THE TIME MACHINE

From past files of The Star News

10 YEARS AGO

March 11, 2010

Property owners will get a choice between free grass or paying for blacktop between the curb and sidewalk when the north end of Hwy 13 is rebuilt in 2011.

Under the plan reviewed by aldermen at Monday’s committee of the whole meeting, the city would send out letters to all the adjoining property owners offering then the option of the two surface treatments. Property owners would then have to respond to the city so that the final plans could be presented to the state.

According to city coordinator John Fales, the city would be the middleman for the project since the state does not have a mechanism to bill back the additional cost of the asphalt to the property owners.

25 YEARS AGO

March 15, 1995

The debate over half day or full day kindergarten continued during a meeting on Thursday, March 2 with over 100 Stetsonville parents and Medford School District Administrator Paul Schoenberger. Schoenberger pointed out that he wasn’t there to debate the merits of one versus the other, since the school board is attempting to leave that choice up to parents by offering both.

However, the kindergarten plan impacts Stetsonville in that the school board is looking at moving the fifth grade from Stetsonville to Medford Area Middle School in order to open up to more classrooms for kindergarten or a combination of Early Childhood and 4-yearold kindergarten. The kindergarten plan also impacts many families throughout the Medford Area School District.

50 YEARS AGO

March 12, 1970

The Medford Red Raider curling rink, capitalizing in an unexpected bonanza in regard to WIAA rulings, found itself in the WIAA state bonspiel championship here Saturday, going on to cop the WIAA title.

The Red and White rink, skipped by Mark Meyer, defeated Pardeeville 12-3 in the championship playoff to capture the 1970 title.

Coach Hugo Dejong’s rink was originally eliminated from WIAA play in a loss to Superior there in the sectionals, However, it was later determined that Superior had used an ineligible curler in the sectional and the WIAA ruled Medford the sectional winner on a forfeit.

75 YEARS AGO

March 8, 1945

The eight inches of snow that fell Monday and Tuesday brought the total

snowfall of the winter to 651/2 inches as compared to the 43 inches total snowfall of last winter, and 81 inches the year before.

According to the records of previous years kept by Weatherman Gordon Kuse, March has always been a month of heavy snowfall. In 1943 we had 16 inches, and in 1944, 22 inches of snow fell, about half the total snowfall for that year.

100 YEARS AGO

March 10, 1920

The City Council has had a number of streets renamed and some changes made preparatory to putting in the free mail delivery. Broadway is extended across the river to the west side, there taking the place of Elm Street. This street is the dividing line for numbering houses on streets intersecting it, as No. 12 South Second Street, or No. 32 North Fourth Street.

While many of the former street names named after the old residents have been retained, such as Perkins, Urquhart, Wheelock, Brucker, and Whelan, a number have been changed.

125 YEARS AGO

March 9, 1895

The Massachusetts Highway Commissions’ Board has found in building macadamized roads, that, upon loose, sandy soil, much stone is wasted by being driven into the sand. In such cases gravel, when accessible, has been placed upon the sand to a depth of three or four inches, and the stone laid on this. By so doing the cost is greatly reduced. There being no gravel in Martha’s Vineyard, cheap cotton cloth has been spread upon the sand, and over that the stone. The sand does not work up through the stone, and much less stone is required.