■Heavy rains in recent days have caused some concern in the Ox-Bow region, where they water level crept to within inches of one house last week and threatened to submerge Route 5. Rains caused the water to rise in the old riverbed, prompting the city DPW to truck in several loads of sand to the Island Road residents in the event sandbagging proved a necessity.
■As the result of slippery and muddy ground conditions and a steady downpour, concessions at the Amherst Community Fair closed down Saturday afternoon. Tabulation of the expenses and profits of the fair were not available yet, but Mrs. Dorothy Pickering, treasurer of the fair committee, commented that “it was not as successful as we had hoped.”
■A group of parents opposed to a photo-text exhibit on families headed by gays and lesbians is suing to block the display from Amherst’s elementary schools. The exhibit, “Loves Makes a Family: Living in Gay and Lesbian Families,” is scheduled to open Monday at Mark’s Meadow School.
■Eugene W. LeMoine was sworn in as Southampton police chief yesterday. His fellow officers, friends and family pointed out that it is the combination of dedication, good humor, open-mindedness and foresight that LaMoine, 61, has brought to his 41 years in law enforcement that earned him the top job.
■Wal-Mart has expanded its pickup service with “pick-up-today.” Pick-up-today allows shoppers to buy things the store has in stock and pick them up in just a few hours. “A lot of people are doing their browsing online before they shop,” said the manager of the Wal-Mart in Springfield.
■A new restaurant serving Mexican-style cuisine will open in South Amherst next month. The Mission Cantina, at 485 West St., is planned for the space most recently occupied by Andiamo, which closed after seven years at the location.