Opinion

My Turn: How to welcome a refugee family into your community

By RAZVAN SIBII

The loud and shameless politics that surrounds the issue of undocumented immigration makes it easy to miss the moves that the Biden administration has been making in the realm of legal immigration, from rebuilding the refugee program to expediting the...

Brian Prescott: No road closure coordination

Way to go DPW and towns of Greenfield and Montague, for absolutely no coordination at all. Those crossing the White Bridge from Montague to Greenfield on Monday, April 15 were welcomed by Greenfield police officers on the other side, where paving was...

David Kempf: Thankful for quiet on Trump

I would like to personally thank Recorder columnist John Bos for his most recent column, aka Connecting the Dots. It was the first time in what seemed like years that he did not mention Trump.David KempfGreenfield

Columnist Daniel Cantor Yalowitz: Cultural humility means relinquishing ‘superiority’

By DANIEL CANTOR YALOWITZ

“The greatest friend of truth is Time, her greatest enemy is Prejudice, and her constant companion is Humility.” — Charles Caleb ColtonHeadline news everywhere screams of key contemporary themes involving “ego,” “self,” “it’s all about me,”… not to...

Guest columnist William Lambers: Boston Marathon winner inspires action against hunger

By WILLIAM LAMBERS

 In 1946, running legend Johnny Kelley, upon finishing second to Stylianos Kyriakides in the Boston Marathon, remarked “How can you beat a guy like that? He wasn’t running for himself. He was doing it for his country.”Stylianos Kyriakides was from...

Carmela Semonelli: Support lacking at GHS

I have had the most unfortunate experience of needing support from the leadership team at Greenfield High School with a challenging, yet nuanced, situation with my child and another student. This has lingered, ebbed, flowed and escalated down the...

The World Keeps Turning: Ending, and restoring, tyranny

By ALLEN WOODS

A mob of angry men, many recently unemployed, gathered in front of an ornate, stately building, the largest in the area and a symbol of government power. Confident, because the government had taken little action after previous mob attacks, and...

Carla Rabinowitz: Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen

The letter “Rural wood heating bolsters rural economy, self-reliance,” [Recorder, March 11] regarding wood heating contains a mischaracterization.Trees breathe in carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen. The carbon is stored within the tree itself. When...

JJ White: Recorder photo a stunner

Thank you, dear Recorder, for the stunning, festive, and colorful front page solar eclipse photo by star photographer, Paul Franz! We are so lucky to have the Greenfield Recorder — you rock!JJ WhiteGreenfield

Lew LaChance: Why have stop signs?

Many people in Greenfield and elsewhere do not stop at stop signs! The are red, octagon (eight-sided) signs with a white border along the edges. These markers are very visible. I’m sure from early life, we have all heard “STOP.” We all know what that...

My Turn: Gun buyback a worthy effort

By DAVID E. SULLIVAN

 As district attorney for 47 towns that make up the Northwestern District, I invite everyone to consider turning in unwanted firearms and ammunition this Saturday, April 13, when our office holds its third Gun Buyback in Greenfield and...

My Turn: Recalling long, painful road to Red Sox redemption

By DANIEL A. BROWN

 Before the coming presidential election drives us all crazy, let’s take a break and read about something we can all (hopefully) agree on, namely, the Boston Red Sox.This for me is unusual as I grew up in New York City and was 11 years old when the...

My Turn: Why did Israel target World Central Kitchen worker convoy?

By SHERRILL HOGEN

 In the war on Gaza, Israel recently targeted three cars carrying humanitarian aid workers of the World Central Kitchen (WCK), killing all seven of them.There is no excuse. This was clearly intentional. But why? WCK had a special relationship with...

Guest columnist Richard S. Bogartz: What the ghosts of Warsaw Ghetto know

By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ

 I had intended to continue my four-part series on President Joe Biden, but I must interrupt that project even though Part 2 is almost complete because, even though I don’t believe in ghosts, I keep encountering ghosts who insist I must address Gaza...

Lloyd Crawford: Rural wood heating bolsters rural economy, self-reliance

In response to Katy Eiseman’s column [“Must stop subsidizing wood-fired energy,” Recorder, April 5], I’d agree that wood burning indeed releases toxic compounds that are harmful to human health. I also believe that widespread burning of wood to...

Mary Kay Mattiace: Wild Goose Players

The Wild Goose Players are presenting “Fiddler on the Roof” at Bellows Falls Opera House, Bellows Fall, Vermont on April 11, 12, and 13th.The excellent acting, extraordinary singing, outstanding stage set, Broadway-quality costuming, and live...

Rosemary Seifert-Graf: Oppose state’s new clean heat standard

I have learned that a new regulation is being worked on by the Massachusetts Department of Environment Protection called the “clean heat standard.” As a homeowner, I am asking that all Massachusetts homeowners oppose this regulation because it will...

My Turn: No place for politics in ‘family problems’

By DON LASHIER

 I’ve been around for 89 years and for most of my voting years, I have been leaning to the right more than to the left. I can even say, without emotion, that I voted for Donald Trump in the last two elections. However, I’m not so sure that he will get...

My Turn: A treat at the bird feeder

By CAROLE GARIEPY

 We feed the birds. In fact, we feed the birds every morning before we feed ourselves, and then while we are eating our cereal we watch them dining on their seeds. We are always awed at their beauty and entertained by their interactions with each...