A Look Back, Oct. 17

50 Years Ago

■Break-ins and thefts at homes in the city in the last month has prompted Northampton Police Chief James J. Whalen to warn all city residents to take precautions against potential break-ins. The break-ins have been occurring mainly in the Ryan Road, Jackson Street and Elm Street areas.

■Two shipments of broken glass sent by the city to be recycled at a Connecticut glass plant have been designated as “contaminated” due to misuse of the recycling center on Locust Street. “Contaminated” glass shipments are those which contain metal rings, caps and other stray metallic pieces, which require more processing before a recycling plant may use the material.

25 Years Ago

■At-Large City Councilor Phillip Sullivan reports that a fund-raiser and campaign kick-off for his re-election campaign was a huge success Wednesday. More than 250 people turned out to the open house, which was a hot dog-and-hamburger style event at the Northampton County Club.

■The Northampton City Council last week accepted a 1.7-acre strip of land along the Mill River that will be under the control of the Conservation Commission. The land, which is being donated to the city by the Cutlery Building Associates, extends from the Maines Field Recreation area south along the Mill River.

10 Years Ago

■Some 1,000 students of all colors flooded the University of Massachusetts Amherst Student Union building on Thursday to lend their voices to a suddenly powerful outcry against racism on campus and to take whatever steps necessary to bring about inclusion and acceptance.

■Though Cooley Dickinson Hospital won’t be treating Ebola patients, hospital officials are still preparing for the possibility that someone could walk through its emergency room doors with symptoms of the virus. Officials have spent the past two months developing protocols to help staff identify patients who may have the disease and to train emergency room personnel in protective measures.