A Look Back, Feb. 7

50 Years Ago

■Extensive vandalism forced the closing of Easthampton High School today. No forced entry to the building was discovered, although once inside, the vandals broke windows and doors to gain entrance to classrooms and offices. The food service director’s office and the cafeteria had extensive damage, with cabinets ransacked, food and liquids thrown on floors and equipment pulled apart.

■Peter Picknelly, president of the Pioneer Valley Association, has announced that Rick Kean of Plainfield has joined the PVA staff as director of research and development. PVA’s goal is to promote economic development in Hampshire, Hampden and Franklin counties through increased tourism, agriculture and industry.

25 Years Ago

■Mayor Clare Higgins on Friday named an advisory committee to work with her to attract businesses to the city, in part by shaping a job description for an economic development coordinator. Higgins said one of the group’s goals will be to figure out what office within city government the coordinator should work in.

■A legendary performer used her keyboard and charm Saturday to sketch an invitation to young people to embrace music. A crowd of about 50 stuffed into the Northampton Community Music Center Saturday to hear Hadda Brooks talk about her music and her life and to perform songs with bassist “Senator” Eugene Wright.

10 Years Ago

■Northampton’s business leaders want to create a task force to develop a long-term business model that would support the downtown after the loss of the Business Improvement District. The volunteer committee would be made up of about 12 to 15 people with the goal of creating a plan by Sept. 1.

■The largest affordable housing project to be proposed in the city in years cleared a key hurdle Thursday night when the City Council approved a Community Preservation Act grant. The Valley Community Development Corp. intends to develop a four-story building at the old Northampton lumber site at the corner of Pleasant and Holyoke streets.