What’s In This Issue?

Welcome to our Table of Contents. You can also receive a listing of all new items in the Indy each week by signing up here or better yet, just drop us a note with your contact information at amherstindy@gmail.com. The subscription is free and will deliver to your inbox a listing of all new content, each Saturday at 6 a.m. We can assure you that we will not share your email address, nor will we send you any additional emails to clog up your inbox (except in the case of truly urgent breaking news, in which case we’ll send out a special dispatch).

ANALYTICS
Our access to our analytics site was lost in a malware attack on July 6 and we have not yet been able to re-establish it. We’re working on it and hope to have our analytics up and running soon.

Numbers in parentheses indicate change from the previous week/month.

Number of Unique Page Views:
Month of June: 41,492 (+732)
Last Week:
Number of Unique Sessions
Month of June: 19,256 (+185)
Last Week:

TOP FIVE MOST-READ ARTICLES LAST WEEK
coming back soon

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?

ARTS
New Exhibit At Gallery A3 In September: Marianne Connolly and Rochelle Shicoff

APPOINTMENTS / DEPATURES
Christina Kiko Malin Nominated To Be Town’s New Public Health Director by Art Keene
Slaughter Named Interim Superintendent For 2023–2024 School Year by Maura Keene
Doug Slaughter Appointed Interim School Superintendent by Jennifer Shiao
Town Manager Nominates 12 For Appointments To Boards, Commissions And Committees
No Agreement On Role Of Public Input In Filling School Committee Vacancies. Timeline For Appointments Set by Maura Keene
Procedures Announced For Filling School Committee Vacancies
Communications Director Brianna Sunryd Leaving September 8 by Maura Keene

CAMPUS
The Pressure Of Students On Amherst Housing And How To Address It by Maura Keene
UMass Amherst Welcomes 5,275 First-Year Students to Campus
Hampshire College Welcomes An Increasingly Large And Diverse Class
Western Massachusetts Solar Forum In September
Updated Letter: Town Needs To Be More Assertive With UMass To Resolve Student Housing Crisis by Ira Bryck

CLIMATE / ENERGY / ENVRONMENT / NATURE
Amherst Awarded Action Grant From Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program
Western Massachusetts Solar Forum In September
Opinion: Use Town’s ARPA Funds To Construct Solar Canopies Over High School Parking Lot by Amrita Rutter and Jane Scanlan-Emigh

DEMOCRACY
Opinion: The Culture Wars Come to Amherst  by John Varner

EVENTS
Sojourner Truth School Announces Fall Lineup Of Classes by Renee Moss
Public Hearing On Request To Demolish 1990 Addition To The Jones Library
New Exhibit At Gallery A3 In September: Marianne Connolly and Rochelle Shicoff
What’s Happening In Amherst? by Art and Maura Keene

FEATURES
Photo Of The Week: North Amherst Library Renovations Near Completion a gallery compiled by Art Keene

HISTORY / HISTORIC PRESERVATION
Public Hearing On Request To Demolish 1990 Addition To The Jones Library

HOUSING
The Pressure Of Students On Amherst Housing And How To Address It by Maura Keene
Updated Letter: Town Needs To Be More Assertive With UMass To Resolve Student Housing Crisis by Ira Bryck

ISSUES & ANALYSES
Jones Library’s Heavy Reliance On Town Funds Is Break From Tradition by Jeff Lee

LIBRARY
Public Hearing On Request To Demolish 1990 Addition To The Jones Library
Jones Library’s Heavy Reliance On Town Funds Is Break From Tradition by Jeff Lee
Photo Of The Week: North Amherst Library Renovations Near Completion a gallery compiled by Art Keene

LOCAL BUSINESSES
DP Dough Returns To Amherst But Sign Design Questioned by Hilda Greenbaum

OPINION
Public Comment: An Appreciation For Remaining School Committee Members But Unanswered Questions Continue To Undermine Public Trust by Megan D. Lambert St. Marie
Updated Letter: Town Needs To Be More Assertive With UMass To Resolve Student Housing Crisis by Ira Bryck
Letter: Vitriol Is Not The Problem by Peggy Matthews-Nilsen
Letter: School Committee Members Who Resigned Are Not Victims by Halley Kelly
Letter: Peter Demling Should Look To Himself For Blame by The Progressive Coalition of Amherst
Opinion: Use Town’s ARPA Funds To Construct Solar Canopies Over High School Parking Lot by Amrita Rutter and Jane Scanlan-Emigh
Opinion: Getting Beyond The Either/Or Dilemma by Michael Burkart
Opinion: The Culture Wars Come to Amherst  by John Varner
Opinion: Labor Day. Unprecedented Corporate Greed Demands Unprecedented Worker Response by Bernie Sanders (for Labor Notes via Portside)

PUBLIC HEALTH
It’s Baaack! Watch Out For COVID-19 This Fall by Art Keene
Christina Kiko Malin Nominated To Be Town’s New Public Health Director by Art Keene

SCHOOLS
School Committee Deliberations On Mike Morris’ Severance Agreement Were Contentious by Art Keene
Slaughter Named Interim Superintendent For 2023–2024 School Year by Maura Keene
Doug Slaughter Appointed Interim School Superintendent by Jennifer Shiao
No Agreement On Role Of Public Input In Filling School Committee Vacancies. Timeline For Appointments Set by Maura Keene
Procedures Announced For Filling School Committee Vacancies
Sojourner Truth School Announces Fall Lineup Of Classes by Renee Moss
Questions Continue To Undermine Public Trust by Megan D. Lambert St. Marie
Letter: Vitriol Is Not The Problem by Peggy Matthews-Nilsen
Letter: School Committee Members Who Resigned Are Not Victims by Halley Kelly
Letter: Peter Demling Should Look To Himself For Blame by The Progressive Coalition of Amherst
Opinion: Getting Beyond The Either/Or Dilemma by Michael Burkart

SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE
Sojourner Truth School Announces Fall Lineup Of Classes by Renee Moss
Questions Continue To Undermine Public Trust by Megan D. Lambert St. Marie
Letter: Vitriol Is Not The Problem by Peggy Matthews-Nilsen
Letter: School Committee Members Who Resigned Are Not Victims by Halley Kelly
Opinion: Getting Beyond The Either/Or Dilemma by Michael Burkart
Opinion: Labor Day. Unprecedented Corporate Greed Demands Unprecedented Worker Response by Bernie Sanders (for Labor Notes via Portside)

TOWN GOVERNMENT
The Pressure Of Students On Amherst Housing And How To Address It by Maura Keene
School Committee Deliberations On Mike Morris’ Severance Agreement Were Contentious by Art Keene
Slaughter Named Interim Superintendent For 2023–2024 School Year by Maura Keene
Doug Slaughter Appointed Interim School Superintendent by Jennifer Shiao
No Agreement On Role Of Public Input In Filling School Committee Vacancies. Timeline For Appointments Set by Maura Keene
Procedures Announced For Filling School Committee Vacancies
DP Dough Returns To Amherst But Sign Design Questioned by Hilda Greenbaum
Christina Kiko Malin Nominated To Be Town’s New Public Health Director by Art Keene
Communications Director Brianna Sunryd Leaving September 8 by Maura Keene
Town Manager Nominates 12 For Appointments To Boards, Commissions And Committees by Art Keene
Amherst Awarded Action Grant From Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program
Public Hearing On Request To Demolish 1990 Addition To The Jones Library
Jones Library’s Heavy Reliance On Town Funds Is Break From Tradition by Jeff Lee
Updated Letter: Town Needs To Be More Assertive With UMass To Resolve Student Housing Crisis by Ira Bryck
Opinion: The Culture Wars Come to Amherst  by John Varner