■Warm weather and Childs Park go well together as Northampton High Scholl students have discovered. The park is a favorite for young and old alike once the snow starts to melt, and any warm day from now on will find the area teeming with admirers.
■William Scott, director of the Circle Players’ spring production of Arthur Miller’s drama, “All My Sons,” has announced the cast for the play, which will be presented in early May at the People’s Institute. Ralph Levy will be playing the role of Joe Keller, the manufacturer, who sends 21 pilots to their death by knowingly shipping defective engine parts to the Army.
■In a move to strengthen the enforcement of a smoking ban, the City Council last night approved a measure allowing the ticketing of restaurateurs whose patrons light up. Smoking is not allowed in city restaurants and in bars that serve food, except by special exemption.
■Northampton is poised to receive up to $548,860 in rent from the state for use of the James House as a Juvenile Court over the next five years. The City Council last night voted unanimously to approve the lease after months of negotiations with the state Division of Capital Planning and Operations.
■After a long and highly contentious battle over zoning regulations, Thomas Hodgkins, owner of the shooting range in Williamsburg, has decided to throw in the towel and sell his property. According to Town Clark Brenda Lessard, the Hodgkins property is for sale by the owner, and he is hoping to get more than half a million dollars for the 140-plus acres.
■A national teach-in staged on college campuses across the country came to the University of Massachusetts Amherst Tuesday when some 800 students, faculty, activists and others met to call for greater equality in America and to oppose policies advanced by conservative politicians. The “Fight Back USA!” gatherings took place on more than 220 campuses.