■A proposed state mental health center on grounds of the former Northampton School for Girls property is in jeopardy but state officials remain optimistic the plan will go through. George Dunnington, business manager of the merged Williston-Northampton School in Easthampton, said today the school would not wait after Sept. 1 to act on individual offers to buy the property.
■The Northampton School Committee’s property subcommittee yesterday discussed teenagers remaining on grounds of the Williams Street School late at night. Committeeman Raymond Kelly said he had received calls that someone was constantly getting into the school, climbing on the roof and ringing the school bell.
■The studio planning to shoot a major motion picture in the area will interview would-be extras next week. Staff members with Dreamworks Productions LLC have issued a call for extras for the feature film, which is called “In Dreams.”
■Valuable Families, a group of gay, lesbian and bisexual parents, children and friends, will hold a press conference Thursday to protest a decision made by the McDonald’s Corp. two weeks ago to retract an invitation made to the group to participate in the restaurant’s fundraiser, “Food, Folks and Fundraising.”
■On Monday, area residents will have a chance to meet Jacques Pepin, the award-winning chef, who now lives in Connecticut, at a special Monday Farmers Market behind Thornes Marketplace. The free event, organized by WGBY Public Television, will also feature displays by area farmers, samples of locally grown agricultural products and children’s cooking classes.
■The new Easthampton High School under construction on Williston Avenue is no longer a mere shell. As the building takes shape, contractors are finishing up the roof, exterior walls and windows so that interior work on the $39.2 million structure can get underway in early fall.