March 28, 2024

Throwback Thursday

Today is April 25, the 115th day of the year. So, there are 250 days left in 2019. Below are news items from the Creston News Advertiser for this week (April 22-28) in history:

20 years ago

A proposal to Creston City Council was for Crest Heaven Care Centre’s planned new nursing home to not be built on North Lincoln Street after all, but likely be moved in the James subdivision and be constructed on the site south of Creston Nursing and Rehab Center. The site had been leveled for another senior living complex. After a closed session, the council voted to authorize Mayor Larry Wynn to purchase the eight acres from UCDA for the project.

More than 60 people attended the ground breaking for Taylor Ridge, a $3 million assisted living housing project in Lenox.

Less than 24 hours after the stop lights were in operation at Townline Road and North Lincoln Street, a two vehicle accident occurred. Debra Katzer was southbound in a Dodge van and Debra Moore was westbound on Townline in a Chevy Lumina, when the collision occurred and the van ended up on its side. Police Chief Bill Heatherington had just left minutes before from observing traffic.

Iowa’s bottle bill turned 20 years old.

50 years ago

Enrollment numbers were in after kindergarten roundup was held with a total of 191 to enter the following fall in Creston Community Schools. The enrollment at each grade school was 57 at Irving, 46 at Jefferson, 45 at Lincoln and 43 at Franklin.

A petition objecting to a sawmill in northeast Creston was presented at the Creston City Council meeting and signed by owners of 38 properties in the area. A.V. Boyd and Sons had announced plans to move their sawmill from Diagonal to the Brickyard site for production of pallets for shipment of filters manufactured by Purolator Company. The site was zoned in 1963 for heavy industrial use, but there had been extensive residential development in the previous five years. Marshall Camp, one of the petitioners, said they felt the mill would be noisy and create dust which would depreciate the value of their homes.

Mayor Percy Carney and city attorney William McLaughlin met with the Burlington Railroad real estate agent to investigate the possible purchase of non-operating railroad property by the city. The city leased property west of the depot for a parking lot and on East Montgomery Street where a building used by street department was located. Purchase of the two properties was to be discussed by the city council.

More than 20 inquiries about purchasing the old depot were received by Burlington Railroad. The depot, built in the 1890s, was to be surplus property when the railroad moved to the new smaller depot.

The Creston Centennial float was in the Drake Relays parade in Des Moines to promote the upcoming celebration June 27 to July 5, 1969. Mrs. Lloyd Hicks, Barbara Hicks, Mrs. J. Howard Brown and Debbie Purdum rode on the float as it was pulled by Chuck Lang.

Creston City Council was considering a plan to acquire property on the southwest corner of North Division and West Howard streets to straighten Howard Street and a high bank dropped to alleviate blind corners which had caused several collisions in the previous few weeks.

Iowa Highway Patrol had a new tool – Vascar – for checking on speeders. One of the 50 units was installed in the car operated by Patrolman Richard Aringdale, who lived in Creston and worked in the area. Vascar could check the speed of vehicles ahead or behind the patrol car and determined the average speed between two points.