■Some 4,000 white lights were switched on at the lighting last night in Amherst of two large trees, including the Merry Maple. The tree lighting was conducted by Gerald Grady, past president of the Chamber of Commerce. A brass ensemble and chorus from Amherst Regional High School performed at the ceremony.
■Hilltown residents have welcomed a new doctor to the Worthington Medical Center and this time they are keeping their fingers crossed that he will stay. Dr. George M. Scarmon, 27, a tall, soft-spoken man with longish hair, came to the area from Sioux Falls, S.D., where he lived for 20 years.
■In the continuing battle with industrious beavers off Ellington Road, the city is trying another tactic. One week ago, two city Department of Public Works employees and the city’s senior planner, Paulette Kuzdeba, finished putting in piping intended to lower — and keep down — the level of the beaver pond.
■Yesterday, America’s Affordable Access Advantage, a new national internet service company based in Florence, began offering unlimited Internet access to residential users and small businesses in the Northampton area. The cost: $12.95 a month, $3 a month less than the price offered by its closest competitor.
Although the University of Massachusetts is already moving ahead with plans to upgrade its football program, faculty leaders continue to question the merits of the move and on Thursday took a stand against using public money to renovate McGuirk Stadium.
■Florence resident Gary W. Keefe has earned his first star as a general in the Massachusetts Air National Guard. The former Col. Keefe is the assistant adjutant general at the Guard’s Joint Force Headquarters in Milford. His promotion to brigadier general was confirmed Sept. 23 by the U.S. Senate.