HAMPSHIRE COUNTY
MARCH 5, 2026 | FREE
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EDITION EASTHAMPTON
Easthampton Theater Company to present ‘Enchanted April’ Easthampton Theater Company is back with its first production of 2026, “Enchanted April,” a graceful comedy about renewal, friendship, and second chances that will open on Saturday, March 14, at Williston Theater.
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NORTHAMPTON
‘Mean Girls’ production graces NHS stage for four days in March The Northampton High School Theatre Department is bringing the burn book to the stage in its upcoming spring musical production of “Mean Girls: High School Version.”
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NORTHAMPTON
‘MELLOW’ captures local man’s meditation trip Billy Rosenbeck spent World Meditation Day last spring road tripping across the region to lead 10 different meditations in 10 different locations to the public.
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Moulton would focus on affordability, abolishing ICE By Sarah Heinonen
sheinonen@thereminder.com
SPRINGFIELD — U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton wants the Pioneer Valley to know that he has a plan. Moulton, who is running to unseat U.S. Sen. Ed Markey this fall, visited three cities in the Pioneer Valley as part of a listening tour. The Feb. 20 stops in Holyoke, Springfield and Westfield gave Moulton a chance to present himself to voters outside of the 6th District, which includes Salem, Gloucester and Andover. Roughly 35 people gathered at Socialite Coffee Bar in Springfield to hear Moulton’s positions and share their concerns. “I don’t think we can afford to wait six more years for new leadership,” Mouton told them. While he said that he had “great respect” for Markey, he added, “There comes a time to pass the torch to a new generation.” Markey was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1976, two years before Moulton was born. He has served in the Senate since 2013. Moulton was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2014. Moulton laid out the issues he sees in the country. “There’s really two Americas,” he said. “There’s an America for the wealthy and the well connected, with the airline miles and the hotel perks and the tax loopholes, and if you’re really wealthy, you get to fly your private plane to Washington and get a pardon for any law you break.” He continued, “And then there’s America for everyone else. That’s struggling to pay rent, that maybe has a college graduate that just moved back home because he or she can’t get a job, that’s turning down their thermostats as it gets cold out because they
can’t afford their electricity bills or their gas or oil bills.” Moulton presented himself as a more progressive candidate than Markey with messaging that will resonate with voters. “Everyone knows we’re opposed to Trump,” he said. “But we also have to stand for something ourselves.” His three-pronged affordability platform focuses on housing, health care and education, which he said are “human rights.” Referring to President Barack Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, by its nickname, Moulton said, “Obamacare dramatically expanded health care. Millions of Americans have health care, so it’s a huge step in the right direction, but it’s not perfect.” Moulton is in favor of a public option. “That means that you can have Medicare if you want it. It doesn’t mean we’re going to force you onto Medicare,” he said, adding that a public option would drive down the cost of commercial health insurance plans and improve the efficiency and outcomes. He said, “We need that force in the market because health insurers, frankly, are extracting way too much out of the system.” Moulton also spoke about eliminating pharmacy copays, saying their purpose is to ensure people don’t abuse medicine. “But we should trust our doctors to just give you the medicine that you actually need,” he said, adding that there is inequality built into how much people pay based on what insurance they have. Moulton later told Reminder Publishing, “I think the reality is a lot of Republicans look at Democrats and say, ‘All they want is Medicare for all.’ And this is a compromise. A public option is not Medicare for all. I actually think it’s a better compromise be-
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, who is running for Senate, speaks with voters at Socialite Coffee Bar in Springfield. Reminder Publishing photo by Sarah Heinonen
cause it preserves competition.” A teenager asked Moulton about the dismantling of the Department of Education. While not in favor of eliminating the department, he told them that the 50-year-old department has not changed much even though education has. He said he was in favor of universal preschool and expanded vocational training, because people ask for it. While computer programmers might have jobs taken by artificial intelligence, he said plumbers would always be needed. When rebuilding the department, he said, “We got to rebuild it for the future, for the jobs for the next 30 years.” The representative also called for the abolition and prosecution of Immigration and Customs Enforcement. “You can’t be above the law if you think you can enforce the law,” he said. He touted legislation he has sponsored to allow people to sue ICE officers for violating their constitutional rights and to impeach Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. Moreover, Moulton pointed to legislation he had introduced that would prohibit federal troops in
polling places without congressional approval, as Trump ally Steve Bannon has pushed for. Federal law already prohibits this and punishes anyone who “has under his authority or control any troops or armed men at any place where a general or special election is held” with a fine and not more than five years in prison, as well as disqualification from holding office. Moulton said he is “absolutely” concerned that the Trump administration may try to invalidate of otherwise influence the 2026 election. “I think it’s a very legitimate threat. And that’s why I’m proposing legislation to address this. We’ve got to be all on our toes and doing what we can to fight it.” He admitted it would be hard to secure enough votes to pass it but said making elected officials declare their position furthers the discussion. “It’s very hard to argue that we should have troops in our election centers,” he said. Taking a poll of the room, See MOULTON on page 2