A Look Back: Jan. 18

50 Years Ago

■Everybody knows the parking is lousy. And shopping centers are all over the place, and if that’s not bad enough, a couple more are being built. There are also two big stores – Newberry’s and Todd’s—virtually sitting empty. For Northampton’s downtown merchants and businessmen, despair is the password.

■It is now expected that Special Justice Raymond R. Cross of Northampton will be confirmed next Wednesday by the Governor’s Council as associate justice of the Superior Court. Judge Cross is one of eight of Gov. Sargent’s recent judicial nominees who was interviewed yesterday by the council.

25 Years Ago

■Firefighters from Northampton and other communities turned out Thursday for a demonstration of “thermal imaging units,” which enable firefighters to see in the dark and improve their ability to rescue people from burning buildings. The city Fire Department hopes to buy two of the devices for use in fire-fighting efforts.

■With the city’s help, Smith College is moving ahead with plans to build a $3 million to $5 million parking garage on West Street. Smith College needs the city’s assistance because the site at 50 West St. is a residential neighborhood, not zoned for a parking structure.

10 Years Ago

■Thanks to an effort 18 months in the planning and with the financial backing of the Northampton Business Improvement District, eight downtown Northampton restaurants are now or soon will be offering large-print and Braille menus for the blind and visually impaired.

■Former Minuteman Marcus Camby visited the University of Massachusetts on Saturday, when his number was retired in a ceremony at the Mullins Center. Camby, 38, who is in his 17th season in the NBA, now playing for the New York Knicks, acknowledged that his professional career probably does not have too much time left.

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