50 Years Ago
- A suit will be filed in federal court seeking to improve treatment at Northampton State Hospital and to guarantee the constitutional rights of patients, Benjamin Ricci Jr. said last night. The planned court action, similar to a suit filed five years ago by Ricci which resulted in improved conditions at Belchertown State School, would not ask that specific individuals be found guilty.
- Ellen Story, a staff member of the Family Planning Council of Massachusetts, Inc., last week was elected president of the Hampshire County Council of Social Agencies. She replaces Patricia Sacks.
25 Years Ago
- Outgoing Amherst Regional High School Principal Scott Goldman points to poor parental supervision of teenagers and a lax attitude toward drug use as reasons for the rise in school fights and teen violence at the school. The past school year was marred by a series of nasty fights among students, at least one involving as many as 20 students.
- Virginia Brown and Joyce Piper are both retiring from the Westhampton Elementary School this year after a combined 62 years of teaching. Brown, who teaches third grade, and Piper, who teaches fourth, received many accolades and presents at a festive retirement party held in their honor at the school last week.
10 Years Ago
- More than 30 students held a sit-in Thursday morning at JFK Middle School to raise awareness about sexual harassment they say students have experienced from their peers. Those involved said participants — boys and girls — sat in a hallway near the front entrance holding signs for about two hours.
- Lisa Evans’ knowledge of medieval history landed the Easthampton woman another win and an additional $28,001 Thursday on the TV game show “Jeopardy!” “I always am fascinated by history, and popes obviously were an important part of history in the Middle Ages,” she said Thursday night after watching the episode with friends in Holyoke.