Glance Back

(From The Washington Evening Journal, Friday, Sept. 10, 2004)

10 YEARS AGO

A fire that may have been under way for hours in the attic crawlspace spread through the upper part of the south section of Reif?s Family Center Thursday morning, destroying much of the 98-year-old building and leaving some 20 people homeless.

This October, Washington resident and Keota Elementary School educator Mary Chmelar will depart for Tokyo, Japan, as a participant in the Fulbright Memorial Fund (FMF) Teacher Program.

Chmelar was selected from a national pool of over 2,000 applicants by a panel of educators. This program allows primary and secondary school educators in the U.S. to travel to Japan, in an effort to promote greater understanding between the two nations.

RIVERSIDE ? Mayor Bill Poch asked the Riverside City Council, Wednesday, to consider hiring a consultant to help with the ?next step? in planning for a possible $80 million casino complex to be developed on 340 acres east of Riverside.

?There?s a lot of work ahead,? Poch said, referring to both the Nov. 10 gambling license application deadline and possible city involvement in the complex?s infrastructure.

20 YEARS AGO

WELLMAN ? ?I?ve looked at our contract and I think we can break our franchise with IEA Utilities just by notifying them,? said Mayor Ivan Redlinger. Farmers? Electric Cooperative, a company based in Frytown whose lines run close to Wellman?s northern border, is the switch-over choice if an agreement can be reached.

30 YEARS AGO

Neal R. Lampkin of Washington, a district agent for Prudential Insurance Co. of America, was honored recently with a dinner and ?roast? in recognition of his 30th anniversary with the company.

AINSWORTH ? Jean Ferguson of Hartville, Ohio, has been visiting her sister, Martha Skubal, and other relatives in the area. She came especially to have a part in receiving a certificate for a Century Farm, along with the John K. Skubal family and the Joe Skubal family. John Sr. and Martha Skubal received a certificate for the family's ownership of a farm dating back to 1882.

40 YEARS AGO

David R. Elder, publisher of The Washington Evening Journal, was named first vice president of the Iowa Daily Press Association at the group?s convention in Des Moines, Friday.

Talks are proceeding between Washington County and City of Washington government leaders on a wide range of possible joint law enforcement endeavors, and communications is likely to be the first area of consolidation.

50 YEARS AGO

L.A. Holland, past president of the Washington Kiwanis Club, is the new lieutenant governor of Division 2 for the Iowa-Nebraska region. Long active in the local club, Mr. Holland was elected at the convention which ended Tuesday in Storm Lake.