■Yesterday’s warm, sunny weather drew flocks of area students outside, where they celebrated winter’s demise by frolicking in the sun, lounging on the grass, or paddling around the pond. At Smith College, this rite of spring took the form of an informal rock concert by the Clean Living Band, which attracted a crowd of young people.
■Smith College will not become coeducational at this time, it was revealed today. An ad hoc committee of faculty, students, administration and trustees has completed its yearlong study and a report is slated for release next week.
■After six years of planning, the National Yiddish Book Center will break ground this summer for a permanent $6.3 million home. The center will provide a 26,000-square-foot trove of Yiddish culture “that will not only make a difference in the world but will also have a major impact on the area,” said Aaron Lansky, the Hampshire College graduate who founded the book center.
■In 1946, they died in a fiery plane crash that reserved a place in local folklore. Now, a group of local veterans and residents have ensured a formal monument will be erected to the 25 men who perished on Mount Tom that July night. Tomorrow, veterans and area residents will gather at the crash site to break ground for a monument honoring the 24 servicemen and one civilian who died there.
■After 3½ years of serving as Williamsburg’s first town administrator, Steven Herzberg has decided to step down. According to Herzberg, he is resigning the position to move on to new opportunities. “I have been wanting to try to do something different,” he said.
■After 25 years on the bench at U.S. District Court in Springfield, Judge Michael Ponsor of Amherst is preparing for semi-retirement. In August, Ponsor plans to take senior status, which means he’ll reduce the number of cases he handles by about 40 percent.