A Look Back, Jan. 2

50 Years Ago

■W. T. Grant Co., the giant retail chain, plans to close 66 unprofitable stores between February and July as a cost-cutting measure, the company said Friday. The Grant stores in Northampton and Easthampton will not be among those closed, a company spokesman said Friday.

■City Councilor William P. Nagle Jr. said today that he will release a statement Monday as to whether he will resign to assume his new position as state representative. The 23-year-old representative pledged a week before the election that he would drop out of his city council seat if elected. However, he has since indicated that he may hold both jobs through at least part of 1975.

25 Years Ago

■The Main Street building that houses Faces and the Springfield Institution for Savings was sold Wednesday for $3 million, $789,200 less than its assessed value. The building is one of the most highly valued buildings in downtown and represents a significant transaction, said Patrick M. Goggins, president of Goggins Real Estate.

■Today begins a new chapter in the history of the city and the first day of the administration of Mayor Mary Clare Higgins. Higgins and all other city officials elected last November will be sworn in at ceremonies at the Academy of Music. Northampton District Court Judge W. Michael Goggins will be the master of ceremonies.

10 Years Ago

■Connie Mieczkowski is retiring after 37 years working for the town of Hadley, most of them as treasurer. I loved Hadley and I loved the people, said Mieczkowski, who turned 70 last month. She noted that she grew up in a house across the street from the Town Hall. Everyone coming in and out was someone I knew, and that was what a lot of the reason for staying was.

■Comments by Ward 7 City Councilor Alisa F. Klein characterizing recent deaths of black people at the hands of police across the country as murder, racism and injustice have prompted strong reactions in Northampton, mirroring a larger discussion playing out on the national stage. Northampton police officer Joshua R. Wallace said he believes Klein’s comments have fostered a climate of mistrust toward the police.