125 Years
Feb 16, 1899
The fire department was called to the bridge over the creek at the foot of the Fair avenue hill this morning on account of escaping gas from the main being on fire. The bridge would have probably been burned had the fire not been put out in time. It is presumed the escaping gas was set on fire by some boys playing in that vicinity.
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Soliciting for the sale of stock in the new Sidney Telephone Co. is proceeding. The company will operate a toll station, having connection with the local companies in surrounding towns.
100 Years
Feb 16, 1924
Bursting of the water pipe in the Odd Fellows hall yesterday afternoon and the resulting downpour of water into the public library has made it necessary to closed the library until order can be restored.
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Some 300 guests attended the open house held by Sidney Lodge No. 60, I.O.O.F. at the lodge home Thursday evening. J.E. Way gave the address of welcome, with a special address given by D.F. Mills. Musical numbers on the program included a piano solo by Miss Rosa Bertsch; violin solo, Miss Elizabeth Killian; musical reading, Mrs. Melvin Schiff; violin solo, L.J. Meyerholtz, and vocal solo, Edwin Stang.
75 Years
Feb 16, 1949
The elements lost their fury on Shelby county at an early hour today, hurling winter thunderbolts, lashes of rain and wind gusts that caused damage in nearly every section of the county. Utilities were hard hit by the storm which rolled through the area about 4:30 a.m., bringing with it a downpour that flooded low-lying areas throughout the county.
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Purchase of the new cruiser for the Sidney police department was authorized by city council at its meeting last night. Estimated cost of the new car is $2,500. It will replace the temporary vehicle used by the department since the cruiser was wrecked a month ago in an accident at Ohio avenue and Poplar street.
50 Years
Feb 16, 1974
Local residents got the word yesterday that milk prices will jump by about eight cents per gallon as of Mar. 4, the second such increase since Jan. 14. The hike was deemed necessary by the Miami Valley Milk Producers Association, Dayton, due to inflation and increased costs of feed, transportation and taxes. Another factor is that while demand has been increasing locally, the supply has been on the decrease. Shelby County should be particularly concerned since dairy farming is the chief agricultural pursuit here. The sale of milk and milk products outranks the nearest other commodity by far.
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A suggestion that the City of Sidney adopted a mandatory garbage picked-up system was endorsed last night by members of the Sidney-Shelby County Board of Health. Sanitarian Donald Fair said many of the 405 nuisance complaints health department official had to investigate last year came from Sidney residents complaining about the garbage build-up of their neighbors who probably did not subscribe to the city pick-up system.
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The Dog-Gone 4-H Club met at the Shelby County Courthouse recently. Guest speaker was Dr. Roland Berlekamp, who spoke on the care of dogs.
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Unlike most people who feed the birds only during the wintertime, Norbert J. Pointner, 636 Russell Road, Sidney, can be depended upon for a handout all 12 months of the year. Pointner agrees with a number of bird authorities that by providing an irregular supply of food for the birds, one can do them great harm.
25 Years
Feb 16, 1999
House fires are becoming more dangerous and expensive to fight, Shelby County’s Fire Chief Mark Copeland told Sunset Kiwanis Club members on Thursday.
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Staples Inc. opened an office supply store Monday in Sidney. The 23,850-square-foot store is in the West Towne Square shopping center on West Michigan Street. The Sidney store will be managed by Angie Allen and currently has 26 employees.
These news items from past issues of the Sidney Daily News are compiled by the Shelby County Historical Society (937-498-1653) as a public service to the community. Local history on the Internet! www.shelbycountyhistory.org. Visit the Sidney Daily News website, www.sidneydailynews.com to read the rest of the week’s columns.
