Enjoy these snapshots of articles written in past issues of the Nisqually Valley News from 45, 35, 25 and 15 years ago.
A look back at this week, 45 years ago
• The Yelm High School track team celebrated their share of the Black Hills League crown in an awards event held at the school cafeteria last week. Adrian Erckenbrack and Dana Couthran received special awards for most inspirational. Lana Yenne received an award for most valuable member.
• An antique sofa and display case was reported stolen from a cabin near Valley Funeral Home on Vail Road. A sign belonging to the firm was also damaged.
• The Val Thurston Memorial scholarship was presented to Yelm High School student Danielle French last Thursday during an awards night. Among many other winners was Denise Baker, who received the Nisqually Valley Moose Lodge scholarship.
• The Veterans Building Association was looking for help completing its new veteran post home. Area residents were encouraged to show up every Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and “lend a helping hammer or rake up some new ideas.”
A look back at this week, 35 years ago
• After conducting the first mass in the new St. Columban Church on Sunday, Archbishop Raymond Hunthausen personally greeted 97-year-old Jessie Petersen. Petersen was the oldest member in the congregation.
• Dennis C. Su, engineer with Kramer, Chin and Mayo, presented information at the Tuesday Chamber of Commerce meeting concerning a new 1,200-acre housing development being planned near Yelm. 250 acres were scheduled to be used for two golf courses, a small commercial area, a school site and a 10 to 15-acre park.
• Yelm and Rainier were being considered among 25 sites for a 200-bed prison. One site was a 20-acre parcel at the intersection of 138th Avenue and Vail Road outside of Yelm. The other was a parcel on Vail Loop Road, about two miles south of Rainier.
• Yelm Community Schools maintenance worker Mike Rawls won $10,000 in a KOMO radio contest last Thursday. KOMO radio host Larry Nelson called the Rawls household with the good news.
A look back at this week, 25 years ago
• The 11-year-old boy accused of assaulting a young girl at Mill Pond Intermediate School faced the possibility of additional charges in connection with a Yelm area arson committed in the fall. After the boy allegedly confessed to the crime, the arson investigation was forwarded to the sheriff’s department by Thurston County Fire Protection District No. 2.
• Area residents worried about the rising cost of prescriptions. Eva Barber, a retired woman living in Yelm, said she was spending $300 per month on medication. Wally and Myrna Foster said their prescriptions cost them about $5,000 per year, a third of their fixed retirement income.
• Nisqually Pines resident Dorothy Courneya had her water cut off by management after racking up more than $1,000 in traffic tickets from the gated community’s security force. Courneya said that her dues payment had been incorrectly applied toward her tickets, which led to the shut-off. Board president Tonya Stauffer said that shutting off a recalcitrant tenant’s water system was community policy.
• Cynthia Wilson of Yelm High School was named an All-American Scholar by the United States Achievement Academy. All-American Scholars had to earn a 3.3 or higher grade point average and be selected by a school instructor, counselor or other qualified sponsor.
A look back at this week, 15 years ago
• A Thurston County deputy was forced to tase a man after witnessing the man and a woman having sex in the grass 10 feet from a road in Rainier. Both were intoxicated. Upon being confronted, the woman ran off. The man charged the deputy, who attempted to use his Taser to no effect. The man eventually calmed down and was booked into Thurston County Jail.
• The Rainier School Board began accepting applications for the District 4 post vacated by Patrick Barrett back in April. School Board Chairwoman Maureen Baker hoped to conduct the oath of office for the new candidate at the regular board meeting on July 22.
• Yelm Dollars for Scholars awarded about $152,000 in scholarships Tuesday night, as well as an additional $19,400 to outside scholarships. Career advisor Terry Mensonides said that about $1.8 million dollars in total year-to-date scholarships had been awarded to Yelm students.
• Rainier High School senior Nayomi Kanz was awarded $47,082 in scholarship money from Columbia University, renewable for four years — a total of more than $188,000 in potential money.
