A look back

By Jim Bridgman

Published: 06-05-2023 5:37 PM
50 Years Ago

A bomb explosion at Champ’s Hairstyling on Bridge Street in Haydenville at 11:00 last night is being investigated by the state fire marshal’s office today. Fire department officials speculated the bomb was thrown in the back window of the shop near a bathroom, which was destroyed in the explosion.

After 26 years of service, Miss Mildred Bidwell has retired as accompanist to voice students in the Smith College Music Department. During her years at Smith, Miss Bidwell was most closely associated with voice teachers Anna Hamlin, John Hanks, Dorothy Stahl and Adrienne Auerswald.

25 Years Ago

It turns out that 25 cents can buy both one hour of parking on Main Street and, under some circumstances, criticism from city councilors. The city’s health agent, Peter McErlain, faced that criticism Thursday when he proposed increasing the cost of dumping one bag of garbage in the city’s landfill from $1 to $1.25. City councilors slammed the idea as ill conceived, ineffective and based on poor judgment.

Some 45 people who have survived cancer began the first leg of a 24-hour relay Friday that will have 400 walkers raising money for cancer research. The former cancer patients of all ages were applauded by supporters and relay teams that set up bases around the track at Northampton High School for the county’s first Relay for Life.

10 Years Ago

Michelle Chamuel of Amherst has made it through to the top five of NBC’s “The Voice” – and will return to the Valley to celebrate this week. The staff of the Woodstar Café in Northampton, where Chamuel has worked since September 2012, plans a celebration Thursday and a crew from “The Voice” is scheduled to be there filming it to air on the semifinals show.

Three Northampton residents hope to soon close on a deal to buy the former Union Station train depot on Pleasant Street to open a new banquet facility and sports bar in the iconic downtown spot. The building went on the market not long after Matthew Pitoniak closed the Union Station restaurant in March 2011.

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