■Hampshire County’s more than 40,000 voters enjoyed sunshine as Election Day 1970 dawned clear and bright despite yesterday’s prediction for a wet, drizzly election day, and the turnout was reported heavy in the first hours of voting. In Northampton, where polls opened at 10, 1,500 voters had registered their choices during the first hour of voting.
■Checks amounting to some $843,000 are about to be mailed out to local persons belonging to Christmas clubs at Northampton banks. Many banks have seen a rise in Christmas club accounts this year and are consequently paying out a greater sum than ever.
■Use of tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs is on the rise among teenagers in Hampshire County, a new survey has found, confirming a trend already noted across the state. The Hampshire County Youth and Substance Abuse Survey questioned 1,145 students enrolled at high schools in Belchertown, Northampton and Easthampton and at the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School.
■The Northampton City Council last night unanimously approved Planning Director Penelope Kim’s reappointment and praised her for being “an excellent city employee.” Councilors last night had nothing but kind words for Kim before voting 9-0 for her reappointment.
■The four candidates for Massachusetts governor made their final pitch to voters Monday, with Democratic incumbent Deval Patrick trying to fend off a serious challenge from Republican Charles Baker amid an anti-incumbent, pro-GOP wave sweeping the country.
■An enlarged space and a new gym with state-of-the-art equipment is greeting patients at a Route 9 rehabilitation facility in Hadley operated by Cooley Dickinson Hospital. A team of physical, occupational and speech-language therapists in Rehab Services began seeing patients at the 380 Russell St. site last week.