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
- Rising building costs and costs of remodeling made Yelm school board members blink as they continued their discussion on finding a new office for the administrative staff.
- A change of mind between the morning and afternoon session of the Thurston County commissioners found the public swimming pool measure to be placed on the November election ballot. The three pools would have been located in Rochester, Rainier and near Olympia.
- Floyd Steven Thornton, 18, Ward Farms, was lodged in the county jail charged with second-degree burglary and taking a motor vehicle without the owner’s permission. Bail was set at $7,500.
- Joe Broddis Berry, 36, Rainier, was charged with a count of illegal possession of a controlled substance plus a district court charge of possession of marijuana. Booked into the county jail, his bail on the first offense was listed at $2,500 and $265 for the district court offense.
A Look Back at This Week,
35 Years Ago
- About 700 county residents attended a sludge information meeting held on Sept. 26, 1989, in the Yelm High School gym to discuss regulations on sewage sludge. One sign summed up the crowd’s feelings: “Sludge is not safe for our planet. This is our only home. We want a prevention plan, not a pollution plan.”
- Yelm firemen were summoned to a car fire on 89th Avenue. A Fiat, minus the motor, license or identification numbers, was resting in a field surrounded by paint cans when the fire ignited the grass and exploded the cans. The fire was investigated as arson.
- Cody Turner of Yelm received a second-place award in the junior fitting and showing during the junior shorthorn show at the Puyallup Fair. More than 300 head of beef cattle were judged in competitions.
- Hiedi Martin, 13, Rainier, was named the intermediate champion of swine fitting and showing competition among 4-H contestants at the Western Washington Fair.
A Look Back at This Week,
25 Years Ago
- Yelm students showed improvement on the state learning tests. Most scores were higher than last year, as students did better in listening, reading and math.
- The 1999 results of Rainier’s WASL tests closely mirrored those of 1998, with most students scoring at or near the standards for listening, reading and math. But many tests came back unscored, causing the percentage of those passing to dip noticeably.
- Pierce County resident Michael G. McKinney, 47, died when his 1999 Ford Mustang convertible veered to the right and off of the road, striking a tree along the 8900 block of Lackey Road.
- Alisa Louise Kerle, 29, of Roy, was killed Sept. 22, 1999, when her motorcycle was struck by an oncoming truck crossing into her lane in the 32,000 block of state Route 507.
A Look Back at This Week,
15 Years Ago
- The Rainier School Board admitted mistakes were made in the handling of former Rainier High School Principal Jeff Weeks. Superintendent Dennis Friedrich noted he and the board relied on the advice of the district’s attorney in deciding what information to release to the public.
- The Southeast Thurston Fire and EMS Board of Commissioners signed a resolution to censure Fire Commissioner Steve Slater and requested his immediate resignation. The action came nearly a year after the board attempted the same task with a signed letter. Slater was accused of holding an unauthorized meeting with the IT division of Thurston County Department of Communications.
- John Schopf, 66, Yelm, was taken to the hospital after he was hit by a truck in the Walmart parking lot. He was leaving the grocery entrance of the superstore when a truck hit his shopping cart. Schopf was knocked backward by the cart, hitting his head on the pavement and causing bleeding.
- Rainier High School’s football team ran over visiting Winlock for a 47-18 win at the homecoming game on Sept. 18, 2009. Fullback Kevin Volesky rushed for 174 yards and two scores, along with 190 receiving yards and one touchdown.
