■About 2,500 Scots pine trees have been planted at the Mount Tom Ski Area in Holyoke, the area’s management reports. Ski area officials say they hope that the new trees will both beautify the surroundings and also protect the soils there from erosion.
■Citywide leaf pickup, which was unsuccessful last year, may be dropped entirely this year if the Board of Public Works accepts a recommendation of the Solid Waste Management Committee next week. However, the committee will recommend to the BPW that homes with regular trash pickup service continue to have bagged leaves picked up as part of the service.
■James C. Faison of Amherst, 57, an assistant clerk-magistrate in Northampton District Court, a community leader and a distinguished Army veteran, died yesterday. Faison had served as an assistant clerk-magistrate in Northampton District Court since 1983.
■Jackson Street School Principal Gwen Agna dines with about six students once a week at a special table to help build stronger relationships with them and to foster a family feeling. Researchers have recently started pushing “table time” as a good way for families to stay connected, and when a friend mentioned the idea to Agna, she thought it could work in school.
■Gov. Deval Patrick announced $607 million in capital investments across the University of Massachusetts system on Tuesday, a funding package that includes $85 million for a new physical science building at UMass Amherst.
■After much discussion over the last three years, the fate of proposed changes to the Northampton charter is now in the hands of voters. The proposed charter incudes many substantive provisions, including an expansion of the mayor’s term from two to four years.