■One of the largest gymkhanas ever held in the Northeast will open the 153rd edition of the Three County Fair, oldest fair in continuous operation in the United States, next Sunday. Sponsored by the fair association and staged by the Hampshire Riding Club, the gymkhana is expected to attract more than 150 horses.
■Earle A. Tompkins former welfare director in Easthampton, Northampton, and Holyoke, was named to replace Lawrence A. Durkin as director of the Springfield Welfare Office. An Easthampton man, Tompkins was named to the state welfare system’s major trouble area Wednesday.
■State Sen. Jane M. Swift, R-North Adams, won’t say she’s running for Congress, but the three-term legislator is making all the necessary moves to mount a challenge. The 30-year-old senator has been traveling around the 1st Congressional District, meeting with the local media, talking to potential campaign workers and building a campaign staff.
■Vandals armed with spray paint and paint cans did more than $3,000 damage to Northampton High School early yesterday morning, leaving officials with less than 24 hours to clean up the building before school opened to some students today. Vandals left graffiti around the entire building.