Throwback Thursday

Today is Dec. 4, the 338th day of the year. There are 27 days left in 2014. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Dec. 1-7) in history.

5 years ago

Former First Daughter Chelsea Clinton, 29, got engaged to Marc Mezvinsky, 31. Mezvinsky, an investment banker, is the son of Edward M. Mezvinsky, a former Iowa congressman and Pennsylvania Democratic Party chair, and Marjorie Margolies-Mezvinsky, who represented Pennsylvania’s Montgomery County in Congress in the early 1990s. Clinton and Marc Mezvinsky became engaged before Thanksgiving, a Clinton family spokesman said, and alerted family and friends over the holidays by email.

The first H1N1-related death in Union County was reported by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Union County Public Health Nurse Robin Sevier confirmed an individual died from the H1N1 flu. According to an Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) press release, recent victims of the H1N1 virus — including two additional deaths in Fremont and Polk counties — were all adults who had risk factors that increased the chance of complications from the virus. In Iowa, the number of deaths attributed to the H1N1 virus was 30.

Tingley United Presbyterian Church prepared for its closing on Dec. 27, 2009. The church closed on the final Sunday of 2009, victim of declining attendance like so many rural worship centers. It was founded in July 1883, with the 125th anniversary celebrated in September 2008. The church was as old as the town of Tingley itself.

10 years ago

Creston Motor Company won a Ford GT – Ford’s newest sports car – along with its $150,000 price tag and engine which can move the speedometer to 200 miles per hour. Creston Motor won the car during a raffle among Ford dealerships. There were two interested buyers. Owner Mark Blazek said it was easily the most expensive car he had ever had in the showroom.

Creston Post Office earned a customer service award after findings of a survey in the 508 mailing area. Surveys were randomly mailed to people in the Hawkeye mailing district, which includes most of Iowa and parts of eastern Illinois. Questions on the survey focused on quality of customer service at the post office and the 508 zip code mailing area received the highest ratio of positive answers in the district.

20 years ago

Band members from 13 different southwest Iowa schools rehearsed for the annual Creston Little All State Festival. The band was conducted by Joseph Christensen, director of bands at Iowa State University.

An audit of Union County Jail found frozen meals served to inmates didn’t meet state nutritional standards. Meals catered by HyVee deli were replaced with frozen dinners because Union County officials thought they were saving $12,000. A target date of Jan. 1 was set for finding a solution to the problem.

Creston got hit with a daylong sleet measuring two inches Dec. 6 followed by a one inch evening snowfall causing treacherous road conditions. Two accidents involving significant damage were reported, but no injuries. School dismissed at noon Dec. 6 and school and SWCC classes were canceled Dec. 7.