Peekin' into the Past

Five Years Ago

Dec. 7, 2017

In a case that’s been ongoing for nearly five years, justice for Kelsie Schelling took a new turn last Friday, Dec. 1. Donthe Lucas, 25, was arrested by Pueblo Police Department, along with agents from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, on first-degree murder charges.

Phillips County administrator Randy Schafer has been recognized as a 2017 Administrator of the Year by the Association of Colorado County Administrators.

The United States Postal Service secured an agreement with Amazon for the last-mile delivery contract in October, increasing the number of packages delivered by local carriers out of the Holyoke Post Office to 200-300 per day.

Ten Years Ago

Dec. 6, 2012

Dr. Patricia Coyman has recently joined the medical staff at Melissa Memorial Hospital and Family Practice of Holyoke.

Former Paoli postmaster Marilyn Miller closed the Paoli Post Office, which was located on the west side of her home, on Nov. 16. She retired earlier this year on July 31 after serving just over 41 years as postmaster. When the doors closed on the post office, the United States Postal Service opted to install a community cluster box on the east side of Town Hall.

Based on scientific evidence that the lesser prairie chicken and its habitat are in decline, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced recently it is initiating a process to consider whether the species should be recognized as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.

Following the recent purchase of the bowling alley property just to the east of the courthouse, Phillips County has now bought the Absmeier property to the north of the bowling alley.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

Dec. 11, 1997

A plan for sprucing up Holyoke’s downtown is off and running, with new trash cans, banners, trees, benches and bike racks in the picture for the future. Tom Bennett, Leo Mailander and Deb Dusenbury presented the chamber of commerce’s downtown revitalization plan at the Holyoke City Council meeting on Dec. 2.

Fourteen voters in Holyoke School District Re-1J filed a petition in Phillips County District Court last week, requesting that the 35 ballots rejected by the Nov. 4 election canvassers not be accepted and counted.

Fifty Years Ago

Dec. 7, 1972

The Great Western Sugar Co. announced last week that it has entered into agreements with the government of Japan and the Hokkaido Sugar Co. to use an enzyme process developed in Japan for increasing sugar extraction. Great Western said it is investing about $1 million for a facility in Billings, Montana, to adapt the new technology.

Pvt. Richard Holyoke, 19, the great-grandson of Edward Holyoke, from whom Holyoke received its name, paid a visit to our town last weekend. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph E. Holyoke, visited Holyoke in 1966.

Tuesday night the temperature skidded to 17 below zero; this was the second reading below zero for the week. Monday night, the reading was 5 below and Holyoke received another 3 inches of snow, bringing the total snowfall this year to approximately 28 inches.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

Dec. 11, 1947

The opening of Dickey’s new store located between Colvers Hardware Store and Sorensen’s Sweet Shop will be Saturday, Dec. 13. Dickey announces that they will carry a complete line of men’s clothing, ladies’ ready-to-wear and shoes for every member of the family.

Beef cattle herds in widely separated parts of the state are infected with a new and mysterious type of virus disease, diagnosed for the first time last spring as “X-disease.” The disease manifests itself in fever, diarrhea, ulceration of the mouth and salivation.

Members of the Holyoke Business and Professional Women’s Club breakfasted informally at the Tighe Cafe Sunday morning to honor their official visitors, representatives of the state BPW federation, who officiated at the organizing of a new BPW club at Julesburg on Saturday night.