■The Northampton Historical Society is hoping for successful legal rulings to make possible a proposed Shepherd Memorial Museum of Northampton. When Thomas Munroe Shepherd died in 1923, he demonstrated his devotion to Northampton by bequeathing the bulk of his estate toward the establishment of a museum to preserve for all times the things that were significant in the history and culture of Northampton.
■Trustees of Cooley Dickinson Hospital have given the go ahead for the design of a $3,500,000. multi-purpose hospital wing providing 70 additional patient beds and a number of new treatment facilities. At the same time, it was announced that the hospital will acquire the assets of Northampton’s Wright Home for Young Women, whose Bridge St. building and property soon will be sold.
■Mountain Mobile, a store specializing in cellular telephones and service, will open at 62 King St. in April. The site was the former home of the Foto Factory and is next door to Christy’s (formerly Grampy’s) convenience store.
City Councilor Leonard Budgar said today he will not run for re-election in November, though he vowed to keep an eye on local politics and to offer a helping hand to his neighbors. “After 16 years, I think it’s time to go out and smell the roses,” said Budgar, 79.
■Northampton landfill expansion opponents used a joint press conference with a Boston environmental organization on toxic waste sites Thursday as a platform to continue pressing city officials to permanently abandon expansion plans. They kept up the pressure at a Planning Board meeting on a zoning change concerning the landfill Thursday night.
■A former boys head basketball coach at Northampton High and physical education teacher at the Jackson Street School died last month at the age of 48. Paul Hillner led the Blue Devils to consecutive western Mass titles in 1998 and 1999 and coached in both John Calipari’s and Bruiser Flint’s basketball clinics at the University of Massachusetts.