A Look Back: Jan. 25

50 Years Ago

■A day treatment center for mentally disturbed adults could become a reality in Northampton during February if federal funds are approved. The center would serve both people released from mental health institutions and potential candidates for institutions.

■A national day of mourning for former President Lyndon B. Johnson will be observed Thursday and state and federal offices will be closed for the day. In Northampton, both the city and Florence stations of the post office will be closed for the day.

25 Years Ago

■Over the course of four hours Monday, the people and companies competing to redevelop the Northampton State Hospital will give their spiels and take questions. The long session is being convened by the Citizens Advisory Committee. Decisions on which groups will develop the property will be made by the state Division of Capital Planning and Operations.

■Rural Renaissance, the classical music series based in Ashfield’s Town Hall, has canceled its winter/spring season because of a shortage of funds. Promoter John Box, a national arts consultant, expects the two-year-old series to continue on a concert-by-concert basis.

10 Years Ago

■For many University of Massachusetts students who patronize downtown bars and restaurants into the early morning hours, the only safe means of getting back to campus or their nearby housing is to pay for a taxi ride, or to walk. Beginning Thursday and continuing each Thursday, Friday and Saturday night until the end of the spring semester, students will have a free alternative transportation option called the Sober Shuttle.

■Even after having been diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, Joe McGinniss wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday that he “feels terrific.” McGinniss, 70, of Pelham, is the author of “Fatal Vision,” “Blind Faith” and other true crime books, as well as “The Rogue: Searching for the Real Sarah Palin.”

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