Today is Jan. 10, the 10th day of the year. So, there are 355 days left in 2019. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (Jan. 7-13) in history:
10 years ago
SIRWA customers in seven counties had been without drinkable water since Dec. 29, when a boil advisory was issued. SIRWA had begun flushing the lines, but had to stop after water levels dropped when a water main broke uptown in Creston. Creston residents had been able to use water since Jan. 7, and SIRWA finally was cleared Jan.10.
The Social Security office in Creston moved to a new location – 906 W. Taylor St. Manager Peggy Rogers said there was no interruption in service to customers because the office moved over the weekend.
Sen. Kim Reynolds, R-Osceola, took the oath of office for elected senators at the 83rd General Assembly at the statehouse in Des Moines. She represented Ringgold, Taylor and Union counties.
20 years ago
The former Grand Valley School gym and lunch room were saved from demolition. By a 3-1 vote, Kellerton City Council reversed the decision to demolish the 1915 building and newer gym/kitchen after the district was dissolved in 1998. After supporters showed interest in keeping the newer portion for a community center, the city voted to only demolish the older portion of the school.
After five students in the Creston School district were placed in treatment for meth addiction in December, nearly 60 parents and educators attended a PTO forum on meth. Union County Sheriff John Coulter spoke about what to look for signs of abuse and presence of a meth lab.
A class, sponsored by the YMCA and Creston Police Department, focused on ways senior citizens could avoid being victims of crime and included tips for fending off attackers. Creston Police Chief Bill Heatherington said the best defense was proper preparation and prevention.
Creston High School was preparing for the future with 160 new computers. Funded by the districts’ technology program, the computers would be used by high school, middle school and elementary students. At CHS, there was a new computer in each classroom, plus two labs of 25 computers.
Papetti’s in Lenox offered a unique program to qualifying employees. They could get a five-year forgivable loan for a portion of the closing costs or down payment to purchase a home in the Lenox school district. Papetti’s would provide the lesser of 2 percent of the purchase price or $1,000 that would be forgiven after a five-year employment term.
50 years ago
The House voted to raise Richard M. Nixon’s presidential salary to $200,000 a year, double the pay President Johnson received. If approved by the Senate and signed by Johnson, the raise would be only the fourth since George Washington took the job for $25,000, and the first since 1949, when Harry S. Truman’s salary was increased from $75,00 to $100,000 yearly.
Representatives of Creston Boat and Ski Club met with the Iowa state conservation commission in Des Moines to discuss the club’s request to have Green Valley State Lake opened to water skiing and boats with larger motors. Franklin Kinkade and John McIntosh represented the club and were accompanied by State Rep. Perry Christensen, R-Kent.
Creston High School boys were given permission to grow beards in connection with the celebration of the Creston Centennial in 1969 by the board of education. The beards had to meet standards of cleanliness and neatness.
Creston Chamber of Commerce adopted a budget of $20,900 for 1969, an increase of about $600 over the 1968 budget.