A Look Back: Aug. 28

50 Years Ago

■Lt. Gov. Donald Dwight will speak at the city Republican candidates’ campaign kick-off Wednesday at the Look Park Dow Pavilion. His speech will concern the “importance of strong local government as a force in solving the problems of American life,” and he is expected to arrive at the outing at 6:30 p.m.

■It turns out that the July weather we all complained about may not have been so bad after all. Hampshire County agricultural officials have decided to delay asking that the state to petition the federal government for disaster aid because the condition of some crops was not as bad as had first been thought from the summer drenching.

25 Years Ago

■Leonardo’s out, but his buddy’s in for “The Cider House Rules.” Alan Blomquist, a co-producer of the film, said Thursday that Toby Maguire, one of the stars of “The Ice Storm,” will play the role of Homer, a teenage boy who’s a central character in “The Cider House Rules.” Maguire is a friend of DiCaprio.

■The owner of the BP Gas station in Leeds wants to make it bigger. Neighbors say the change will only make the place more dangerous. The Planning Board heard arguments Thursday that Steven Roberts should not be allowed to add a convenience store to his gas station because so many pedestrians will cross paths with the increased traffic.

10 Years Ago

■Anti-nuclear power advocates were rejoicing across the Connecticut River Valley Tuesday after learning Entergy Corp. plans to close the Vermont Yankee Nuclear Power Station by the end of 2014. For those who protested the plant’s operation for years, the company’s sudden announcement came as a surprise and was hailed as a victory in their quest to shut down one of the region’s largest nuclear power plants.

■A commercial parcel in downtown Amherst, vacant for more than two decades, is the proposed site of a new five-story, mixed-use building that would include three retail stores and 36 apartments. Archipelago Investments LLC is planning to construct Kendrick Place at 57 East Pleasant St., between Triangle Street and Bertucci’s restaurant.

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