■Quick action on the part of a Southampton farmer and immediate response from three fire departments saved a home from being destroyed by fire as flames engulfed a connecting barn and milk room early this morning. The house is owned by Mr. and Mrs. Earl Weingart. Mrs. Weingart, whose husband is a milk farmer, said they had no insurance on the barn since it was an old structure and not used that much anymore.
■Power company officials say strict security measures are being enforced at electric power stations in Franklin County and at the Vermont Yankee atomic power plant in Vernon, Vt. State police said Monday the security measures went into effect after the FBI informed the utility firms that a threat had been made to blow up a power installation in the Greenfield area.
■The Northampton chief of police wants to hire civilians to answer all emergency phone calls. Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz said Friday a preliminary study shows that a civilian dispatch crew of six full-time and six part-time employees would not only put more officers on the streets but save the city as much as $100,000 annually.
■Computerized parking machines could be installed in four municipal lots over the next two years, replacing standard meters. Motorists would insert coins into a central machine for the amount of time they expect to remain parked. They would then place a ticket displaying the expiration time on their dashboards.
■A former local newspaper reporter has joined Beetle Press as publications director. Judith Kelliher, 50, started early this year as publications director for Beetle Press, a writing, editing, graphic design and production management business in Easthampton. She will work with Janice Beetle Godleski to expand the business statewide.
■At a special meeting on Monday night at JFK Middle School, the Northampton School Committee announced the two finalists for the position of school superintendent. “Of 14 applicants, we have chosen two names to bring forward,” said Stephanie Pick, School Committee vice chairwoman. “They are Daniel J. Hanneken and Irwin H. Sussman.”