■M. Foss Narum of 300 North Main St., Florence, died yesterday at his home. In 1930, shortly before Look Park officially opened, the trustees of the project employed Narum as director and in 1932 he was namied superintendent, a position he has filled since that time.
■Mayor Sean M. Dunphy today announced the appointment of Donald E. Powers Jr. as Veterans Agent for the City of Northampton. Powers will replace Ray B. Sias who retired April 10 after serving as Veterans Agent for ten years.
■A new children’s clothing store is now open at 24 Center St. The Nutcracker is located in the storefront between the Iron Horse Coffee Shop and Blue note Guitars. Partners Lorelei Mendelson and Corinne Tranghese said The Nutcracker will only stock domestically manufactured goods.
■Organizers of the sixth annual Northampton Lesbian Festival failed to win the support they sought last night for plans to use Pulaski Park as part of a three-day event. Members of the Board of Public Works were opposed to the group’s proposal to locate merchandise and food booths in the park, and questioned whether the park was large enough to hold the expected crowds.
■Some area legislators pledged their support Monday for a bill that would establish two resort casinos in the Bay State, a stark contrast to two years ago when area lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to reject Gov. Deval PatrickÕs proposal to build three such casinos in the commonwealth.
■Housing authorities in Easthampton and Amherst are considering banning smoking in their living quarters. Meanwhile, the Northampton Housing Authority is poised to ban smoking at one building within an eight-building compound on Fruit Street but has no plans to pursue a full ban on all its property, according to Director Jon Hite.