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
• Firemen were at the scene for over three hours battling a stubborn fire that erupted at about 7:30 p.m. in two wood-frame storage buildings in the bus yard of Yelm schools. Delmer Blocker, a bus driver, reported the blaze to Yelm firemen and indicated the fire had started in the shop portion of the two buildings joined by a common roof.
• Before an almost capacity crowd of friends and relatives, 135 wrestlers completed their Saturday program with the fifth annual Kid Wrestling Tournament on Jan. 27, 1979, in the new Yelm fieldhouse.
• Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Massey, observing their golden wedding anniversary, received a card of congratulations from President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalyn Carter. The card was presented to the couple at their open house celebration.
• A loan of $162,400 and a grant of $167,000 were made to the McKenna Water District. The funds were slated to be used to improve the water system serving the non-incorporated community serving 79 users.
A Look Back at This Week, 35 Years Ago
• Jan. 31, 1989, was a special day for Roy Elementary students as Gov. Booth Gardner visited the school’s Positive Action Awards assembly. Sixth grade teacher Nancy Anderson wrote the governor an invitation in November, and she didn’t know he would attend until she saw him in the school’s office while leading her class to the assembly.
• M.D. Edwards, president of Prairie Security State Bank, announced the bank had received approval from the state supervisor of banking to join with four other western Washington community banks in the formation of a loan service corporation.
• Yelm firemen were summoned to find a demolished compact pickup near Southworth Elementary School. Yelm and county police, plus firemen, had difficulty finding the demolished vehicle hidden in tall brush. No driver was found.
• The Miles Sand and Gravel Company proposal to surface-mine gravel two miles south of Roy threatened to cut off the Parkside Church’s water. Rev. Ernest Durham said that the church runs a horse camp and that its water came from a small spring about 250 yards away from the proposed 460-acre gravel pit.
A Look Back at This Week, 25 Years Ago
• Out of an estimated 150 people who attended a presentation of the proposed Y2/Y3 corridor at the Yelm High School cafeteria, several were angered and berated the project manager with questions. The corridor, if completed, would have displaced an estimated 15 to 20 houses near downtown Yelm.
• Yelm Public Works Director Ken Garmann said he was drafting a letter to the owners of the “Prairie Line” railroad to request a written response concerning an offer to purchase the line.
• Fred Casillas was convicted of the felony first-degree murder of Jimmy J. Hudnell. Casillas shot Hudnell in May 1998 during an argument over $140 that Casillas said Hudnell owed him. The shooting took place at a residence in the Nisqually Valley.
• Rainier High School student Mandalyn Mackey, 14, had the opportunity to experience politics in person when she served as a Senate page during the second week of the 1999 legislative session. She found she enjoyed learning about bills that were being discussed on the floor.
A Look Back at This Week, 15 Years Ago
• As part of the City of Yelm’s effort to clean up Yelm City Park, the walls on several of the park’s structures were removed. Yelm Police Chief Todd Stancil said that the goal of the removal was “to make the park less conducive to criminal activity, to make it a less-appealing place for criminals.”
• More than $5,000 in tools were stolen from a construction trailer at the Wilcox feed mill in Roy. Workers from Industrial Systems and Fabrication Instruction Inc., a construction company out of Spokane, arrived to find someone had broken into the equipment trailer.
• Dwindling donations had Roy City Hall looking for a new home for its “City Kitty,” Bobbi, a 12-year-old gray spayed female originally brought to the city to deal with mice. The cost of care for her fell on city employees as donations decreased.
• Despite rumors that Hooters was considering opening a location to Yelm, broker Mike Avila said the restaurant wasn’t interested in moving into the former Arnold’s Country Inn restaurant. Gary Carlson, building official with the City of Yelm’s Community Development Department, said he had received no paperwork or phone calls from any businesses showing interest in the location.
