Marvin Berkowitz: Mass Save is saving us money

Kudos to letter writer Bob Armstrong on “Mass Save is saving us money” [Recorder, March 4], for reminding us of the benefits produced by the Mass Save program. Dealing with a particularly cold winter not only chilled our bones but also gave us high-cost utility bills that added to the already high cost of living.

Douglas Mayo: Golden age it is not

We elected a president, (not I) not a king. Trump’s address to the Congress was a diatribe of his accomplishments since the election. Most of his cabinet is chock full of people who donated to his campaign and were never involved in the cabinet posts before their appointments. hence they know nothing the daily operation of our government.

My Turn: Battling Trump’s war on truth and history

By BILL NEWMAN

Censorship functions as a deadly weapon in the arsenal of authoritarian regimes. Consider this:

As I See It: Yes, America, Trumpism is here to stay

By JON HUER

As half of America is not sure if Trumpsters are here to wreck the nation or govern it, I urge all of us to try a new perspective on Donald Trump. In this new perspective, Trump is a revolutionary, as different from all of his predecessors as George Washington was from King George.

Jeff Lacy: The pulse of Conway

I’m new to Conway, but have quickly realized how fortunate I was deciding to relocate here. Conway has much going for it, but I’ll limit my brief kudos to two local businesses — both long owned and operated by women.

From Global to Local: How women’s equality could change the world

By H. PATRICIA HYNES

International Women’s Day (now March 8) had its origins in great social unrest, turbulence and critical debate among women in Western countries regarding their oppressive working conditions in factories and their lack of voting rights.

My Turn: When they came for taxes from my paper route

By TED SCOTT

My Turn: Indigenous land stewardship can safeguard local food webs in the 413

By ELLY VAUGHAN

My Turn: The long haul of resistance

By PATRICIA KATHERINE LARSON

Cory Bombredi: Urban for Barre Select Board

Barre is at a turning point. Financial uncertainty, high turnover in key departments, and a lack of strong leadership are serious concerns that impact every resident. We need a leader who understands these challenges and has the experience to guide us forward. That’s why I, along with many other concerned citizens, am supporting a write-in campaign for Matthew D. Urban for Select Board.

Columnist Al Norman: Let’s expedite ‘local power for local people’

By AL NORMAN

This month, Ashfield will become the newest community in the state to start a municipal aggregator electricity supply program. Residents voted in 2023 to allow Ashfield to purchase electricity in bulk from an Eversource competitor to stabilize electricity prices and increase the renewable energy in its supply.

My Turn: Reaching outside of our righteous bubble

By RICHIE DAVIS

Ferd Wulkan: Federal firing facts

Please consider these facts related to the firing or forced resignations of many thousands of federal workers in the past few weeks:

My Turn: We must stand with Greatest Generation

By DANIEL A. BROWN

My Turn: Can’t let health care for poor be sacrificed for the rich

By DAVID PARRELLA

Chris Marstall: Dismayed by group’s stance on Ukraine

I was dismayed to see uncritical coverage of a group calling for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine featured on the Recorder’s front page [“A call for peace talks rings out,” Feb. 25].

Bob Armstrong: Mass Save is saving us money

Recent discussions have linked rising natural gas rates in Massachusetts to the state’s energy efficiency initiative, Mass Save. However, attributing increased bills to Mass Save overlooks the program’s substantial benefits.The proposed 2025-2027 Mass Save Three-Year Plan entails a $5 billion investment from electricity and gas ratepayers, projected to yield $13.6 billion in benefits. This translates to a return of $2.72 for every dollar invested. The benefits encompass $5.4 billion in energy savings, $5.5 billion in greenhouse gas reductions, and $2.6 billion in non-energy advantages such as reduced maintenance costs and improved health outcomes.

Michael Bukowick: The wrong side of history

It’s hard not to see parallels between Donald Trump’s deals with Vladimir Putin and the appeasement of Adolf Hitler by Britain and France in the 1930s. However, Trump is performing even more like the USSR and Italy, who went beyond acceptance and emboldenment of Nazi aggression to ally with Hitler and opportunistically mimic him. Like Stalin and Mussolini, Trump treats a disordered world as an exciting opening, and has talked of claiming Panama, Greenland, Canada, and Gaza as U.S. territory.

Peg Bridges: Thank you for lifting spirits

With all the confusion going on in the world today — all the negativism — it is such a boost to the psyche to open the newspaper to see a beautiful landscape photo taken by Recorder photographer Paul Franz or some nature shots by columnist Bill Danielson and contributors. Thank you for lifting my spirits, and I am sure the spirit of many readers.

Columnist Daniel Cantor Yalowitz: Empowering bystanders halts harms

By DANIEL CANTOR YALOWITZ

The mission of Training Active Bystanders is to weave the language and process of creative problem-solving into the fabric of the community by training active bystanders and teaching conflict resolution skills, and by implementing other forms of innovative dispute resolution. — Training Active Bystanders organizational mission statement