■Mrs. Griselda Gulow of 122 Hawley St., who has walked into Woolworth’s at 9:15 a.m. for 25 years, was surprised with the break in routine Wednesday when she met face-to-face with an early morning party in her honor. A mirror in an upstairs room was decorated and a sign was hung with the message, “Congratulations, Gris, on Your 25th Anniversary at Woolworths.”
■The City Council voted last night $17,500 to purchase a leaf vacuum and “strongly recommended” the use of recycled paper by all city departments whenever it was “economically available and suitable.” The strong recommendation for the use of recycled paper would be another first for Northampton because none of the other six cities in western Massachusetts have such a policy.
■The new and expanded JFK Middle School, which opened this morning, is now among the most technologically advanced in the state, experts say — a distinction it’s likely to keep until another new or renovated middle school comes online.
■Restaurateur Claudio Guerra’s plans for his third and latest Northampton establishment call for turning a sports bar into an intimate upscale bistro called One Bridge St. For $100,000, Guerra last week agreed to buy the liquor license and all the contents of TJ’s sports bar from TJ’s owner and founder John J. Smith. TJ’s closed early Tuesday morning.
■Longtime Hampshire County Register of Deeds Marianne L. Donohue announced her retirement Friday, paving the way for the end of a two-decade career in which she guided the office from county to state government.
■About 6,800 new students at the five colleges settled into their new digs over the last few days, and this weekend they’ll be joined by thousands more. Returning students — to the tune of more than 21,000 — are set to flood the region over the Labor Day holiday in anticipation of the start of classes next week.