■Jeannette Rankin, an active feminist and pacifist for most of her 91 years, appeared last night at the University of Massachusetts as part of the Distinguished Visitors Program. The appearance was only one of three the sprightly suffragette made during the day. She addressed an intimate morning coffee-hour audience at Smith College, and later in the afternoon, spoke at Hampshire College.
■Groundbreaking for the proposed $3 million-plus Mountain Farms Mall in Hadley is set for May 15. Plans call for a 300,000-square-foot enclosed mall, which will feature two department stores, a supermarket, and more than 30 specialty shops.
■Northampton has an ambitious plan and a tight deadline for taking ownership of 53 Northampton roads that officials thought it had already owned. The private roads, many located in the subdivisions off Ryan Road, represent 10 miles of roadway and would bring an additional $30,000 in new annual state funding should the city finalize the eminent domain takings by June.
■Margaret Wright and Ken Boudah have been sworn in as new officers of the region’s Disabled American Veterans group. Boudah is the new commander and Wright is the head of the DAV auxiliary.
■U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and his chief Democratic rival, Elizabeth Warren, are both declining to say whether they support or oppose a ballot question that would legalize the medical use of marijuana in Massachusetts. Warren said she opposes the outright legalization of marijuana.
■Easthampton resident and Popcorn Noir co-owner Kristen Davis’ culinary chops earned her a $25,000 prize Tuesday night when her victory at a cooking competition aired on national television. Davis, who was selected to compete in the “The Great Steak Challenge” with 10 other finalists in October, was forbidden from sharing news of her triumph until the episode aired on the Cooking Channel.