Mayor Virginia “Ginny” Desorgher: The future of the Greenfield School District

Hello Greenfield: I would like to extend my deepest appreciation to Superintendent Karin Patenaude for her service to the city of Greenfield. Across her 16-year career in Greenfield as a teacher, administrator and superintendent, Karin demonstrated tremendous passion and care for educating the students of Greenfield. Her efforts supported a generation of students in their growth and development, helping our brightest future, our youth, reach their full potential. I am grateful for Karin’s service and join our community in wishing her well in her future endeavors.

Dan Stuart Alden: Make democracy work

Tim Walz made a great speech on May 31. As he pointed out, the working class voters gave a primal scream. They elected a horrible person because they were at the end of their rope. All hell breaking loose was better than what they’ve had for decades. Many will change their minds when they find Donald Trump does not make America great again; that he just cares about personal wealth and autocratic power. But that will just put us back where we started.

My Turn: Remembering pandemic’s victims: a lesson from the Vietnam War

By JAMES LOMASTRO

As we mark the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War’s conclusion in 2025, we confront anew the enduring questions that follow in the conflict’s wake. How do societies move forward while honoring the truth of what occurred? The answer lies not in convenient forgetting but in the difficult practice of remembrance. There exists a fundamental distinction between forgiveness and amnesty and an even sharper distinction between amnesty and amnesia. While societies may grant legal pardons or establish reconciliation processes, these mechanisms cannot and should not erase the collective memory of suffering.

Pushback: Wendell votes Wednesday to finish battery storage licensing rights

By AL NORMAN

On Wednesday, Town Meeting voters in Wendell will finish an important piece of legal business that’s critical not only to the home rule powers of its 915 residents but for all cities and towns across Massachusetts.

Jeremy Williams: Conform and obey

I wanted to touch on one of the subjects Recorder columnist Jon Huer brought up in his last piece, “Our job anxiety: The chain that shackles us all” [May 31]. The part I wanted to bring up is how we obey orders and conform so easily. Even if we’re told to do something against our own personal beliefs. Huer brought up ICE agents doing their jobs like robots. So most of these ICE agents know that what they’re doing is not what their hearts would truly allow under normal circumstances. The main objective is to obey your orders. You will conform and obey, because that’s what they tell you to do.

Elizabeth McPherson: Calling all frustrated taxpayers

Each year I listen to the budget hearings. I find myself getting angry every time someone says the state requires us to do this or that. We are spending more and more money on things that we did not vote for. I guess I have hit my limit because this year I started looking at the bills on www.mass.gov . I found something, House bill 2297. This bill will stop new unfunded mandates. It won’t solve the whole problem but it is a place to start. Go to the website www.stopunfundedmandatesinma.com you will find a copy of the bill, the committee it is in, and the members contact info. Please take some time to call or email them to let them know you want this bill to pass or not depending on how you feel about it. It is your money, it is your choice.

My Turn: Corruption in the highest places

By RICHARD FEIN

Recent presidents waited until they became private citizens to make millions of dollars from their presidency. The general principle while serving in public office is to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. After leaving office it is a different story. In Washington it is called “Doing good then doing well.” For example the Clinton’s were technically in debt when they left the White House due to Bill’s legal expenses. Now their net worth is estimated at $120 million derived mostly from book sales and speeches. The Obamas’ post-presidency net worth is estimated at $70 million.

My Turn: Understanding autism means building a stronger community

By KAREN SERRA

The first time I heard the word autism, I was in high school. Someone told me it was caused by “cold moms” and vaccines — and that it could be prevented. I didn’t know much about autism back then, but I remember thinking, that doesn’t sound right.

Teresa Amabile: The day the House turned against America

Shortly after dawn on Thursday, May 22, the Republican-held House of Representatives approved, strictly along party lines and by a single vote, a budget bill that is cruel, anti-democratic, and dangerous for our economy. Every person in this country must be aware of how, exactly, this group of legislators turned against America.

My Turn: Sending an important message at 70 mph

By RICHARD WEDEGARTNER

Iread a lot of news and blogs. Most of my news comes from the left: MSNBC, columns or blogs by Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, and others. My concern about the direction of our country has increased daily since President Donald Trump was installed as our 47th president.

From Global to Local: Planet health and human health are intertwined

By H. PATRICIA HYNES

A postcard I use as a bookmarker contains a set of principles for gardening in urban soils for minimizing risks to human health from exposure to lead and other contaminants. Developed many years ago for Boston Natural Areas Network by Dr. Wendy Heiger-Bernays, a toxicologist, and myself, I now read it on a deeper level — as a prescription for both soil health and human health — and thus, Planet health. For I have come to understand we are part of a whole — the Earth and humans together — and must be saved together.

My Turn: American flag belongs to all of us

By JOHN PARADIS

President Trump and his MAGA movement don’t own patriotism or the American flag. Both belong to all of us.

Guest columnist John Carney: Massachusetts needs its own Medical Aid in Dying legislation

By JOHN CARNEY

Proponents of Death with Dignity legislation in Massachusetts are heartened by positive feedback in the current session of the State House. At the present time, 10 states, and Washington D.C., have laws which allow terminally ill patients the legal option to end their lives with a physician-issued prescription. Massachusetts is not one of those states.

Robert Dickerman: Ask the Pope

Thomas Aquinas College invited the president of The Heritage Foundation, Kevin Roberts, to speak at its 2025 commencement on May 24. Roberts is the “architect of Project 2025.” I believe that Roberts’ values, and the objectives of his Project 2025, are antithetical to those of the Catholic Church. I think the college is a good school with a challenging curriculum. The students that I’ve met have been polite, respectful, and inquisitive. I hope that Kevin Roberts’ invitation was an aberration, and not an indication of a shift in policy. I suspect that some students — and the pope — might agree.

Laurie Rhoades: The price tag

No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, this administration is costing you money. Exactly how much depends on how long the current tariffs remain in effect, as well as your family’s spending pattern, but barring a change, tariffs will cost the average American household over $2,300 a year (Yale Budget Lab, May, 25, 2025). And that’s not the abstract theoretical money that rides the waves of the stock market, it’s the actual, real dollars you fork over for back-to-school clothes and Christmas gifts. Perhaps sticker shock hasn’t set in yet, but once retailers exhaust their pre-tariff inventories this summer, all of us are going to feel how high the price tag on Donald Trump’s trade war actually is. I wonder if we’ll think it’s worth it.

David Graves: George Floyd

For those that haven’t seen “The Fall of Minneapolis” documentary on the internet, it will provide a lot of suppressed evidence about George Floyde’s arrest and death that you should understand. It is very well done and will help you understand any future pardon of Derek Chauvin that may occur.

Todd Damon: Not everyone is on edge, can do without invasive leftist activism

I appreciate the efforts of Recorder columnist Daniel Cantor Yalowitz. His column every other Monday feels like an attempt at helping people cope with what he and others perceive as a difficult time for all Americans. It’s true many are disappointed in the election results of 2024. However not everyone is suffering from (TDS) Trump derangement syndrome. For every, outspoken/in your face activist lecturing others on the dangers of Orange Hitler and whatever else is trending with America’s betters, there are many quietly going about their day with a sense of optimism and pride. This group is inclusive, a term that has become ubiquitous and often weaponized in recent years.

Constance Pike: Protests about budget cuts, president’s policies

Indivisible North Quabbin has been meeting regularly in Memorial Park in Orange every Saturday from 11 a.m. to noon. The purpose of these gatherings is to protest President Donald Trump’s budget cuts and his policies in general. Because there are so many budget cuts in numerous areas and so many assaults on our democracy, we have a highly mixed group of protesters with varied interests and concerns. We usually have between 95 and 100 people attending weekly, holding signs and discussing these issues. We have had as many as 300 attendees.

My Turn: School privacy bill a digital wolf in sheep's clothing

By PETER B-G WELLER

Last week, my 8-year-old daughter used her school-managed internet browser to research information for a science report on cheetahs. She entered key words to discover sites describing the big cat’s sleek golden coat, tear-marked face, and explosive speed. She learned about its habitat, prey, and the unique features of its claws, designed to grip the ground like cleats. She then paused, looked up, and asked if the computer was “watching her type.”