9--Mellon Professor of the Humanities William L. Moran and his wife Suzanne plead not guilty to charges that they sexually assaulted their grandchildren.

12--Cambridge landlord Steven Kapsalis begins serving a 58-day sentence in the Billerica House of Correction. He is the first person to be jailed for a violation of the city's rent-control laws.

20--After a six-month nationwide search, the Cambridge School Committee names insider Mary Lou McGrath as the city's 11th school superintendant.

27--Harvard officials order the destruction of the Gulf Station on Mass Ave., seeking to avert the legal hassles that would ensue if the building were allowed to reach 50 years of age. The decision 1993 the contract of City Manager Robert W. oppose Harvard Real Estate's proposal to build a five-story hotel on the land and from faculty members, who have already asked the University to consider using the site for library or office space.

January

3--Governor Dukakis announces that he will not seek re-election in 1990, paving the way for speculation that the Brookline native is contemplating a second presidential run.

5--In an effort to stake out his political identity after his election defeat, Dukakis outlines his goals for the second half of his gubernatorial term. He lashes out at critics of his fiscal policy but offers no concrete plan to rescue the state from its growing fiscal problems. Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn, considered by many to be a top contender for the governership in 1990, announces that he will not be candidate.

13--Cambridge Mayor Alfred E. Vellucci, a fixture of Cambridge politics and one of the architects of rent control, announces that he will not seek re-election to the city council next fall. His departure, along with those of Sullivan and Graham, throw the city's liberal forces into turmoil.

23--After hours of chaotic debate, the City Council votes on a measure allowing a city developer to tear down the University-owned Harvard Motor House and replace it with an office building. Critics of the move argue that the city gave away its rights on the property to Harvard and the developer too cheaply.

February

3--Harvard confirms that it is negotiating with the St. Paul's Parish to buy its rectory and parking lot, the largest plot of undeveloped land in Harvard Square.

13--The City Council votes 7-1 to extend until 1993 the contract of City Manager Robert W. Healy, the city's top administrator. The new contract includes a controversial "buy-out" clause, requiring the city to pay Healy even if the council removes him from his post, and several councillors argue that the move gives the city manager too much power.

16--Kristen S. Demong, the national finance director for Dukakis' presidential campaign, is named president of Harvard Real Estate, succeeding Vice President for Administration Sally Zeckhauser.

March

6--The state House of Representatives begins deliberation of the $12 billion fiscal 1990 budget, with House Speaker George Keverian '53 predicting swift passage.