News
Letters: What Do You Think?
From BP to High Speed Rail Many of us have been appalled by the BP oil spill, but if it had to happen, the timing was perfect. It’s not as if we weren’t aware that we need to stop our dependence on non-renewable energy resources, but this event brought it...Success for Story's Bill for New Mothers
Last week, Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law a bill designed to help women dealing with emotional difficulties after giving birth. The Postpartum Depression bill was sponsored by state Rep. Ellen Story (D-Amherst) and championed by activist groups including...It's Enough to Make You Sick
Among the things that didn’t make it out alive from the mad-scramble final days of the recently ended Mass. legislative session: a bill that would have guaranteed paid sick days to workers. The Paid Sick Days Act would have required employers to give employees...
The DA Identity
Both candidates in the race for Northwest District Attorney came to the Advocate offices in August, Michael Cahillane on Friday, Aug. 6 at 10 a.m. and Dave Sullivan on Thursday, Aug. 19 at 9 a.m. Both meetings were arranged by staff from the respective campaigns....Letters: What Do You Think?
Racist Theater Review? An Asian American who acts the “squinty-eyed Oriental” (“West Side Story” by Chris Rohmann, Aug. 12)? This is a racist phrase that is offensive to Asian Americans. I hope this is the reviewer’s poor choice of...Imperium Watch: AIG and Spook Ops
Maybe its size wasn’t the only reason the government didn’t want AIG to fail. The company has a lot more going on than just insurance. Something worth knowing about AIG is that it was founded by an uncle of the Kenneth Starr who served as special...Build Local, Hire Local
The city of Holyoke is poised for somewhat of a building renaissance these days, points out at-large City Councilor Rebecca Lisi. There’s the upcoming expansion and renovation of the city library, the new senior center, the long-awaited, yet-to-be-sited...
Jurassic Roadshow
It’s strange, but when people think “dinosaur,” the Connecticut River Valley rarely rates high on anyone’s list. Still, while several locations across the globe boast productive dinosaur bone fields where paleontologists have exhumed skeletons,...Between the Lines: To Disperse Oil or Criticism?
BP was slow to staunch the hemorrhage of oil from the Deepwater Horizon blowout, but it wasted no time applying vast quantities of the dispersant Corexit. By mid-July, BP had released almost 2 million gallons of Corexit into the Gulf ecosystem. BP and Corexit...Between the Lines: Changes
Regular readers of the Valley Advocate may have noticed some changes in the paper in recent years. Over the last several months, we’ve published many letters from readers who vehemently object to at least one of those changes: our decision to stop running This...
Voters, Fasten Your Seatbelts
Jill Stein was running more than an hour late for a recent campaign event in Florence. But that did little to dampen the spirits of the 50 or so Green-Rainbow Party supporters who chatted over glasses of lemonade as they waited patiently for their gubernatorial...Imperium Watch: Let's Get Back to Making Things
Most of what Americans owned used to be made here. From shoes and clothes to cars and washing machines, what we used daily was American-made, and the new hair dryers, bicycles, bedroom sets, televisions or air conditioners families bought not only brought them...
American Catechism
Andrew Bacevich, now a professor at Boston University, was a middle-aged Army officer serving in Germany in 1990 when he had an epiphany. The Berlin Wall had just been torn down, and Bacevich was trolling around what had been the communist East, absorbing his first...Letters: What Do You Think?
D.A.’s Race: No Contest In your August 26 cover story, you report on “the first contested Northwest D.A.’s race in decades.” The contest, you explain, is between a candidate, Michael Cahillane, who believes it’s okay to put to a popular...Pro-Choice Choices
With primary day just around the corner on Sept. 14, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts has released its endorsements of legislative candidates, based on their positions on reproductive rights. Upper Valley candidates proved especially popular with NARAL; incumbent state...Down to the Wire
Just by the count of political campaign lawn signs, the race for Northwestern District Attorney appears to be running neck and neck; both candidates, former Assistant D.A. Michael Cahillane and Register of Probate Dave Sullivan, have stretches of road in various...Imperium Watch: Spinning Our Wheels
For people facing joblessness, foreclosure and destitution, it’s still a serious recession. For many large corporations, it’s not. According to economist Robert Reich, the largest businesses have regained nearly 90 percent of what they lost in the crash of...Between the Lines: The Heads or Tails Election
While speaking to a Franklin County resident the other day, I heard a question I’ve been getting a lot lately: “How am I supposed to figure out which one of these guys would make the better district attorney?” The fellow asking the question is a...Hampden County DA's Race Gets Rocky
As the Sept. 14 primary election fast approaches, the six candidates for Hampden County District Attorney have been taking their turns in the harsh spotlight. First to feel the heat: Democratic candidate Stephen Spelman, who offered a less-than-flattering description...
Coming 'Round the Bend
Earlier this year, President Obama announced $8 billion in stimulus money to revitalize the nation’s long-neglected rail system and introduce high-speed commuter rail in several highly trafficked corridors across the country. $160 million was earmarked to...Greening Pains
The commonwealth’s new Green Communities program has been off to a remarkably successful start, even better than organizers had hoped for: earlier this year, 35 municipalities across Massachusetts qualified for a “Green Community” designation, which...Between the Lines: Whither Democrats?
This should have been a favorable electoral year for Democrats—they were defending fewer seats in the Senate, had well-respected and entrenched incumbents facing reelection, had shown an ability to outraise Republicans in the money game and were coming off...Letters: What Do You Think?
The Republican Solution Go ahead! Vote Republicans back in office. They will thank you for it. How? By cutting taxes for the rich; isn’t that always their answer to every problem? That’ll help you, right? By deregulating banks and the financial industry....What Constitutes Rape?
A Palestinian man was recently convicted of rape by an Israeli court after he had sex with a Jewish woman who believed he was also Jewish. The court said in its ruling that the man committed “rape by deception” because the woman would never have consented...Letters: What Do You Think?
Stein: “The Real Thing” In regard to your cover story on Jill Stein (“Voters, Fasten Your Seatbelts,” Sept. 2, 2010): We are lucky that a person of Jill Stein’s intelligence, integrity and vision is willing to run for office in our...Letters: What Do You Think?
The Rich Don’t Need Tax Breaks One of the greatest cons of our day has been the assertion that we need to make rich people richer in order to create jobs. This is not only false; it is destructive to our environment, way of life, economy, health, spirit,...Imperium Watch: Why You Don't Have a Job, 2
As we’ve written before in this column, the American manufacturing base has eroded drastically. Why is that important for people who don’t want jobs in manufacturing anyway? One big reason is that the service jobs that have replaced manufacturing jobs pay...Between the Lines: Facebook Is Not Your Friend
When I grew up, back in the Age of Analog, there were clear protections on our private communications. Along with setting up the U.S. mail system, our first postmaster general, Ben Franklin, had established laws of conduct making it clear that tampering with the post...Imperium Watch: Why You Don't Have a Job, 1
To the extent that it oversees or nudges the economy, how much does the U.S. government value jobs for Americans? Historically, that value has had to compete with other values—which is one reason we have a crisis in job creation now. That crisis has deep roots;...Paying Their Share
There are more than 45,000 parcels of property within the city of Springfield, with a total value of about $7.5 billion. Of those, 2,266 are legally exempt from paying taxes. That’s not an insignificant figure: the property value of exempt parcels totals $1.47...Power Plant Fight Heats Up
Opponents of a proposed wood-burning power plant in Springfield—which developers call a “biomass” plant, and detractors refer to by the decidedly less benign term “toxic incinerator”—are continuing to apply political pressure to try...
Loving Open Country
Named for a small, darting falcon that loves open country, the Kestrel Trust has helped preserve some 5,000 acres of land in the Valley from development since it got its start four decades ago. The mission of the Kestrel Trust, and of kindred organizations across the...Between the Lines: Tax Time
Last week, as I watched the Sept. 21 gubernatorial debate in Brighton, I had a feeling that Gov. Deval Patrick might be in deeper trouble than the polls throughout most of the summer seemed to indicate. It’s not that Patrick has lost his poise and polish; he...Tax Pot?
Voters in a number of Valley communities will have the opportunity to weigh in on some important marijuana-related issues on the Nov. 2 ballot. The state Elections Division has confirmed that four public policy questions supported by the marijuana reform group...Keeping It Wet, Keeping It Wild
In 2008, five parcels in North Hadley, including 22 acres on the Connecticut River, 47.5 acres of farmland, 6 acres on Lake Warner and 24 acres of woodland, were purchased and protected by a partnership involving the Kestrel Trust, several state agencies,...Imperium Watch: Why You Don't Have a Job, 3
“Few trends could so much undermine our free society as the acceptance by corporate executives of social responsibility other than to make as much money for shareholders as possible.” That’s economist Milton Friedman speaking in 1970, quoted in The...
NPP, AFSC Reach Out to Kids
By the end of this month, the U.S. will have spent $1.05 trillion to fight the wars in Iraq ($747.3 billion) and Afghanistan ($299 billion), according to the Northampton-based National Priorities Project. It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to come up with a...Between the Lines: A Decade with Buoniconti
Nearly 10 years ago to the day, I wrote a column about Stephen Buoniconti, then a 31-year-old assistant district attorney in Hampden County who was running against an entrenched Republican, Walter DeFilippi, for state rep in the 6th Hampden District. I remember...Imperium Watch: Obama the Anticolonialist
It wouldn’t have been surprising to see Dinesh D’Souza’s article “How Obama Thinks” on a far-right-wing blog. But it’s worth noticing when such a transparent attempt to discredit the president of the United States turns up in a...Letters: What Do You Think?
Higher Taxes Don’t Hurt According to that left-leaning, liberal rag “Forbes,” the following are the 10 happiest countries in the world: Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland, New Zealand, Norway and Belgium. One thing...Letters: What Do You Think?
Facebook: Good or Bad? Isn’t it funny (and a little hypocritical) that the Valley Advocate publishes an op-ed piece titled “Facebook Is Not Your Friend” in the September 23, 2010 edition and then in the classifieds section of the same edition runs an...Between the Lines: Stein or Patrick?
Just as we stepped onto my colleague’s front porch last weekend, ready to rush off to an event in Chicopee, a neatly but casually dressed middle-aged man carrying a clipboard climbed the stairs to meet us. I did my best to brush him off. “So sorry…...The Price of Activism
Activists who abandon normal lives to serve political and social causes suffer in many ways. They may lose their lives; they may go to prison; they may have trouble making ends meet and keeping their families together. Their suffering is the stuff books are made of....Letters: What Do You Think?
DA Race: A Descent From Standards? I enjoyed Tom Vannah’s article on “A Decade with Buoniconti” and his run for Hampden County District Attorney (October 7, 2010). “A lightweight lawyer and heavyweight pol” is a good description of...
Killer Loans
A nationwide financial disaster almost as farreaching as the foreclosure crisis is occurring quietly all around us. It has already turned hundreds of thousands if not millions of college-educated people into indentured servants, trapped in debt. The effects on their...When Artists and Promoters Collide
When Mike Manzi selected pieces of his artwork for a weekend showing at the Kimball Towers condominiums (the former Kimball Hotel, located on Chestnut Street in Springfield), he never thought he’d be creating problems for anyone else. Manzi, a Springfield artist...Imperium Watch: Unmasking Special Interests
It’s no surprise that a tsunami of corporate and union money is splashing into media coffers this election season. According to a study by the Center for Public Integrity, independent groups—organizations not officially affiliated with political...Stein Talks Pot
To look at the Big Party campaigns this election season, you’d think reforming drug policies is a non-issue. But just below the stultifying surface of Republicratism, there’s plenty of activity, thanks to the efforts of reform activists. On November 2,...Vote Earth
Election Day is supposed to be a chance to make your political and social priorities heard, loud and clear. So for voters concerned about reducing your carbon footprint, why not start with making your trip to the polls a little more earth-friendly? Just in time for...Between the Lines: The Forgotten Highway
Route 2 is an abomination. Please let me qualify that statement: part of Route 2, the section from the rotary in Greenfield just off Interstate 91 heading west to the New York border, is a lovely old road, winding through beautiful country and wonderful towns such as...
A Green Auditor?
Back in March, more than 200 elected officials from around the upper Valley gathered in Northampton for the annual Hampshire/Franklin Municipal Conference. Uppermost on the minds of many of the city councilors and school committee members, selectmen and town meeting...Letters: What Do You Think?
Student Lenders “Ruthless” I appreciated your article “Killer Loans: Student loan borrowers drown in debt as lenders make billions” in the October 14, 2010 edition of the Advocate. Being the first person in my immediate family to attend...Imperium Watch: Sarah Flies Over the Cuckoo's Nest
Imagine a Congress in which all the Tea Party candidates have won seats. Sharron Angle, now Senator from Nevada, is concerned that Sharia law prevails in Dearborn, Mich. and the now-nonexistent town of Frankford, Texas. “It seems to me,” Angle has said,...Question 2 Targets Affordable Housing Law
Under attack in Ballot Question 2 this election year in Massachusetts is the state’s affordable housing law, known informally as 40B or the “anti-snob” law. Passed in 1969, 40B requires that 10 percent o year-around housing in all towns be...Federal Building Fights Leads to Defection
At a campaign stop in Springfield last week, Republican gubernatorial candidate Charlie Baker was joined by at least one unexpected supporter: City Councilor Tim Rooke, a long-time Democrat. “What I like about Baker is, he has a proven track record in private...Valley Public Media Expands
In an age of media consolidation and general trends toward privatizing everything from trash pickup to Social Security, it’s refreshing to get news about something that’s actually going into public ownership. This week, the Amherst-based WFCR Foundation...Between the Lines: If Not Now, When?
Being outside the political mainstream is nothing new to Paki Wieland; the veteran Valley activist’s work has pretty reliably found her on the farthest left of the political spectrum. But these days, Wieland finds herself at odds with some of her most kindred...Wal-Mart, Local Hero?
When you hear the words “local and sustainable,” that giant Wal-Mart down the road is probably not the first image to pop into your mind: the company boasts 8,300 stores worldwide (more than half in the U.S.), employs 1.4 million workers here (and another...Imperium Watch: Shooting From Cover
This election season has seen voters bombarded with corporate-sponsored ads courtesy of the Supreme Court decision in the Citizens United vs. Federal Election Commission case, which eased restrictions on corporate political advertising. Much of this electioneering has...E-Edition
Best Of 2025
Readers Choice 2025
