Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, January 8, 1948
•Residents of municipalities and local units of government soon will receive the first benefits of two measures passed at the last session of the Minnesota Legislature providing for new grants from state funds to help finance local government costs. A distribution of $4,530,706 representing first allotments to the local governmental units from proceeds of the state liquor tax will be made before February 15.
•Verndale’s new Mayor Lester J. Marquardt was officially sworn into office at the first annual meeting of the council on Monday evening. Mr. Marquardt was the only new officer on the council at this time; Joe Webber was re-elected to succeed himself as trustee, and E.W. Orr succeeded himself as treasurer.
•The community was shocked when they learned that the Leo Moyer home was completely destroyed late Friday afternoon. Nothing was saved. There will be an open house Friday evening, January 9 at District 60 for them and anyone wishing to bring or send anything, give cash or donate to help them out can bring it there. Also, doughnuts, cake, and coffee will be sold and the money will be given to the Moyers.
•The Verndale Independents won a thrilling overtime game last Friday night against a strong Bertha team, 44-43. The Verndale team led 11 to 9 at the end of the first quarter and 21-17 at the end of the half. It was in the end of the third quarter, that Bertha came from behind to score 15 points to Verndale’s 11 to even the count at the end of the frame, 32-32. And from the third quarter on it was a ding-dong battle, both teams scoring on even terms in the regular playing time of the final quarter, ending with a 35-35 tie. Coach Earl Seaton with 15 points and Dick Doll with 12 were the high scorers for Verndale.
40 Years Ago, January 13, 1983
• Holly Hartung, adopted daughter of Byron Hartung of Bertha, who is an English teacher in Verndale’s secondary department, lost her right foot when the propeller of a Republic Airlines passenger plane crashed through the fuselage just behind the cockpit, as the plane attempted a landing at Brainerd’s airport on Sunday evening. It skidded and came to a stop in a snowbank. She also suffered two broken toes in her left foot. Holly was seated in the first row, along with Margaret Kloster, 68, of Fosston, who died after both her legs were cut off just below the torso.
•An 11:55 alarm Sunday morning summoned firemen to the Ismil farm on County Road 104 just west of the cemetery, to extinguish a car fire. Harry Huff, the renter of the farm home, had been welding a trailer hitch onto their 1973 Grand Prix when it ignited, singeing his hair. He called his wife, Terry, who helped push the car from the garage. Harry then ran a quarter mile to the neighbors to sound the alarm. Firemen sprayed the interior of the car which was ablaze when they arrived. There is no insurance coverage for the damages.
•Verndale boosters collected abandoned Christmas trees Saturday to use as wildlife shelters for the remainder of this winter. Performing the task last Saturday morning were Jim Runyan, Mark Callahan, Dennis Johnson, and Chuck Tangeman.
•The Bertha-Hewitt-Verndale wrestling squad achieved its third victory when they hosted the Pine River Indians on Tuesday night, January 4. The BHV team dominated Pine River, winning seven of the 12 matches, and tallying up 41 points to the Indians’ 27.
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