■Firefighters put out a fire yesterday at the new UMass Fine Arts Building now under construction. Amherst Fire Chief John Doherty said the fire began when heaters used by the construction crew came in contact with the canvas coverings used as tents to hold concrete forms. Only minor damage occurred.
■Nine-year old Roy Ranney might not climb any more trees for a while. Yesterday it took a company of Northampton firefighters to rescue him from where he had become lodged in a tree near his house on Sylvester Road. The youth became lodged in a crotch of the tree as he slid down it; a wart on the branch locked him in tight.
■The city can build hiking trails, an ice-skating pond and even affordable housing, now that the City Council has approved the purchase of 93 acres in the Sawmill Hills. The land, to the west of Spring Street, will be divided among four city departments and will cost $50,000 to buy, according to the city’s principal planner Wayne Feiden.
■With demands that range from the grand — justice — to the specific – more child care — student protesters at the University of Massachusetts continued their building takeover for a fifth day today. Monday, students seized control of Goodell building in the heart of campus, which houses the offices of the comptroller and payroll, and there are reportedly still between 150 and 200 students inside the building.
■Thomas Merrigan, who represented much of western Massachusetts on the Governor’s Council for six years, said Tuesday that he will not seek re-election in the fall. A Greenfield lawyer and former Orange District Court judge, Merrigan was an outspoken advocate for filling western Massachusetts judicial openings with applicants from the region.
■Elaine M. Reall, Northampton’s longtime labor counsel, is stepping down from the position. Reall said Wednesday that she wants to devote more time to her private practice in Northampton. Reall has been working on labor issues for Northampton since 1997.