Thomas Wolslegel: Threats to library funding should not be tolerated

I am extremely grateful and appreciative of the Massachusetts Library System. My wife and I are retired and therefore now have the time to explore the many benefits it offers. We are shocked to hear that federal funding is now in question. What an absurd situation but symptomatic of the chaotic times we’re trying our best to get through. What helps us stay sane in insane times are the books, movies and music available to us thanks to the library. The idea that this is threatened along with all the other valuable services the library provides the community is just another example of the constant attacks on American ideals that are in the news daily. This should not be tolerated and I expect our elected officials to fight to secure federal funding for all libraries.

Jon Oltman: Tim Hilchey for Deerfield

Please join me in supporting Tim Hilchey for reelection to the Deerfield Select Board, on town election day, Monday, May 5. Tim is hard-working, a good listener, and has had years of experience in serving Deerfield, including chairing the Conservation Commission, chairing the Community Preservation Committee, and in his current term on the Select Board. He works well with other town boards and departments, and has brought money into town from state sources to help offset the cost of various projects. I believe he truly has the interests of all Deerfield residents in mind as he carries out his duties on the Select Board, and I know he will do the same if reelected. Vote for Tim Hilchey on May 5!

Dr. Kate Clayton-Jones: Support home care for elders

If you are an aging adult with needs in home care, or you are caring for a loved one who wants to remain at home, you should support Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed supplemental budget (H.4003) for FY25 which includes $60 million to help address the deficit in FY 2025 funding for the State Home Care Program. It would allow caregivers to be compensated while caring for a loved one.

Shirley Majewski: Wolfram stands behind well-being of Deerfield residents

One Saturday I went looking for David Wolfram signs to put on our lawn. We get hundreds of vehicles passing our house and thought it would be well known he is running for Selectboard and has our support. Our neighbors on Conway Street also had one of his signs and as drive around I see more signs which gives me encouragement that change can happen where we live and it would be for the good of the town that he gets elected.

Nancy Hazard: Have you sent Trump a message?

After the April 5 standout, I got to thinking … It was great to see everyone who was unhappy with Trump standing out, but did he see us? And did he get a message about why you were standing out?

My Turn: Blueberries and tariffs

By DENNIS MERRITT

My favorite breakfast is granola, yogurt and blueberries. I do love my blueberries, and the grocery stores have them almost all the time. It’s fun to read the labels and see where they come from.

My Turn: Vote ‘no’ to lower voting age to 16 in Deerfield

By CHARLENE GALENSKI

On April 28, at 7 p.m., attendees at the annual Deerfield Town Meeting will be asked to vote on an article to lower the voting age to 16 years old. This same article was defeated at last year’s annual Town Meeting so why try to have a second vote?

Reenie Grybko Clancy: Confused

Not being affiliated with any official political party, and a person who weighs all sides, reads a variety of news reports and listens to opposing opinions, I consider myself a common sense moderate who also happens to vote. Progressive Democrats have gone too far with cradle-to- grave government help and regulations that impose restrictions on us as if we are all still in kindergarten. Conservative Republicans have gone too far in removing regulations which basically fosters a “wild-west” type of activity where the powerful and strong-willed are allowed to succeed without much regard to how their actions affect others.

Letter: Support Tim Hilchey for Selectboard

Not long after Tim Hilchey moved to Deerfield, I got a call from him. He introduced himself and said that he had recently retired, wanted to meet, and talk about volunteering in the community. We met for coffee at the Dunkin’ Donuts and he told me about his background, that he had roots in Franklin County and that when he and his wife Pat retired, they chose to live in Deerfield.

John Walter: Why some forests should never be logged

Many letters have discussed outrage at the state logging large tracts of forest in and near the Quabbin and in state forests and elsewhere. This letter is to address one reason why we should select some large tracks of forest to be never logged or managed. The logging of forests keeps the forests young. Old forests, very old forests are required to generate a growth of fairies. People think fairies are mythical creatures but this belief itself is the myth. Fairies are real, but only occur in very, very old forests. The life cycle of a fairy begins in the cracks and crevices of very, very old tree bark in very, very old forests. The fairies emerge and then sprout wings and fly around. But unlike a caterpillar becoming a butterfly or moth, the fairy does not fly to reproduce. The flights of fairies express the joy of the forest itself. Fairies do not have reproduction the way we are used to thinking of it, birds and bees etc. Fairies represent a final step in the life cycle of a mature forest. A forest feels joy when the trees within it feel joy. Once a forest truly feels joy, can these flying tree parts emerge and fly about. And then we can study them properly. But a forest only feels joy if it is left alone for a very, very long time — perhaps 600 years?

John Babits: Democrats and gang members

Funny, Democrats couldn’t stand in memory of women murdered by foreign gang members, but they sure made a lightning-quick trip to El Salvador to aid a foreign gang member.

Cathy Marcum: Greenfield Senior Center vibrant and welcoming

I am writing in response to the April 14 letter titled “Senior Center Concerns.” I was surprised by the letter writer’s claim that the center is underused and uninviting, as that has not been my experience at all.

Pat Ryan: Keep Tim Hilchey on the job!

There’s no job description for DeerfieldSelectboard, but this May 5, there is one candidate whose record makes him the most qualified for the post: Tim Hilchey.

Rita Detweiler: There is more that unites us than divides us

I have been very troubled that so much of our social and political discourse has become confrontational and hostile. In an effort to set a different tone in the upcoming election in Deerfield, I reached out to Tim Hilchey and Dave Wolfram, the two candidates for the Selectboard in Deerfield, and asked both of them if they would be willing to jointly plan and hold an informational meeting in the spirit that we can have our differences but we can discuss them in a respectful and civil manner. They both agreed and they will hold an informational gathering on Friday, April 25, at the Polish American Citizen’s Club located at 46 South Main St. in South Deerfield.

My Turn: Getting at the root of things

By PATRICK MCGREEVY

My Turn: Newspapers still a trustworthy gatekeeper

By PHILIP LUSSIER

Columnist Judy Wagner: April showers of protest

By JUDY WAGNER

It’s not possible to protest the weather. March is officially the unsettled lion/lamb month, so we mostly give it a pass. With April we attempt to gloss over its tendency to be damp (“April showers bring May flowers”); still frustration builds after some number of grey and chill days with only a few bedraggled daffodils brave enough to show their faces. On top of the more familiar seasonal anomalies, we are hearing about many “out of season” events — too much rain, twisters, snow and sleet — all vagaries related to climate disruption. While we may feel like sounding off, we know we won’t find much relief hollering into the wind.

Kathryn Levesque: A gardener’s lesson for the current administration

In July, I typically spend time in the garden, pruning back overgrown shrubs and flowers. They are just at that point where the plant is busting out all over, and becoming huge; but the flower is about to pass by. Kind of like when you know you need your haircut, because it’s starting to annoy you. But when you make the appointment, you feel a pang because it just looks so — perfect right now. It would feel worse to be ruthless if it wasn’t grounded in some real knowledge. And expertise. And yes, it is indeed (you guessed, clever reader) an analogy for many other things in life.

Erica Avery: A safe city for all

Regarding the article, “Greenfield City Council passes ‘sanctuary city’ resolution for trans, gender-diverse people,” [Recorder, April 18], I want Greenfield to be a safe city, where gender-nonconforming kids are free to grow up happy and healthy. The assumption behind “gender-affirming care” is that children who don’t adhere to gender norms need drugs and surgery. A safe city is a place where parents can get accurate information about kids and gender, instead of being told that their children will harm themselves if they don’t undergo irreversible life-altering procedures. They need a way to determine whether gender dysphoria is the cause of a child’s mental distress or a symptom.