50 Years Ago

■The new 16-member Pleasant-River Urban Development Steering Committee will determine proposals and guidelines in the city’s urban renewal project which will shape for many years “the character and quality of life” of Northampton’s downtown area, planning consultant Donlyn Lyndon said last night.

■The Northampton Conservation Commission last night heard plans for construction of a $350,000 bridge over the Mill River in Florence to replace the damaged Meadow Street bridge which crosses the river. The bridge has been out of operation since September 1973, when a car slammed into it.

25 Years Ago

■After months of preparation work below ground, Northampton High School’s new addition made a dramatic appearance this week as workers began erecting the building’s steel structure.

■The Northampton Center for the Arts is appealing to the public to help cover the cost of a downtown fireworks display at the First Night 2000 celebration. There was not enough money in the center’s budget this year for the planned fireworks, forcing it to turn to the community for the funding.

10 Years Ago

■Paul Dunphy has resigned from the Williamsburg Select Board after receiving news that he needs a bone marrow transplant as part of his treatment for a blood disorder. He has been a member of the board for 2½ years.

■When veteran lawmaker Stanley C. Rosenberg takes the gavel as president of the state Senate, he will claim several firsts. The Amherst Democrat will be the first openly gay leader of a legislative chamber in Massachusetts, and the first Jewish one as well. He’ll also be the first leader in more than four decades to hail from western Massachusetts.