As The Times-Gazette celebrates its 200th anniversary, we’ll take a look back each Saturday at some of the important, interesting or even odd events as they were reported during the same week thoughout the years, along with interesting advertising features from back in the day.
This week in 1948, an article appearing in what was then The News Herald under the headline, “Youth captured after slugging,” detailed a robbery at Mike’s Lunch on South High Street, during which the owner, Mike Palos, was “slugged and robbed” by a 21-year-old Sinking Spring man.
A Danville couple was interviewed on WLW in Cincinnati as part of the Everybody’s Farm show featuring Roy Battles. Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Postle spoke during the program about Mrs. Postle’s transition from working as an advertising manager for the Los Angeles branch of the Owl Drug Company to working with her husband in chicken and egg production.
The program had the title, “City Girl Makes Good in the Country.”
A one-pound can of Far North salmon could be bought for 53 cents at Schaefer’s Super Market. Argo grapefruit juice was on sale for 25 cents for three cans, a 17-ounce packet of Van Camp’s spaghetti went for 15 cents, Velvet peanut butter was 35 cents per pound, and a quart of Fresh-Pak kosher dill pickles could be bought for 29 cents.
The “Gems of Thought” section included quotations from the Bible, Mary Baker Eddy and Abraham Lincoln.
Hospital admissions, including the names and conditions of the patients, were also published.
This week in 1964, an article in The News Herald reviewed Hillsboro City Council’s last meeting of 1963, during which council voted to accept a low bid for a new city police cruiser, but only after a “lengthy discussion” was held aimed at tabling the measure for the new council’s consideration.
A feature article on the Gist Settlement explained how the death of Rose Rollins further narrowed the population of settlement residents who were direct descendants of slaves freed by Samuel Gist. The total population of the settlement at the time was 30. Although the article said Rollins was 97 years old when she passed, residents of the settlement claimed she was “well past 100 years of age, probably 107.”
A new bowling column called “Alley Chatter” was unveiled, offering on a weekly basis, “bowling tips, unusual bowling results and general information for bowlers.”
Phillips Furniture advertised hide-away bed sofas — with options including modern, traditional and early-American, all with an inner-spring mattress — for $199.95 each. Men’s bulky knit sweaters at Kaufman’s were advertised for $1.66 each.
A “spectacular fire” destroyed the Coffman Staircase Company in Washington Court House. Hillsboro firefighters offered assistance in fighting the blaze.
This week in 1973, The News Herald reported Highland County’s elected officials were sworn-in by Judge Richard L. Davis. Officials included Commissioners Harriet Fenner and John Smart, Recorder Margaret Finnegan, Sheriff Walt Reffitt, Prosecutor John Crouse, Juvenile-Probate Judge Davis, Clerk of Courts Wendell Pitzer, Common Pleas Judge Darrell Hottle, Engineer R. Lowell McCarty, Coroner Dr. Paul Terrell and Treasurer Herschel Creed.
An article about the Appalachian Highway, which had not yet been fully constructed, described the highway like this: “The divided highway… interrupted by a crawlthrough at Athens, sweeps grandly through some of the most desolate countryside in Southern Ohio, across corners of Meigs and Vinton Counties, across Jackson and well into Pike.”
Hillsboro Municipal Court Clerk M. L. Crabtree reported the court collected $8,155.10 and reviewed 229 criminal cases in December 1972, bringing that year’s total caseload to 2,162.
An advertisement offered $850 off mobile homes at Rocky Fork Lake.
A photo and caption on the front page of the Jan. 4 edition of The News Herald depicted librarian Helen Satterfield teaching Mary McClain and Elaine McIntyre, both Hillsboro seventh-graders, how to work a cassette player.
It was reported that the Highland County Sheriff’s Office investigated several incidents, including an accidental shooting, vandalism and some thefts.
This week in 1998, The Times-Gazette reported that Judge James D. Hapner ordered a Sinking Spring man to move “within easy walking distance of a bar or carryout,” and, if the man happened to be riding alone with his wife in her pickup truck, he was ordered to be handcuffed to the passenger’s side door. The judge remarked, “If he could be kept out of motor vehicles he could drink himself to death with impunity if that is his desire.”
A report showed the Leesburg Village Council and mayor expended approximately 51 percent of Leesburg’s 1996 general fund resources on the village police department. State Auditor Jim Petro suggested the village consider contracting policing services with the county sheriff’s office or place a police levy on the ballot.
Jana Hess of Sardinia, Highland County Beef Queen at the time, was set to travel to a state convention to compete against 29 other county beef queens for the title of 1998 Ohio Beef Queen.
Adam Haines scored 16 points for the Fairfield Lions in a basketball game against the Whiteoak Wildcats to lead the Lions to a 68-65 victory.
An editorial cartoon in the Jan. 5 edition of The Times-Gazette depicted President Bill Clinton guarding a Frankenstein’s monster labeled “U.S. Tax System,” from a crowd of elephants wielding axes. Said Clinton, “Hey, c’mon now! Hold it! All it needs is a make over!”
Eleven-year-old Tyler Barker sunk a halfcourt shot during a Hillsboro High School basketball game and won $890 in prizes.
