50 Years Ago
- Twenty-one dogs and some eight cats died in Belchertown over the weekend in an apparent return of the mysterious poisonings that killed 34 pets over a two-month period last spring. Two more dogs died in nearby Granby on Friday and Saturday.
- John A. Sargent of Northampton has been named Air Force ROTC fall semester cadet commander at the University of Massachusetts, according to Air Force ROTC Commander Col. John M. Volpe. A 1973 graduate of Northampton High School, Sargent is a senior psychology major. He has an Air Force ROTC scholarship and has been decorated 13 times for leadership.
25 Years Ago
- A new tattoo and piercing business that has outgrown its basement space next door is poised to replace the Goodwill thrift shop in its longtime Main Street storefront next month. ‘We’re bringing it right up on Main Street and we’re expanding it considerably,” said Skip Traverse, owner of Just Because, a retail shop, and Lucky’s Tattoo and Piercing Emporium, located in the basement underneath Just Because at 33 Main Street.
- Rabbi Sheila Weinberg, who has led the Jewish Community of Amherst for the past 12 years, will leave next year to pursue other interests. The JCA has grown from 180 to 350 families while Weinberg has been rabbi and has just completed a major expansion and renovation project.
10 Years Ago
- An email warning students about making jokes about Harambe the gorilla led to a swift backlash online and much eyerolling on the University of Massachusetts campus. In a weekend email, student resident assistants at Sycamore Hall threatened to report Harambe jokes as sexual offenses against members of the school’s African American community.
- The popularity of a smartphone game is prompting a local media company to create a formal three-hour event in downtown Amherst for those who enjoy playing Pokemon Go. Counterfeit Cow Productions LLC is putting together what is known as “Lure Night” from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday.