1964: Murder suspect turns himself in
75 Years Ago - April 21, 1949
RANDOLPH – A York air-condition gin refrigeration unit has been installed by Leonard Lease in the Roxy Theater. Norfolk Gas & Electric Co. made the installation, which was completed this week.
The unit is of 15-ton capacity. The air is let into the building by a large duct with five outlets. This unit operates so that the temperature can be kept at 72 with a full house during the hottest summer temperatures.
This air-condition unit together with the complete remodeling and redecorating of the Roxy theater gives Randolph the finest theater of any small town in this section of the state. *** RANDOLPH – A spring snow storm, swept into the Randolph territory by a strong northwest wind, blanketed this area with from 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 inch of snow Thursday morning, leaving telephone wires, and electric power lines tangled and out of commission.
The snow was very wet, and left streets and fields covered with slush. Temperatures stayed in the decidedly chilly range, and while much of the snow had melted by Thursday night, there was still quite a quantity of it left until Friday. Temperatures remained chilly until the first of the week when the mercury climbed into the 50s and then reached the 60s on Tuesday.
Windy, sunny weather has done much to dry fields the first part of the week, and if that sort of weather would prevail a few more days much of the oats crop would be seeded.
60 Years Ago - April 16, 1964
RANDOLPH – The World History students of the Randolph High School have received a cablegram from Queen Frederica of Greece.
During their study of Greece, the students did research concerning the early days of that country as reflected in its architecture and sculpture, religion, education, writers and the spirit of its democracy and ideals.
When King Paul died, the class sent a sympathy card to Queen Frederica, with a letter explaining their interest in the county and their desire to express feelings of sorrow to her.
The cablegram back from her said: Heartfelt thanks to High SchoolPupils Teachers for Your Sympathy. *** BELDEN – A Sioux City, Ia., man, Alex James Clemens, 30, turned himself into authorities Sunday at a Belden cafe after having made his escape from Sioux City where he had shot and critically wounded his wife Sunday morning. The couple were separated.
The shooting took place near a Sioux City church where Mrs. Clemens had left two of her three children off for Sunday school. Clemens forced a motorist, Bruce S. Martinsen of rural Sioux City, to drive him to Nebraska.
When the car ran low on gas at Belden, Clements and Martinsen went into the Belden care and told the waitress, Mrs. Manley Sutton, to call the police.
50 Years Ago - April 19, 1974 RANDOLPH – Supt. Neil Kluver reported to the Times that James G. Baker would assume his duties of Music Director approximately Aug. 15, 1974.
Mr. Baker is a native of Auburn, Nebraska. He graduated from Peru State College in 1970 and will receive his Master’s Degree in Music from Kearney State College this summer.
Mr. Baker, his wife, Sandra, and children, daughter Dana Marie, four years old, and son Timothy James, age one year, will be moving to Randolph approximately August 1. They are members of the American Lutheran Church and will attend St. John’s in-Randoph. Mrs. Baker is also a college graduate and will do substituting in the local system. *** RANDOLPH – Cedar County Sheriff, John F. Riibe, in recent weeks, has had complaints of violations of drivers showing no regard for school buses stopped to load or unload.
The Sheriff says that drivers of all motor vehicles which approach a school bus that is stopped to load or unload must come to a full stop.
The law clearly states that persons coming from either direction of a school bus stopped to load or unload must stop or be in violation of the law.
40 Years Ago - April 19, 1984 RANDOLPH – Rural Fire District officials were joined by two members of the Randolph City Council and the volunteer fire chief on Monday afternoon to look over the replacement fire truck that arrived in Randolph over the weekend.
Centralia, Ia. Fire district representatives delivered Randolph’s truck on Saturday evening and stayed over the weekend to demonstrate for the volunteer firemen on Sunday morning the operation of the truck.
Cost of the truck for Randolph was a total of $24,000 with the Rural Fire District chipping in $6,000 toward paying for the unit. Centralia’s fire district replaced the truck with a newer model and were most helpful int he process of delivering the unit to Randolph.
30 Years Ago - April 20, 1994 RANDOLPH – Five Randolph Jaycee members have been elected as new officers for the year.
Elected president was Vicki Bargstadt. Vice President will be Diane Loberg. Treasurer office will be filled by Loren Haselhorst. Secretary for the organization will be Gail Bazata with Verlene Synovec acting as membership vp.
Looking back on 1993, Jaycee members reviewed projects completed which included: public rollerskating evening hosted for children and adults; Vegas Night; Highway litter cleanup; Bingo at Colonial Manor; car show and coordinating ping pong ball drop promotion; Honeyfest junior obstacle course; pig chase at the Randolph fair; Nebraska football pool; sponsored Randolph Cub Scouts; golf tournament; spaghetti supper; Pumpkinfest; Christmas tree sales; Letters to Santa project; coordinated Santa visits; put put Christmas lights for the elderly; Supershooters. *** RANDOLPH – Patrick Combs travelled through Randolph recently on a campaign effort to unseat Congressman Doug Bereuter.
Combs is a lifelong resident of eastern Nebraska and was born in Lincoln in 1965.
After high school, Combs earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1988 from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln.
He said his efforts if elected would include becoming more involved with people and spending more time finding out what’s on their minds rather than maintaining an unreachable status.
20 Years Ago - April 21, 2004 RANDOLPH – The Randolph Board of Education approved the plan to move forward with air conditioning the Randolph Elementary School following a meeting with Lowell Beckenhauer, Jr., a consultant from Beckenhauer Construction Inc., on April 16.
The reason for considering air conditioning for the elementary was due to the excess heat related dismissals, which cost the district approximately $30,000 this past year. The cost occurs as a result of having to pay staff for contract days even though the students are dismissed. The staff is required by contract to fulfill their obligations for the day even though the students were dismissed.