March 29, 2024

Throwback Thursday

Today is Oct. 12, the 285th day of the year. So, there are 80 days left in 2017. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Oct. 9-15) in history:

10 years ago

Diagonal residents showed up and crowded into a packed city hall to show support for actions taken by the mayor and city council in efforts to clean up some properties in town. People that were unable to attend sent letters of support to be read saying they appreciated the efforts of the council.

Southwestern Community College Board received good news – the college had record-breaking enrollment again. Director of Student Services Bill Taylor said the final fall enrollment was 1,467, a 6 percent increase from the 2006 total of 1,383.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson, 47, was scheduled to take off for outer space for the second time. She was making history as she became the first woman to command the international space station.

Creston resident Flossie Roberts had a single very healthy cotton plant growing in her garden at 815 N. Spruce St. The plant had become a point of pride as a decoration in her garden, dwarfing the rest of the plants.

20 years ago

Ellen DeGeneres was angry and threatening to quit her ABC comedy because of battles over how to present gay-themed scripts and an “adult content” warning placed on her show, saying, “How can I go forward. This is blatant discrimination.”

Voters in Clarke County were getting another chance to vote for legalized gambling after opponents dropped a lawsuit. Officials scheduled a referendum for Nov. 18, two days before the gambling commission was to decide on the application for a gambling license to run a floating casino in Osceola.

Singer John Denver, whose ‘70s hits such as ‘Rocky Mountain High” and Take Me Home, Country Roads” gained him millions of fans worldwide, was killed when his experimental plane crashed into Monterrey Bay. He was 53.

Creston High School marching band placed third in the 3-A division at its first time competing at Valleyfest in West Des Moines with honors going to Beau Kenyon and Bethany Waltersdorf as best drum majors in 3-A.

Creston/O-M football team scored five fourth quarter touchdowns to pull off a win against Clarinda in the District 9-3-A game with final score 36-28. All 36 points were scored with the five touchdowns in the fourth.

The death of David Taylor, candidate for Creston City Council, created an unusual situation for election officials. Because ballots had been printed and returned to the auditor’s office, his name would still appear on the ballot. If write-in votes garnered the most votes, that candidate would win. If Taylor received the most votes, the city council would then appoint a councilman.

50 years ago

More than 160 workers in the residential section of Creston raised $12,715.76 for the United Fund campaign, according to Mrs. Stanley Brown, president. With 185 workers, the remaining were urged to report as quickly as possible. Businesses, industries and schools reported contributions of $6,996.75.

The House wanted to cut spending, but President Johnson wanted a tax hike passed for pay raises. Postal rate increases was to support some of the raises of 4.5 percent for federal workers. Postage stamps would go to six cents and postcards to five cents as well as increases to second- and third-class and airmail. An additional $435 million would be raised to go towards the $628.8 million pay raise.

Creston homecoming was celebrated with the annual Thursday night bonfire and pep rally. A parade was planned for Friday afternoon, Chris Ahern was crowned homecoming queen and the panthers beat Red Oak 37-12.