Opinion
David Bramhall: The story of the Panama Canal
In 1903, Panama’s revolution from Colombia established Panama as a separate and sovereign nation. This allowed for the prompt agreement between the U.S. and Panama for the construction of the Panama Canal. Much of the skulduggery and backroom actions by the U.S. administration in concert with several financiers took place in Room 1162 in the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City and led President Theodore Roosevelt to declare, “I took the Isthmus (of Panama) and let Congress debate.”
My Turn: Time for a People’s Cabinet
By JOHN PARADIS
My Turn: Assault on social justice can spark ‘fire next time’
By DAVID PARRELLA
Major Elijah Kahn: Thank you from The Salvation Army
It is with the deepest gratitude that The Salvation Army Massachusetts Division thanks all those in the Greenfield area who contributed to the 2024 Red Kettle Campaign. Your donations and volunteer support helped to meet the increased requests for assistance within your community during the holidays and will continue to help throughout the year.
Nat Fortune: Bad climate arguments
Letters to the editor regularly appear here declaring that nothing need be done about our rapidly warming planet. The writers no longer deny the reality of a warming planet. Instead, they argue that it isn’t our doing. The verbal jujitsu goes as follows: “Yes the climate is changing … and it always has.”
John Hamilton Thompson: A wish for health care advocacy
I wish Brian Thompson, the former CEO of UnitedHealthcare, had met a different fate than the end of his life by gunfire. I would have been delighted to see Mr. Thompson (no relation to me) have an overwhelming and irresistible change of heart and mind regarding the care of his clientele.
My Turn: Blinders off, folks
By ALAN HARRIS
John Hoffman: A fairer way for towns to tax?
Nearly 30 years ago, just after my wife and I moved to Charlemont to begin a farm, a piece appeared in the Recorder that caught my attention. I’ve been waiting for its logic to assert itself, but since it hasn’t yet, I am going to repeat what I remember of it.
Dennis Merritt: Strong in the face of the weak
I have friends who are Donald Trump supporters (I’m not one) and with whom I can have respectful dialogues. I pressed one of them, an evangelical Christian, on Bishop Budde’s homily. This was an important issue for me because I think the exchange between Bishop Mariann Budde and President Trump goes right to the very core of the divide facing our country today.
Doug Selwyn: What were you thinking?
I have a question for those who supported the current president in the past election. In the first week of his presidency, he has:
My Turn: Jail’s pioneering approach — Help heal and rehab people
By DR. RUTH POTEE
My Turn: Can anything good happen with Trump?
By RICHARD FEIN
Ed Gregory: Confirmation answers
Ka-boom! After watching and listening to assorted Senate confirmation hearings of selected incoming Republican administration cabinet member wannabes, I have an observation that I’d like to share with Recorder readers. If a politician could ever answer a question that required a single word — a yes or no answer — the planet would explode.
Pixie Holbrook: Thank you, FCCPR
I am eager to thank the Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR) for their very fine gathering on Saturday, Jan 18 at the Second Congregational Church in Greenfield. The event was entitled “Our Projects for 2025” and it coincided with the Women’s March in Washington, D.C.
My Turn: Financial struggles a daunting barrier for The Arc and its clients
By JENNIFER A. HOFFMAN
My Turn: The Waiting Room — Doing the limbo
By GENE STAMELL
Janice Fleuriel: Just one mission for downtown coordinator
The job description for the shared rural downtown coordinator position reported in the Jan. 20 Recorder needs to start with these top three priorities, at least here in Shelburne Falls: 1) Parking and traffic management. 2) Parking and traffic management. 3) Parking and traffic management.
As I See It: The cabinet Trump and we deserve
By JON HUER
As I watch the Senate hearings on Donald Trump’s nominees, I am baffled: America just elected a great sinner for our new president, but the liberal senators expect his ministers to be saints. They are denying the new leader his kind of government, expecting a government run by the 12 disciples. America cannot love Trump without loving his minions. The nation just bathed in a cesspool and expects to smell like Irish roses.
Barry De Jasu: Do people really think Trump cares about them?
Day one of the second Donald Trump presidency has passed. On it, Trump promised start helping people immediately. Let’s look at just what he did do on his first day.
My Turn: Of balance and resistance
By RICHARD S. BOGARTZ
Your Daily Puzzles

An approachable redesign to a classic. Explore our "hints."

A quick daily flip. Finally, someone cracked the code on digital jigsaw puzzles.

Chess but with chaos: Every day is a unique, wacky board.

Word search but as a strategy game. Clearing the board feels really good.

Align the letters in just the right way to spell a word. And then more words.