Yesterday's Phillips County News Memories for January 8, 2020

100 years ago

January 7, 1920

The County Commissioners had decided to put the matter of building in the county for a courthouse up to the voters in April. The County Offices are located on the second floor of the Olive Hotel building and were much too crowded for efficiency.

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J.D. Jackson, alias Arnold D. J. Madero, has been arrested for selling Canadian whiskey in Malta. He was fined $300 and sentenced to serve six months in the County Jail.

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The rapid growth of the Malta Schools has shown a need for a new high school building. The trustees have decided that the district should be bonded for $90,000 for the purpose of constructing a school building.

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Mrs. Thomas Caves was visiting at her old home in Cando, N. Dak.

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Fred L. Robinson has announced his intention of running for the office of County Assessor on the Republican ticket.

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The Charles Stonesifer blacksmith shop has been sold to Robert Murray of Content.

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Ike Niebur has thrown his hat in the political ring with the announced intention of running for county commissioner on the Republican ticket.

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Martha Mason, Josephine Emily, Catherine Humphreys, and Stella Ebaugh were the little girls who were in the lead in a doll contest sponsored by the Malta Drug Company.

75 years ago

January 4, 1945

Superfortress will be named Lee S. Pancake

Phillips County's B-29 Superfortress, built by the purchase of war bonds, in the sixth war loan drive, will be named Lt. Com. Lee S. Pancake, in honor of one of the county's war heroes.

Lt. Com. Pancake, son of Mr. and Mrs. George Pancake of Malta, died by enemy action near the Solomon Islands on October 26, 1942. He had been a staff commander of Destroyer Squadron Two since September, 1942.

Born in Kramer, N. Dak., April 24, 1907, Lt. Com. Pancake came to Malta with his parents when he was six years old. He attended rural schools and the high schools in Dodson and Malta, graduating in 1925.

Pvt. Edward Demarais is wounded for second time

Pvt. Edward Demarais, son of Mrs. Celina Demarais of Malta, has been wounded in action in France. Pvt. Demarais has been in service about a year and a half and was previously wounded in action. His mother received his Purple Heart.

Mrs. Demarais's other son, Pfc. Pete Demarais, was officially reported to have been killed in action after he was reported missing over a year ago.

Robertson Service Flag has six stars

A sixth Service Star has been placed on the Service Flag in the window of the W. F. Robertson home in Malta with the call to service in the Army Nurse Corps of Wanda Robertson, who is stationed in the Madigan Hospital in Fort Lewis, Wash.

Mrs. Robertson is believed to be the top ranking war mother of Phillips County as her children (Russel, Monte, Gaylord, Lancer, Loy, and now Wanda) are all serving in the military...her daughter, Carla, is eagerly awaiting her next birthday when she will also be old enough to join some branch of the military.

50 years ago

January 1, 1970

Gazette named Stiles "Outstanding Sportsman" for Montana 1969.

The Billings Gazette, in Sunday's edition, named Craig Stiles of Malta as the Gazette's "Sportsman of the Year" Stiles won the honor for his outstanding javelin throw during the Montana Interscholastic meet of 242 feet, seven inches. Stiles' mark is surpassed in the nation only by Olympic hopeful Mark Murro who threw the jav 252 feet and seven inches while in high school.

Editor's note: Murro was the top American javelin thrower in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mexico, where he would finish in ninth place.

25 years ago

January 4, 1995

Retiring commissioner will miss people, not job

Retiring commissioner Gene Cowan of Loring is disarmingly candid when he says he can't come up with a very long list of "good things" he did during his 12-year stint as a county commissioner...and he is also candid when he says he won't miss the job.

The highlight for Commissioner Cowan - other than the people he worked with - was not squandering taxpayer's money.

"I was really a little tight with the taxpayer's money, I think," he said.

Street Talk

Question: If you could make a New Year's Resolution for someone else, who would it be for and what would it be?

Dan Mouser: I'd make it for Bill Clinton to start to make more worthy decisions.

Alice Mandeville: I'd make it for my husband that he'd be kind to me all year.

Fran Cotton: I'd make a resolution for all the world leaders to work together for peace.

Cardell White: It would be for Marie Goetz to try and control her temper.

10 years ago

January 6, 2010

Swearing in Ceremony

New members of the Malta City Council were sworn in by Council President Garry Adams as Shyla Jones took the oath of office as the City's new mayor while Bonnie Wiederrick was sworn in as the Ward II Councilwoman, and David Rummel was sworn in as the new Ward I Councilman.

Christmas Scrip loans total $329,660; up 4% over 2008

Shoppers spent a total of $329,660 in Christmas Scrip with local participating merchants during the holiday season, according to the Chamber of Commerce member Don Nevrivy who handles the local program. The total represented a four-percent increase over last year and the second best year on record for the program.