By JIM BRIDGMAN
■The Cooley Dickinson Hospital School of Nursing granted diplomas to 27 seniors at the 69th commencement Friday evening at Sage Hall, Smith College. Congratulations were in order for Edward S. Skwira Jr., of Haydenville, and John W. Hutchins Jr., of Northampton, the first two young men to graduate from the school.
25 Years Ago
■Faced with losing a large chunk of affordable housing, the City Council last night took a first tentative step toward bringing a limited form of rent control to Northampton. The measure asks that the state Legislature give the city permission to impose rent control on landlords who have used federal financing to build or buy apartment complexes.
■Roy C. Martin is the first mayoral candidate to get on the city ballot for the fall election. Martin, of 32 Graves Ave., submitted 58 certified signatures to City Clerk Christine Skorupski to become the first candidate for any office to get on the ballot.
10 Years Ago
■Neighbors of the gravel pit off Ryan Road where a state bomb squad detonated explosives last week were still fuming Monday that their neighborhood was the site chosen for disposal of material removed from a vacant Springfield home. Others remain dismayed they received no advanced warning of the explosions.
■City and state officials are eyeing the tough-to-navigate intersection of North King and Hatfield streets for the city’s third roundabout. The intersection is among the worst in the city because of the volume of traffic entering and exiting several retail developments and mixing with vehicles already cruising along Route 5.