January 09, 2026
Local NewsState & National

Remember When...

By Mandy McDowell
Creston Archery team member Hayden Ray sights down her arrow in preparation to fire a shot during practice Tuesday at the Early Childhood Center. Ray is one of 68 members of the Creston Archery team. The team, which started with 16 members, was established last year (2017).

Creston Archery team member Hayden Ray sights down her arrow in preparation to fire a shot during practice Tuesday at the Early Childhood Center. Ray is one of 68 members of the Creston Archery team. The team, which started with 16 members, was established last year (2017). (CNA 2018 archived photo )

Maybe you were there when it happened or read about it the first time around, but some things are just worth repeating.

Today is Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. Here’s what the CNA reported on this week in history. Do you remember?

5 years ago (2021)

The latest Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union girls basketball rankings were released Thursday evening. In Class 4A, Creston moved up in the order with a big win over Denison-Schleswig last Friday and a crushing win over Red Oak Monday. The Panthers (9-3) now sit at No. 8, up from their prior ranking of No. 12.

Creston boys basketball beat Red Oak in a 53-46 final Monday night, extending its win streak to three. The win for the Panthers pushes them to 5-3 on the season and is the first time the Panthers have won three in a row since December 2019.

Union County Sheriff Mark Shepherd spoke to the Union County Board of Supervisors regarding open positions in his department during its weekly meeting in the Union County Courthouse. The supervisors approved Shepherd’s recommendation of Jenny Wheeler as civil clerk.

Creston girls basketball (9-3) took down Red Oak 58-29 Monday, snapping a four-game losing streak against the Tigers. Red Oak (1-6) ended the now-Class 4A No. 12 Panthers’ playoff run last season in the Regional Final.

Creston/Orient-Macksburg made a four-hour drive to visit Cresco native and former Panther head coach Jerome Hruska’s hometown tournament, finishing in second place as a team with five wrestlers battling for first place Saturday. Current Creston/O-M head coach Cody Downing – Downing’s father served as Hurska’s assistant coach – labeled Hruska as “the one who put Creston wrestling on the map,” and he helped organize Creston/O-M making the trip to the Flanagan Individual Tournament for the first time in school history.

10 years ago (2016)

The Creston/O-M bowling teams finished fourth and fifth in Red Oak Tuesday at the Red Oak Tournament in six-team fields, but both Panther teams bowled their highest totals of the season. The Panther girls took fourth place with their total of 2268, just 11 pins behind Shenandoah for third place. On the boys side, the Panthers took fifth place with their total of 2239.

East Union came out on top, 57-56, in a topsy-turvy final two minutes of action in Tuesday’s Pride of Iowa Conference matchup with Southwest Valley. Both teams were seeking their fourth win of the season and each squad had their moments in front as the final seven minutes remained with the score tied 47-47. The Eagles had rallied from a 35-28 halftime deficit after sitting in front, 17-16, through one period.

Scottish-born American recording artist Terry McDermott took second place to now solo artist Cassadee Pope on season three of “The Voice” in 2012. McDermott performed an acoustic show at Creston Elks Lodge #605 Saturday night, accompanied by Island Styles, the guitarist in his Seattle-based band Lotus Crush. Local musicians Dustin Baird and Paul Hart opened for McDermott and Styles. More than 200 people attended the event.

It was just another day at the office for the Creston/O-M wrestling team here Saturday. The Panthers dominated at the home Panther Invitational, winning the team title with 261.5 points thanks to nine individual champions. The Panthers had three runner-up finishes individually, as well.

20 years ago (2006)

The Creston/Orient-Macksburg wrestling team fulfilled coach Darrell Frain’s expectations ... and that meant no title for the team at this year’s Panther Invitational. Indianola, a team rated No. 6 in Class 3A by The Predicament, proved too potent, advancing 10 wrestlers to the final round and claiming eight individual titles. Creston/O-M finished second with five first-place performances. All but two of the individual titles went to Indianola or Creston/O-M.

After building a 14-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, the Nodaway Valley boys basketball team had to hold on to defeat Bedford 56-44 Friday. The Bulldogs cut the deficit to six points with one minute remaining, but Nodaway Valley netted the final six points from the free throw line.

Creston Fire Department’s annual report shows firefighters were much busier answering calls in 2005 than they were in 2004. The department responded to 645 calls in 2005, which is almost 100 more than the previous year. The number of residential fires almost tripled, as did the total number of structure fires. But, the number of fires involving vehicles and trash receptacles was lower, so firefighters only responded to eight more fire calls in 2005 than 2004.

Creston