50 Years Ago
- A play by Smith College senior Yolanda Denise King and a dance by Amherst College student R. Lee Nabrit played to sold out houses at Smith College this weekend. The two original works were produced by the Black Theatre Workshop in the Hallie Flanagan Studio Theatre. Both were testimony to the richness of area Black students’ talents.
- A Northampton patrolman drove a police cruiser off the road early Friday, striking a utility pole. The police report stated that the cruiser was traveling west on Route 9. Both the patrolman and another officer in the cruiser momentarily took their eyes off the road to check on a building.
25 Years Ago
- A citizens’ group is being formed to work towards preserving the historic main building of the former Northampton State Hospital. Stanley Elkins, who heads the board of Historic Northampton, said he is organizing a group to study the financial and structural feasibility of preserving the 143-year-old building.
- Long-awaited school-zone warning lights have been installed at the Robert K. Finn/Ryan Road School, but technical difficulties may keep them from flashing this year. The lights, which have been on the school’s wish list for almost three decades, according to Ward 6 City Councilor Marianne LaBarge, are now installed near the school but are not working as they should be.
10 Years Ago
- Hampshire County towns distinguished themselves from the rest of the state on Super Tuesday with a strong show of support for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, while much of the commonwealth leaned toward Clinton in a tight Democratic primary. On the Republican side, frontrunner Donald Trump easily outpolled his four major rivals, with Ohio Gov. John Kasich coming in a distant second.
- An investigation by the state fire marshal’s office concluded that a small explosion inside a Northampton police cruiser Friday was the result of a defective lithium-ion rechargeable battery inside a flashlight. Office Scott Gregory had just left the cruiser moments before a bright flash inside the vehicle, police said. A surveillance video captured the small explosion.