September

15--State Rep. and City Councillor Saundra Graham loses the Democratic primary for a State House spot to Alvin E. Thompson, a little-known truant officer. She announces a "sticker" campaign for the November general election.

20--This week Boston University President John R. Silber proposes parietal rules for the school. Silber will later give up the plan in the face of widespread student opposition.

28--Hazardous chemicals slow development plans on two Harvard Square sites--the Harvard-owned Gulf station property across from the Harvard Union and a multi-million dollar condominium development. The next week, Harvard Real Estate officials criticize the state for the strictness of its environmental clean-up standards.

October

5--City Councillor David E. Sullivan, a popular liberal politician, announces that he will not seek a fifth term on the council. Councillor Graham has already announced that she will not enter the 1989 race, and the two vacancies leave city progressives scrambling to fill the gap.

17--The City Council reviews its 20-year-old in-lieu-of-tax agreement with Harvard, which expires this summer. City administrators begin negotiations on how much Harvard should pay Cambridge for the tax-exempt Peabody Terrace apartment complex and other affiliated housing.

24--A federal judge backs the May 1988 election victory of the Harvard Union of Clerical and Technical Workers. On November 4, Harvard announces that it will not appeal the ruling.

November

8--Election day. Vice President George Bush defeats Gov. Michael S. Dukakis to become the 41st president of the United States. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy '54-'56 (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II (D-Mass.) both win re-election. In a hotly contested local election, Democratic nominee Thompson beats incumbent Graham by more than 3000 votes. Graham backers vow to contest the election, alleging that Thompson supporters sabotaged the voting machines and removed Graham's write-in stickers from ballots.

16--Benazir P. Bhutto '73--known as "Pinky" to her Radcliffe friends--triumphs in Pakistan's national elections, and is elected prime minister. Bhutto is Radcliffe's first chief of state. She will later be named this year's Commencement speaker.

18--Graham concedes defeat to Democratic nominee Thompson and reiterates her pledge not to seek a post on the City Council next fall. Her supporters call for a recount, saying that they may contest Thompson's election anyway. The recount, held on November 29, confirms Thompson's victory.

December

6--Supporters of Proposition 1-2-3, a measure allowing some tenants in rent-controlled housing to convert their apartments to condominiums, submit a petition with 7000 signatures to the city Election Commission, calling for a ballot referendum. The 1-2-3 proponents have actually collected more than 15,000 signatures, enough to force a special election on the question, but they decide that their chances of victory will be greater in a regular election. On election day, canvassers are paid to collect signatures in support of 1-2-3.

7--A devastating earthquake rocks Soviet Armenia, killing 50,000 and levelling several cities. Cambridge, whose sister city is Yerevan in Armenia, raises funds and sends doctors to the site of the disaster.