■Close to $2,000 annually is spent on litter cleanup at Northampton’s Look Park, money that might otherwise be used for the purchase of playground equipment, Park Manager Brian Elliott said. An average of more than 10 man-hours of labor daily is spent to collect rubbish and keep the park free from litter.
■Vincent J. LoBello won the Democratic nomination for city councilor by a 3-vote margin in a special primary yesterday when he nosed out Philip L. Sullivan, 203, to 200. Sullivan said he will ask for a recount today because of the closeness of the vote.
■Barring unforeseen circumstances, the Western Massachusetts Hilltown Cooperative Charter School in Williamsburg will open on Sept. 5. The school’s opening was jeopardized last month when the trustees learned that the building inspector had denied their application for a building and occupancy permit.
■Western Massachusetts has a new leader in the war against hunger and poverty. David Sharken, senior director of The Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, has been named executive director of the organization. His predecessor, Catherine D’Amato, has been chosen as the new executive director of the Boston Food Bank.
■Lamenting their decision but saying they felt they had no other choice in the face of declining state aid and revenues, Easthampton city councilors voted 5-3 Wednesday to approve an increase in the local meals tax. Reversing the council’s November vote on the same question, the move increases the meals tax by 0.75 percent, effective Oct. 1, bringing it to a total of 7
■Gov. Deval Patrick signed a bill Thursday creating a tax-free holiday shopping weekend. The measure will let shoppers avoid paying the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on goods like televisions and back to school items costing up to $2,500 on Aug. 14 and 15.