50 Years Ago

• Northampton department heads are considering ways of improving their lot with the city, including discussing the possibility of forming their own union. Mayor David Cramer says that he hopes that the department heads do not unionize. “The mayor needs at least one layer of employees he can feel are his people,” he said.
• Sen. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, announced today that he is a candidate for re-election to the state Senate from the Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden district. Olver will face either former state Rep. Louis Morini of Northampton or Easthampton Selectman Walter B. Mitchell, who are both vying for the Republican Senate nomination.

25 Years Ago

• Local Police and pharmacists are aware of problems elsewhere with the narcotic prescription drug OxyContin but have seen none in this area. Nevertheless, they say they are taking precautions and have issued advisories about the drug and its potential for abuse.
• Northampton has moved a step closer to relocating a senior center from cramped quarters in Memorial Hall to large digs in new or renovated spaced with the appointment of a building committee to oversee the project. Elder advocates say after more than 20 years in Memorial Hall, a larger senior center is needed for the city’s nearly 5,000 seniors and the expected wave of baby boomers who will turn 60 over the next 10 years.

10 Years Ago

• Business and property owners asked Northampton city councilors to curb panhandling during the fourth and final forum held Monday by the council’s Committee on Community Resources. Richard Madowitz, co-owner of Cedar Chest and Hampshire Property Management Group, urged councilors to act on the city’s “most inhospitable streetscape” in the state.
• A new outlet for the arts is in the works on Hawley Street. The Northampton Community Arts Trust and the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts led a dozen community partners and local officials Tuesday afternoon through the renovations in progress at 33 Hawley Street.