A Look Back: Jan. 9

50 Years Ago

■The fangs of winter are slowly sinking in. The weather these days is enough to make anybody want to take permanent refuge near a crackling fireplace as Hampshire County residents remained locked in a deep freeze. Last night below-zero temperatures frosted windows throughout the county.

■Joseph G. Bobbin who resigned suddenly last week as administrative assistant to the superintendent of Northampton schools, said today a discrepancy in the duties assigned to him caused him to resign. Bobbin was contacted by the Gazette at Belchertown State School where he was employed prior to accepting the school department position four months ago.

25 Years Ago

■Tubed Products Inc. of Easthampton, the largest industrial employer in town with about 800 employees, is adding 48 people to its local payroll this year. The company is in the process of closing down its Freehold, N.J., plant and is hiring local workers to consolidate production in its Easthampton plant.

■On June 30, ashtrays in Amherst bars will be emptied for the last time. The Amherst Board of Health last night decided that a ban on smoking in all town bars will take effect July 1. The ban comes after months of complaints from bar owners who say the ban will hurt their businesses.

10 Years Ago

■Police and school officials are defending a request to have Northampton High School students sign a pledge to help keep the school safe after a threatening note was discovered at the school last month. On Dec. 21, Northampton High students were asked to sign a “blanket” pledge, though they were not told it was linked to the investigation into the discovery of an unsigned threatening note in a boys’ bathroom.

■Community Preservation Act money has helped preserve 4,100 acres of open space in the Pioneer Valley since 2000. In Hampshire County, Northampton leads the 19 communities in preserving the most land, at 531 acres, followed by Hadley, with 486 acres, and then Belchertown, with 440 acres.

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