A Look Back: Nov. 22

Published: 11-21-2023 11:00 PM

50 Years Ago

■Riding bikes two abreast, riding against the flow of traffic, and riding on the sidewalk in a business district have been outlawed for bicyclists under a new state law. The law also permits fines of up to $20, as opposed to a previous $1 maximum.

■At the Nov. 12 meeting of the Florence Civic and Business Association, it was voted to display, but not illuminate, the Holiday decorations at the center of Florence.

25 Years Ago

■The Northampton City Council approved a measure Thursday addressing what one councilor called a “human rights issue.” It passed a non-binding resolution encouraging city businesses to pay a living wage to their employees. The resolution defines a living wage as $7.49 per hour for jobs that provide health insurance coverage, or $9 per hour for jobs that do not.

■Members of city unions frustrated by contract stalemates have taken pleas to the City Council for months. Today, they are to take their case to the city itself, with a march from Northampton High School to City Hall. Workers are hoping that councilors and taxpayers will put pressure on the administration of Mayor Mary L. Ford to find some way to break the impasse and settle with the unions.

10 Years Ago

■While supporters of a proposed $3 increase in the state’s minimum wage call it a long-overdue step for low-paid workers, some business owners in the Valley warned Wednesday that such a pay hike could mean higher prices and fewer employment opportunities for college and high school students. The Massachusetts Senate Tuesday voted to raise the state’s minimum wage from $8 to $11 per hour by 2016 and tie subsequent increases to inflation.

■After advocating for a proposed boardwalk around Nashawannuck Pond for over a decade, it appears that Easthampton Mayor Michael A. Tautznik may be on the verge of realizing that dream. A state official is scheduled to appear in Easthampton Tuesday to announce news about parks grants — a clear sign that the proposed boardwalk around Nashawannuck Pond received one of the grants.