■Mary McColgan appears to be a shoo-in for the vacated Ward 4 City Council seat after defeating Gerard A. Wallace by an almost 3-1 margin in yesterday’s special primary. The vote was 302 to 116. The two candidates for the post left vacant by state Rep. William P. Nagle Jr. are both Democrats, and no Republican is running for the office.
■The salary scale included in the new two-year contract between the Northampton Teachers Association and the Northampton School Committee was agreed to early in negotiations, providing a 6.2 percent increase for teachers and principals this year, and a 7 percent increase for teachers next year. This brings the starting salary for a teacher with a bachelor’s degree up to $8,424.
■Twenty Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Ellen Story, D-Amherst, received perfect scores from a self-described progressive group for their votes on everything from tax cuts to the death penalty. Citizens for Participation in Political Action looked at how lawmakers voted last year on four Senate questions and nine House questions important to the group.
■A proposal by the Northampton High School council to add six new positions next year has earned praise from School Committee members for addressing educational needs. But, given the budget, school officials concede it will be difficult to fund many, if any, of the positions.
■The Seven Sisters Market Bistro and accompanying land that was once the Long Hollow Bison Farm in Hadley was sold Wednesday to Keith Rehbein, who plans to open a vegan restaurant on the property. Rehbein bought the three parcels that make up the property for a total of $2,335,000.
■Fresh off his appearance at the Academy of Music opening for comedian Lenny Clarke, Northampton native Mike O’Brien was bestowed with another honor — driving a “duck boat” in the Super Bowl victory parade for the New England Patriots on Wednesday in Boston. O’Brien graduated from Northampton High School in 1999.