â For the first time in more than 30 years, Northampton has a patrolman with a mustache. A dispute involving a mustache worn by 31-year-old Patrolman Jerry L. Otto was resolved by Mayor Sean M. Dunphy yesterday in favor of the patrolman. The mayor found the departmental regulation requiring officers to be “clean-shaven” invalid and ruled that Otto was not guilty of insubordination for refusing to shave his upper lip.
â Aquadro & Cerruti Inc. construction company of Northampton was the low bidder yesterday when bids were opened for the general contract to construct a new City Hall annex. The contractor bid $290,635 on specifications to transform the former Bay State Gas Co. building on Crafts Avenue into an annex to house city departments.
â Smith Vocational and Agricultural High School paid tribute Wednesday to Edward J. Shaughnessy, a baseball coach, teacher and administrator who is retiring after 33 years. The school community gave Shaughnessy a Viking helmet and created a slide show recounting his years at the school.
â Bears are dining in city backyards almost daily now, drawn by the culinary treats contained in bird feeders, trash cans, compost piles and pet food bowls. With close to two dozen incidents reported since May, including several in densely populated downtown neighborhoods, wildlife and city officials are seeking solutions to the growing presence of black bears.
â With the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage expected soon, two University of Massachusetts Amherst legal and public policy experts are ready to call it now — both believe the court will effectively legalize same-sex marriage across the nation. The court’s ruling on the same-sex marriage question is expected Friday or Monday.
â Cummington residents voted 59-9 during a special Town Meeting on Thursday to begin the process of withdrawing from the Central Berkshire Regional School District. The proposal to leave the district was set in motion after the Central Berkshire Regional School Committee voted in December to close the Berkshire Trail Elementary School which has a pre-school through Grade 4 in Cummington.