■Northampton now has a dog officer empowered to pick up any unleashed, unlicensed, or unvaccinated dogs. Last night the City Council voted unanimously to hire Easthampton dog catcher Edward Beauregard to enforce the city’s month-old ordinance against unrestrained dogs. Beauregard starts work today.
■Two Northampton wives have become the first in the state to legally drop their husband’s names and re-assume their maiden names, officials here believe. Alison Anne Quoyeser, 29, wife of Toby S. Kasavana, was allowed to name-change here June 30, and Dana M. Tracy, 24, wife of Gregory D’Unger, was allowed to do so on Dec. 13, 1971.
■A Northampton native last week assumed leadership of a center that provides telephone service to hearing-impaired people around the state. George Houck, 35, is now center manager for the Massachusetts Telecommunications Relay Service based in Holyoke, which employs about 200 people.
■A long-awaited state reconstruction project for the Calvin Coolidge Bridge and a section of Route 9 will be outlined to the public next week. The two-year project, which is still a year away, will add a fourth lane to the heavily traveled span over the Connecticut River.
■The University of Massachusetts police station that opened a year ago on East Pleasant Street has been recognized for its energy efficiency and green building techniques. The $12.5 million station recently was awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
■The Northwestern district attorney’s office has announced that Chris Geffin, its program coordinator for the elders and persons with disabilities unit, has been recognized by Highland Valley Elder Services for her contributions to elder abuse prevention and safety. Geffin is the liaison between the district attorney’s office, the protective services program at Highland Valley and police departments.