A Look Back, Dec. 22

50 Years Ago

• A small publishing company which has been based in Northampton for four years and has published such notables as Allen Ginsberg and Joel Oppenheimer has been forced to locate out of the city because it could not find office space here. Mulch Press, which was started in 1970 by two former New York City residents, has moved from Northampton to Chicopee.
• Northampton area merchants report that Christmas sales this year are slightly brisker than last year. Ralph Levy of Daniel’s men’s store reported today that “Things are quite a bit better.” As usual, sport shirts and sweaters are doing well, especially turtleneck sweaters, he said.

25 Years Ago

• Two years and two settlements later, the Easthampton School District has disclosed that it paid $91,000 in damages to four students who were allegedly caught smoking marijuana during a school field trip and expelled from school, plus an undetermined amount in legal fees. The charges were never proven in court.
• Eric Suher, owner of about 16 downtown properties, including the Calvin Theatre, has signed a purchase and sale agreement for La Cazuela, a Mexican restaurant on Old South Street. He has applied to the License Commission to exchange La Cazuela’s year-round liquor license with the Calvin’s seasonal license, which permits serving alcohol from April 1 to Jan. 15.

10 Years Ago

• Local shoppers used to carting groceries home in thin, plastic checkout bags are in for a change, as Northampton’s single-use plastic bag ban takes effect Jan. 1. In area supermarket and retail store parking lots Saturday, several shoppers were unaware of the policy change and seemed unsure of how it would affect them.
• A business entity with ties to a company that opened a medical marijuana dispensary in Chicago has expressed an interest in bringing a dispensary to Amherst. GTI-Massachusetts NP Corp. President Peter Kadens wrote that his company “is contemplating siting a Registered Marijuana Dispensary in Amherst, Massachusetts.”

The post A Look Back, Dec. 22 appeared first on Daily Hampshire Gazette.