March 29, 2024

Throwback Thursday

Today is Jan. 11, the 11th day of the year. So, there are 354 days left in 2018. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Jan. 8-14) in history:

10 years ago

Creston City Council unanimously voted to rescind the nearly $29,000 raise given to the city’s administrator at the council’s Dec. 19 meeting after a huge outcry from Creston residents. With the new mayor and two new council members, Mike Taylor’s raise was taken back, effective Jan. 23, and the matter was referred to a finance committee for recommendation at the Jan. 22 council meeting.

For 27 years, Chris Mansour had been Greater Regional Medical Center’s childbirth educator, and she decided it was time for some new blood to take the reins. In March 1981, Mansour started teaching prenatal and childbirth classes. When she first started, a large percentage of people used no medication during birth, but the numbers had reversed with a large percentage that now choose medication. Mansour was to be replaced by Jen Swank, under the direction of Gwen Buck.

20 years ago

A pilot program aimed at preventing juvenile crime and truancy received a ringing endorsement from Union County school and law enforcement officials. Mike Jennings served as the juvenile court liaison officer for East Union and Creston schools and worked with 90 middle and high school students. Attorney General Tom Miller was hoping to expand the program to a statewide basis.

Corning Community School District canceled classes Jan. 6 for an ice storm and canceled again the next day due to slashed tires on 14 school buses. Vandals had entered the bus barn before 6:30 a.m. and slashed 19 tires, rendering the 15-bus fleet inoperable with an estimate of $5,000 to $6,000 in damage. Two days later, vandals did the same thing at the Lenox school district. The damage was discovered about 5:45 a.m. on seven buses and classes had to be canceled in Lenox.

Former Creston High School all-stater Kyle McCann had returned from a trip to Texas with the Iowa football team in the Sun Bowl, and immediately began practice with the Hawkeyes basketball team. McCann’s attempt to play both sports was tough to do in a Division I school and he had already missed more than a dozen games and practice for more than two months. Iowa assistant coach Gary Close said he liked what he saw, but it was too early to tell what role McCann would have with the basketball team.

Donna and Dean Haight officially sold the Afton Star-Enterprise to new owner David A. Pugh. The newspaper had been in Haight’s family since 1946.

Curt Olson, assistant principal for 23 years, was selected as a finalist for the 1997-98 Iowa Assistant Principal of the Year by School Administrators of Iowa.

50 years ago

Discarded Christmas trees were collected and burned by Creston Junior Chamber of Commerce in a “burning of the greens” project. Hundreds of trees were picked up by three teams of Jaycees and taken to McKinley park just south of the dam. The fire was lit at 5 p.m. and 25 or so people parked in cars to watch.

MATURA announced Mrs. Orlo (Mary Jane) Tyler was chosen to succeed Mrs. Robert (Patricia) Cole as the new supervisor of the Union County Neighborhood Service Center. She was to direct and coordinate activities of the center at 101 E. Adams St. and work with people in the community to determine and develop needed programs.

Eldon Breese, district court clerk, reported on vital statistics in Creston for December with 15 births, 12 deaths, six marriages and three divorces. The total number of births for 1967 was 248 and 189 deaths were filed.