■The White Castle Diner, 8 Strong Ave., was “an immediate success,” according to one patron, when it opened Nov. 11. The former Miss Northampton Diner has been completely remodeled by owner Richard J. Redmond who was obliged to move his White Castle Snack Bar after 12 years on South Street.
■Ten days before opponents of a relocated Route 9 are due to present their case at a third Planning Board hearing, the consensus of state officials is that opponents have nothing to worry about. Route 9 will not be relocated anywhere in Hampshire County, at least not in the near future. “A New Route 9 is absolutely not in sight,” Paul Burke of the state Department of Public Works said yesterday.
■In a continuing plan of expansion, Bill Nagle’s Honor Court is in the process of buying a house in Greenfield and one in Holyoke. The acquisition of property outside of Northampton does not signal a departure from the city, where the halfway house for men recovering from alcohol and other drugs began 27 years ago, says Phillip Robinson, director of the Honor Court.
■As one record store gets set to move off Main Street, another is getting ready to move on. B-Side Records will open at 273 Main St. on March 1, according to owner Thomas McNair, after relocating from 4 Conz St., in the Maplewood Shops. Ken Reed, the owner of Main Street Records, plans to close his 213 Main St. shop on Feb. 28.
■Police in riot gear used percussion and smoke grenades to help clear a crowd of some 1,500 people at the University of Massachusetts following the New York Giants 21-17 victory over the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl Sunday night. There were 14 arrests.
■A plan to house a program for students from the Clarke Schools for Hearing and Speech at Leeds School is a step closer to completion. The School Committee and the City Council have voted to declare 2½ classrooms and some office space at the school as surplus and have authorized the city to lease out the space for up to eight years.