Letters
<POST LETTER>Letter: Support Pollinator Resolution
Bees are disappearing at an alarming rate, as emphasized by Williams College Biology Department Chair Joan Edwards, who spoke at the town's recent Agricultural Commission meeting. Sharing this concern, a number of other communities launched Western MA Pollinator Networks six months ago to expand pollinator safe habitat through education, tours, and collaboration.
Letter: Say No to Immigration, Yes to Making Pittsfield Great again
What needs to happen is the "Mayor" should be protecting who is already here. The reason she got into office. This city is in dire straights. Financially we are a whisper away from the ever breaking threshold of economic failure.
Letter: firefighters
Congratulation to the nine all white male firefighter that Pittsfield just hired with federal funds and to the City's Equal Rights and Employment Commission for a job well done.
Letter: Adams-Cheshire at a Cross Road
Nearly 50 years ago, the two communities came together to form one regional school district. That district has endured changes in the demographics of the community, changes in the national and state economies, and changes within the education system itself. And yet, through all of this change, Adams and Cheshire have always rallied around the schools. Change has, as it so often does, bred adaption and innovation.
Letter: Quitting Smoking the 'Perfect Valentine's Gift'
February is American Heart Month, so before you think about what kind of flowers or type of candy to buy for Valentine's Day, choose the valentine that is better than any box of chocolates or bouquet of expensive red roses: show your love by supporting your sweetheart in quitting smoking.
Letter: Closing Plunkett School Short-Sighted
The problems plaguing this region have been well documented in many forums: declining and aging population, declining enrollment, stagnant revenue, 10-15 percent rise in health-care costs every year. These, among many other economic factors have hit not just here but small towns across America hard. Both C.T. Plunkett in Adams and Cheshire Elementary School have served thousands upon thousands of kids. Closing either of these schools will be difficult and perhaps even traumatizing to former and...
Guest Column: Getting Smart About Art
It is obvious that offering art to students is incredibly important to shaping the student experience, and thus the whole person. These classes and opportunities for creativity keep some of our students, who might not otherwise be as engaged with their schools, excited about coming to class.
Guest Column: Going to the Dogs
Years ago, cities and towns started eliminating the swimming pools and skating rinks and it's time to start eliminating or repurposing the dormant ball fields and basketball courts too. It's always difficult for a city to shrink it's maintenance footprint and grow as a city at the same time. The only answer to this question is to convert these spaces into dog parks. Hear me out as the benefits far outweigh the costs.
Letter: Condemn Trump/Bannon
I stood before this City Council in 2003 to ask the council to stand with other communities, to pass a resolution requesting the federal government to revise the hastily written and adopted so-called Patriot Act, an act that eroded many of our civil liberties and paved the way for further erosion of them. The good members of that council sat by and did nothing.
Letter: Thanks for Quitting Smoking
This Thanksgiving season, I'd like to remind readers to thank a co-worker, friend or family member who has quit smoking. Many smokers say quitting is the hardest thing they have ever done. Most smokers have to try a few times before they quit for good, and any amount of recognition can help someone stay quit.
Guest Column: Massachusetts Stands For Civil Rights, Civil Liberties
Over the last week, I have heard many heart-wrenching stories about children and adults expressing their sadness and fear based on the results of the national election. It is natural to feel sad and disappointed when your candidate doesn't win. It is not typical, though, in our country, to feel fearful at the end of an election. But because of the repeated expression of bigoted views about women, racial minorities, people of both the Jewish and Muslim faiths, immigrants, members of the LGBT...
Letter: Negative Campaigning Is Not a Treat
When one of the authors of this letter went to a friend's party after trick-or-treating, he found a pack of M&Ms in his candy bag with a little note that stated: "Hillary for Prison 2016." It was outrageous. Halloween is for kids, not for campaigning. We feel that expressing your views about the election through children is inappropriate; if you want to express your feelings you should find a more reasonable way. The person was irresponsible when they did that.
Letter: Check Hinds on Tuesday
As we look out to next Tuesday, there is a wide breadth of questions and various positions both national and local that every eligible voter has the right and responsibility to vote on. No matter what side you take on any of these decisions, they will not only affect our lives, but the lives of future generations in the commonwealth, our nation, and our world.
Letter: Vote Yes on Pittsfield's Question 5
I'm a local real estate broker/owner of Gile Real Estate. As a broker, I see the money that we've given to other [Community Preservation Act] communities for the past 16 years in real estate document recording fees ($170 every time a property is purchased.)
