■A crowd of 1,400 young people ate popcorn and sipped soft drinks during a three-hour Battle of the Bands at Florence’s Maines Field last night. After a contest that saw each of three rock groups play two separate sets, Michoacan, a hard-driving rock group in the style of the Rolling Stones, won the first prize of $100.
■Following a successful presentation two weeks ago, Cricket Hill will be heard in another Pulaski Park rock concert tonight. This young group of contemporary musicians has made rapid strides in the past few months and has just concluded an extensive tour in Connecticut.
■A Florence woman has been appointed leader of a federal fisheries program to restore species like the Atlantic salmon and American shad to the Connecticut River. Janice Rowan began her first day today as the Connecticut River Coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
■Investigators are waiting for tests to reveal what kind of substance was used to set the outside of a vacant house at 184 Federal St. on fire early today. There were no injuries in the fire, which burned half of the outside area and part of the roof of the residence owned by Agnes “Gush” Valenta of Williamsburg, a former staff member in the city’s Recreation Department.
■Descendants of black Civil War soldiers will be in Amherst next month for events recognizing the contributions of their forebears. A ceremony in the West Cemetery will pay tribute to the soldiers. Retired Amherst College physics professor Bob Romer, who wrote the book “Slavery in the Connecticut Valley of Massachusetts,” is spearheading plans for the event.
■Consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren on Thursday launched an exploratory committee and a website for a possible challenge against GOP Sen. Scott Brown, a top Democratic target in 2012. Warren will use the committee and the website to begin raising money and lining up volunteers.