A Look Back: March 8

50 Years Ago

■Six voluntary probation officers were appointed to the Hampshire County District Court staff Tuesday by presiding Justice Luke F. Ryan. Two of the new appointees have already begun their duties. They are William P. Nagle of 3 Madison Ave., who will be working under the program of Alcoholics Anonymous, and Sandra Pierce of Chapel Hill, N.C., a Smith College senior.

■The new Florence fire station will open before the end of April, according to James C. Murray, chief of the fire department. All that remains to be done on the Maple Street station is general outside finishing projects such as hard-topping, odds and ends, and last-minute details.

25 Years Ago

■Northampton will study once again the possibility of establishing a historic district downtown. Thursday night the City Council gave Mayor Mary L. Ford the authority to set up a Downtown Historic District Study Committee. A previous study committee had recommended that the city establish a downtown historic district, but the City Council in December 1996 narrowly voted down the proposal.

■Two local high school seniors, Beth Jasinski and Martin Weimann, will be getting a little help paying for college. Both students will be given the 1998 Joan Tobin Citizenship Award, presented yearly by the Northampton St. Patrick’s Association.

10 Years Ago

■Hadley’s Railroad Street will be home to a new arcade, restaurant and bar, but the venue will not offer live entertainment as originally planned. The establishment, which will be called The Quarters, drew strong feedback from both supporters and opponents at a Select Board hearing Wednesday.

■New South Hadley Town Administrator Michael J. Sullivan said Wednesday that he is “very excited” about taking over as the town’s top appointed official and expects contract negotiations with the Select Board to go smoothly. Sullivan, 57, served as mayor of Holyoke from 2000 to 2010.

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