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
- The Yelm Tornados football team rushed for 308 yards en route to a season-opening win over the visiting Capital junior varsity team.
- The Thurston County Parks and Recreation Commission decided to ask the county commissioners for three swimming pools to be placed in the county. The three pools would have cost an estimated $10.2 million and would have been located in Rainier, Rochester and near Tanglewilde.
- Judge Tom Huff received the oath of office for another four-year term from Roger Eide, Yelm town clerk. Judge Huff, of the Yelm Municipal Court, began his second term presiding over the minor court.
- Total enrollment in the Yelm school system hit 2,354 students Sept. 7, 1979, when an official count was recorded for the state. The count was 136 students greater than the number registered the previous year.
A Look Back at This Week,
35 Years Ago
- The Yelm Tornados football team, operating for the first time under head coach John Flick, dropped its opening contest against Gig Harbor, 28-7, Sept. 8, 1989. The Tornados had only 28 players eligible to play.
- In a weekend visit to her district, U.S. Rep. Jolene Unsoeld met with area residents at Yelm City Hall Sept. 11, 1989. Her talk outlined her concern for the U.S. economy, and she gave her thoughts on President George H.W. Bush’s “War on Drugs.”
- Yelm School District directors adopted a record budget of $13,892,113 at their meeting following a public hearing.
- Yelm Court Administrator Patricia Wohlenhaus was involved in a two-car accident Sept. 12, 1989, as she stopped in her Volkswagen Beetle for a left turn on Bald Hills Road when a Honda Accord struck her car from behind. Wohlenhaus received a concussion and minor bruises.
A Look Back at This Week,
25 Years Ago
- A two-alarm fire gutted a local Foster Farms chicken barn Sept. 12, 1999, bringing in firefighters from five districts and snarling traffic along Yelm Avenue. The building contained around 19,000 fryer chickens, all of which were killed in the blaze. A farm truck was also destroyed.
- Anthony Almeida’s classmates teamed up to help him one last time. Students and teammates at Yelm Middle School stepped forward to organize events to help pay for his burial after the local 13-year-old boy’s body was pulled from the Pacific Ocean.
- Two Yelm firefighters, Tom Barker and Assistant Chief JW Foster, and Rainier Fire Chief Rita Hutcheson, were honored with county fire service awards for their contributions to public safety.
- Yelm opened its football season at home against Clover Park, Sept. 10, 1999, falling 42-0 in new coach Tim Bates’ debut.
A Look Back at This Week,
15 Years Ago
- Yelm residents said they felt the drain of recent water rate increases. Shad Taylor, a utilities customer, said his bill jumped from $82 to $200 per month after the new rates went into effect. “I’m concerned Yelm may become the most expensive city to get a glass of water,” he said.
- Rainier School Board candidate Nicole Maley withdrew from the race and spoke out about her decision, claiming she had a “different ethical philosophy.” Maley said she gained the courage to speak about her decision after documents revealed the Rainier School Board and Superintendent Dennis Friedrich withheld public information.
- Yelm FFA students received a $2,000 grant to fund their efforts to educate the community about safe driving habits in a campaign called Project Tornado: Destroying Bad Driving Habits.
- Yelm running back Andrew Almeida had one of the best individual performances in Yelm history en route to a season-opening 36-17 win at Washington. Almeida, a senior, tied a school record with five touchdowns and rushed for 260 yards, the third most in Yelm history.
