A Look Back: Jan. 29

50 Years Ago

■A single-engine plane carrying two occupants crashed in woods beyond the end of Brook Street in Easthampton Sunday afternoon. William P. Arnold Sr., 48, of Springfield, and his son William Jr., 26, escaped serious injury and were taken to Cooley Dickinson Hospital in an ambulance.

■Michelle (Missy) Tessier, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. Emile Tessier of Easthampton, was crowned Massachusetts Junior Miss at the state event held in the West Yarmouth Middle School Saturday night. She will go to Mobile, Ala., in early May to compete in the national finals of the Junior Miss contest.

25 Years Ago

■The state is considering buying the former Mount Tom Ski Area and surrounding property, with an eye to preserving about 300 key environmental acres. Besides the ski area, which closed last year after a string of warm winters, the property is home to raptors, rattlesnakes and many varieties of salamanders.

■The School Building Committee voted unanimously Tuesday to hire William “Bill” Letendre to serve as the city’s construction supervisor for the high school’s $22.8 million renovation and expansion project. A Florence electrician and construction supervisor, Letendre is now overseeing the King Street fire station project.

10 Years Ago

■In a development years in the making, Northampton obtained a key easement Monday on private property that will allow the city’s bike trail network to extend into Williamsburg. The trail will connect with South Main Street in Haydenville, and officials say having an exit from the path onto a public road makes it a bona fide commuting route for those who want to leave their cars at home.

■The National Priorities Project has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize by 13 former Nobel prize laureates through the International Peace Bureau. The Northampton group was founded in 1983 by the late Greg Speeter. Its mission is to make the “complex federal budget transparent and accessible so people can exercise their right and responsibility to oversee and influence how their tax dollars are spent.”