100 years
Jan. 30, 1916
Dangers of a flood in the Sidney area appeared to be on the decline this afternoon with the waters of the Miami River reported falling slowly. The heavy rains of the past few days caused the river to rise very rapidly Sunday morning and the gauge at North Street was kept under close observance. At midnight, the river stage stood at eight feet and by noon today was up to 10½ feet. Some lowland areas are under water but it is believed the worst is over.
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Jud Fry was badly burned about the face and hands and Web Fry and George W. Winn had a narrow escape about 8:30 this morning when the gasoline tank of Fry’s motor truck exploded while it was being filled from a Standard Oil wagon in front of Stiles Music Store on Poplar Street. The truck was considerably burned in the fire that followed. It is believed the tank overflowed and gasoline ran down on the exhaust pipe.
75 years
Jan. 30, 1941
Extreme water pressure on the inside of a 15,000-gallon water tank at the county home caused the end of the tank to blow out about 9:30 this morning, causing considerable excitement. According to Fenner Voress, superintendent, the automatic switch on the water pump failed to operate properly and the pump kept forcing water into the tank until pressure blew the end of the tank across the room 10 feet, breaking several water and sewage pipes. Damage is estimated at between $3,000 to $4,000.
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Mayor John Sexauer today named Kurt Wills to the city park commission, filling the position made vacant by the resignation of George Gould to become city service director. Other members of the commission are: Carl Custenborder, chairman, and Roy Redinbo, with Howard Grant the superintendent of parks.
50 years
Jan. 30, 1966
A bright sun in a near cloudless sky with slowly rising temperatures brought some relief to area residents today in the wake of the winter’s worst icy blast that sent the mercury plunging to 12 degrees below zero locally early Sunday. It edged up slowly Sunday to four degrees above at 2 p.m.
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A new Kiwanis Club was organized Thursday evening at Botkins with Fred E. Winebrenner, field service representative of Kiwanis International, Chicago, and Leroy Bishop of Sidney, lieutenant governor of Kiwanis Division Three, presiding. Officers of the new club are Jack L. Lukey, president; Clyde Lotridge Jr., first vice president; Jerome J. Steinke, second vice president; Rev. Edward W. Keim, secretary; and Roy W. DeWitt, treasurer.
25 years
Jan. 30, 1991
NEW YORK (AP) — Alan Greenspan, chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, says the recession could be long and deep if the Gulf War lasts past April. Just last week, he told Congress he expected the war’s economic consequences to be slight. In an interview published today, Greenspan said he expected a swift recovery from the recession if the war is relatively brief and Persian Gulf oil fields are not extensively damaged. “But if you get beyond three months, you begin to risk consumer confidence erosion and that would abort any meaningful recovery,“ he told The New York Times.
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Winners of the semi-annual Beautification Award were announced at the Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner. Goffena Furniture of Sidney was recognized for painting and upgrading the exterior of its building. The improvement was seen as a benefit for the downtown area of Sidney by judges. Goffena Furniture is located at 110 W. Poplar St. Sidney Dairy Products also won the award for enhancing the look of its facility at 507 N. Miami Ave. The selection committee noted the changes complimented the neighborhood.
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