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
• Winners of the Yelm Elementary School free-throw contest held at Southworth Elementary included Tev Coulter and Jody Miller in the 8-9-year-old bracket, and Raymond Solomon and Heidi Ranger in the 10-11-year-old bracket. The winners advanced to the rural county shoot-off at Rainier High School.
• A vacant 10-by-55 mobile home in Nisqually Pines was destroyed when firemen battled the blaze in 20-degree weather. The home was badly damaged when firemen arrived on the scene, with flames already melting the wall near the kitchen. No one was injured.
• An unexpected guest at 1 a.m. awoke George Galbreath, Mill Road, who traded shots with an intruder through the door of his kitchen. Two suspects attempted to pick the lock and fired two shots, and Galbreath returned the fire, causing the burglars to flee.
• Yelm police received a report of juveniles throwing snowballs at cars on state Route 507 just south of Yelm. The matter was referred to the county, who requested that the Yelm unit handle it as they had no unit in the area. An officer responded and contacted two juveniles who were identified and warned.
A Look Back at This Week, 35 Years Ago
• United Way of Thurston County announced a record-breaking total of $767,324 was raised in 1988. This figure exceeded the 1988 goal of $759,928 and was $43,583 above the previous year’s over-goal campaign.
• Justine Thornton, age 9, of McKenna Elementary, appeared in “The Nutcracker.” The ballet was presented by Ballet Cascadia with students of the Ballet Workshop and Keller Dance Studio participating. Thornton, a student of Keller Dance Studio, played the part of a Marzipan clown.
• Pacific Lutheran University’s athletic director, David M. Olson, of Yelm, was awarded the NAIA’s highest honor, induction to the NAIA Hall of Fame in the category of meritorious service. Olson was the former president of the NAIA.
• Basic telephone rates for residential customers throughout the state rose on Dec. 1, 1988. Residential subscriber line charges rose from $2.60 per month to $3.20, single-line business charges rose from $4 to $5, and multi-line business charges remained at $6.
A Look Back at This Week, 25 Years Ago
• A trend toward milder winter weather and more abundant goose habitat in the northern United States led to a huge increase in the number of Canada geese in the state of Washington and Thurston County.
• A Yelm couple reported that someone cut down two fir trees on their property that had been planted to honor the birth of their son. The couple, who lived in the 8400 block of McNiece Drive, said that they could only assume that someone wanted to get a free Christmas tree.
• Justin Cruz led the Yelm Tornados wrestling team to a ninth-place overall finish at the White River Classic at Buckley, taking home first place after beating Lynden’s Miguel Gallegos in the finals of the 115-pound division.
• Veterans at American Lake Hospital had a happier Christmas thanks to the American Legion Auxiliary gift shop program. Located at the American Lake Veterans Hospital in Steilacoom, the gift shop was part of the American Legion’s outreach program for veterans and their families.
A Look Back at This Week, 15 Years Ago
• Four people were taken to the hospital after a Roy man ran a stop sign, hitting a car full of teenage girls. A Washington State Patrol press memo cited drugs and alcohol were contributing factors, and the Roy man was charged with vehicular assault.
• Liquid Soul Coffee Roaster owners Martin and Barbara Salinas got quite the surprise after a burglar was caught on the roof of their store. Initially, the couple was notified by their alarm company that the shop’s back door was open. After the couple waited 90 minutes for police to arrive, they found the burglar on the roof with a computer under his arm.
• The Washington State Veterinarian confirmed that 19 cattle exhibited at the Puyallup Fair were killed by a herpes virus. Among the deaths were cows from Rainier and Yelm. The virus, malignant catarrhal fever, is carried and spread through sheep secretions. One Rainier FFA student lost her entire project as a result.
• Roy resident Jessica Nash’s 3-year-old purebred Irish terrier, Braelyn, won an American Kennel Club Championship with a five-point major. The win earned Nash and Braelyn an invitation to the prestigious, invitation-only AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Long Beach, California.
