■The aftermath of Christmas morning is piling up at the Department of Public Works yards on Locust Street, as cartons, wrapping paper and even Yule trees are being disposed of in two large containers.
■Two more Goshen families have been told not to use water from their wells for drinking purposes because of the high chloride content which is believed to be caused by road salt used on Route 9. The latest bans on drinking water from artesian wells brings the total to seven.
■Aliza “Zizi” Ansell, 38, bicycled 3,135 miles across the country in a two-month trip this fall, raising more than $800 for a local health clinic in the process. Leaving in September from California, she arrived in Northampton on Nov. 23. Ansell raised the money for an Access Fund allowing women without insurance to use the Breast Health Project.
■It won’t rank as the top executive action of 1996, but late last week, Mayor Mary L. Ford agreed to appoint a new panel with a new mission: getting a grip on city dogs. City councilors voted to authorize the city’s animal control officer to do her job — catch, confine and, if necessary, humanely kill dogs found to be illegally running the city.
■Northampton schools Transportation Director Joy Winnie is among a handful of people across the country who have completed a national training program on transporting students with disabilities. According to the National Association for Pupil Transportation, Winnie is the 15th person nationwide to complete the training.
■Both newcomers to the Northampton School Committee say they want to improve communications with the public about school issues and boost the use of technology in the classroom. On Jan. 3, Blue DuVal and Andrew Shelffo will be sworn in as the new faces on the committee.