■Area boaters say they are concerned with protecting the environment and land along rivers here, Mickey Duda of the Ox Bow Marina said today. Responding to a complaint by an area farmer last week that the banks along the Oxbow are eroding rapidly partly because of speedboats, Duda said that he and other boaters realize that there is a problem and want to help solve it.
■The Northampton City Council will vote in its meeting Thursday on a resolution to approve the first phase of the city’s urban renewal plan at a cost of $106,998. The proposed project would affect land directly west of Pleasant Street. Plans include the moving of roads, building a park, razing some buildings and creating a new special industrial zone for services.
■Population projections released Tuesday by Secretary of State William Galvin make it appear likely that western Massachusetts will lose one of its two congressional seats after the census in 2000. Disagreement remains, however, on how to interpret the figures compared to projected population counts nationwide.
■The Board of Health agreed Tuesday night to seek a court order to force Chartpak, a Leeds manufacturer of graphic arts supplies, to stop emitting an odor neighbors say is a nuisance and a health issue.
■On Saturday, artists, a magician, stilt-walkers and children with painted faces were among the thousands who descended upon Cottage Street in Easthampton for the first “Cultural Chaos,” an all-day arts festival that included street art, outdoor concerts and performance artists.
■Dennis Bidwell of Northampton has been honored for his work in philanthropy by the Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts and the Pioneer Valley Estate Planning Council. Bidwell, president of the board of National Priorities Project, is owner of Bidwell Advisors.