■City sidewalks have been posted with a new kind of sign to warn oncoming motorists they are approaching a pedestrian crossing. Once the 30 pedestrian crossings are painted and marked, signs warning of strict enforcement of pedestrian crossing and jaywalking laws in the city will also be installed.
■It costs too much to educate children in Northampton and the reason is the high salaries of Northampton schoolteachers and administrators, City Councilors Edward Gross and Robert Patenaude have charged in an interview with the Gazette. The average salary for each of Northampton’s 316 teachers is $11,116.
■Palmer’s embrace yesterday of a proposed $250 million casino still leaves it a long shot compared to Holyoke in a bid for casino gambling, a key legislator said today. “They’ve got a long way to go to catch up to the work Holyoke has done,” said Rep. Daniel Bosley, D-North Adams.
■A survey is expected to be distributed to parents in the city of Northampton, asking their views on a skateboard park. The city has proposed building a skateboard park at Veteran’s Field, between West and South streets near downtown.
■Saying the town must adopt a later start time for adolescents to meet students’ basic needs, Amherst Superintendent Maria Geryk has recommended a change for secondary schools beginning in the fall of 2013. If the School Committee agrees, Amherst would join a growing number of communities that have adopted a later start time for their high schoolers, based on research suggesting it’s healthier.
■Joel Gordon, an Amherst College professor emeritus of physics, has made a stylus for use on iPads and similar touch screen devices. He is selling them for $5 each to benefit the Amherst Senior Center. He says his stylus helps him type better and is also good for playing games like Sudoku.