problem – Reduce Library Spending to the State Average by Jeff Lee
MEDIA
- Fortunately Magazine: Exploring the Intersection of Art, Culture and Economic Democracy by Chloe Spurr and Rowan Faris
OPINION
- Full Staffing for CRESS: A Cost-Saving Investment That Strengthens the Amherst Police Department by the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC)
- Letter: No on Hakeem Jeffries as Speaker of the House by Jennifer Scarlott/River Valley for Palestine and five other organizations
- Letter: Clear ADU Rules Will Add Homes to Our Community in a Way That Works for Everyone by Ira Bryck
- Letter: Threat Posed by Data Centers Requires a Ban, Not a Moratorium by Ira Bryck
- Letter: Hearing on Proposed Data Center Ban Nov. 12 by Amber Cano-Martin
- Letter: Insufficient Notice for Scheduled Power Outage Endangered Residents by Lynn Waldron
- Opinion: Here’s a Quick Fix to Amherst’s Budget Problem – Reduce Library Spending to the State Average by Jeff Lee
- Opinion: What Now? Real Political and Economic Change or More of the Same? by Michael Pill
- Opinion: The Words We Use by Michael Greenebaum
PUBLIC HEALTH & SAFETY
- Full Staffing for CRESS: A Cost-Saving Investment That Strengthens the Amherst Police Department by the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC)
RESOURCES
- FAQ: Amherst Hauler Reform and Curbside Compost Pickup by Zero Waste Amherst
SCHOOLS
- Despite Calls for Unity, Battle Lines Being Drawn over School Budgets by Maura Keene
- At +2.75%, Finance Committee Asks if Equal Is Still Fair by Jeff Lee
- Town Will Realize Nearly $5 Million in Benefits from New School’s Sustainability Features by Maria Kopicki
- School Committee Tackles Student Handbooks, Transportation, and Vacancies by Maura Keene
- Amherst Girls XC Win Fifth Consecutive Western Mass Title by Art Keene
SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE
- Full Staffing for CRESS: A Cost-Saving Investment That Strengthens the Amherst Police Department by the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC)
- Amherst Black Reparations Committee Elects Shabazz and Cage as Co-Chairs by Maura Keene
- Opinion: What Now? Real Political and Economic Change or More of the Same? by Michael Pill
- Fortunately Magazine: Exploring the Intersection of Art, Culture and Economic Democracy by Chloe Spurr and Rowan Faris
SPORTS & RECREATION
TOWN GOVERNMENT
- Full Staffing for CRESS: A Cost-Saving Investment That Strengthens the Amherst Police Department by the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee (CSSJC)
- Jones Library Building Project Financial Status, November 2026: More Than $7 Million Still Owed to Town by Maria Kopicki
- Despite Calls for Unity, Battle Lines Being Drawn over School Budgets by Maura Keene
- At +2.75%, Finance Committee Asks if Equal Is Still Fair by Jeff Lee
- Town Will Realize Nearly $5 Million in Benefits from New School’s Sustainability Features by Maria Kopicki
- School Committee Tackles Student Handbooks, Transportation, and Vacancies by Maura Keene
- Committees Agree on Definition of Attic; No Decision on Proposed Data Center Ban by Maura Keene
- Amherst Black Reparations Committee Elects Shabazz and Cage as Co-Chairs by Maura Keene
- FAQ: Amherst Hauler Reform and Curbside Compost Pickup by Zero Waste Amherst
- Letter: Clear ADU Rules Will Add Homes to Our Community in a Way That Works for Everyone by Ira Bryck
- Letter: Threat Posed by Data Centers Requires a Ban, Not a Moratorium by Ira Bryck
- Letter: Hearing on Proposed Data Center Ban Nov. 12 by Amber Cano-Martin
- Opinion: Here’s a Quick Fix to Amherst’s Budget Problem – Reduce Library Spending to the State Average by Jeff Lee
TRANSPORTATION