April 26, 2025
Local NewsState & National

Throwback Thursday

Kay Ritter, right, delivers a Valentine's cookie bouquet to good friend Mardell Huss at Regency Park in Creston in February 2006. Ritter and company still do the cookie bouquet fundraiser each year. This year, 60 bouquet orders will go out with proceeds going toward the Gibson Memorial Library's summer reading program. (CNA file)

Today is Feb. 11, the 42nd day of the year. It’s a leap year. So, there are 324 days left in 2016. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Feb. 8-14) in history:

10 years ago

Representatives of Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) attended the Creston City Council meeting and so did representatives of Creston’s Highway 34 corridor businesses. Brian Morrissey, IDOT engineer, talked about converting Highway 34 through Creston from four lanes to three lanes. Morrissey said he was presenting pros and cons, but it would be the city’s decision. Ellen Gerharz of Creston Chamber of Commerce pointed out Creston had more retail along the highway than other communities presented and right-hand turns would be the biggest problem. Denny Foglesong, manager of The Pier, agreed and thought three lanes could create back-up situations. Council members tabled the decision until the next meeting.

Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shot a 78-year-old hunting companion during a quail hunting trip, hitting him with birdshot. The accident was not reported publicly for nearly 24 hours, with the vice president’s office saying they were waiting for the ranch owner to announce what happened on her property.

20 years ago

Demolition had begun on the former Creston High School from the inside. Salvaging operations for wood, scrap metal, iron and copper wiring were started by the contractors. Creston residents were given one day to salvage what they could. Dean Thatcher was taking oak trim from classroom doors to use in his rental properties. Al Gates and family were prying up wood flooring to use in a home remodeling project. Wayne Huber had been hired for demolition work and was busy breaking up seats in the auditorium balcony with a sledgehammer. Dell Shimer stopped by for some final pictures of the inside before walls were demolished.

Iowa was preparing for the 1996 caucus with nine Republican candidates. They included Steve Forbes, Robert Dornan, Bob Dole, Richard Lugar, Lamar Alexander, Pat Buchanan, Morry Taylor, Alan Keyes and William Gramm.

More than 400 students from Burton R. Jones Middle School helped move library materials as Gibson Memorial Library prepared to operate temporarily at 124 N. Maple St. The library was to undergo $700,000 in renovations and expansion. About a dozen volunteers joined the students to make 10 two-block trips transporting 25,000 books. Char Hudson, the library assistant director, thought the move went smoothly with only furniture remaining to be moved.

50 years ago

Scoutmaster of Explorer Troop No. 312 Butch Eaton announced two Creston High School young men were to receive the Eagle Scout award in a ceremony at First Methodist Church. Senior Duane Osmun, son of Mr. and Mrs. Cecil Osmun, and junior Jim Repplinger, son of Mr. and Mrs. Herman Repplinger, were honored in the special ceremony.

An automobile owned by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Higgins of Creston was taken from the First Christian Church parking lot and returned to the same parking space while Mrs. Higgins attended church. When it was returned, it had been extensively damaged in a collision. Higgins had forgotten and left the keys in the car. While police were investigating her report, the operator of the city water plant at Summit Lake called and reported seeing several young people in a car on the east side of the plant skid sideways some distance and hit a tree. Although damaged, the car was driven away, but he had written down the license number, and it was the Higgins auto.