Enjoy these snapshots of articles written in past issues of the Nisqually Valley News from 45, 35, 25 and 15 years ago, respectively.
A Look Back at This Week,
45 Years Ago
• Boundaries of the town of Yelm were slated to increase an estimated 135 acres if a requested annexation was to be completed. The proposed annexation would have included all the property to 93rd Avenue along the highway and would have rejoined the Yelm town limits near Cullens Road.
• The Yelm Service Commission approved the selection of William Ruddell as new marshal for the town. He was the only successful candidate to pass the written and oral examinations, with seven candidates starting the process.
• Wendy Worthington, Dana Couthran, Darlene Iverson and Laurie Smith were named the Yelm Prairie Days queen finalists. All four were Yelm High School juniors and were slated to serve on the royal court during the year.
• The Ding-a-lings, Yelm Telephone Company’s basketball team, won the Rainier League Championship, posting a record of 13-1. All members were Yelm High School alumni. They averaged 75 points per game while holding their opponent to an average of 53 points.
A Look Back at This Week,
35 Years Ago
• Concrete was poured for the new seats in the double-sided stage area in Yelm Community Park on March 22, 1989, following the building being framed. Concrete was set to be poured for the new 30- by 60-foot building, replacing the old bingo stand that was demolished.
• Gary Goldbaum, M.D., health officer for Thurston County Public Health and Social Services Department, sent a letter to health care providers in the county concerning two confirmed and two suspected cases of pertussis. All of the cases involved children under 4 years of age in the Yelm and Rainier areas.
• Jeff Nelson, 21, Yelm Highway, had a short crime spree on March 21, 1989, when he attempted to enter Tim’s Pharmacy in Yelm. The suspect had clipped all telephone and cable wires leading to the drug store before tripping the audible alarm. He was apprehended and charged with second-degree burglary.
• Yelm High School senior Carren Herron was invited to participate in a volleyball tournament in Russia in the summer of 1989. The tournament was sponsored by the United States Volleyball Association and was a 13-day tournament that included 48 girls from three states and British Columbia.
A Look Back at This Week,
25 Years Ago
• Yelm High School senior Jeremy Olson was named Youth of the Year by the Yelm Parks Advisory Committee. Olson helped lead a local chapter of Students Against Drunk Driving, was an active participant in FFA and helped coordinate Yelm’s Christmas in the Park program.
• A bill overturning a ban on hunting cougars with dogs effectively died March 17, 1999, after failing to reach the House floor for a vote.
• An accident involving a faulty thermostat on a hot tub left 6-year-old Devin Rearden with second- and third-degree burns on the lower half of his body. He was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center after jumping in 120- to 125-degree water.
• Nancy Adams retired from her position as a rural mail carrier in the Yelm area, a position she held since 1977.
A Look Back at This Week,
15 Years Ago
• Postal workers at the Yelm post office got a surprise delivery after an elderly man crashed into a wall. Delbert Lord, 80, of Yelm, was pulling into a handicapped parking spot in front of the post office when his foot slipped off of the brake and onto the gas. “These shoes are slippery,” he later said.
• Rainier Mayor Nancy Decker’s attempts to block the appointment of a city administrator raised concerns during a March 10, 2009, meeting. Councilman Shaw said he was worried about the public’s perception of the newly created position as it would not have cost the city any additional money.
• Yelm residents Cecelia Jenkins and Carl Peterson were honored as nominees for the 2008 Thurston County citizen of the year. Jenkins founded the Yelm Community Education Advisory Council and ran it for more than three decades, while Peterson worked as a court-appointed special advocate.
• Yelm High School’s girls basketball team was eliminated from the state tournament after losing its consolation bracket game, 56-47, to Mercer Island on March 20, 2009.
