Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, January 6, 1949
• To perpetuate the memory of Minnesota-born Lt. Gen. Lesley J. McNair, highest ranking officer in the United States Army to be killed in combat action in World War II, a group designating themselves as “Friends of Gen. McNair” invites the general public to share in the honor of presenting an oil portrait of the gallant soldier to be permanently displayed at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
• Rev. and Mrs. Melvin Jorenson and family of Detroit Lakes will make a return visit to Verndale at the Assemblies of God Tabernackle Sunday morning, January 9. They are leaving soon for Belgian Congo as missionaries and will speak along that line. They will also furnish special music.
• This area has received its heaviest snowfall of the year. It began snowing here Monday night and snowed all day Tuesday to reach a total depth of between 8-10 inches from this one storm. Fortunately up until noon of Wednesday of this week the weather had been mild and there was no wind with the storm. Traveling has not been stopped although roads have been heavy with snow to make driving for cars and trucks very difficult.
40 Years Ago, January 4, 1984
• Arsenic and arsenic mixtures left over from agricultural uses are being sought under a state arsenic clean-up program, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency announced. Residents who know where arsenic is stored or buried are asked to notify the MPCA by March 1 so that investigators can determine if the material can be collected, the agency said. The program is a state Superfund Project aimed at eliminating potential health hazards from the arsenic poison, which was used in the late 1930s and early 1940s to control a plague of grasshoppers.
• Bill Blaha, a junior in animal science, son of Barry and Elizabeth Blaha of Verndale, is attending with more than 250 others, the 58th Little International Exposition on Friday and Saturday, February 10 and 11. Bill is a 1981 graduate of Verndale High School.
• Commissioner Mark Dayton announced the award of 27 grants to cities around the state to fund Youth Intervention Programs. The recommendation of the Minnesota Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee to fund in 1984 these programs which have demonstrated success in 1983 is consistent with the state legislature’s intent to assist these programs on a continuing basis. Of these 27 programs, Todd-Wadena Community Concern for Youth and Staples-Verndale Community Concern for Youth are included.
15 Years Ago, January 8, 2009
• Verndale’s city council is talking about saving $200,000 on the city sewer project, and are planning on having a public hearing on it as soon as possible. The decision was made by the newly-elected council, including newly-elected mayor, Ardith Carr, during their first meeting of 2009. Engineer Jim Hines of Widseth Smith Nolting explained that cities under a population of 5000 are not required to collect rainwater along the streets.
• The Raiders had a strange end to 2008 and look to start off 2009 with a big week against some section opponents. Due to weather the Bronco Invite was canceled so the Raiders were off that weekend but were able to squeak in a quadrangular with Osakis, Paynesville and Kimball on December 23. It started off for the Raiders with a thumping from Paynesville 48-20, but in the next two matches they looked better and wrestled tougher, beating Kimball 45-30, and Osakis 51-27.
• The weather took center stage again for more than a day. On New Year’s Day the wind began to blow the 10 plus inches that had fallen the day prior. Looking like something out of a film, it was alive and creeping its long fingers across the asphalt, concrete highways and dirt roads, slithering its uneasy hand across roads, closing them off.
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