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
- .Eugene Judy, representing the Lake St. Clair area, was elected president of the Yelm school board. Judy, an eight-year veteran on the board, had previously served as chairman. Harry Petersen, a newly elected board member, was elected vice president.
- Larry Leroy Decker, 32, was killed Jan. 24, 1980, when an auto he was working on slipped off the jacks and crushed him. Decker, a diesel mechanic at the Centralia steam plant, was working on the exhaust system and had removed the left front wheel. The car had been jacked high, but no jack stands were used.
- Headaches and sore throats were the order of the day for many students in Yelm schools and adults who remained home as a flu epidemic struck the area. Southworth Elementary showed 90 students away, with 380 enrolled, while McKenna Elementary also reported 93 missing students, with 357 enrolled. Yelm High School seemed to be the hardest hit by the bug with 186 students not reporting for classes, with 678 enrolled.
- .Two mobile homes and two homes on Vail Loop Road were broken into by thieves. Missing from a mobile home in Nisqually Pines were two $4,000 antique watches, a guitar and other belongings. Other antiques and electronic equipment were stolen from the other homes.
A Look Back at This Week,
35 Years Ago
- The population of the rural Yelm area boomed during the second half of the 1980s, as it experienced the fastest population growth in Thurston County. Yelm Community Schools reported that enrollment grew from 2,557 in 1983 to 3,136 in 1989.
- The Thurston County Sheriff diving team pulled a 1977 Ford Thunderbird out of the Centralia Power Canal Jan. 25, 1990. The car had driven into the canal four days prior, but the incident was not reported until the day before the vehicle was pulled. Two men reportedly swam away from the car after it went into the canal.
- Both 9-year-old Jeremy Wood and his 5-year-old brother, Joshua, were set to travel to Florida in the spring of 1990 with their family to view a launching of the space shuttle. The youth won the all-expense-paid vacation through a Pepsi-Cola contest offered at New Life Christian Center in Yelm.
- Daniel W.S. Bass, Third Street, Yelm, was arrested by Yelm police on Jan. 27, 1990, and charged with possession of suspected cocaine with intent to deliver. Yelm Police Chief Glenn Dunnam stated Bass had been under investigation for several months.
A Look Back at This Week,
25 Years Ago
- Two suspected methamphetamine manufacturers fled from Yelm days before police raided their hidden lab Jan. 31, 2000. Police searched for John Frederick Moltzen, 47, and Laura A. Coyne, 41, who were believed to be hiding in Tacoma.
- Traffic problems along the Nisqually Red Wind Casino stretch of state Route 510 were expected to be alleviated with the addition of a center turn lane. Construction of the state Department of Transportation project was slated to begin in the spring and completed in time for summer traffic.
- The Rainier High School girls basketball team clinched first place in the Southwest A League’s northern division with a crushing 66-15 win over Onalaska on Jan. 31, 2000.
- The City of Yelm geared up to hire a new police chief as Glenn Dunnam, who had served as chief for 11 years, was set to step down on May 31, 2000. City officials said they expected the position to be filled by the end of March.
A Look Back at This Week,
15 Years Ago
- Right before he was supposed to be sworn into a four-year term, Roy Councilman Chuck Chappell vanished like a candle in the wind. Roy City Council received Chappell’s resignation before its Jan. 25, 2010, meeting, and he gave no explanation in his letter.
- An Olympia woman was arrested after allegedly stealing a man’s wallet Jan. 22, 2010, at the Red Wind Casino. Kathleen Autumn Joy Jones, 31, was arrested on suspicion of second-degree theft, second-degree identity theft and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
- Craig Haslebacher, a chef at Prestige Senior Living Rosemont, defeated celebrity chef Bobby Flay on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America.”
- In a play off “Forest Gump,” Yelm brothers Jeremy Bernier and Marcus Crone created RunBrotherRun, an organization that raised money for worthy causes by running great distances. They were set to host an event in Yelm that would benefit people who were devastated by the earthquake in Haiti.
