■Railroad tracks that created a “bumpy traffic hazard” along Old South Street will be a problem no more. Francis P. Ryan, city engineer, reported that the tracks have been pulled out and the city will now resurface the area which is in the vicinity of the elderly housing project.
■Mrs. Richard B. Covell has been re-elected to a third term as president of the Cooley Dickinson Hospital Auxiliary. Other officers elected are: vice president, Mrs. Elmer Nutting; treasurer, Mrs. Herbert N. Heston; assistant treasurer, Mrs. Edwin P. Dunphy; recording secretary, Mrs. Robert G. Saner; and corresponding secretary, Mrs. John R. Callahan.
■Paritosh M. Chakrabarti, owner of the newly renamed ProCorporation PMC in Florence, says he wants eventually to expand the struggling company’s workforce to 350 — from a recent high of about 200 people. Chakrabarti last month bought the former Summit Plastics Solutions Inc. for $5.2 million.
■The University of Massachusetts sociology department is adding a criminal justice concentration to its list of offerings to help meet a rising interest in the field. The concentration will prepare students for further training at a graduate level or for a career in criminal justice.
■Hampshire County helped carry Elizabeth Warren to the U.S. Senate Tuesday, backing the Democratic Senate challenger by a wide margin over Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. The result in the Senate race was mirrored in other contests, with county residents heavily voting for the Democratic ticket.
■Easthampton voters on Tuesday rejected a $1.4 million Proposition 2½ property tax override for the schools by more than 900 votes. At an election night gathering at the Apollo Grill, members of the Committee for Stronger Schools, which led the pro-override campaign, cited the tough economy as the main reason for its defeat at the polls.