One year ago
A 10:20 p.m. vaporizer explosion occurred at the Schmitz Grain Elevator, directly across the street from Lake Wilson's fire hall. No injuries were reported. The only noticeable damage the following morning was the destruction of the shed that contained the vaporizer.
In what was seen as the most concrete move yet toward establishment of a permanent community (senior) center, the Worthington City Council agreed to pursue two possible locations for the project.
The eighth annual Hospice Cottage Christmas House Walk in Worthington had four host homes, including those of John and LaVonne Lillie, Lin and Nancy Galland, Michael and Jennifer Bousema and James and Julie Shore.
Santa Claus rode atop the Worthington Fire Department's new ladder truck during the Thursday night Holiday Parade in downtown Worthington.
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Five years ago
The fourth annual Hospice Cottage Christmas House Walk took place.
Bill King, vice president for business administration at Cirrus Design in Duluth, was the guest speaker at the Worthington Regional Economic Development Corporation's annual meeting.
Elizabeth Grote of Sibley, Iowa, was still competing in women's league bowling at Merry Lanes after having recently celebrated her 90th birthday. Grote had been a women's league bowling competitor since 1967.
The Grand Prairie Rockets 4-H Club members donated more than one dozen handmade fleece blankets to Worthington Regional Hospital, to be used by patients during transport.
10 years ago
Although threats of six to 12 inches of snow did not become reality, winter weather nevertheless made its first appearance of the season with snow accumulation in the area of about two inches.
Worthington's McCarthy's Floral, Oxford Street, was part of a national "flowers-for-food" program in which customers donating two cans of food for the local food shelf qualified for a steep discount on a dozen roses. The "Caring Rose Week" was part of National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week.
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After delaying action for nearly a month, Nobles County commissioners approved bonds for Phase 2 of the Prairie Justice Center in a special meeting. The $5.13 million in bonds to be issued Dec. 12 were obtained at an interest rate of 4.55 percent.
Public health officials were taking steps to determine why reported cases of the sexually transmitted disease chlamydia were steadily rising in Nobles County.
The three candidates for the Worthington Education Association's Teacher of the Year Award were Rich Besel, Jan Petersen and Rich Liapis.
25 years ago
A Jeffers woman underwent more than seven hours of surgery at North Memorial Medical Center, Robbinsdale, after falling into a corn picker. Susan Nickel, 37, was taken to North Memorial by helicopter after the accident, which happened about 9:30 a.m. Nickel slipped and fell into the machinery, with her legs being caught in the head of the picker. Two days after the accident, Nickel remained in critical but stable condition.
Featured recipes in this week's "Mixing and musing" column by Dorthy Rickers were cranberry drop cookies, holiday cranberry bread and cranberry chiffon pie.
Fourteen Worthington-area girls became one of two pilot Daisy Girl Scout troops in the 25-county Peacepipe Girl Scout Council. Daisy Scouts was a new national program trying to meet the changing needs of kindergarten-aged students. Darla Vandenberg was the troop leader and service unit manager, assisted by Linda Rolfsema and Stephanie Koster, a Senior Scout.
Fifth District Court Judge L. J. Irvine recently retired after 30 years in the position.
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50 years ago
A few dozen men and women made short work (two hours) of harvesting 35 acres of corn at the farm of Mrs. William Heer farm five miles northwest of Fulda. It was not stated why the Heer family needed assistance in harvesting the crop. Later in the week, volunteer neighbors harvested 60 acres of corn on the Mrs. Helen Roslansky farm in Sioux Valley, as Mr. Roslansky was killed in an automobile accident earlier in the year.
The problem of drinking drivers and other liquor control matters were discussed at a meeting at Worthington's Memorial Auditorium. The Nobles County Citizens' Committee sponsored the meeting, which featured Capt. Paul Martz of the Minnesota Highway Patrol. Parents of teenagers were especially invited, with an opportunity to ask questions a part of the evening.
On sale this week at Farrington's Super Valu on Worthington's Diagonal Road were the following items: Crisco shortening, three-pound can for 83 cents; boneless pork roast, 29 cents a pound; 50-lb. bag of Gold Medal flour, $3.29; and four packages of Flav-o-Rite cookies, $1.
75 years ago
Adrian businessmen sponsored a corn show at the Knights of Columbus hall on Nov. 22 and 23. Ralph Crim of the University Farm, St. Paul, was the judge of the 10-ear samples exhibit participants submitted. Cash prizes were to be given for the best 10-ear sample of each variety.
For the first time in its history, Worthington entertained a deep-sea diver, J.J. Thompson of Minneapolis, who donned the traditional gear of his craft for the job of making the final connection between the screen house and the intake mains stretching out into the lake. Diving was resorted to when attempts failed to lower the water level sufficiently to permit completing the job by ordinary means, even though one of the city fire trucks was brought into play. Mr. Thompson was under water for a matter of two hours securing the 45 bolts used in making the joint. When he finally emerged, he thrilled the onlookers by executing a jig with his full outfit of rubber suit, copper helmet and diving shoes, a feat when considering the last-named items weighed 18 pounds apiece.
The Benson-Sorenson Dairy of Worthington urged families in an ad to "Protect their health with pure wholesome pasteurized milk."
