■Residents of about 60 streets in Northampton can expect to receive letters from the city later this year asking how they would feel if the names of their streets were changed. The problem, city officials say, is that about 60 city streets have names which duplicate or sound very similar to other city street names. For example, the city has a Bridge Street and a Bridge Road, a Clark Street and a Clark Avenue, and a Barrett Street and a Barrett Place.
■ The dispute over the Northampton patrolman’s mustache has moved from the police department into the City Hall. In a letter hand-delivered to the mayor’s office, Patrolman Jerry L. Otto, suspended without pay for five years, cited his right under Massachusetts law to have a hearing within five days following a suspension.
■Changes proposed in Northampton’s smoking regulations would ban smoking at all workplaces, with the exception of nine city bars. The rules would also require bars that are nightclubs to ban smoking during events catering to people under 18 years of age.
■Massachusetts gun owners are facing something they never had to do before — and they risk fines up to $5,000 if they don’t comply. They must renew their firearms identification cards, which were good for life before passage of the Massachusetts Gun Control Act of 1998. Now, the card, commonly called an FID, must be renewed every four years.
■One month after Hatfield Town Meeting voters approved spending more money to tear down the old Center School, a recent vote by the Historical Commission means the school may stand for another year. The commission this month voted unanimously to deem the century-old building historically significant, halting the wrecking ball and setting in motion a review under the town’s demolition-delay bylaw.
■Hundreds of people gathered Thursday for the opening night of the Taste of Amherst, which saw many returning fans eager to eat and socialize. The 24-year-old festival on the Town Common features 21 area restaurants selling portions of their signature items for $5 or less, as well as live music, an eating contest and a bounce house.