What’s in This Issue?

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ANALYTICS
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Last 30 days: 79,561 (+13,620)
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Last 30 days: 38,287 (+7722)
Last Week: 12,256 9204 (+3,052)

TOP FIVE MOST-READ ARTICLES LAST WEEK
1. Updated: UMass Faculty and Librarians Call for the Resignation of Chancellor Javier Reyes by Art Keene
2. Opinion: UMass Chancellor Reyes’ Police Action Was Unnecessary and Unprecedented. A Brief History of Dissent At UMass Amherst by Art Keene
3. Jones Library Treasurer: Expansion Project’s Risks to Town No Longer Acceptable by Art Keene
4. Defamation Specialists Join Lawsuit Against Regional School District by Art Keene
5. Report on the Meeting Between Student Negotiators and UMass Amherst Administration, May 7, 2024 by Kevin A. Young

WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?

AGRICULTURE / HORTICULTURE
Planting Season is Here. Do You Know if Your Soil Is Fertile?

ARTS
Folklore Society Song and Story Swap: Special All-Beatles Tribute and Fund Raiser, June 1
New June Exhibit at Gallery A3: Painting by John Krifka

BUDGET
Opinion: I See No Reason to Hope That the Jones Expansion Project Will Become Affordable by Bob Pam
Library Trustees Keep Expansion Project on Life Support by Art Keene
HVAC and Fire Suppression Top Priorities for Jones Library Repairs by Art Keene
Additional Track & Field Funding to Be Considered by Finance/CPA Committees by Maria Kopicki
Letter: ARPS Restorative Justice Program Creates a Healthy School Climate. Don’t Eliminate It! by Art Keene
Letter: It’s Time for an Incremental, Affordable Restoration of the Jones Library by Jim Turner
Opinion: Amherst Has a Gambling Disorder by Jeff Lee
Opinion: Who Is Looking out for the Taxpayers in Jones Library Plans? by Maura Keene

CAMPUS
UMass Faculty and Librarians Vote No Confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes by Art Keene
UMass Confers Degrees on 6800 at 154th Undergraduate Commencement
UMass Student Protestors Honored in Alternate Graduation Ceremony by Brooks Ballenger
Hampshire College Commencement Celebrated Graduates Who Endured Uncertainty, COVID, and Political Upheaval
Amherst College Store Opens at Former Location of Hastings
Planting Season is Here. Do You Know if Your Soil Is Fertile?
Sunrise Amherst Plans Demonstration at Amherst College Commencement

CLIMATE / ENERGY / ENVIRONMENT / NATURE
Opinion: Joint Electricity Aggregation Approved by DPU, Launch Projected for Fall by Darcy DuMont

DEMOCRACY
UMass Faculty and Librarians Vote No Confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes by Art Keene
From Other Sources: News for and About Amherst.  This Week: Catching up on Local News and the Health of our Democracy by Art Keene

DOWNTOWN
Amherst College Store Opens at Former Location of Hastings
The Musante Health Center of Amherst: A Hidden Gem by Nancy Gilbert

EVENTS
Sunrise Amherst Plans Demonstration at Amherst College Commencement
Memorial Day Events in Amherst
Folklore Society Song and Story Swap: Special All-Beatles Tribute and Fund Raiser, June 1
New June Exhibit at Gallery A3: Painting by John Krifka
What’s Happening in Amherst? by Art and Maura Keene

FEATURES
The Musante Health Center of Amherst: A Hidden Gem by Nancy Gilbert
From Other Sources: News for and About Amherst.  This Week: Catching up on Local News and the Health of our Democracy by Art Keene
Photos of the Week: Seeking the Aurora Borealis and Finding Some Ethereal Local Night Photos by Peggy Matthews-Nilsen

HOUSING
Councilors Press for More Information on Jones Library Project  by Marua Keene
Neighbors Oppose Plans for Two Amherst Properties by Maura Keene

ISSUES & ANALYSES
Opinion: I See No Reason to Hope That the Jones Expansion Project Will Become Affordable by Bob Pam
Opinion: Amherst Has a Gambling Disorder by Jeff Lee

LIBRARY
Opinion: I See No Reason to Hope That the Jones Expansion Project Will Become Affordable
Library Trustees Keep Expansion Project on Life Support by Art Keene
HVAC and Fire Suppression Top Priorities for Jones Library Repairs by Art Keene
Councilors Press for More Information on Jones Library Project  by Maura Keene
Letter: It’s Time for an Incremental, Affordable Restoration of the Jones Library by Jim Turner
Opinion: Amherst Has a Gambling Disorder by Jeff Lee
Opinion: Who Is Looking out for the Taxpayers in Jones Library Plans? by Maura Keene

MEDIA
From Other Sources: News for and About Amherst.  This Week: Catching up on Local News and the Health of our Democracy by Art Keene

OPINION
Opinion: I See No Reason to Hope That the Jones Expansion Project Will Become Affordable by Bob Pam
Letter: ARPS Restorative Justice Program Creates a Healthy School Climate: Don’t Eliminate It! by Art Keene
Letter: It’s Time for an Incremental, Affordable Restoration of the Jones Library by Jim Turner
Opinion: Amherst Has a Gambling Disorder by Jeff Lee
Opinion: Who Is Looking out for the Taxpayers in Jones Library Plans? by Maura Keene
Opinion: Joint Electricity Aggregation Approved by DPU, Launch Projected for Fall by Darcy DuMont

PUBLIC HEALTH AND SAFETY
Disability Access Advisory Committee Becomes a Commission by Maura Keene
The Musante Health Center of Amherst: A Hidden Gem by Nancy Gilbert

RECREATION
Additional Track & Field Funding to Be Considered by Finance/CPA Committees by Maria Kopicki
Groff Park Spray Pad is Open for 2024 Season

SCHOOLS
Additional Track & Field Funding to Be Considered by Finance/CPA Committees by Maria Kopicki
Fort River Students Launch Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage 
Sunrise Amherst Plans Demonstration at Amherst College Commencement
Letter: ARPS Restorative Justice Program Creates a Healthy School Climate: Don’t Eliminate It! by Art Keene

SOCIAL & ECONOMIC JUSTICE
UMass Faculty and Librarians Vote No Confidence in Chancellor Javier Reyes by Art Keene
UMass Student Protestors Honored in Alternate Graduation Ceremony by Brooks Ballenger
Fort River Students Launch Campaign to Raise the Minimum Wage 
Sunrise Amherst Plans Demonstration at Amherst College Commencement
Letter: ARPS Restorative Justice Program Creates a Healthy School Climate: Don’t Eliminate It! by Art Keene

TOWN GOVERNMENT
Library Trustees Keep Expansion Project on Life Support by Art Keene
HVAC and Fire Suppression Top Priorities for Jones Library Repairs by Art Keene
Councilors Press for More Information on Jones Library Project  by Maura Keene
Additional Track & Field Funding to Be Considered by Finance/CPA Committees by Maria Kopicki
Neighbors Oppose Plans for Two Amherst Properties by Maura Keene
Disability Access Advisory Committee Becomes a Commission by Maura Keene
Opinion: Amherst Has a Gambling Disorder by Jeff Lee
Opinion: Who Is Looking out for the Taxpayers in Jones Library Plans? by Maura Keene