A Look Back: Jan. 2

50 Years Ago

■Five cows valued at $4,000 and owned by Clark Joyner of Cummington Hill were electrocuted sometime Monday following restoration of electric power after a major ice storm during the weekend. Details of the electrocution remain unclear.

■Tracy Jean, the New Year’s Baby for 1973, made her appearance at Cooley Dickinson Hospital at 2:30 a.m. Monday, weighing 7 pounds 6 ounces. The parents are Mr. and Mrs. James T. Adamski of Southampton.

25 Years Ago

■Though temperatures fell into single digits, attendance was said to be strong for Northampton’s 12th-annual First Night celebration, sponsored by the Northampton Center for the Arts. People had nearly 12 hours of entertainment to choose from — 98 shows, in all, at 25 different locations.

■Sage Margaret Waryck was the first baby born in 1998 at Northampton’s Cooley Dickinson Hospital. She weighed in at 7 pounds, 9 ounces. Her family lives in Westfield.

10 Years Ago

■For the 28th time, downtown Northampton was alive with First Night revelers walking snowy sidewalks, greeting friends with new-year salutations, heading to performances ranging from circuses to plays and rock concerts and watching fireworks light up the sky.

■Extending a mile throughout the downtown, Amherst this week is unveiling what is possibly the most comprehensive outdoor Wi-Fi anywhere in Massachusetts. After several months of work and testing, including building custom access points that deliver the wireless signals, a $50,000 upgrade to the municipal Wi-Fi system is complete and going live.

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