What’s In This Issue?
Photo: Dreamtime
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ANALYTICS
(numbers in parentheses reflect the + or – change compared with the previous week.
Number of Unique Page Views:
Last 30 days: 22,197 (-576)
Last Week: 3836 (-2658).
Number of Unique Sessions
Last 30 Days: 10,277 (+11)
Last Week: 1914 (-1104)
LOOK HERE FOR OUR YEAR-END SUMMARY STATS
TOP FIVE MOST-READ STORIES FOR THE MONTH OF DECEMBER
1. Letter: Amherst Firefighters Union Opposes Extension Of Chief’s Tenure by Ben Graham
2. Letter: The Attached Image Shows How Proposed Garage Would Overpower Buildings On North Prospect Street by Suzannah Muspratt
3. Planning Board Remains Firmly In The Grips Of Developers by Maura Keene
4.. Zoning Amendments Pass Easily Despite Pleas From Public by Maura Keene
5. Board of Health Hits Pause On Zero Waste Initiative. Notes Uptick In COVID Cases In Amherst by Art Keene
TOP FIVE MOST-READ STORIES FROM LAST WEEK
1. Letter: Amherst Firefighters Union Opposes Extension Of Chief’s Tenure by Ben Graham
2. Zoning Amendments Pass Easily Despite Pleas From Public by Maura Keene
3 Town Of Amherst Currently Hiring Multiple Positions
4. Finance Committee Moves Forward With FY23 Budget Guidelines. Raises Concerns About Funding CRESS And DEI by Kitty Axelson-Berry
5. Opinion: America Is Now In Fascism’s Legal Phase by Jason Stanley (for The Guardian)
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?
NEW / BREAKING
COVID-19 Update For The Week Of January 5, 2022 by Art and Maura Keene
Opinion: A Perplexing Start. With Omicron Peaking, New Council Votes To Resume Face-To-Face Meetings Immediately by Art Keene
UMass Resumes Public COVID Testing
Letter: New Council Must Prioritize Climate Justice And Racial Equity by Sunrise Movement
Letter: The Sounds of Silence by Denise Barberet
Letter: Support Revote On Overlay Zoning For Parking Garage by Sarah McKee
Opinion: Petition Seeks To Force Revote On Parking Lot Rezoning by Ira Bryck
ARTS
Photo Of The Week: A 2021 Gallery by Art Keene
I’m A Climate Scientist. Don’t Look Up Captures The Madness I See Every Day by Peter Kalmus (for The Guardian)
CAMPUS
UMass Resumes Public COVID Testing
New UMass Poll Finds Continued National Political Division Over January 6 Attack On The U.S. Capitol
CLIMATE / ENVIRONMENT / NATURE
Letter: Toward Equitable Building Decarbonization by Laura MacLeod
Opinion: Telling People To ‘Follow The Science’ Won’t Save The Planet. But They Will Fight For Justice by Amy Westervelt (for The Guardian)
Opinion: Love, Justice And Climate Change. Things Worth Remembering From 2021 by Russ Vernon-Jones
DEMOCRACY
New UMass Poll Finds Continued National Political Division Over January 6 Attack On The U.S. Capitol
EVENTS
Amherst Cinema Reduces Theater Capacity To 50% Amid Omicron Variant Concerns
Public Invited To Swearing-in Of New Town Council On January 3
FEATURES
10 Stories That Gave Readers Hope in 2021 by the editors of Yes Magazine
Indy Editors’ Picks: Recommended Good Reads From 2021 by Art Keene
The Indy By The Numbers: Most-Read In 2021 by Art Keene
Photo Of The Week: A 2021 Gallery by Art Keene
HISTORY
Recalling Desmond Tutu’s Visit To Amherst by Jeff Lee
OPINION
Letter: New Council Must Prioritize Climate Justice And Racial Equity by Sunrise Movement
Letter: The Sounds of Silence by Denise Barberet
Letter: Toward Equitable Building Decarbonization by Laura MacLeod
Letter: Support Revote On Overlay Zoning For Parking Garage by Sarah McKee
Opinion: Petition Seeks To Force Revote On Parking Lot Rezoning by Ira Bryck
Opinion: Inaugural Council Concludes With Shameful Vote by Maura Keene
Opinion: Telling People To ‘Follow The Science’ Won’t Save The Planet. But They Will Fight For Justice by Amy Westervelt (for The Guardian)
I’m A Climate Scientist. Don’t Look Up Captures The Madness I See Every Day by Peter Kalmus (for The Guardian)
Opinion: Love, Justice And Climate Change. Things Worth Remembering From 2021 by Russ Vernon-Jones
PARKING
Letter: Support Revote On Overlay Zoning For Parking Garage by Sarah McKee
Opinion: Petition Seeks To Force Revote On Parking Lot Rezoning by Ira Bryck
Opinion: Inaugural Council Concludes With Shameful Vote by Maura Keene
PUBLIC HEALTH
COVID-19 Update For The Week Of January 5, 2022 by Art and Maura Keene
Opinion: A Perplexing Start. With Omicron Peaking, New Council Votes To Resume Face-To-Face Meetings Immediately by Art Keene
UMass Resumes Public COVID Testing
Board Of Health Hears Wild Claims From Anti-Vaxxers by Maura Keene
Amherst Cinema Reduces Theater Capacity To 50% Amid Omicron Variant Concerns
COVID-19 Update For The Week Of December 29, 2021 by Art and Maura Keene
TOWN GOVERNMENT
Opinion: A Perplexing Start. With Omicron Peaking, New Council Votes To Resume Face-To-Face Meetings Immediately by Art Keene
Letter: New Council Must Prioritize Climate Justice And Racial Equity by Sunrise Movement
Letter: The Sounds of Silence by Denise Barberet
Board Of Health Hears Wild Claims From Anti-Vaxxers by Maura Keene
Opinion: Inaugural Council Concludes With Shameful Vote by Maura Keene
YEAR IN REVIEW
Opinion: Love, Justice And Climate Change. Things Worth Remembering From 2021 by Russ Vernon-Jones
10 Stories That Gave Readers Hope in 2021 by the editors of Yes Magazine
Indy Editors’ Picks: Recommended Good Reads From 2021 by Art Keene
The Indy By The Numbers: Most-Read In 2021 by Art Keene
Photo Of The Week: A 2021 Gallery by Art Keene