■The New England Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools has placed Easthampton High School on two years’ probation as far as accreditation is concerned because of crowded conditions at the school. It was built in 1962 with a capacity of 650 and has close to 1,000 students now.
■Robert W. Scott has been named chief, Fiscal Division at the local Veterans Administration Hospital. He transferred from the VA Regional Office, Lincoln, Neb. and succeeds Arnold Lake who was promoted to the position of chief at Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
■One of the prosecutors who attempted to convict O.J. Simpson will appear in Northampton to discuss his take on “the trial of the century.” Christopher A. Darden embarks on a speaking tour next month that includes a stop at Smith College’s John M. Greene Hall.
■Steve Schmidt, 18, son of Laura Schmidt of Milton Street, Northampton, received an Eagle Scout award last month. Schmidt, a senior at Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, is a member of Troop 806, sponsored by Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8006 in Florence.
■Close to 300 people gathered at the summit of Mount Sugarloaf in Sunderland Sunday for a memorial service for Terry Blunt of Hatfield, longtime conservationist and public servant. Blunt died Oct. 2. at age 69.
■After months of discussion, Easthampton school officials unanimously approved moving students into the city’s new high school in the spring of 2013 after deciding the switch won’t interfere with their schoolwork and will allow workers ample time to demolish the current building.