Dusting off the Archives
News from Verndale's Past
75 Years Ago, March 24, 1949
• Mrs. Boyd Conley of Verndale, president of the Wadena County Historical Society, Ray Tibbetts, secretary of the Wadena Jaycees, and Vern Vogel, president of the Wadena Civic and Commerce, were guests of the Verndale Commercial Club on Monday evening. The guests explained the proposed Wadena County Historical pageant which is to be held in conjunction with the Wadena County Fair in August. There will be 250 county residents taking an active part in the pageant.
• Miss Armella Kern, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Kern, will appear in an orchestra concert at the College of St. Benedict, St. Joseph, where she is a sophomore, on Thursday, March 31. She will play the flute.
• The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis decided Saturday that a farmer and his dairy cows are in the same class as a manufacturer and his machines as far as income taxes are concerned. Their decision may affect almost every farmer in the state because it will allow the lost dairy cows to be counted as “depreciable assets” and they will report only 50 percent of the gain when the cows are sold.
40 Years Ago, May 26, 1984
• With four votes for, one opposed and one abstaining, Verndale’s School Board voted last week Monday to operate its own elementary EMH (Educable Mentally Handicapped) program beginning next year instead of transferring these students to Wadena which has been the case for a number of years. Costs have risen each year to the extent that it would now be more cost-effective for the school to conduct its own program.
• Cadette Scouts honored Lioness members, their sponsors, along with their parents at a get-together held at St. Frederick’s Church basement last week Monday. In addition to serving refreshments, games were played. Girls who were hosts were: Janell Pierce, Susan Kopischke, Terri Derby and Camile Moyer; also pictured were leader Vicki Smith, Regene Tarrell, Briget Perish, Monica Dolezal, Donna Goeden and Cathy Radniecki.
• Twin aunts of Amy Kostrzewski, a third grader, entertained lower elementary students last week with a special music program. Janet Kostrzewski and Janel are from Stephen, north of Crookston, and are both freshmen at UND. They were in town visiting their brother Allen. They harmonized in several numbers, then asked the children to join them in song.
15 Years Ago, March 26, 2009
• Hometown girl, Cyndi Rogge, has taken inspiring journeys to Nicaragua to help the needy, returning from the most recent one on March 6. Nicaragua is the largest country in Central America and the poorest. Several devastating events in the past 30 years have wreaked havoc on this country. In 1972, a massive earthquake virtually leveled the capitol of Managual. In the 1980s, the Contra-Sandinsta war ravaged the country. In 1998, Hurricane Mitch swept across central America. That same year the crater of Las Casitas Volcano collapsed from the heavy rains causing a mudslide, killing thousands.
• About 50 Verndale High School students and six adults volunteered to help hold back flood waters from the swelling Red River between the twin towns of Breckendrige and Wahpeton on Tuesday March 24. Verndale Principal Paul Brownlow announced the volunteer effort to the school board on March 23. Students teamed up with volunteers from other schools such as Underwood and Battle Lake to help with sandbagging.
• Verndale’s public hearing on the 2007 Sanitary Sewer and Water Man Improvement Project Year One has been rescheduled to April 6. Jim Hines of Widseth, Smith, & Nolting updated the Verndale City Council on the project. He told the council the latest cost estimate for the project is about $850,000. This includes 1000 feet of sewer and water main replacements along North Farwell Street from Highway 10 to Third Avenue.