50 Years Ago

■Three floors above Main Street, a group of artists, craftsmen and writers work in separate studios of one building. Formed more by accident than design, the 160 Main Street “art colony” includes a free-lance writer, a painter, photographer, music teacher, potter, guitar maker, and an opera company.

â– Sen. John W. Olver, D-Amherst, announced his candidacy for a second term in the state Senate last night before a crowd of 40 to 50 supporters in the Sun Room of the Hotel Northampton. Olver has no opposition in the Sept. 10 primary but will face independent Gerald McCarthy in the Nov. 5 election.

25 Years Ago

■A new downtown parking study will focus on problems people have finding places to park on the north side of Main Street and near the Calvin Theatre and Hotel Northampton on King Street. Peter Skaza, the city’s parking manager, said Wednesday that the study will seek to confirm grim facts of the parking crunch that a 1997 study documented — and pinpoint ways to eliminate it.

â– A reconstruction project began this week at the site of the PB gas station on Route 9, across from the veterans hospital. The project has drawn critics who say they fear the opening of the convenience store will make the already congested intersection even more dangerous.

10 Years Ago

■An anonymous donor has given an estimated $10.3 million to the University of Massachusetts to benefit the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences. UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy calls it a “transformative gift” that is among the largest in the history of the university.

â– Police and transportation officials are preparing a game plan to handle potential traffic issues that may crop up when a portion of Damon Road is closed to through traffic as upgrades to a railroad crossing are made.