â Nine downtown businesses and residences have been chosen by the Northampton Historical Commission to receive the Preservation Award of Merit in ceremonies at City Hall next week. The awards are in recognition of visible improvement of buildings in the downtown area and for imaginative use of older buildings.
â Northampton native Richard G. Snyder, the head of the biochemical department of the Highway Safety Research Institute, Institute of Science and Technology, University of Michigan, has been presented the Harry G. Moseley Award for outstanding contributions to flight safety. The award was presented at the Aerospace Medical Association banquet in San Francisco last week.
â The fast spreading “ILOVEYOU” computer virus was quickly stopped from infecting computers at the University of Massachusetts on Thursday by new anti-virus software. Though damage from the virus was severe in other parts of the world, its impact appeared minimal locally, in part because computer users got early word about the threat.
â The University of Massachusetts has accepted fewer minority students for next year than for 1999-2000, but officials are estimating that about the same percentage as last year will enroll. UMass has watched minority admissions carefully since 1998 when officials announced they would be de-emphasizing race as a factor in admissions.
â Smith College’s admission policy accepting transgender women — those born male who identify as female — has been met largely with approval from students on campus. The new policy allows transgender women and excludes transgender men Ð those who were born women but identify as men.
â A field of 34 applicants from 15 states in all regions of the country answered Northampton’s call for candidates to replace retiring Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz. Mayor David J. Narkewicz said he is “very pleased” with the pool of applicants for the post Sienkiewicz has filled for 21 years.