Looking Back: 2002 - Agreement reached on taxing of wind turbines

Talk about it

One year ago

Emily Cenzano recently began her duties as Nobles County’s new emergency management director. The Windom native had previously worked in Shakopee.

Charles Eicholz and Ted Manderfield of “Deuces Wild! Dueling Piano Show,” performed at the annual YMCA Cruise and Vacation Dinner in Worthington.

A group of Worthington High School students organized a fundraiser in an effort to collect $5,000 for clean water in developing countries.

The District 518 school board’s operations committee expected to raise the price for school lunches next year by 10 cents per lunch, in part because of the Healthy and Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 that required school districts to comply with the Dept. of Education and USDA regulations.

Six Worthington High School students advanced to the Class A state speech tournament. They were Jack Martin, Kayli Kuhl, Daniel Anderson, Jeremy Clark, Sean Benz and Caleb Dirksen. The students, coached by Linda

Neugebauer and Mary Hill, competed in several different categories.

Five years ago

Twenty-eight area historians gathered at Worthington’s Memorial Auditorium for a spring workshop titled “Raising the Bar: Excellence in Local History.” The Minnesota Historical Society offered the workshop in four other locations across the state this year.

Eleven Worthington High School students qualified for the state speech tournament. They were Melissa Clark, Connor Tripp, Kim Hibma, Branden Roth, Brittany Workman, Bridget Wass, Lexy Steinle, Brian Juber and Christy Rattanasitthi.

Vendors from a four-state area participated in the second annual two-day Gun Show at the Worthington Arena.

Seventeen students and four teachers visiting from Crailsheim, Germany, ended their three-week visit, during which they stayed with Worthington host families.

10 years ago

After months of sometimes contentious negotiations, representatives of 11 counties and the wind-power industry reached a historic agreement about the way wind turbines would be taxed in the state. Minnesota Rural Energy Task Force chair David Benson, also a Nobles County commissioner, hailed the agreement as a good compromise for both sides.

Mary Sheedy Kurcinka, a best-selling author and parent educator based in the Twin Cities, made her first-ever appearance in Worthington, speaking about the importance of regular and adequate sleep —and tips on how to get it —for families with young children.

Mike Woll Investment Office opened in the former S & L Garage at 201 Ninth St., Worthington.

A swine herd shipped from Northwest Iowa to a rural Wilmont farm more than a month ago was under quarantine after several of the pigs tested positive for pseudorabies.

25 years ago

Multi-talented track athlete Brian Hoime of Luverne High School was selected as the Daily Globe’s Athlete of the Week.

Glen and Phyllis Doeden, who had taught the nursery class at the Worthington Church of Christ for more than 20 years, were selected as “Teachers of the Week” by The Lookout, a church magazine. The article on the Doedens noted, “In the classroom, the songs, stories and Bible words reflect that ‘God is love,’ but the hugs, smiles and encouragement from the Doedens are the sermons the students and their parents remember.”

Dorthy Rickers’ “Mixing and Musing” column featured recipes for Company Ham, Brownie Easter Nests, Angel Lemon Custard Dessert and Fresh Strawberry Pie.

Playing Sunday night at the Coliseum Ballroom, Worthington, was Big Band Eddie Skeets.

Sara Rose, a West Elementary student in Worthington, won first place in the Annual Sixth Grade Essay Contest sponsored by the Okabena Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The assigned topic was “A Letter to the Editor, 1787.”

50 years ago

Swanson’s grocery of Worthington advertised the following specials this week: a 25-pound bag of Robin Hood flour, $1.69; a “large jar” of Peter Pan peanut butter, 29 cents; a one-pound can of coffee, 59 cents; a can of StarKist tuna fish, 25 cents; and a three-pound package of 100% pure ground beef for $1.

Farmers in the Worthington area were stewing because field work was falling behind schedule due to the cool and late spring.

Jim Hill, associate Farm Service Director of WCCO Radio in Minneapolis and St. Paul, was announced as the speaker for the 1962 Worthington High School commencement exercises on May 31.

Plans were under way for a July Fourth water show to be hosted on Lake Okabena in Worthington. The Okabena Boat Club, the Worthington VFW and the Chamber of Commerce agreed to jointly sponsor the event after the successful celebration of last year. Tentative plans called for free boat rides, displays of new boats and sporting equipment, a parade and a one-hour boat show.

75 years ago

An excellent turnout of Kiwanians and their ladies gathered at Hotel Thompson Tuesday night in the regular inter-club meeting with Fairmont, in which Worthington was host this spring. Upwards of 40 persons were in the delegation from the Martin County seat, and the local attendance brought the number of banqueters up to practically the Empire Room capacity.

Announcement of the salary schedule for the teachers and employees in the Worthington public schools was made by R. M. Hurlbert, secretary of the board of education. Among the salaries listed: E. A. Durbahn, Superintendent—$3,100. Tad C. Parr, History and Political Science—$1,800. Marcella A. Gosch, English and German—$1,575. Edna O. Hanson, Latin and Library—$1,170. Victor H. Moeller, Science and Band—$2,000. Cyril W. Amundson, Industrial Arts—$1,350.

Fifty dollars in cash and a few cigarettes were taken last night at about 1 a.m. from the N.A. Saunderson drugstore in Rushmore when a thief or thieves broke a pane of glass, turned the night lock and entered the store.

One of the most pleasant evenings in years was spent by Worthington businessmen and Civic & Commerce association members, as hosts to a jolly crowd of Soomen from Sioux City. The seating capacity of the roomy basement of St. Mary’s Catholic Church was taxed to the limit, the Sioux Citians arriving 135 strong, and the local attendance easily matching the strength of the visitors.

Tags: looking back, lifestyle, columns, reminiscing