■A contest for the Democratic nomination for the Ward 7 council seat being vacated by Councilor John J. Rockett Jr. developed today as a young Springfield junior high school teacher, Russell W. Carrier, announced his candidacy. Late last week, a retired police officer, William Steidler announced his candidacy for the same seat.
■Less glass, paper and aluminum for recycling were collected during Saturday’s operation of the city’s recycling center at the Board of Public Works yard even though collection hours were extended. A spokesman for P. Allen & Sons said the paper collection weighed in at about 8 tons and would bring the Northampton Jaycees, sponsors of the August operation, $56.
■Randomly plucked from the small crowd at the Taste of Northampton yesterday afternoon, five judges worked their way from soup to nuts. Their goal: awarding a “Best of the Taste” prize to a new nosh. The winner was the baja roll from Cha Cha Cha!
■Among the new appointments Superintendent of Schools Bruce E. Willard announced last night was his own. He starts today as acting principal of Northampton High School. Simultaneously, he won School Committee approval to create a new position of vice principal for academic affairs at the school — to last until a permanent principal is hired.
■Former Northampton City Councilor Marilyn Richards is the interim director of the United Way of Hampshire County. Richards says her main goal as temporary leader for the agency is to help ignite its all-important annual fund drive — and keep the trains running until a permanent replacement for former CEO John Ebbets is found.
■Sharon Sharry, the director of the Greenfield Public Library, on Tuesday was named the new director of the Jones Library. Trustee Carol Gray said she was impressed by people saying how they are inspired by Sharry. “I haven’t seen the staff and the public so excited about something happening at the library in a long time,” Gray said.