■Wet, chilly weather yesterday failed to dampen the high spirits of many area residents who lined streets in Florence to watch the Veterans Day parade march by with flags, musical instruments and a representation of proud veterans. World War I veterans flashed the “V” for victory sign as they rode by in parade cars while uniformed Scouts representing several troops struggled to keep in line.
■Only about 30 percent of Northampton’s land has been developed, increasing demands are being made for land in the Connecticut River’s flood plain, Route 91 makes the city more easily accessible, and a large regional educational community makes increasing demands upon the city. There were some of the findings discussed last night by Richard Ball of the Metcalf and Eddy planning consulting firm.
■Greenfield Community College, angling to tap into a rich market for potential students, is considering opening an office and offering classes in Northampton, or providing transportation to GCC. School officials, in fact, hope to open an office by September.
■It should be no surprise what the open commercial space along Main Street’s “restaurant row” will next be used for — a restaurant. According to Martin Carrera, who has a 10-year lease on the space at 44 Main St., he will rent the space to a Vermont man who intends to put in a Moroccan restaurant.
■Northampton expects to test a new emergency notification system on Monday by sending a message to as many as 11,000 residents. With the service, public safety officials can record, send and track personalized voice messages to thousands of residents and businesses within minutes.
■What’s black and white and read all over? Not the white pages, which is why regulators have begun granting telecommunications companies the go-ahead to stop mass-printing residential phone books, a musty fixture of American’s kitchen counters, refrigerator tops and junk drawers.