■The YMCA has a special class for women who want to whittle their waists, curve their hips, lessen their chins and improve their general over-all appearance. It’s called the “Slim and Trim” class. Ruth Schmidt, one of the course instructors, says women of all ages, shapes and sizes are attracted by the offerings.
■A group of Northampton young people are learning about the problems of restoring substandard housing. Last Saturday Linda Samms, Judy Dahlberg, Susan Morse, Donna Samms, Lisa Buckley, Kirk Abbott, Laura Derr, and Peter Derr spent the day cleaning up a house on Isabella Street, owned by the MICAH Housing Corp.
■McDonald’s has closed its downtown Amherst “express” location, which some people in town were not happy to see in the first place. Kim Hennig, marketing manager for a regional McDonald’s office in Windsor, Conn., said the company’s 25 North Pleasant St. eatery was closed late last week because it had failed to generate “robust” sales since opening in September 1995.
■Ed Maltby, the farm manager at the Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School, is heading to Washington, D.C., to receive the Rodale Medal for Outstanding Agricultural Composting on behalf of the farm. The medal is given each year by the National Composting Council.
■U.S. Rep. John W. Olver said in an interview Tuesday that he felt “liberated” by his decision to retire, adding it came at the “right time for me and my family.” Those comments broke two weeks of public silence from Olver, an Amherst Democrat, on his reasons for announcing that he would not seek re-election when his term expires in December 2012.
■After a six-year hiatus, William H. Dwight returned to city politics with a bang Tuesday, leading a pack of four candidates who sought election to the City Council’s two at-large seats. Joining him on the council in the new term will be incumbent At-Large City Councilor Jesse M. Adams, who received the second most votes in this hotly contested race.