Looking back: 2002 - Work begins on new Worthington Sports Center building

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One year ago

Excessive rainfall totals submerged Worthington late in the week, wreaking havoc on both the storm and sanitary sewer lines. Over three inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours, forcing U.S. 59 just a mile north of town to close one lane for a time. Sections of other roads were closed at various points as well. Earlier in the week, storms brought wind and hail damage to area bean and corn fields, resulting in significant crop losses in some parts.

Nobles County administrative staff and Nobles-Rock Community Health Services supervisors met to identify public health employees to be laid off due to the state government shutdown.

The Worthington City Council approved support for a regional storm water retention pond to be constructed on the campus of Minnesota West Community and Technical College.

The Rock-Nobles Cattlemen’s Association hosted 800 people who attended the Minnesota State Cattlemen’s Association Summer Tour and Trade Show in Worthington.

Five years ago

A new community-based outpatient clinic in Spirit Lake, Iowa, was dedicated, with dignitaries from the Department of Veterans Affairs present. The facility was to offer primary care and mental health services to veterans throughout the region.

The eighth annual Shrine Circus was Monday in Worthington. Proceeds from the circus benefited the El Riad Shrine Center of Sioux Falls, S.D.

The Jackson City Council hired Western Community Action, a non-profit agency based in Marshall, to implement its newly adopted rental housing ordinance.

A Brewster resident led authorities on a high-speed chase that spanned three counties in the early morning hours of Tuesday.

Local Boy Scouts celebrated 100 years of scouting with a week of Scouting Day Camp at Worthington’s Chautauqua Park.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested two people Tuesday at the Worthington Swift & Co. plant as part of a sweep that netted 19 arrests from six Swift plants across the nation —the same six plants searched in December 2006 for illegal aliens.

10 years ago

The Worthington Farmers Market opened for the season on July 6. Vendors were quick to sell out of their fresh items, with some sold out by 10:30 a.m.

Worthington Sports Center, owned by Jean and Jim Klinkenborg, had outgrown its former building. Work was under way on a new, 5,800 square-foot building on Oxford Street.

David Logan, former Pipestone County administrator and CEO for Global Ventures, was sentenced to 71 months in prison and assessed fines and penalties totaling $850,000 for his role in a conspiracy that netted hog producer Global Ventures more than $13 million illegal loans from banks in Pipestone and Garretson, S.D.

Eleven youths from Worthington’s Indian Lake Baptist Church spent a week working at the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota as their summer mission project.

25 years ago

Bonnie Groenewold, Rushmore, represented Rochester Technical Institute at the National Vocational Industrial Clubs of America Skills Olympics. The contest was a national-level competition in which 2,500 students competed in 38 occupational and leadership skill areas. Groenewold had graduated in the spring from the Rochester school. She received first place in the Dental Assisting Competition.

Recipes in Dorthy Rickers’ “Mixing and Musing” column this week included Yet Another Unusual Broccoli Salad, Hawaiian Beans, Zesty Barbecue Sauce and Gorp Bars.

Joyce Forbes of Harris, Iowa, won the 1987 Ladies Invitational Golf Tournament at the Worthington Country Club. She carded consistent rounds of 40 and 39, finishing with a score of 79 over 18 holes.

Minnesota Agricultural Statistics Service said the average unextended height of Minnesota’s 1987 corn crop on July 4 was 51 inches, a near record.

Sheila Kluever was the new receptionist/secretary at the Daily Globe. An 11-year resident of Worthington, Kluever was a native of Luverne.

Playing this week at Worthington’s Northland Cinema were “Roxanne” starring Daryl Hannah and Steve Martin, “The Squeeze” featuring Michael Keaton, “Robocop” and “InnerSpace.”

50 years ago

Advertised specials at Swanson’s grocery of Worthington this week included four large cantaloupe for $1, a dozen Sunkist lemons for 49 cents, a 20-pound bag of potatoes for $1.19, a 10-pound bag of sugar for 99 cents, a two-pound can of coffee for $1.18, and a half-gallon of ice cream for 59 cents.

Joni Honermann, 16, was crowned queen of the annual Harvest Festival at Adrian. She was crowned by the previous year’s queen, Penny Kramer.

The cafeterias at Worthington’s public schools served 296,767 meals during the school year immediately past. In addition, 373,090 half-pints of milk were served. The complete cafeteria program was a $91,518.51 operation during the nine months from September through May.

Hot weather was advancing the area crops, although recent heavy moisture was called a “mixed blessing” by farmers. In portions of Cottonwood, Jackson, Dickinson and Murray counties, low-lying areas had been flooded out by heavy rains.

Playing this week at Worthington’s State Theatre was “Gone With the Wind” and “African Treasure.” Playing at the Gay Drive-In was “My Geisha.”

75 years ago

In Ellsworth recently, a red fox, chased by dogs, ran blindly up the streets of town to escape his pursuers and jumped into a flower bed in front of the Andersen Lumber company’s yards on north Main Street. When found, the animal was dead, apparently of exhaustion or fright.

French nougat was the Worthmore ice cream flavor special of the week at Worthington Creamery & Produce Co.

Bob Ball, who for several years had assisted in his father’s beauty parlor, left Saturday for the East to spend several weeks in Boston and New York, studying style trends and hair dressing. When he returned, he was to take over the former Looking Glass beauty shop on the balcony of the Wolff department store in Worthington.

Prospects for a bumper crop in the area were bringing about a forecast for a heavy demand for harvest farm hands, according to A. W. Siewert, district manager of the national reemployment service in Worthington.

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